The Jesus Patterns

Hebrew Wisdom

Patterns. 

Prophecy.  Teaching.  Everything.

The ancient Hebrew understood full well that history would repeat itself.  Not only did the Hebrew understand this, it was an occasion for learning the cause or causes behind reward and punishment.  In other words, if something occurred bringing ill effects, what precipitated that result?  Was it because they had sinned and it logically brought on a particular punishment?  Now I don't mean that God punished them for their action.  It's like a child who touches a hot stove after being told not to.  Mother or Father doesn't need to punish the child, his actions will naturally lead to a specific punishment, one that could be avoided in the future by learning from the pain that came from the wrong decision. 

It's simple enough.  The Hebrews were looking for patterns that would provide for a better life.  They were seekers of wisdom, far more than knowledge.  The Hebrew thought this way, both in matters small and large.  Patterns governed their entire life. 

Read this passage from Matthew.

20         Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Him with her sons, bowing down, and making a request of Him.

21         And He said to her, "What do you wish?" She said to Him, "Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left."

22         But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to Him, "We are able."

23         He said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on {My} left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."

24         And hearing {this,} the ten became indignant with the two brothers.

25         But Jesus called them to Himself, and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and {their} great men exercise authority over them.

26         "It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

27         and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;

28         just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

A first century Hebrew would have been particularly aroused by one simple statement, one that the Westerner would normally think innocuous.  See if you can find it.

The wise Israelite reader would have, by one single verse, been taken back to another time and place.  The Hebrew teachers commonly used hero/heroine/national patterns of past behavior and the negative/positive consequences to inform future behavior.   

After the incident (20:20-28) occurred, I feel certain that Jesus the Great Rabbi also taught his disciples another lesson, one that's reflected in the way Matthew recorded this vignette.  The simple key verse is 24:

And hearing {this,} the ten became indignant with the two brothers.

Now the Westerner hears this as just an accounting of what happened.  There was a division.  They got mad at each other.  Got it.

But the Hebrew was listening with ears that could hear.  He heard 10 and 2 and remembered the history of the Southern and Northern Tribes of Israel.  A pattern.  He heard conflict between brothers, and remembered how the 10 tribes and the 2 tribes fought for power over each other, just like what was going on with the Twelve.  Yes, he heard, no doubt, an ominous reference to the history of Israel, and how she was divided and then hauled off into captivity.  The insertion of the words ten and two along with indignant and brothers, served, through remembering the comparison, as an awful warning for the Twelve, heard by every Hebrew that read this passage.  It's all in the patterns.

God gave us the ability to feel pain.  He also gave us a memory.  Combined, they will help us see the right way.  Just as the child has the memory of the burn to discourage further foolish behavior, so too, did the Twelve have the memory of Israel's pain and slavery to refrain from seeking authority over one another.  The comparison suggests to the disciples and the readers of Matthew, that they too, because of the pattern, would find more than a little trouble if they continued on their power-seeking way.  It had already happened.  The pattern was set.

The author of the First Gospel simply 'whispers' that which will prick the Israelite's memory with the words ten, two, indignant, and brothers.  Yet the vast majority of the knowledge seeking Westerners remain oblivious. 

The Greek (Western) method of looking for information is a lesser, single-dimension way of seeing this and other passages.  The Hebrew way of looking for wisdom is a greater, multi-faceted way of seeing and learning within this passage and others.

For the Westerner, the first step to garnering wisdom is to realize that the Hebrews thought and wrote in this comparitive way.   

To the Greek, verse 24 is of little use.  To the Hebrew, it's the WHOLE of the lesson.

Ears that hear.

The Secret Jesus Patterns, pt. 3

Honesty and humility are key.

I once heard a fairly well-known Bible teacher say, 'When I finally see Matthew, I'm going to ask him why he didn't give us the other five explanations for the kingdom parables.'

This statement aptly reflects our analytical (and wrong) thinking.  We assume that Matthew should have overtly revealed the meanings and we blame him.  What we don't stop and ask is the key.  Instead of being angry with him - or thinking him a buffoon who carelessly left out something so important - why aren't we asking with passion and a curiousity as to why? - he chose to withhold the explanations that he surely received from his Rabbi. 

