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Sunday March 24, 2019 Sermon Slides -- Matthew 10:16-34

Sunday March 24, 2019 Sermon Slides -- Matthew 10:16-34

mikekoplitz
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Sunday March 24, 2019 Sermon Slides -- Matthew 10:16-34

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  1. Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz

  2. @2019. Copyright Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz, D.Min., Ph.D. All rights reserved. Page 2 of 28

  3. Hebraic Analysis with Sermon Notes The main differences between the Greek method and Hebraic method of teaching ... 4 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 6 Language ...............................................................................................................15 Process of Discovery..............................................................................................16 Works Cited...........................................................................................................28 Page 3 of 28

  4. The main differences between the Greek method and Hebraic method of teaching Once you are aware of the two teaching styles, you will be able to determine if you are in a class or reading a book, whether the analysis and/or teaching method is either in a Greek or Hebraic method. In the Greek method, it is automatically thought that the instructor is right because of advanced knowledge. In the college situation, it is because the professor has his/her Ph.D. in some area of study, so one assumes that he or she knows everything about the topic. For example, Rodney Dangerfield played the role of a middle-aged man going to college. His English midterm was to write about Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Since he didn’t understand any of Vonnegut’s books he hired Vonnegut himself to the write the midterm. When it was returned to him, the English Professor told Dangerfield that whoever wrote the paper knew nothing about Vonnegut. This is an example of the Greek method of teaching. Did the Ph.D. English professor think that she knew more about Vonnegut’s writings than Vonnegut did? 1 In the Greek teaching method, the professor or the instructor claims to be the authority. If you are attending a Bible study class and the class leader says, “I will teach you the only way to understand this biblical book,” you may want to consider the implications. This method is common since most Seminaries and Bible colleges teach a Greek method of learning, which is the same method the church has been utilizing for centuries. Hebraic teaching methods are different. The teacher wants the students to challenge what they hear. It is through questioning that a student can learn. In addition, the teacher wants his/her students to excel to a point where the student becomes the teacher. 1Back to School. Performed by Rodney Dangerfield. Hollywood: CA: Paper Clip Productions, 1986. DVD. Page 4 of 28

  5. It is said that if two rabbis come together to discuss a passage of Scripture, the result will be at least ten different opinions. All points of view are acceptable if the points can be supported by biblical evidence. It is permissible and encouraged for students to have multiple opinions. There is a depth to God’s Word, and God wants us to find all His messages that are placed in the Scriptures. Seeking out the meaning of the Scriptures beyond the literal meaning is essential to fully understanding God’s Word.2 The Greek method of learning the Scriptures has prevailed over the centuries. One problem is that only the literal interpretation of Scripture was often viewed as valid, as prompted by Martin Luther’s “sola literalis” meaning that only the literal interpretation of Scripture was valid. The Fundamentalist movements of today are generally based on the literal interpretation of the Scripture. Therefore, they do not believe that God placed any deeper, hidden, or secret meanings in the Word. The students of the Scriptures who learn through Hebraic training and understanding have drawn a different conclusion. The Hebrew language itself leads to different possible interpretations because of the construction of the language. The Hebraic method of Bible study opens avenues of thought about God’s revelations in the Scripture that may have never been considered. A question may be raised about the Scripture being studied for which there may not be an immediate answer. If so, it becomes the responsibility of the learners to uncover the meaning. Also, remember that multiple opinions about the meaning of Scripture are also acceptable if they can be supported by Scripture. 2Davis, Anne Kimball. The Synoptic Gospels. MP3. Albuquerque: NM: BibleInteract, 2012. Page 5 of 28

  6. Methodology The methodology employed is to use First Century Scripture study methods integrated with the customs and culture of Yeshua’s day to examine the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, thus gathering a deeper understanding by learning the Scriptures in the way the people of Yeshua’s day did. I have titled the methodology of analyzing a passage of Scripture in a Hebraic manner the “Process of Discovery.” This methodology was developed by the author bringing together the various areas of linguistic and cultural understanding. There are several sections to the process and not all the sections apply to every passage of Scripture. The overall result of developing this process is to give the reader a framework into the ideas being presented. The “Process of Discovery” starts with a Scripture passage. If the passage is in a poetic form, it is identified. Possible poetic techniques include: parallelism, chiastic structures, and repetition. Formatting the passage in its poetic form allows the reader to be able to visualize what the first century CE listener was hearing. The chiasms are labeled by their corresponding sections, for example: A, B, C, B’, A’. Not all passages of the Scriptures have a poetic form. The next step is to “question the narrative,” which is accomplished by assuming the reader knows nothing about the passage. Therefore, the questions go from the simple to the complex. The next task is to identify any linguistic patterns. Linguistic patterns Page 6 of 28

