Podcasts about jerusalemites

Pres. Trump strengthens ties w/ the Gulf states & returns to US w/agreements worth billions. Analysis from Jerusalemites & expert Elie Pieprz on pros/cons of Trump visit to Saudi Arabia/Middle East. Doron Spielman's new book "When the Stones Speak."

Pres. Trump strengthens ties w/ the Gulf states & returns to US w/agreements worth billions. Analysis from Jerusalemites & expert Elie Pieprz on pros/cons of Trump visit to Saudi Arabia/Middle East. Doron Spielman's new book "When the Stones Speak."

Pres. Trump strengthens ties w/ the Gulf states & returns to US w/agreements worth billions. Analysis from Jerusalemites & expert Elie Pieprz on pros/cons of Trump visit to Saudi Arabia/Middle East. Doron Spielman's new book "When the Stones Speak."

Pres. Trump strengthens ties w/ the Gulf states & returns to US w/agreements worth billions. Analysis from Jerusalemites & expert Elie Pieprz on pros/cons of Trump visit to Saudi Arabia/Middle East. Doron Spielman's new book "When the Stones Speak."

Luke 13:1-9At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'” Did they deserve it? That's the question Jesus poses to the people reporting a recent tragedy under Pilate's rule. Pilate was known for cruelty and contempt toward the Jewish people. In this case, some Galilean Jews were offering sacrifices when Pilate's soldiers slaughtered them, mixing their blood with that of the animals, desecrating the sacred rite. It was as if Pilate declared: these Jews are no more human than the animals they slaughter.The people came to Jesus to confirm what they already believed: “Did you hear about that horrible death? What did they do to deserve it?” They wanted an explanation. Surely, there had to be a reason. The common explanation was sin: divine punishment.That was the belief of the day: suffering was punishment for sin, your own or your parents'. But Jesus pushes back. It's not their sins that caused this, which feels like good news—until Jesus warns them not to think themselves better. To drive the point home, he tells them about a tower that collapsed and killed 18 Jerusalemites. Did they deserve it? Were they worse sinners than others? No, Jesus says, but unless you repent, you will perish just as they did. Is that a threat? A promise? A prophecy? Jesus doesn't explain, just like he doesn't explain suffering. Isn't that hard for us too? We long for explanations for suffering—ours and others'. We're often gentler on ourselves, but when it comes to others' pain, we're tempted to look for fault.When tragedy strikes—a plane crash, a tornado, a terrible car accident—we don't think those people had it coming. We think: tragedy, bad luck, not divine punishment.But what about poverty? What about homelessness? We see a tent compound, trash scattered around. We might not say they deserve it—but we think: if only they made better decisions, if they avoided addiction, if they took care of their health, maybe they wouldn't be in this situation.This year, we've been learning and talking a lot about homelessness, especially here in Indianapolis. Our high school students and I have spent this semester diving deep into the issue as part of their Sunday School curriculum. The advocacy workshop we hosted focused on two Indiana bills addressing homelessness. So I was eager to attend the Spring Faith and Action conference at Christian Theological Seminary, which focused on that very topic.The keynote speaker was an author and activist I hadn't heard of before: David Ambroz. He started by sharing a bit of his own story. Born into homelessness, he, his mother, and two siblings roamed the streets of New York City, living mainly in Grand Central station. He recounted one particularly cold night, Christmas Eve, when David was just five years old. It's frigid and they are wandering the streets for hours, ice forming on their faces, as his mom flees the people she believes are chasing them. It's only after David has peed himself and pleaded profusely that she relents and they go to a men's shelter, where they are given a single cot for all four of them. Laying on that cot, David remembers his mom, the caring mom now, asking him “do you want this”, gesturing to the lost souls in the shelter. “No!” he cried. “I don't want this. I don't want to sit here in my own urine, surrounded by nameless, homeless shadows.” But in the dark, Mom sparks something: hope. I'm five, but I know this—I want a roof, a bed, blankets. I want to protect my siblings. I want to protect Mom from mom. “Good,” Mom says softly. For a moment, she's the mom I dream of. We pile together on the cot, and I fall asleep, held by hope.The story was as powerful as the rest of his keynote. David talked about his time in foster care, he offered solutions, but he ended by asking, “Do you think I deserved to be homeless, to be grinded up in the foster care system? Do you think the people who live on your streets deserve such suffering? No! But until we change our thinking, until we don't believe these people and children in utter poverty deserve this, nothing will change. We have the capability to end childhood homelessness and poverty—we just don't have the willpower, because in our heart of hearts, we still believe they deserve this.”That's exactly what Jesus is getting at. People living in poverty, living on the streets, are not suffering because of divine judgment. Jesus may not explain why suffering happens, but he makes clear it is not a punishment from God for one's sins. That's not to say sin doesn't have consequences; surely it does. But I would ask: What sin is worse—the ones that contributed to being homeless, or having the means and resources to help but choosing not to? And I don't just mean individually, but as a community, as a society.In greater Indianapolis, we have spent over a billion dollars on sports stadiums and parks in the last 15 years, most of it coming from tax increases. Not even 4% of that has gone toward housing and homelessness. If anything, people are suffering more from our sin: from the slow, unjust systems we have created, from having the means as a society and as individuals to help, but choosing not to. From the self-righteous thought that they must be worse sinners than us, that they deserve this suffering.Yet, thankfully, the trying task of deciding which sins are worse, which deserve punishment and which don't, is an unnecessary and unfruitful task—one Jesus is uninterested in.What I hear Jesus saying is: the people you assume are worse sinners than you are not. And unless we repent, unless we change our thinking, unless we turn to help, we will suffer too. As Bonhoeffer said, “We are bound together by a chain of suffering which unites us with one another and with God.” Because God doesn't explain suffering; God shares it. To redeem all the suffering of the world, God did not command suffering to stop but rather became flesh in Jesus and suffered with us. It is by his suffering that we are redeemed and given the opportunity to lessen the suffering of others.We are the fig tree, given another year, another day, another moment to bear fruit, to lessen the suffering of others. In Jesus' eyes, we are not a waste of soil, of resources, opportunities, or time—and neither are those who live in tents, stay in cars, or sleep on sidewalks.What does bearing fruit look like in our time and place? It's simple, but not easy: It means doing what we can and acknowledging the humanity of those suffering around us. If you're wondering how to begin, here are some ways you can bear fruit in this community. Next Sunday after second service, I am taking our high school students to Horizon House, an organization dedicated to helping our neighbors experiencing homelessness get permanent, safe housing. We'll get a tour and make some sandwiches for their guests. You are welcome to come; just please let me know if you're interested.And if that doesn't work for you, consider reaching out to Lutheran Child and Family Services. They run the only long-term housing program for kids aging out of the foster system, many of whom are at the highest risk for homelessness. I learned just this week that their on-site pantry is running low and could use food donations. If you can help, reach out to me, and I'll connect you with the right person.Lastly, I leave you with the same charge David Ambroz gave at the conference: we may not be able to help every person we see on the streets, and he can't either. But he does acknowledge them. He looks them in the eye and says, “I'm sorry I can't help today, but good luck.” If nothing else, we can do that—acknowledge their humanity with kindness and respect. When that happened to David as a child, it let him know, if even for a moment that he mattered, that there was hope. Our neighbors certainly deserve that. And what about us, do we deserve all that God gives us? The second chances, the boundless love, the endless grace with no strings attached? No. But thank God we don't get what we deserve. Amen.