Now I commend this modern-day teacher for realizing and admitting that these enigmas need explanations.  This is far more than virtually all the commentators will admit.  His admission reveals he understands well that the parables were indeed intentionally cryptic.  But where he stopped short was acknowledging that Matthew's actions may well have been quite purposeful.

Virtually all have assumed that the Gospel of Matthew was written as a very straightforward, informational text.  Most think that Matthew's first priority was to let us know about this Godman named Jesus, about what He was like, and about what He did; and we think arrogantly that he wrote it for us.  Modern Christians read the book of Matthew as a biography first and foremost.  And this is a huge mistake.

First of all, it was written to Hebrews in a teaching setting and not to us as we've supposed.  Eusebius - an early church historian - tells us that Matthew wrote his gospel for a group of Jews he was teaching in Jerusalem and that this First Gospel was written down as compensation for his absence as he was leaving to teach the Gentiles.  In other words, it was not written as a biography, but as a teaching aid, a manual, that was to be used to disciple his students, and as the Historian records, was put down in the Hebrew manner (this is ultra important). 

If we view Matthew as a biography we must explain away/or ignore the obvious omission of the other five explanations for the Mysteries of the Kingdom, for biographies are about the impartation of information so therefore we must believe the author has given us all he has; he's given us all we need.  But when we rightly understand Matthew as a teaching manual (in accordance with the testimony of Eusebius), then we can look at the First Gospel in a totally different light.  Were these cryptic sayings - called mysteries - designed to engage, to intrigue, those who heard them to seek to know about real kingdom living? 

Because the they've viewed Matthew through the eyes of a biography, the commentators have missed something of immesurable value.  The explanations happen to be available; available from Matthew, himself.  One just has to know that they exist, and where and how to find them. 

The Secret Jesus Patterns, pt. 2

Honesty and humility are key.

Matthew set up the pattern.  Seven enigmatic statements in a row.  These are the Mysteries of the Kingdom.  Then with those seven, he mercifully decided to give us two explanations from the mouth of Jesus, yet purposefully/curiously left five unexplained.  He also tells us that the disciples needed these explanations; that they couldn't understand them without Jesus' interpretation (It would be impossible to overemphasize this point). 

7 enigmas + 2 explanations is obviously an incomplete pattern; logically there should have been seven explanations that followed rather than only two.  Where are the other 5 explanations? 

What does the pattern in Matthew 13 suggest?

1.  That each of the seven has a distinct meaning/parallel.  If the first two are an example, then the following five are also very allegorical in nature - just as Jesus had allegorically interpreted the other two - requiring specific correlations/specific meanings for each part.   

2.  That the explanations were given only for the disciples as Matthew clearly shows us that they are the ones who receive them and the multitudes are left out.  Jesus Himself, verbalizes this point in 13:11.  The Mysteries are only taught within the rabbi/disciple relationship.

A quick aside:  Hebrew teaching methods were vastly different than ours are today.  Their teachers were adept at using incomplete patterns like the 7 + 2 (mysteries and difficult sayings as well) to draw the student in; to purposefully create a puzzle that needed to be solved by the willing, diligent, inquisitive student.  Because we westerners are so used to an information based teaching method - mostly lecture - we can't imagine such.  When we see something that is missing we naturally assume either it was a mistake, being accidentally left out, or so elemental that we didn't need it.  But the Hebrew teachers left patterns incomplete to gage interest in those who heard/read, to draw the interested student into the equation and learn rather than being pedantically taught.  What many label as inconsistencies in the Ancient Hebrew Text are nothing more than clever and elaborate invitations to investigate; to learn.  These 'inconsistencies' were knowingly/purposefully placed within the text to give the reader a choice.  Pass this over, label it a mistake, deem it too difficult, or 'come in', search and find the key to this mystery.  The choice reveals the worthiness of the student.  I cannot praise their methods enough. 

3.  That obtaining the Mysteries of the Kingdom was not easy/free.  Each person who heard the enigmas on the seashore that day was naturally given a choice.  They could either let Jesus walk away (returning then to their own 'kingdoms') or if they were interested enough in this Kingdom of Heaven, they could follow and obtain the meanings of the mysteries for themselves; but only as disciples. 

What Jesus withheld on the seashore was intended to pique their curiosity. 