  7. include, but are not limited to: irony, simile, metaphor, symbolism, idioms, hyperbole, figurative language, personification, and allegory. Any translation inconsistencies discovered between the English NASB version and either the Hebrew or Greek versions are identified. There are times when a Hebrew or Greek word can be translated in more than one way. Inconsistencies also can be created by the translation committee, which may have decided to use traditional language instead of the actual translation. The decision of the translation committee can be generally found in the Preface or Introduction to the Bible. Perhaps some of the inconsistencies were intentionally added to convey some deeper meaning therefore, the inconsistencies need to be examined. Echoes of the Hebrew Scriptures in the Christian Scripture are identified. This occurs when a passage from the Hebrew Scripture is used in the Christian Scripture or when a command is directly discussed in the Christian Scriptures. 3 In addition, echoes can be found when Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy) passages are used in other Hebrew Bible books. In addition to echoes, cross references are listed. A cross reference is a reference to another verse in the Scripture which can assist the reader to understand the verse that is being read. The names of persons mentioned in the passage are listed. Many of the Hebrew names have meaning and may be associated with places or actions. Jewish parents used to name their children based on what they felt God had in store for their child. An example of this is Abraham whose original name was Abram and was changed to mean eternal father (in this case Abram’s name was changed by God to Abraham indicating a 3 Mitzvot are the 613 commandments found in the Torah that please God. There are positive and negative commandments. The list was first development by Maimonides. The full list can be found at: ttp://www.jewfaq.org/613.htm. Page 7 of 28

  8. function he was to perform). When the Hebrew Bible gives names, many of the occurrences will indicate something special to the reader/listener. The same importance can hold true for the names of places. The time it takes to travel between places can supply insight to the event. Key words are identified in a verse when they are important to an understanding of that passage. There are no rules for selecting the key words. Searching for other occurrences of the keywords in Scripture in a concordance is necessary to understand how the word was being used; this must be done in either Hebrew or Greek, not in English. A classic Hebraic approach is to find the usage of a word in the Scripture by finding other verses that contain the word. The usage of a word, in its original language, is discovered by searching the Scripture in the language of the word. The verses that contain the word being researched are identified and a pattern for the usage of the word is discerned. Each verse is examined to see what the usage of the word is which, may reveal a pattern for the word’s usage. For Hebrew words the first usage of the word in the Scripture, especially if used in the Torah, is important. For the Greek words the Christian Scriptures are used to determine the word usage in the Scripture. Sometimes finding the equivalent Greek word in the Septuagint then analyzing its usage in Hebrew can be very helpful. The Rules of Hillel for Bible understanding can be used when applicable. Hillel was a Torah scholar who lived shortly before Yeshua’s day. Hillel developed several rules for Torah students to interpret the Scriptures which are referred to as halachic midrash. In several cases these rules are helpful in the analysis of the Scripture. Page 8 of 28

  9. After the linguistic analysis is complete an examination of the cultural implications will be examined. The culture is important because it is not specifically referenced in the biblical narratives as indicated earlier. From the linguistic analysis and the cultural understanding, it is possible to obtain a deeper meaning of the Scripture beyond the literal meaning of the plain text. That is what the listeners of Yeshua’s time were doing. They put the linguistics and the culture together without even having to contemplate it. They simply did it. This will lead to a conclusion or a set of conclusions about what the passage is talking about. Most of the time the Hebraic analysis leads to the desire for a deeper analysis to fully understand what Yeshua was talking about or what was happening to Him. Whatever the result, a new deeper understanding of the Scripture will be obtained. The components of the Process of Discovery are: Language Process of Discovery Linguistics Section Linguistic Structure Discussion Questioning the Passage Verse Comparison on citations or proof text Translation Inconsistencies Page 9 of 28

  10. Biblical Personalities Biblical Locations Phrase Study Scripture cross references Linguistic Echoes Rules of Hillel Culture Section Discussion Questioning the passage Cultural Echoes Culture and Linguistics Section Discussion Midrash Zohar Thoughts Reflections Only the application sections are included in this document. Page 10 of 28