Today I had the pleasure to talk to Christopher Burhnham who recently published Sir Ronald Storrs Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 with Routledge. While some may say that we already know enough on Storrs, the reality is that his legacy in Jerusalem is not only fully understood and neglected, but given the lengthy rulership, we still have to uncover more.It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This volume utilises the personal papers of Sir Ronald Storrs, as well as other archival materials, to make a microhistorical investigation of his period as Governor of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1926. It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment. Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 (Routledge, 2024) is aimed at historians and students of the late-Ottoman Empire and British Mandate in Palestine, colonialism and imperialism, and indeed microhistory. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

This volume utilises the personal papers of Sir Ronald Storrs, as well as other archival materials, to make a microhistorical investigation of his period as Governor of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1926. It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment. Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 (Routledge, 2024) is aimed at historians and students of the late-Ottoman Empire and British Mandate in Palestine, colonialism and imperialism, and indeed microhistory. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

This volume utilises the personal papers of Sir Ronald Storrs, as well as other archival materials, to make a microhistorical investigation of his period as Governor of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1926. It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment. Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 (Routledge, 2024) is aimed at historians and students of the late-Ottoman Empire and British Mandate in Palestine, colonialism and imperialism, and indeed microhistory. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

This volume utilises the personal papers of Sir Ronald Storrs, as well as other archival materials, to make a microhistorical investigation of his period as Governor of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1926. It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment. Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 (Routledge, 2024) is aimed at historians and students of the late-Ottoman Empire and British Mandate in Palestine, colonialism and imperialism, and indeed microhistory. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

This volume utilises the personal papers of Sir Ronald Storrs, as well as other archival materials, to make a microhistorical investigation of his period as Governor of Jerusalem between 1917 and 1926. It builds upon Edward Said's work on the Orientalist ‘determining imprint' by arguing that Storrs took a deeply personal approach to governing the city; one determined by his upbringing, his education in the English private school system and his service as a British official in Colonial Egypt. Burnham recognises the influence of these experiences on Storrs' perceptions of and attitudes towards Jerusalem, identifying how these formative years manifested themselves on the city and in the Governor's interactions with Jerusalemites of all backgrounds and religious beliefs. It also highlights the restrictions placed on Storrs' approach by his British superiors, Palestinians and the Zionist movement, alongside the limitations imposed by his own attitudes and worldview. Placing Storrs' personality at the centre of discussion on early Mandate Jerusalem exposes a nuanced and complex picture of how personality and politics collided to influence its everyday life and built environment. Sir Ronald Storrs: Personality and Policy in Mandate Palestine, 1917-1926 (Routledge, 2024) is aimed at historians and students of the late-Ottoman Empire and British Mandate in Palestine, colonialism and imperialism, and indeed microhistory. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Website: www.robertomazza.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

In Ezekiel's vision of the departing presence, the glory of the Lord was represented by a cloud. God's glory coming in the form of a cloud would have been familiar to Ezekiel and his audience. In the early days of Israel's wilderness wandering, the Israelites were comforted by the divine cloud as it settled atop the tabernacle and filled the tent with the divine glory (Ex. 40:34). Throughout those forty years, the cloud was a constant reassurance that Yahweh abided in their midst. When the cloud lifted, it was time for the people to decamp and move to the next site. As they moved sites, the cloud moved as well, demonstrating that Yahweh remained with his itinerant people. The most terrifying aspect to Ezekiel's vision was that Yahweh's cloud of glory was moving out of Jerusalem without the covenant people. Acting with his own free and divine agency, God did not invite the Jerusalemites to follow him. The glory of God made a solo exit.

Scripture Reading: Acts 5:17-42 17 Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words of this life.” 21 When they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began teaching.Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin—that is, the whole high council of the Israelites—and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought before them. 22 But the officers who came for them did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the jail locked securely and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the commander of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people!” 26 Then the commander of the temple guard went with the officers and brought the apostles without the use of force (for they were afraid of being stoned by the people).27 When they had brought them, they stood them before the council, and the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name. Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood on us!” 29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. 30 The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”33 Now when they heard this, they became furious and wanted to execute them. 34 But a Pharisee whose name was Gamaliel, a teacher of the law who was respected by all the people, stood up in the council and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. 35 Then he said to the council, “Men of Israel, pay close attention to what you are about to do to these men. 36 For sometime ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and about 400 men joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and nothing came of it. 37 After him Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and incited people to follow him in revolt. He too was killed, and all who followed him were scattered. 38 So in this case I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone because if this plan or this undertaking originates with people, it will come to nothing, 39 but if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, or you may even be found fighting against God.” He convinced them, 40 and they summoned the apostles and had them beaten. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them. 41 So they left the council rejoicing because they had been considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. 42 And every day both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus was the Christ.Main ThemesIntroduction—Setting the SceneToday's text narrates the apostles' second arrest. The scene begins with the high priest “rising up.” Remember that this “high priest” was introduced in Acts 4:6 as Annas, although historically Caiaphas was high priest at this time. We have good reason to believes that Annas (Caiaphas' father-in-law) was the de facto head of the high-priestly family. Thus, Annas seems to lead the trial.The Sadducees are also mentioned. We have discussed them at length, so I will only remind you that this is the party that claims to believe in the Old Testament but that denies life after death and miraculous interventions by God.The high priest and Sadducees are described as being filled with “jealousy.” This is a strong word that in Judaism was generally reserved for religiously motivated rage. Ironically, it conveys a zeal motivated by a desire to maintain the purity of the faith.Moreover, envy is a strong, motivating emotion in an honor-shame society. Within a competitive limited honor culture the popularity of the apostles' ministry diminishes the honor (i.e., support) of the ruling elite. This is particularly the case given the apostles' claim that the leaders had unjustly crucified an innocent Jew who was anointed by God.The apostles' popularity and peaceful behavior had protected them from trouble with the authorities. But now (after the trial in chapter 4), they are defying a direct order from the authorities. Allowing the apostles to continue in their disobedience threatens the authority and power of the ruling council. They must act.I mentioned this before, but the arrests in chapter 4 and 5 work as a redemptive arc in Peter's story. When Jesus was arrested, Peter claimed that he was willing to