What Matthew withheld is intended to pique yours.  Matthew purposefully follows in Jesus' footsteps.

The Kingdom Parables	Their Explanations
"Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some {seeds} fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.  And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.  But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.  And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.  And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:3b-8, NAS)	"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil {one} comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.  And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no {firm} root in himself, but is {only} temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.  And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit, and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty." (Matthew 13:19-23, NAS)
"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.  But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.  And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'  And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' And the slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them.  Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" (Matthew 13:24b-30, NAS)	"The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and {as for} the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil {one;} and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.  Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.  The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Matthew 13:37b-42, NAS)
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all {other} seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." (Matthew 13:31a-32, NAS)	No Explanation
"The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three pecks of meal, until it was all leavened." (Matthew 13:33b, NAS)	No Explanation
"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44, NAS)	No Explanation
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46, NAS)	No Explanation
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering {fish} of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good {fish} into containers, but the bad they threw away.  So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:47-50, NAS)	No Explanation

So where are the other five explanations?

To be continued.

The Secret Jesus Patterns, pt. 1

I'm convinced Matthew 13 is the most important chapter in all the Bible.

The mission of Jesus as a man was two-fold.  One was to become satisfactory payment for our sin.  For this, I'm eternally grateful. 

The second part of His mission was to impart to a select few the Mysteries of the Kingdom, or His original discipleship curriculum.  He passed these teachings on in the context of a rabbi/disciple relationship and later commanded His followers to impart these mysteries to others, even as they went to the ends of the earth.

An example of this cryptic teaching:

The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.

In Matthew 13:33 we find this wonderful, enigmatic Mystery; one of Jesus' original seven.  But contrary to popular belief, it cannot be accurately solved without further information from its author.  I say this though I'm fully aware that virtually every commentary and parable expert believes they have it right. 

Let's revisit the earlier verses in Matthew 13.  It's obvious that the disciples quickly realized Jesus was speaking to the multitudes in cryptic speech.  So cryptic, that no one could understand the meaning of this public discourse.  Jesus' own words in Matthew 13:11 confirmed that He was purposefully concealing the meanings of the Mysteries.  This fact is ignored by most believers, mainly because they cannot fathom a Jesus who consciously withheld information from anyone.  But the truth is revealed in verse 11.  He did just that. 

Yet by showing how the first two parables were 'explained' to the disciples (13:19-23; 13:36-43), Matthew gives us a peek behind the curtain.  We should not fail to realize that the disciples NEEDED the explanations to understand them.  Nor should it be overlooked that the explanations were given to them alone.  But what about the other five Mysteries? Why didn't Matthew give us those explanations as well?  Are they any less cryptic? 

Obviously, the Parable of the Leaven is at least as enigmatic as the Sower and/or Wheat and Tares.  We have a woman.  Who is she?  She takes leaven.  What is this leaven?  She hides it?  (a rare Greek word is used for hiding the leaven here (BTW, no evidence has been found for the use of this particular word in association with baking in the Greek language))  Into three separate pecks of flour?  And does this until it's permeated with the leaven? 

Now many commentators will say that only certain parts of this parable should be interpreted.  This seems a little too convenient.  Pinning down who the woman is, what the leaven is, why she 'hides' it, who or what the three pecks are, and what it means to be completely leavened is a very difficult problem, especially if one tries to explain them all in concert.  Many commentators will give an explanation for one or two of the parts and then say that the other parts were just given to support the one or two they've been able to explain.  Yet when Jesus explained the Sower and Wheat and Tares, He explained each part.  Are we to assume that the other Mysteries are any different?

Those attempting to interpret this parable are ignoring one simple fact. Jesus emphatically stated, that with His speech, He was concealing the Mysteries.  With Jesus' explanations of the parables (as in 13:19-23 & 13:36-43) we can know and understand the Mysteries. Without them (as in the other five) we are left as was the multitude; without knowing.

I can hear some of you now.  "If the other Mysteries needed explanations and if these explanations were actually given to the disciples by Jesus, Matthew would have surely recorded those as well.  And since he didn't give us the explanations, then obviously, we should interpret them for ourselves.  They must not need them." 

Arrogance in this matter (thinking we can interpret the Mysteries without seminal help) has caused us to miss the whole point.