  11. Abbreviations Bibleworks V104 was used for the Scriptures used in this study guide. Below are the abbreviations used in the software. Pentateuch GEN Historical & Poetic EXO LEV JDG 2KI EST SOL JER JOE NAH MAL MAR LUK 1CO COL TIT JAM 3JO BAR PRM TOB ODE EPJ PSX NUM DEU 1SA 2CH PSA JOS 1KI NEH ECC RUT 1CH JOB 2SA EZR PRO DAN JON HAG Prophets ISA HOS MIC ZEC MAT ROM PHI 2TI HEB 2JO 1ES 3MA PSS PRA JDT 4MA LAM AMO HAB EZE OBA ZEP Gospels Paul JOH GAL 2TH ACT EPH 1TI 2CO 1TH PHM 1PE JUD 1MA WIS SUS 4ES 2MA SIP Apostles 2PE REV SIR BEL LAO ESG JSA JDA 1JO TBS SUT DAT BET DNG Apocrypha The following is a list of aliases for BibleWorks book name abbreviations. See the Book Names section of the Options window for details on how to add to or change these aliases. Internal Name n Browse Window Name used i Name used in Exported Verse Lists Alias 1 Alias 2 4"Bible Version Abbreviations." Abbreviations. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016. Page 11 of 28

  12. Gen Exo Lev Num Deu Jos Jdg Rut 1Sa 2Sa 1Ki 2Ki 1Ch 2Ch Ezr Neh Est Job Psa Pro Ecc Sol Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan Hos Joe Amo Oba Jon Mic Nah Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samuel 2 Samuel 1 Kings 2 Kings 1 Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalm Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song of Solomon Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Gen. Exod. Lev. Num. Deut. Jos. Jdg. Ruth 1 Sam. 2 Sam. 1 Ki. 2 Ki. 1 Chr. 2 Chr. Ezr. Neh. Est. Job Ps. Prov. Eccl. Cant. Isa. Jer. Lam. Ezek. Dan. Hos. Joel Amos Obad. Jon. Mic. Nah. Gen Exo Lev Num Deu Jos Jdg Rut 1Sa 2Sa 1Ki 2Ki 1Ch 2Ch Ezr Neh Est Job Psa Pro Ecc Sol Isa Jer Lam Eze Dan Hos Joe Amo Oba Jon Mic Nah Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1Samuel 2Samuel 1Kings 2Kings 1Chronicles 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalm Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Page 12 of 28

  13. Hab Zep Hag Zec Mal Mat Mar Luk Joh Act Rom 1Co 2Co Gal Eph Phi Col 1Th 2Th 1Ti 2Ti Tit Phm Heb Jam 1Pe 2Pe 1Jo 2Jo 3Jo Jud Rev 1Es Jdt Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation 1 Esdras Judith Hab. Zeph. Hag. Zech. Mal. Matt. Mk. Lk. Jn. Acts Rom. 1 Co. 2 Co. Gal. Eph. Phil. Col. 1 Thess. 2 Thess. 1 Tim. 2 Tim. Tit. Phlm. Heb. Jas. 1 Pet. 2 Pet. 1 Jn. 2 Jn. 3 Jn. Jude Rev. 1 Es. Jdt. Hab Zep Hag Zec Mal Mat Mar Luk Joh Act Rom 1Co 2Co Gal Eph Phi Col 1Th 2Th 1Ti 2Ti Tit Phm Heb Jam 1Pe 2Pe 1Jo 2Jo 3Jo Jud Rev 1Es Jdt Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1Corinthians 2Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1Thessalonians 2Thessalonians 1Timothy 2Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1Peter 2Peter 1John 2John 3John Jude Revelation 1Esdras Judith Page 13 of 28

  14. Tob 1Ma 2Ma 3Ma 4Ma Ode Wis Sir Sip Pss Bar Epj Sus Bel Pra Dng Prm Tobit 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Odes Wisdom Sirach Sip Psalms of Solomon Ps. Sol. Baruch Epistle of Jeremiah Ep. Jer. Susanna Bel Prayer of Azariah Daniel (Greek) Prayer of Manasseh Psalm(151) Laodiceans 4 Esdras Esther (Greek) Joshua (A) Judges (A) Tobit (S) Susanna (TH) Daniel (TH) Bel (TH) WCF WLC WSC Tob. 1 Ma. 2 Ma. 3 Ma. 4 ma. Odes Wis. Sir. Sip Tob 1Ma 2Ma 3Ma 4Ma Ode Wis Sir Sip Pss Bar Epj Sus Bel Pra Dng Prm Tobit 1Maccabees 2Maccabees 3Maccabees 4Maccabees Odes Wisdom Sirach Sip Baruch Susanna Bel Azariah Dng Manasseh Bar. Sus. Bel. Pr. Az. Dng Pr. Man. Psx Lao 4Es Esg Jsa Jda Tbs Sut Dat Bet WCF WLC WSC Psx. Lao. 4 Es. Esg. Jsa. Jda. Tbs. Sut. Dat. Bet. WCF WLC WSC Psx Lao 4Es Esg Jsa Jda Tbs Sut Dat Bet WCF WLC WSC Laodiceans 4Esdras Page 14 of 28