face “both prison and death” for Jesus (Luke 22:33)—but he failed (22:34, 57-61). In Acts, Peter finally follows through.Miraculous Prison BreakThe apostles' miraculous release from prison works in two levels: on the literal level, it is a miraculous sign that validates their mission from God; on the literary level, it fulfills prophecy. Jesus's mission includes release of captives.The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives and the freeing of prisoners, . . . Isaiah 61:1In chapter 12, we will read of another miraculous escape at the hands of the Angel of the Lord. Many scholars note that miraculous escapes are a frequent motif in ancient literature. Perhaps the best known story would have been that of Euripides. Some try to show narrative parallels between Euripides' Bacchae and Acts. You can review them here, but in my opinion it is a stretch at best. Moreover, one could grant that a popular story such as that of Euripides could impact how Luke told the story of Peter's escape without in any way affecting the substance of the story. For example, I could begin a story about my childhood with the phrase, “once upon a time,” and then tell a true and factual tale. I would be copying how classic children stories are told, not the events they narrate. We must also keep in mind that Luke generally employs Jewish stories as his models and background, not Greek or Roman mythology. The Old Testament lacks a tradition of angels aiding in prison escapes, but it does contain stories of the Angel of the Lord helping people while imprisoned (see, e.g., Dan 6: 22).Perhaps the most important question we should ask is: Why does God release the apostles from prison? For proclamation (Acts 5:20). More specifically, the command is to go speak at the temple. This makes sense for several reasons. The apostles could address large crowds there. It is also reminiscent of Old Testament prophets tasked with addressing all Israelites. Recall, for example, Jeremiah 7.The Lord said to Jeremiah: “Stand in the gate of the Lord's temple and proclaim this message: ‘Listen to the Lord's message, all you people of Judah who have passed through these gates to worship the Lord. The Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says, “We are safe! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here! The temple of the Lord is here!” You must change the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. Stop oppressing resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will only bring about your ruin. If you stop doing these things, I will allow you to continue to live in this land that I gave to your ancestors as a lasting possession. Jeremiah 7:1-7The apostles are tasked with proclaiming the “words of this life” (Acts 5:20). This could refer to wisdom—the behavior that leads to a better life. Given Jesus' emphasis on eternal life (Luke 10:25; 18:18, 30), and Peter's earlier preaching about “the prince of life” (Acts 3:15), the more likely conclusion is that the words of life are about Jesus being the way to eternal life.Preaching at the TempleThe apostles are specifically tasked with preaching in the temple. By proclaiming the true message of the true God in the temple, this is a sort of reconsecration—a recurring theme in Jewish history.Notice that the angel's command puts God and the authorities in direct conflict. God says proclaim the message of Jesus in the temple. The authorities say do not speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:21, 29), which would certainly include doing so in the most religiously significant and very densely populated place—the temple. In the narrative, the apostles have made it clear already, and will do so again, that they must obey God over people.The apostles began teaching immediately at daybreak. This is the same time at which the Sanhedrin would have gathered. Public life in the ancient Mediterranean world began at daybreak. Moreover, Jewish people offered morning prayers before work at sunrise. The priests would have already been working on the customary daybreak sacrifice. So the apostles would find a ready-made crowd to teach at that time.We should note the subtle jab at the rulers when we are told the rulers had to be informed of the apostles' preaching. “Someone” came and informed them. None of them were at the temple for early morning prayers. An outsider to the group had to tell them. In contrast to the apostles, the mostly priestly city leaders are depicted as further removed from the liturgical life of the temple and the Jerusalemites who worshiped there.The DiscoveryWe are told that the guards were at the jail. This implies that the guards had not abandoned their post and presumably also had not participated in a conspiracy. The facts clearly point towards a miracle. The Sadducees, however, who denied miracles, are not amazed—they are puzzled. As I have highlighted in the past, they never stop to wonder whether they are wrong. As the meme goes, they do not ask, “Are we the baddies?” Acknowledging the possibility of a miracle would have only made things worse. The people may have held the apostles in even higher esteem.Instead, the leaders immediately call for the arrest of the apostles. Undoubtedly, the high priest and captain of the guard lost face before the other leaders—failing to control a handful of prisoners who then openly defied them for a second time. Preaching at the temple instead of escaping was nothing less than a public challenge to the authority of the Sanhedrin. Nevertheless, the guards must arrest the apostles nonviolently. Why? “For they were afraid of being stoned by the people.”Given the history of Israel—recall the Maccabean rebellion we discussed last time, for example—a violent uprising was not implausible. Not only was this immediately dangerous to the members of the Sanhedrin, but stirring the crowds could provoke Roman retribution. On a theological level, we should note that the leaders' actions are not motivated by what is right or wrong. They act based on what is advantageous and are only limited by power. The TrialYet again the apostles find themselves in the middle of an interrogation. Surprisingly, the interrogation does not open with, “How did you escape?” This matter was less pressing to the authorities than the apostles' disobedience to their previous warning. Besides, asking such a question could open the door for a bold speech about God helping the righteous—only a rookie lawyer asks open ended questions of a hostile witness.What is the authorities' problem with the apostles preaching? We have discussed this before, so I will keep this brief. The authorities claim the apostles are bringing Jesus' “blood on them” (Acts 5:28). This refers to the concept of bloodguilt: one who carried guilt for shedding innocent blood would need to be punished. Interestingly, later in Acts this is a standard that the apostles would apply to themselves. In chapter 20, Paul implies that he would have blood guilt if failed to preach the gospel.“And now I know that none of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom will see me again. Therefore I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of you all. For I did not hold back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God. Acts 20:25-27Peter's response to the authorities is also one we have discussed before. Peter claims that he must obey God over people (Acts 5:29). Although the background to Peter's claim is clearly the Old Testament prophets who often antagonized the nation of Israel for the sake of delivering God's message, Peter's response would have been intelligible to someone with a Hellenistic background as well. His words recall the story of Socrates' trial, and his obeying “the god” rather than his judges.Notice that Peter does not accuse the leaders of “crucifying” Jesus. Instead he speaks in a manner appropriate not to Romans but to Israel's leaders: they “hanged him on a tree.” The language alludes to a shameful mode of execution in Deuteronomy 21:22-23, which Jews by this period applied to crucifixion.Peter's response was surely unexpected to the council. Those on trial, much less the uneducated and politically weak, did not speak with such boldness and open defiance. In challenging the officials' behavior, Peter and the other apostles appear unafraid even of provoking their martyrdom. This fearlessness indicates their absolute convictionWhat was the divine commission the apostles were called to obey?But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” Acts 1:8The PunishmentThe apostles' refusal to be intimidated threatens the elite's socially accepted status of honor. This is a situation in which the message of the gospel collides against hardened hearts. The result is “fury” (Διαπρίω). The term indicates extreme rage. In its only other New Testament use, the council proceeds to kill the object of their anger.The elite wished to execute the apostles. Both an impromptu lynching or a formally carried out death sentence without Roman approval would have been against Roman law. (We discussed this during our study of John.) However, in antiquity like today, such restrictions could be finessed politically. Ancient reports suggest that the Sadducees sometimes abused their power violently. (But we should not exaggerate either. We do not have evidence of the