Week #17 Chaotic Fear or Calm Faith

 

Video Notes: Shot on the Shore of the Sea of Galilee

·         In the ancient world, and in the Bible, “the sea” was a picture of chaos, a symbol of the uncontrollable elements, and a source of fear. It was often characterized as opposition to the work of God in the world.
·         It was also used to represent the gentile nations, as in…Isaiah 17:12-14 “Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters! The nations roar like the roaring of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away, chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind and whirling dust before the storm. At evening time, behold, terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us, and the lot of those who plunder us.”
·         Jonah’s sailors were terrified by the supernatural storm in the Mediterranean from which their gods were powerless to deliver (Jonah 1).
·         Here I am standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, now called Kinneret Lake. It was out on this lake that Jesus demonstrated that he had authority over the disciples’ greatest fear when they faced death in a storm.
·         This lake is subject to sudden violent storms. The elevation change from the 9,200’ Mt. Hermon to the lake surface at 700’ below sea level can cause sudden and very violent storms (or sharkia in Arabic).
·         Why are you afraid today? What is it in your life that is out of control? Jesus is bigger than your fear!

Blog Audience: This week this blog was viewed not just by those in the United States, but by people around the world including: the Netherlands, Russia, Australia, Philippines, Germany, United Kingdom, Kenya, New Zealand, and Vietnam.

Text: This week we’re covering Luke 8:1-39 which contains a number of well-known people, parables, and powerful miracles. Each episode can be studied individually with great lessons to apply in our lives. Yet there is a larger theme that runs through all of the accounts below. As you study through the chapter see if you can discover it.

Pastor Randy’s Sermon Notes: “Let’s Go” 

Read Luke 8:22-25

1.    Let’s Go!

2.    Don’t quit in the middle of what you are going through.

·       Fear – the anticipation of loss

·       Faith – the anticipation of God doing something great

3.    It’s not where you’re going, but to whom you’re going.

Read Luke 8:26-37

Other passages to read: There are a number of parallel passages in the other gospels:

·         Women who followed: Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 24:10

·         Parable of the Sower: Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20;

·         Reason for parables: Psalm 78:2; Isaiah 6:8-10; John 12:37-43.

·         Lamp not hidden: Matthew 5:15; Mark 4:21-25

·         Jesus Family: Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35

·         Calming the Storm: Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41

·         Gadarene/Geresene demoniac delivered: Matthew 8:28-35; Mark 5:1-21; Psalm 66:16

Points to ponder: In your study this week, you might want to think about one of these questions:

• What are all the questions asked in this passage? Some are asked by Jesus and some are asked of Jesus. Can you see yourself asking or answering any of them?
• What can we learn from this passage about how parables functioned in Jesus’ ministry?
• What is Jesus saying about family in v. 19-21?
• Why would putting a lamp under a jar or a bed be a bad idea? How does this metaphor translate into our lives today?
• Was the demoniac from Gadara or Gergesa? Were there one or two?

Questions to ask ourselves: The following questions are intended to help us move towards greater application of what we learn about Jesus…

• With whom am I following Jesus? It is not a solitary journey, but one done in community.
• After revisiting the familiar parable of the sower, what kind of soil is our heart today?
• Is there something we need to do to amend the soil of our life?
• Take time to put yourself into each of the other stories in this chapter. What characters would represent your affections, attitudes, and actions; and which groups would you have been a part of? For example, in v. 26-39, do we see ourselves among the amazed and silent disciples, the healed demoniac (clothed & in his right mind) begging to follow Jesus, the fleeing herdsmen, or the fearful people of Decapolis who asked Jesus to leave?
• Biblical hearing also involved responding in obedience. Do I have ears to hear?

Commentary & Quotes:

“Storms Still Come: It is good for us to realize that when we are with Jesus and doing His will, we may still encounter dangerous storms.  But that is no cause to be alarmed—Jesus is in control.  What a comfort it is to see that the things that make us panic do not disturb Him at all.  But we must be looking to His face in the midst of our trial in order to draw strength from the peace that is there.  No storm can overcome God's will.  …One word from Him and we are safe.  We need only come and ask Him for help and He will help us.” (From Do You See Him, by Greg Dueker)

Literary-Thematic Outline: As westerners, when we read through the gospels we don’t often pick up a guiding purpose or order to the arrangement of the events and discourses. I think this contributes to a subconscious notion that the text is utterly random. The Bible is not written randomly; rather the way we read and study is often random and disjointed. It would be very easy for us to read this passage as a string of independent scenes, but what if we look for an intentional structure? Luke assembled this gospel based on research and eye witness testimony. While following an orderly, generally chronological arrangement, he places each pericope intentionally (inspired by the Holy Spirit) in relation to those around it. It is not a secret code…it is there for all to see…but too often we simply fail to look beyond chapter numbers and the publisher’s paragraph titles.