Most all Christians think the Gospel of Matthew is a biography, supplied for information's sake.  Church Historian Eusebius (275-339 CE) would not agree.  Instead, the Gospel of Matthew was created as a teaching manual, designed to teach the Mysteries of the Kingdom in accordance with 28:19.  I've come to firmly believe that we've seriously underestimated the earliest Christians. 

To be continued.

   

 

The Secret Teaching Manual

WHAT!?

That's right.  The Secret Teaching Manual.

Poll Christians today and virtually all will call the Book of Matthew a biography.  It naturally appears as a "Life and Times" of Jesus of Nazareth.  In the beginning we find a genealogy.  At the end we find His death and resurrection.  In the middle we're shown different happenings in His life.  To an outsider who doesn't know it's internal structures and methods, it is no doubt a simple biography.  But was that Matthew's purpose when he wrote it?

Church historian Eusebias (4th Century C.E.) reported this about the genesis of what we've come to know as Matthew:  Matthew the Apostle had been teaching the Jews in Jerusalem.  He then became compelled to go to the Gentiles.  But as compensation for his absence to those who he'd been teaching, he wrote down, in the Hebrew way, his Gospel.

If we read this nonchalantly, we can easily ignore the reason for Matthew's writing.  Matthew had been in a teaching relationship with a group of people (maybe as in obeying 28:19?).  And this newly written gospel was to be used in his stead for continuing that process.  THAT is why he wrote it.  Not for biographical, but teaching purposes.  He was commanded by his Lord to make disciples. 

Another easily overlooked detail is that he wrote it in the Hebrew way.  So what does that mean?

The Gospel of Matthew has a distinct Hebraic literary structure.  It is complex, but symmetrical and meaningful and extraordinarily Hebrew.  Matthew employed Hebrew literary techniques and methods of organization that had been in practice for centuries to compose the First Gospel.  The Old Testament was written utilizing the very same organizational conventions that are found in Matthew.  And unfortunately for the modern Christian, these uber important conventions have remained virtually unknown in the West (though some scholars are making great inroads in this area of research).

There is one other factor in Matthew that bears noting.  A particular teaching technique of the ancient Hebrew rabbis has gone unnoticed for centuries.  From the time of Nathan til the Kabbalistic era, this technique has been used by Jewish teachers.  It's the two-part parable.  I could easily list hundreds of examples.  But for our purposes:

Understanding the beginning of Chapter 13 is key.  Jesus spoke the Parable of the Sower to the multitude.  Then the disciples immediately ran to Him and asked, "Why are you speaking to them in parables?"  To which He replied, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but to them it has not been granted."  The disciples obviously realized that the multitudes would not be able to understand what Jesus was saying.  It's that realization that prompted the question in the first place.  Then Jesus simply confirmed His intentions.  He was indeed concealing the mysteries from the multitudes.  You see, no one understood the parables, disciples included, with just the story part of the parable, the part that was given by Jesus.  So then, how were the disciples granted to know the mysteries?  They were given - by Jesus - the second part of the parable: the explanation (Matthew 13:18-23).   

The Hebrews who heard those enigmatic parables that day weren't baffled.  They knew they'd only been given half of the equation.  Sure, some might've speculated as to the meaning of these enigmatic statements.  But any Hebrew who was even semi-trained, knew that without the other half (the explanation), an exact understanding was virtually impossible.

Comprehending these two parts of the Matthean puzzle - the literary structure and the teaching technique of the rabbis - are integral to understanding the First Gospel in its original form - as the premier instruction manual, which embodies the seminal, hidden teachings of Jesus.

Now then, about what's troubling many of you:  that secret part.  It used to trouble me, too. But now I understand why it had to be secret.  And it's not a clandestine or an elitist premise.  It's simply a progressive teaching method that harnesses curiosity and utilizes caution for more weighty matters (my next post will cover this in some detail).  The absolute genius of the method used by Jesus and His followers must not be underestimated. 

In the next weeks and months, we'll discover a little more about the manual and how it worked as the original discipleship manual.  We'll delve into why discipleship teaching was secretive and guarded (this also being the case in the early church for some centuries after Jesus' departure) .  And we'll journey into the actual discipleship curriculum of Jesus.  I do hope you'll subscribe to this blog, check out my other websites and tell your friends.