Sanhedrin being involved in lynchings.) The Pharisees, to their credit, were probably much more stringent in evidential requirements for capital cases. So, perhaps if Gamaliel had not intervened, the Sadducees would have held the apostles until they could secure an execution by the Roman authorities.We will discuss Gamaliel in a minute, but let's conclude the discussion of the apostles' punishment. Having been calmed down, the council members decide against capital punishment. The apostles were too popular in Jerusalem to risk disposing of them the way Jesus was dealt with. However, the apostles do not escape with another warning. Not at all.A flogging was a severe punishment. Many scholars suspect that the flogging was the traditional Jewish thirty-nine lashes. (The Pharisees in the council would not have approved of more lashes in view of Deuteronomy 25:2-3.) We know that such a flogging punishment was somewhat common after an offender defied a warning. The person would be tied to a post or lie on the ground, receiving one-third of the blows on the front of the body and two-thirds on the back.GamalielLuke's portrayal of Jerusalem's aristocracy is not monolithic. Luke tells us of a fair member of the council named Gamaliel. Gamaliel, a minority Pharisee on the council, does not so much defend the apostles' views as the Pharisaic position of tolerance.Gamaliel is described as a “teacher of the law.” Gamaliel was a renown teacher, respected by all the people. This was both presupposed by Paul (see Acts 22:3) and attested in rabbinic comments on both him and his grandson. Gamaliel was also wealthy. We can learn something about his wealth from the comments made of his son. Josephus tells us that Gamaliel's son held much authority in the Jerusalem assembly; that he was a Pharisee from a prominent Jerusalem family; that he was very intelligent; and that he had influence with two high priests.Gamaliel ordered the apostles to be put outside, undoubtedly partly for privacy but perhaps also to prevent the apostles from making the court still angrier. Gamaliel's tolerance makes sense from a Pharisaic perspective. Whereas the Sadducees, who held most of the political power, were sensitive to political threats, the Pharisees would likely object to executing those who kept the law. The Pharisees are reported to have favored more leniency than the Sadducees.That Gamaliel, a renowned and respected Pharisee, was able to persuade the Sanhedrin is not surprising. The Pharisees seemed to have represented the views of the people, a status that often enabled them to sway the council's decisions. (Recall that the council was already concerned that the people might react violently and stone them.)The speech opens and closes with its main theme—a warning against hasty action. Gamaliel speaks eloquently, starting with the phrase “pay close attention to,” a familiar idiom in the context of exhortations. Gamaliel then compares the Jesus movement to armed resistance movements. Clearly, Gamaliel understands that is exactly the Sanhedrin's concern regarding Jesus followers. Gamaliel makes the point that the prior revolutionary movements came to nothing, and the same would happen to the Jesus movement if it lacked God's blessing.Gamaliel's argument is not a good one. First, the prior revolutionary movements came to nothing because they were violently stopped. So one could not draw the conclusion that because they failed then the Jesus movement would also fail without any need for violent opposition from the authorities. Moreover, the main premise of his argument invites a logical error. Gamaliel claims that a movement from God cannot be stopped. Fair enough. But we must keep in mind that simply because a movement from God cannot be stopped does not mean that a movement that cannot be stopped is from God. So, even if prior revolutions had succeeded, that would prove nothing. (Many ancients recognized the limits of Gamaliel's logic, realizing one cannot always judge what is praiseworthy on the basis of successes or failures.)Gamaliel's argument is a classic instance of the descriptive versus prescriptive question when interpreting the Bible (or any text). One cannot assume that all things the Bible narrates is teaching us lessons to follow. The Bible may simply be describing something that happened, as in this case it describes the argument Gamaliel makes. Sometimes, of course, it is teaching us how to live or what to believe. We must be careful not to get the two confused.Gamaliel's closing statement to the council does not mince words. He cautions the elite that they might be “fighting against God.” This expression appeared in a widely circulated Jewish text (2 Maccabees 7:19). In that text, “fighting against God” is what the pagan persecutors of the Maccabean martyrs did. Maccabean martyrs were national heroes.Although Gamaliel does not speak from a Christian perspective, perhaps Gamaliel entertained the possibility that God was acting though the apostles. The Sadducees were intellectually committed to the fact that no miracle had release the apostles from prison. Gamaliel, as a Pharisee, held no such commitment.A Historical Error?Gamaliel compares the Jesus movement to Judas the Galilean and Theudas. Judas led a revolt in the days of the census, that is, in 6 A.D. Judas' sons were later crucified for rebellion.Theudas was apparently an eschatological prophet (i.e., a wannabe Jesus) who tried, unsuccessfully, to part the Jordan. Theudas was quickly captured and his head was cut off.Here's the problem. Theudas' revolt was in 44 A.D. This is after Gamaliel's speech and long after Judas the Galilean's revolt in 6 A.D. (rather than before as the text in Acts 5:37 seems to imply).Various solutions to this dating issue are possible.The first solution is that our source dating Theudas' revolt was wrong. That source is Josephus. Josephus certainly makes mistakes in his writing, several times contradicting himself. Besides, Theudas' revolt, as dated by Josephus, happened when Josephus was only 7 years old. Maybe Josephus remembers incorrectly. Yet given Josephus' more detailed treatment of Theudas and Judas, explicit mention of the governors in authority during their revolts, and his apparent access to written sources, on the grounds normally used to ascertain historical probability Josephus seems likelier than Luke to have access to the correct chronology.Another solution sometimes offered is that there was an earlier Theudas before Jesus' birth. This would resolve the dating issue and the chronology in Acts 5 (i.e., first came Theudas, then came Judas). Undoubtedly, prophetic figures abounded, before and after Jesus. Theudas, however, was a rare name. But maybe “Theudas” was a nickname, short for such popular names as “Theodorus,” “Theodosius,” and “Theodotus.”Most scholars believe that the simplest solution is that Luke made a mistake, either unaware of the true date of Theudas or confusing him with some other rebel. If this is a mistake on Luke's part, it would not have been a “big deal” to him or his audience. Even the best of ancient historians made mistakes, and Luke still captures the essence of Gamaliel's speech.I wish to make two comments about this potential error. First, many Christians are committed to the inerrancy of scripture. Inerrancy is not always defined the same way. Its stronger form means that the Bible contains no errors whatsoever, of any kind, including in details such as weights and distances it describes. A more modest version of inerrancy is that the Bible contains no errors regarding anything it teaches. Without going into too much detail, this view allows for certain statements in the Bible to be false because the Bible itself is not committed to their truth. (An example would the mustard seed being the smallest seed in the garden.) Nevertheless, the Theudas mistake flies in the face of either view of inerrancy. So, I ask, if one could prove that there was in fact a mistake in Acts, such that biblical inerrancy fell apart, would that be the end of the Christian faith? No! I say this emphatically because many Christian seem to think so. As long as the Bible is reliable, we are justified in holding our faith in Jesus and in his recorded teachings. Reliability is a much more modest standard than inerrancy.My second comment is, do we know that Luke made a mistake? Luke's other significant historical assertions that can be tested most securely (Gallio, Felix and Festus, Drusilla, Agrippa and Berenice, the Egyptian prophet, local titles for officials, etc.) can all be corroborated. Over the centuries, there have been several instances in which scholars believed Luke made a mistake only to be proven wrong by later archaeological discoveries. Therefore, we have good reason to believe Luke did not make a mistake in the case of Theudas either.Joy in Persecution[I did not have time to finish this section, but here is a brief summary. The narrative concludes by reinforcing the characterization that the apostles, in contrast to Jerusalem's political elite, obey God rather than people. They rejoice when suffering for Jesus's name, as he commanded, while disobeying the Sanhedrin's injunction not to teach in Jesus's name. The apostles return with joy, as they did after Jesus's ascension. Luke often emphasizes joy over embracing the gospel.]