As we look for the larger context/structure another element of God’s message to his people becomes apparent:

·         Jesus said things in a way that would help people to remember what he said.

·         The early oral traditions were passionate about accuracy.

·         The events and sayings were often selected and placed by the Gospel authors to communicate the heart of Jesus' message.

·      Prophetic Rhetorical Template (PRT) which was normative, familiar to the Jews from the OT prophets, was continued in Jesus’ teaching. Luke takes it to the next level integrating narrative and discourse together within the same structure.

Let's look at the different elements in this rhetorical outline in Luke 8:1-39.

People: Forming the outer ring/layer of this rhetorical template, we see delivered people (women at the begining, man at the end), let’s not miss that lesson, and they want to be with Jesus. Sometimes they get to follow and sometimes they get sent out to witness. In the case of the Gadarene, his mission prepared the way for the people of that region to eagerly come out to hear Jesus the next time Jesus was in the area. Kenneth Bailey (Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, 192-193) is right to point out the counter-cultural significance of v.1-3 that shows that Jesus had women disciples traveling with him as well as men.

Parables & Power: Parables were not really designed to keep people in the dark so much as to serve as spiritual aptitude tests. It is clear that if someone has a hearing ear that they will be given more. If ones is hearing what Jesus is saying and trusting it, then the storms of life should not be cause for panic! Sometimes God’s will leads through deep waters. Storms will still come that will test how well we have been listening and how readily we are trusting Jesus. Jesus’ question is to the point, “Where is your faith?” If Jesus isn’t anxious then neither should we be fearful nor should we doubt his love and care.

Insiders & Outsiders: Part of this is God’s choice and part of this is our response to Him. Family is not being minimized in this section; rather, Jesus is speaking to the issue of our spiritual family being our true family. As adults we come to realize this in a more complete way. The thing that determines whether we are outsiders or insiders is how we hear and obey Jesus word.

Lamp parable & Taking Care: This parable and the specific caution to “hear” are at the center of the rhetorical structure of 8:1-39. What does this tell us?

A	Delivered people follow along with Jesus (1-3)
B	Parables: Listen carefully (4-8)
C	Insiders (9-15) Why?
D	Take Care how you hear (16-18)
C'	Outsiders (19-21) Why?
B'	Power: Didn't you listen? (22-25)
A'	Delivered people sent home to witness (26-39)

How we hear and act on God’s Word is the key to this entire section…and so much more!

Previously on “Ponderables”:

·      The Pharisee apparently thought that if one was a prophet that he would not allow sinners to approach…much less show such extravagant love. How does this Pharisaical idea effect the way that we live and love others today? The Pharisaical mindset causes us to look down on others as somehow being worse sinners than ourselves . It also gives rise to the idea that Jesus is just for those who deserve him, instead of the truth that he came to seek and save the lost!

·      What do I do when I see others being insulted and treated badly? What should we do? What do we see Jesus doing? He enters in to the suffering of all who are oppressed and is our advocate before the accuser. Kenneth Bailey says that the woman in this passage enters into the suffering of Jesus in great love because she has received great forgiveness. How can we do less?

·      What did Jesus do when he was treated disrespectfully by the Pharisees and lawyers? He didn’t defend himself, but neither did he allow them to be intimidated. He continued to reach to them as lost people and patiently give them reason to trust that he was a prophet and more!

·      How is it possible for us to enter into, and identify with, Jesus’ suffering today? We need a view of Jesus that sees him as the one who suffered and died for our sin. In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus says that when we show simple mercy and compassion “for the least of these my brothers, you did it for me.” Probably the best answer is to ask what God is laying on your heart to do for others this week, expecting nothing in return.

·      If in the Middle East the greatest “law” is the Law of Hospitality, what is the greatest cultural “law” here in the west? I haven’t received any feedback on this, but I suspect our greatest cultural “laws” in the west may be privacy and convenience rather than hospitality. A sad commentary on our society of what J.P. Moreland calls, “empty selves.”

·      The Pharisees seemed to set a trap to provoke Jesus by their lack of hospitality, but Jesus seemed to catch them in their own trap...has he caught us? I hope so!