  15. Language New American Standard 1995 Koine Greek 16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish go ing thro ugh the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. 16 Ἰδού, ἐγὼἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων· γίνεσθε οὖν φρόνιμοι ὡς οἱὄφεις, καὶ ἀκέραιοι ὡς αἱπεριστεραί. 17 Προσέχετε δὲἀπὸτῶν ἀνθρώπων· παραδώσουσιν γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰς συνέδρια, καὶἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν μαστιγώσουσιν ὑμᾶς· 18 καὶἐπὶἡγεμόνας δὲκαὶβασιλεῖς ἀχθήσεσθε ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ, εἰς μαρτύριον αὐτοῖς καὶτοῖς ἔθνεσιν. 19 Ὅταν δὲπαραδιδῶσιν ὑμᾶς, μὴμεριμνήσητε πῶς ἢτίλαλήσητε· δοθήσεται γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐν ἐκείνῃτῇ ὥρᾳτίλαλήσετε· 20 οὐγὰρ ὑμεῖς ἐστὲοἱλαλοῦντες, ἀλλὰτὸπνεῦμα τοῦπατρὸς ὑμῶν τὸλαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν. 21 Παραδώσει δὲἀδελφὸς ἀδελφὸν εἰς θάνατον, καὶπατὴρ τέκνον· καὶἐπαναστήσονται τέκνα ἐπὶ γονεῖς, καὶθανατώσουσιν αὐτούς. 22 Καὶἔσεσθε μισούμενοι ὑπὸπάντων διὰτὸὄνομά μου· ὁδὲὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται. 23 Ὅταν δὲδιώκωσιν ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇπόλει ταύτῃ, φεύγετε εἰς τὴν ἄλλην· ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐμὴ τελέσητε τὰς πόλεις τοῦἸσραήλ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃὁυἱὸς τοῦἀνθρώπου. Page 15 of 28

  16. Process of Discovery Linguistics Section Linguistic Structure [Yeshua’s caution - cause]16 "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.17 "But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 "But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 "For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. [Results of the Word - effect] 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 "You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23 "But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish go ing thro ugh the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. Discussion This passage can be viewed as a cause and effect situation. Yeshua sends His disciples into the world to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven. However, the Good News is not going to be received by all and will stir trouble. The passage commences with an eschatological construction in verse 16, sheep among wolves. It concludes with an eschatological construction of the “son of man” in verse 23. At first read it appears that Yeshua was expecting the end of time to come when His disciples returned from their mission. However, if the belief is that Yeshua will return again then this possibility is inconsistent with current beliefs, or it could be correct that Yeshua would change in someway while the disciples were sent out. There is no indication of what Yeshua did when the disciples were sent out. Another view is that this is a foreshadowing of the post-Easter event. The Page 16 of 28

  17. disciples where sent out by Yeshua in Matthew 28 to do the work of spreading the Gospel before the end of time. There may be some influence of the situation of the Christian community in the 60’s CE being reflected. The is idea that the 66 CE Jewish Revolt had a deep influence on the writing of Matthew’s Gospel. Questioning the Passage5 1.What is the symbolism of the snake? (v. 16) When people hear snake or serpent the immediate image is of treachery, however in Yeshua’s day it was a symbol of wisdom. A snake avoids people. Most can change their pigment so that they blend into the landscape. It will only attack if it feels it needs to escape from danger. The snake will coil itself with its head in the center for protection. The snake is shrewd in that it avoids confrontations.6 2.What is the symbolism of the dove? (v. 16) The dove symbolizes purity, gentleness, peace and sincerity. It is a friendly bird and never harms or attacks other birds. It may have been the first domesticated bird because it is faithful to its owner.7 3.What did Yeshua mean by being wise as snakes and harmless as doves? (v. 16) Yeshua tells his disciples to be faithful to the work that He assigned to them and to avoid trouble and dangers. Persons traveling unarmed and appearing meek were usually left alone on the road. If they entered a city and they learned 5The questions and answers offered are for discussion purposes. You may have different questions and answers. Remember all questions are valid and all answers must be defendable from Scripture. This applies to this section and to the Culture Section. 6 Errico, Rocco A., and George M. Lamsa. Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew: a Commentary on the Teachings of Jesus from the Aramaic and Unchanged Near Eastern Customs. Santa Fe, NM: Noohra Foundation, 2000. 7 IBID. Page 17 of 28