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:14-47 14 But Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say. 15 In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. 16 But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:17 ‘And in the last days it will be,' God says,‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people,and your sons and your daughters will prophesy,and your young men will see visions,and your old men will dream dreams.18 Even on my servants, both men and women,I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.19 And I will perform wonders in the sky aboveand miraculous signs on the earth below,blood and fire and clouds of smoke.20 The sun will be changed to darknessand the moon to bloodbefore the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know— 23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. 24 But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. 25 For David says about him,‘I saw the Lord always in front of me,for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced;my body also will live in hope,27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades,nor permit your Holy One to experience decay.28 You have made known to me the paths of life;you will make me full of joy with your presence.'29 “Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,‘The Lord said to my lord,“Sit at my right hand35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”'36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”37 Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “What should we do, brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” 40 With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!” 41 So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added.42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and held everything in common, 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, 47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.Main ThemesSettingAramaic or Greek It is unlikely that Peter originally preached the sermon in Aramaic. Some of Peter's hearers (like the Mesopotamians) would have known Aramaic, but many would not have been able to understand it. So, Peter probably preached in Greek. The Septuagint quotes support this inference. Public SpeakingMuch like today, in ancient times one would rise to speak. This was helpful visually and acoustically. The text tells us that Peter “raised his voice,” a frequent idiom in the Septuagint, making Peter seem like an Old Testament prophet. The phrase also appears in Greek writings with a literal meaning. One would expect Peter to project his voice loudly to address more than three thousand people. There is no reason to doubt that someone could address thousands of people without a modern sound system. For example, the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834 - 1892) once preached to over 23,000 without amplification. George Whitefield (1714-1770), another well-known pastor, had similar fame for preaching to thousands at certain events. Curiously enough, Benjamin Franklin was skeptical of these reports. Nevertheless, Franklin investigated and determined that as many as thirty thousand people could hear Whitefield at a time. However, raising one's voice will not reach many people if there is much noise. The scene implies that the crowd went silent. This makes sense after the miracle of Pentecost, which puzzled those present.The SpeechI. IntroductionDeflectingRemember where we left off last week. Jesus' followers are preaching the good news in the different languages of people from all over the known world. The crowd, amazed and confused at the ability of these Galileans (i.e., country bumpkins, explains the phenomenon by accusing the disciples of being drunk. Our reading today starts with Peter's deflection. You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say. In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. Acts 2:14b-15This is a witty aside to the audience. Imagine Peter delivering the line with a bit of irony. These interactions between speakers and their audience, sometimes making points at each others' expense, was common in antiquity. However, notice that Peter deflects the mockery with a potentially humorous response that does not shame the hecklers. Peter seems determined to win over the entire audience—not to antagonize them.9 A.M.Peter remarks that men are not drunk in the third hour, which our translation appropriately calls nine in the morning. Just like today, drunkenness was a night activity. The few people who were said to start drinking in the morning and continue through the day were considered exceptional and viewed quite negatively. The mention of the third hours gives some more insight into the scene. At that time of day, the temple courts would have been very busy. This partly explains and grants credibility to the account of a large crowd. The AddressPeter addresses the men, but such a manner of speaking would not have excluded the women—it merely presupposes an androcentric society. Peter invites the audience to hear him carefully because “know this,” or as other translations may put it, “let it be known.” This was daring speech, often used in Jewish and Greek rhetoric. In the Old Testament, this phrase was often used to confront Israel.II. The Argument Quoting Joel, KindaPreview: Peter explains that the power to speak in other tongues was the outward sign of the fulfilment of Joel's prophecy that God would pour out his Holy Spirit on all his people. In Joel this promise was associated with the Day of the Lord; Peter asserts that this event has now occurred in history. It results from the fact that God had exalted the crucified Jesus, had enthroned him at his right hand, thus inaugurating his messianic reign; and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon his people was nothing less than the blessing of the messianic age.Peter begins his main argument by quoting Joel 2:28-32. But, something we often miss is that Peter does not provide an exact quotation. He adds or modifies Joel's text at different points to bring out its implications. This is neither deception nor error. Imagine if I was sharing the gospel with someone, and I quoted John 3:16 as follows: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.The word “Jesus” is not in the original verse. It is my attempt to quickly explain the text. Peter is doing something similar. Moreover, this was a common rhetorical device used by Torah teachers at the time. These teacher peppered their expositions with numerous biblical allusions while making deliberate changes.So, what did Peter modify? The two most relevant changes are: (1) Peter changes “after these things” to “in the last days, says God.” Thus, Peter reinforces the eschatological nature of the gift of the Spirit. Obviously, Peter's argument is that the disciples' inspired praise in other languages represents the gift of the Spirit, also showing that the “last days” have come.(2) Peter omits “because in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem will be survivors (those saved), just as the Lord said.” His omission of the specifically Israel-centered part of the quotation seems significant to universalize the promise of the Spirit to all peoples. This reinforces the universality of the text quoted. The quotation speaks of men and women, young and old, seeing visions and prophesying—that is, the promise of the Spirit is for everyone. Last Days I have discussed the realized eschatology of Acts quite extensively, so I will make the current discussion of the last days brief. The phrase “in the last days” and other similar expressions, such as “last times” are found all over the Old Testament. Generally, they relate to the period of Israel's restoration. However, if we pay more attention, we find that the phrase has at least two meanings. On one hand, it has that meaning of restoration (Isa 2:2; Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1; Dan 2:28).Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz. In future days the mountain of the Lord's temple will endure as the most important of mountains and will be the most prominent of hills. All the nations will stream to it . . . . Isaiah 2:1-2On the other hand, this eschatological title also applied to a period of great suffering just before that restoration (Jer 23:20; 30:24; Ezek 38:16; Dan 10:14). But just watch! The wrath of the Lord will come like a storm! Like a raging storm it will rage down on the heads of those who are wicked. The anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has fully carried out his intended purposes. In future days you people will come to understand this clearly. Jeremiah 23:19-20“Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, you will take notice and come from your place, from the remote parts of the north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a vast army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In future days I will bring you against my land so that the nations may acknowledge me, when before their eyes I magnify myself through you, O Gog. Ezekiel 38:14-16The New Testament continues this dual description, speaking of an advancing kingdom with eventual glory but also a period of great suffering and apostasy. We find this “already/not yet” tension in the writings of Paul and in the words of Jesus.Peter's “last days” fits the expectation that the disciples had entered an interim era between the first and the second comings of the Messiah, called to testify to the nations by the eschatological gift of the Spirit. The very affirmation that the Christ had come constituted the basis for a realized eschatology alongside a future one. All Flesh (“On All People”)In Acts 2:17, the phrase translated as “on all people” would more literally translate to “all flesh.” The translation, however, accurately captures the intended meaning of the phrase—particularly how Peter intends it. Clearly Acts teaches that Joel's prophecy of the Spirit is not only for the apostles, but for all of Christ's followers. Luke undoubtedly interprets “all flesh” as referring not simply to the men and women, young and old, and servants stated in Joel 2:28-29 but to people from all nations. Calling on the Lord's NameThe Joel quotation ends with everyone “calling on the name of the Lord.” The expression “call on the Lord's name” was familiar in Jewish texts, generally referring to praying to him or praising him. The term carried additional punch at the time, since it is also the expression that would have been used to make a formal appeal to Caesar.Peter will expand on this phrase, making clear that this Lord upon which people must call is Jesus, they must do so particularly during baptism. In Greek, the term for Lord was kurios or (kyrios). In the Old Testament, this title generally referred to God. It is partly because the word kurios is not specific that the early church is able to apply it to Jesus and also make an equivalence with God Almighty. Notice how early this high christological understanding appears in the narrative. Jesus is not understood as God progressively throughout the history of the early church. For Luke, God the Father is “Lord” (Acts 2:20, 39; 3:19-20, 22; 4:25-26, 29), but Christ also receives this title by exaltation (1:21; 2:36; 4: 33; 5:14; 9:1); Jesus receives faith (Acts 3:16) and prayer (7:59) and is the world's judge (10:42; 17:31). Contrary to what some scholars would expect, most of the uses of “Lord” for Jesus in Acts appear in the first half of the book and hence are attributed to the Jerusalem church. In fact, this view of Jesus as God is found early in the gospels. For example, we encounter it in the story of John the Baptist declaring that Jesus would baptize with the Spirit—clearly a role of God and God alone. We may still wonder how Peter came to this high christology when he does not seem to “get it” in the gospels. Luke probably expects his audience to infer Peter's further learning during the forty days of resurrection appearances in Acts 1:3. Jesus and His Powerful Signs and WondersIn verse 22, Peter again invites the audience to listen—to pay attention. In typical rhetorical style, this frames the exhortation to come.Peter opens this new section of the speech with a mention of Jesus and then with a sort of proof—the signs and wonders. We must remember that in the gospels, signs are central to demonstrating Jesus' identity and his relationship with the father. Notice also that Peter is connecting the signs and miracles attested in the gospels to those prophesied in Joel (verse 19), bolstering the point that the end times have come.The pairing of signs and wonders appears elsewhere in the New Testament, probably always evoking the Old Testament story of Moses. (This pairing appears elsewhere in the Old Testament, but the most recognizable and iconic story would be that of Moses.) The narrative of Moses is found in Exodus, but below I quote the summary provided in Deuteronomy.No prophet ever again arose in Israel like Moses, who knew the Lord face to face. He did all the signs and wonders the Lord had sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, all his servants, and the whole land, and he displayed great power and awesome might in view of all Israel. Deuteronomy 34:10-11Notice that one would not expect Diaspora Jewish visitors to be as familiar with Jesus's signs as Galileans or some Jerusalemites, but Luke seems to imply that the word had spread far and wide. Jesus' Death and God's PlanPeter clarifies that Jesus did not die by surprise. This is a point we discussed extensively during out study of John, so I will keep it brief. Particularly in verse 23, Peter highlights the fulfillment-of-prophecy theme and summarizes the Gospel's plot as a part of God's larger plan in salvation history. God's sovereignty stands even behind the very political powers and treacherous actions that brought about Jesus's death. Luke is sometimes accused of minimizing the cross and focusing almost exclusively on the resurrection. This misunderstands Luke. Notice that Peter's speech begins with cross—it was a key part of God's salvific plan. There is simply no need to explain the cross. His audience was well aware of the brutal, shameful execution by Roman crucifixion. Moreover, the resurrection is what proves the significance of the cross, so highlighting the resurrection makes sense in a context of speeches and arguments. Peter charges the “men of Israel” with Jesus's death. Presumably, he does so because of the participation of the crowds and the leaders. Sometimes, Christians and non-Christians alike accuse Luke (and Peter and John) of antisemitism. Forgive my strong language, but such a charge is ridiculous. First, Biblical prophets often denounced Israel as a whole. And Jewish people understood well the notion of corporate responsibility and its demands for atonement or restitution. Second, speaking in collective terms, particularly in relation to nations, does not imply an inherently negative view of individual people. For example, in modern day we speak of Russia invading Ukraine. Or more poignantly, we may say “Russians” invaded Ukraine. This by no means entails that individual Russians are somehow predisposed (e.g., genetically) to be invaders. Notice that Peter gives the “men of Israel” no breaks. Not only does he fault them directly for the death of Jesus but claims that they have killed Jesus by the hands of the Gentiles—literally “lawless men.” The lawless were Romans and other Gentiles who did not acknowledge God's law. In other words, Peter is accusing audience, which presumably prided itself of its obedience to the Torah, of getting in bed with those who rejected the Torah. Peter held no punches, using deeply offensive rhetoric. (Peter's use of the phrase “by the hand” of another to commit the crime is also reminiscent of Old Testament passages were someone sought to kill another but avoid personal guilt.) In this Bible study, I try not to make overly broad prescriptive conclusions from the text, so I will not claim that we ought to take homiletic lessons from Peter's speech. But I think we can safely say that one is not necessarily wrong to be offensive for the sake of the gospel. Released from Death and Psalm 16Summary. In Acts 2:25-36, Peter makes an argument from Scripture that the risen one is the Lord (2: 25– 31, 34– 35), an argument from the testimony of eyewitnesses and the Spirit's present confirmation that Jesus has risen (2: 32– 33), with the resulting conclusion that Jesus is the Lord (2: 36). Although Jesus's death is pivotal, Peter's speech focuses on the resurrection. Resurrection is a theme in the speeches in Acts, even more so than in the gospels. Peter begins this new section of his speech pointing out that Jesus was delivered from the pains or “pangs” of death. (The term translated pains is frequently used to describe pains associated with giving birth, which is why the translation “pangs” is appropriate.) Deliverance from the “pangs of death” alludes to Psalm 16, “inviting” it as part of the argument. Peter will then explain psalm 16 by connecting it to anoher—Psalm 110. (Peter does this using gezerah shevah on the premise that similar language among the psalms might convey related ideas or at least evoke related feelings.) The quoted section of Psalm 16 is:‘I saw the Lord always in front of me,for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced;my body also will live in hope,because you will not leave my soul in Hades,nor permit your Holy One to experience decay.You have made known to me the paths of life;you will make me full of joy with your presence.'The way that New Testament writers understood the original meaning of certain Old Testament passages can be perplexing. For example, one is not certain whether Peter believed that the psalm referred simply to David's restoration of health but its basic principle could be subject to a greater fulfillment, or if Peter believed that the psalm was always about the resurrection of the Messiah, which encouraged David that death would not separate him from God. One may argue that the first interpretation (that the psalm refers to David's restoration of health) is the obvious, plain reading of the text. However, not only Peter and the early church, but later rabbis interpreted the passage eschatologically.One scholar argues that even though the psalmist had no prediction of a messiah's resurrection in mind, the New Testament teaching of the resurrection from the dead and the thoughts which here occupy the mind of the psalmist are based on the same fundamental conviction, namely, an unshakable belief in the life-giving power of God.Lord at the Right HandLuke and other New Testament authors affirm that Christ is at the Father's right hand. The idea was pervasive in early Christianity, making it into the Apostle's Creed. Presumably, the idea is based on Psalms 16 and 110. The language of the right hand is often used metaphorically. Most ancients associated the left hand with dishonor (although being at a king's left hand was still a position of honor). A temporary seat at a ruler's right hand was a position of honor, but this was still more the case if the seat was permanent. The position at the right hand of the throne invested its holder with delegated authority to act for the ruler.JoyThe theme of joy in Acts 2:28) is probably deliberate. After all, Luke could have skipped this part of the quotation. Rejoicing characterizes the early church following Pentecost. The theme of joy appears in momentous events such as miracle working, suffering in hope of divine vindication, celebrating eternal life, celebrating others' conversions, and celebrating other good news. Joy was sometimes empowered by the Holy Spirit.Notice that, as explained above, Peter hits the crowd hard. However, he does not do so to leave them in disgrace or despair but to invite them into joy. Hades and DecayA key part of Peter's argument (which Luke repeats later in Acts) is the idea that the Holy One was not left in Hades, and he did not see decay. That Jesus was no longer in “Hades” (emphasized again in 2:31) simply means that he was no longer dead. (The mention of Hades is both rhetorically colorful and it provides a contrast with heaven.) If the soul was in Hades, then the body would decay. Hence, Hades and decay are both pointing towards death. However, notice that (as some Christians suggest) even if Hades were a metaphor for nonexistence (not its typical usage in ancient texts), the experience of death for the body here, though parallel and related, does not appear identical to that for the soul. As evidenced by the psalm, early Judaism often accepted this differentiation between the soul and the body.Conclusion—Jesus Is the One Who Lives, Jesus is the Exalted KingFinally, Peter argues that David, having died and been buried yet not having ascended, cannot be the true fulfillment of Psalm 16. Rather, both the apostles as eyewitnesses and the outpoured Spirit attest that Jesus has risen and ascended to God's right hand. Therefore Jesus is the Lord of Psalm 16—the “Christ,” the ultimate Davidic king. Peter's line of argumentation was typical at the time. A teacher who wanted to argue that a psalm (or any other text) applied in a way other than what it seemed to claim literally could begin by showing that the apparent literal meaning was not fulfilled. That David (in contrast to, e.g., Moses or Ezra) died, was not disputed. Peter can point out the obvious: the tomb is in plain view among them, and David has not vacated it. We must also keep in mind that to use David as a sort of title for the messiah was not unusual. The Old Testament is full of such uses.Nevertheless, Peter makes his argument respectfully. His use of the phrase, “I can speak confidently” (sometimes translated as “I may say boldly”), can mean something like “Do not be offended if I point out.”Peter emphasizes that David spoke not of himself but in his role as a prophet. Probably many Jewish teachers would have shared the assumption that prophets spoke especially of the messianic era.Peter completes his argument by mentioning God's promises to David, including the promise of his kingship (2 Sam 3:9) and his continuing seed (Ps 132:11). Christ's Exaltation and Psalm 110Summary. If Jesus is in God's presence (Acts 2:25, 29), Peter can infer for his hearers that Jesus is in heaven. Peter bolsters his argument with Psalm 110. If Jesus is already enthroned at the Father's right hand, then he has begun his messianic reign, and hence the messianic age has begun and the messianic blessings have been given.Jesus and the SpiritOn the theological level, the Spirit's outpouring stems from Christ's exaltation (Acts 2:33). Notice that in verse 33 Jesus “pours out” the Spirit. This is a clear allusion to God's pouring out the Spirit in 2:17-18 (the only other passage in Luke-Acts using that expression). Jewish texts also speak of God's pouring out wisdom as his gift. Wisdom would also sit by God's throne. Again, notice the high Christology. If Jesus is the Spirit-baptizer, he takes on a divine role in light of the Old Testament, where only God can pour out God's Spirit (e.g., Isaiah 44:3). Acts 2:33 is among the most important for understanding Luke's Christology and pneumatology and their relationship with each other. According to Acts, Jesus is enthroned as Messiah and now reigns in his church by the Spirit. Instead of an absentee Christology, by relating the Spirit to Jesus in the way Jewish people had understood the Spirit's relationship to God, Luke takes the reader beyond anything Judaism conceived of the messiah. The Exalted LordPeter shows that David, being dead and buried, could not fulfill the promise of resurrection or incorruption in Psalm 16. Then Peter produces another key text that David could not fulfill—Psalm 110. Peter claims that it is self-evident that Psalm 110, with which Peter links Psalm 16, cannot apply to David both because David did not ascend and because he speaks of his Lord. As Psalm 110 shows, the exaltation of Jesus involves sitting at the right hand of God. Jesus's position here is familiar in terms of a viceroy or vizier. Sometimes this position could apply to a son installed or functioning as coregent. For example, Titus dictated letters and edicts in his father's name and publicly read his speeches.