  18. of danger approaching, for example, the people angry at them because of the message, they were to flee from the city. They were preaching the message of purity, peace, and kindness. They had to live this way in order to convince people that this was the best way to live. 4.Can verse 16 be viewed as a foreshadowing of the mission of the church? Yeshua in chapter twenty-eight sends His disciples and followers out into the world to spread the message of the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. He did not have to repeat that the disciples will run into difficulties when accomplishing the mission. The dangers of the mission are explained in this section. Also, the mission of the church was not a random thing. It is part of God’s eschatological plan to bring all nations into the Kingdom of Heaven. The mission of the church is a cause of tribulation. Because the church is a God mission it will survive all of the challenges that is set before it. 5.Why is Yeshua offering such a warning after telling His disciples in the previous passage that they must be safe in their travels? It does seem a bit odd that Yeshua tells the disciples to be safe on their journey but then tells them that they may be persecuted. The disciples returned from the mission and had positive reports. They did not suffer for Yeshua. Therefore, why is this warning here? It is possible it is included because the disciples who formed the Matthean church did suffer for the Gospel. The persecution of the church began with the 66 CE revolt. Therefore, it is possible to help the disciples of that community that Matthew added these words from Yeshua to understand why they were being persecuted. They may not have known about the tribulation that Paul experienced during his travels. They Page 18 of 28

  19. probably needed some words of encouragement to continue spreading the Gospel.8 Scripture cross references Verse 20 Luk 12:12; Act 4:8; Act 13:9; 2Co 13:3 Linguistic Echoes 1. will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children 6 For son treats father contemptuously, Daughter rises up against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own household. (Mic. 7:6 NAU) “Micah was describing the immorality of his day. A son should exalt his father but that was not the case. The son would disgrace and humiliate his father in Micah’s day. The same way a daughter rose up against her mother to disgrace her. In Micah’s day, you could not trust your family, servants or even your slaves (Abarbanel).”9 Yeshua spoke about the corruption of his day. That corruption of the religious leadership caused immoral acts that were against the LORD’s Torah (Laws). The Micah reference being used about the people in Yeshua’s day tell us why the Gospel was so important. Yeshua was trying to save people from their sin by telling them how they were disrespecting the LORD. Like prophets of the 8 Errico, Rocco A., and George M. Lamsa. Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew: a Commentary on the Teachings of Jesus from the Aramaic and Unchanged Near Eastern Customs. Santa Fe, NM: Noohra Foundation, 2000. 9 Koplitz, Michael “Understanding Micah” Page 19 of 28

  20. past Yeshua and His disciples would be persecuted because of their message of immorality.10 Culture Section Questioning the passage 1.What was a city of refuge? (v. 23) In Yeshua’s day if a man fled from one city to another, the authorities of the next city he went to would welcome him and give him protection. Crimes committed in one city were not held against a person in another city. The Bible said that Israel was to set up cities of refuge for murderers. This was to prevent a person being killed for an accidental death that he was a party of. Therefore, if the disciples ran into trouble in one city they could flee and find refuge in the next city.11 Cultural Echoes 1.What was the punishment of flogging? Flogging was defined in Deuteronomy. NAU Deuteronomy 25:1 "If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, 2 then it shall be if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall then make him lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of stripes according to his guilt. (Deut. 25:1-2 NAU) 10The New Interpreter's Bible. General Articles on the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Mark. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1995. 11 Errico, Rocco A., and George M. Lamsa. Aramaic Light on the Gospel of Matthew: a Commentary on the Teachings of Jesus from the Aramaic and Unchanged Near Eastern Customs. Santa Fe, NM: Noohra Foundation, 2000. Page 20 of 28

  21. The number of times that a person could be struck for speaking about Yeshua is undefined. Yeshua was alerting His disciples that what they were going to do could invoke a negative response from the religious leadership. Yeshua’s ideas of how the Kingdom of Heaven worked was radical for His time period. Thoughts Why would the disciples of Yeshua be arrested and beaten for their words? Yeshua was like the prophets. He brought a message that the LORD was not pleased with the people and they needed to acknowledge their situation and repent of their evil ways. The leadership did not like these messages because they liked what they were doing. That brings up the question of morality. Who decides what morality is? The religious leadership of Yeshua’s day, like the kings of the past, were living in a way that they thought was moral. A prophet was sent by the LORD to tell them that they were not living morally. The prophet was then killed. Yeshua told the religious leadership of His day that they were immoral. They did not want to hear that, or they did not agree. So, who defines morality? Whether it is in Yeshua’s day or today, who defines morality. An example is the David and Bathsheba story. Reading it literally allows for the morality of the reader to define the story. Today society says that adultery and premeditated murder is immoral. Therefore, David was immoral and should have been punished for what he did. However, the Zohar, which was written in the second century CE has a completely different view of the story. David needed to find his soulmate. The marriage of David and Bathsheba resulted in the birth of Solomon. It was Solomon who built the Temple. The LORD forgave David of his sinful acts because the acts can be viewed as necessary for him to be with his soulmate. For the writer of the story of David and Bathsheba in the Prologue of the Zohar the adultery Page 21 of 28

  22. and murder were not sins but actions necessary to fulfil the overall plan of the LORD’s creation. So, we are left is the original question, who defines morality. Reflections There is a struggle which the church in general has been wrestling with for some time. That question has to do with the definition of marriage. The traditional definition of marriage has been challenged by a progressive definition. The two definitions are incompatible. During the last couple of decades the progressive definition has gained enough supporters in places like the United States that laws have been passed to protect the progressive marriage definition. Thus, the laws of the land have determined that what was once considered immoral is now moral. The question of who defines morality is the question that sits above all of these struggles. An example in the church occurred in February 2019, after struggling with the question for decades and a large expenditure of money, the United Methodist Church voted to keep the definition of morality in marriage as the traditional definition. Progressives immediately protested the decision, again, as they do ever four years at the church’s general conference gatherings. Is it a fight about adopting the progressive view of marriage or is it a fight about who gets to define what morality is for the members of the UMC? In March 2019 the traditionalists’ definition of morality is the law of the church. However, the progressives have decided that their definition of morality is correct and violate church law without any concern. They can do this because the UMC will not punish clergy, including bishops, for violating church law. The church makes it appear as a fight over recognition of the progressive marriage definition versus the traditional marriage definition. That’s not the real fight. The real fight is who gets to decide what is moral and what is immoral. Both sides use the Bible to base their definitions. With so many differing English versions of the Bible available it does not take long to find one that fits either sides’’ definition of what morality is. Page 22 of 28

  23. The traditionalist won the Conference battle in February 2019. However, the progressives will not accept the traditionalist morality and have and will continue their attack on the morality system of the UMC until they can determine the definition of morality. Is the continual attack on the system moral? Probably not, but then who is going decide if it is or is not moral? The UMC cannot live with two definitions of morality. Their one church with two moralities plan failed to pass the General Conference of 2019. It is probably for the best that it failed. Abraham Lincoln said that a house divided cannot stand. A UMC with two differing morality definitions would not stand. It is time for a definitive decision of who is defining the morality of the UMC. This is just one example of the struggle that is occurring in churches over who makes the morality decisions. Sermon Outline 1.Introduction a.Continuation of Matthew 10:1-15 b.More instructions to the disciplines being sent out 2.Symbolism and More a.Dove  purity, gentleness b.Snake  wisdom c.Wise as snakes and harmless as doves  travel unarmed (wise) and live pure (dove), practice what you preach d.City of refuge (v. 23) e.21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.  from Micah, expression of chaos 3.For Us today a.Why were the disciples handed over? b.Jesus message of morality c.Was different then the culture d.Who interprets God’s moral language? e.How can we have 2 (or more) groups reading the same Bible with different moral views? Page 23 of 28

  24. f.Christian moral interpretation model (insert model) g.UMC Battle is over who interprets morality Page 24 of 28

  25. Slides Page 25 of 28

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  28. Works Cited 1986. Back to School. Directed by James Signorelli. Performed by Rodney Dangerfield. Davis, Anne Kimball. 2012. The Synoptic Gospels. Albuquerque. Errico, Rocco A., and George M. Lamsa. 2001. Aramaic Light on the Gospels of Mark and Luke. Smyrna, GA: Noohra Foundation. 1995. The New Interpreter's Bible Commentary. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. Page 28 of 28

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