“Lord”As a title for the Messiah, “Lord” predates Luke's writings. For example, the pre-Christian work called the Psalms of Solomon speaks of the “Lord Messiah.” That is, the basic line of interpretation was established even before Jesus. Christian sources differ from this pre-Christian tradition only in associating this title with Jesus's deity.The church's use of the title “Lord” for Jesus was certainly dominant well before Luke wrote (and before the later speeches in Acts would have occurred). It is Paul's primary title for Jesus and appears in every part of early Christianity In Psalm 110, if one assumes Davidic authorship for the psalm, as most first-century hearers would have done, “my Lord” becomes someone greater than David (the greatest king). A midrashic connection to Ps 16:2 also suggests the deity of “my lord,” as it is addressed directly to God. This fits the exposition here, where this “Lord” bears the specific divine name on which hearers must call to be saved. His FootstoolsThe remainder of the quotation in Acts 2:35 is hardly simple decoration. Although Peter's primary point in quoting Psalm 110 is Christology, it also support his eschatology. In this eschatology, Jesus's present reign is an interim period until its consummation. First-century readers would still understand the metaphor of enemies being made a footstool. Prisoners had long been symbolically “trampled underfoot,” as lavishly illustrated, for example, by Egyptian royal sandals with bound prisoners portrayed on the soles. Conclusion: Lord and ChristSpeakers commonly provided a final summation of their argument. That's the case in Acts 2:36. The proclamatory “Let all the house of Israel know” fits such a climax. Jesus is the “Lord” of in Joel's passage (Acts 2:21) by way of Psalm 110 (Acts 2:34-35). By way of Psalm 16, he is “Christ” (Acts 2: 31)—that is, the king from David's line. That Jesus is Messiah (i.e., Israel's king) and that he is Lord at God's right hand are truth claims that demand universal allegiance; that is, they demand the response of all humanity. Notice that this response could costly. “King” was a dangerous title in the Roman world. (“Lord” could be construed in less political, purely religious terms.)The closing reference to Peter's hearers crucifying their own king invites a response. The plural pronoun “you” is emphatic in 2:36. The ResponseThe crowd is persuaded by Peter. Contrite over killing their own graciously God-given king, the crowd asks what to do. Peter summons them to repentance, as in the prophets, and to call on Jesus's name in a baptism involving such repentance. God's promise to them is the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:38 and 3:19, Peter preaches repentance like the Old Testament prophets calling Israel to return. The biblical prophets summoned Israel to “turn” or “return” to the Lord. Individuals needed to turn from wickedness to righteousness, that is, change their lifestyle, not merely indulge in guilty feelings. Early Judaism heavily emphasized the value of repentance.Although the very deep emotional response described here (“struck to the heart”) produces a favorable behavioral response, Luke provides two other occasions where, by contrast, the emotional response provoked deadly hostility (Acts 5:33; 7:54). I think that we are so used to our current Christian world, we simply assume that joining a religious movement involves repentance. This was not the case at the time (and it is not the case today with many non-Abrahamic religions). Gentiles did not speak much of moral repentance in light of religion. Joining a new mystery cult simply supplemented one's previous religious experience.Because God's “kingdom” was his reign, those who turned to embrace his reign were accepting a new king. Genuine faith in Jesus as Lord requires acknowledgment of his lordship and beginning to adjust to its practical demands.BaptismJust as John the Baptist preached a baptism symbolizing or effecting repentance, so now does Peter. One Jewish use of baptism in antiquity was as an act of conversion (as part of the process of conversion), although Jewish people traditionally applied this function of immersion only to Gentiles. Peter here demands a conversion no less radical, but from members of his own people who must likewise turn to Israel's God and the divinely appointed king, Jesus. The “forgiveness of sins” is explicitly associated especially with repentance in Acts and in Luke. Most importantly, Jesus' final command to the disciples in the Gospel of Luke was that of preaching repentance.Then he opened their minds so they could understand the scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ would suffer and would rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Luke 24:45-49One could debate to what extent forgiveness of sins is also associated with baptism (i.e., the act of baptism itself as distinct from repentance). Some of the arguments are based on the grammar of the text we just read. Those arguments are complex and, frankly, beyond me. Besides, grammar alone is probably not dispositive of the issue. If we surveyed texts in Luke and Acts relating to forgiveness, we would find that forgiveness is more often associated with repentance than baptism, and repentance is never missing when baptism is mentioned with forgiveness of sins. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the fact that for Luke baptism is not dissociated from repentance. At least under normal circumstances, one does not separate the two.As I remarked above, we live in such a Christianized age, we are not surprised by facts that ought to surprise us. The fact that Jesus' followers used baptism as the initiation rite is unexpected. Ritual lustrations were common throughout the ancient world. Various temples had their own rules mandating ritual purity. The early Jewish practice of ritual washings was widespread long before the time of the Jesus movement. Although such Jewish lustrations and their broader cultural background provide a context for John's and early Christian baptism, they cannot define them. John's baptism in the Synoptic tradition was initiatory and eschatological, a baptism of repentance in light of the coming kingdom of God. The Qumran community practiced initiatory baptism, but unlike for early Christians, the initial baptism at Qumran was apparently viewed only as the first among many. The closest Jewish parallel to John's and early Christian baptism, namely, proselyte baptism, a specific and extremely potent form of ritual purification. Major differences naturally distinguish John's baptism from proselyte baptism, including the former's public and eschatological orientation and particularly its summoning of Jews as well as Gentiles to turn to Israel's God. However, the conversion ritual provided a clear, symbolic line of demarcation between a proselyte's Gentile past and Jewish present, much like the baptism suggested in Acts.In Jesus NamePeter calls his audience to be baptized in Jesus' name. Jewish people were known for “calling on the Lord's name,” and the more specific application to Jesus would be striking. (Again, this reveals a high Christology.) But what does the phrase mean? Baptism “in Jesus's name” distinguishes this baptism from other Jewish immersion practices noted above, with respect to its object. That is, it clarifies the convert's new allegiance.We should also note that for Luke, baptism in Jesus's name does not involve a ritual formula uttered over an initiate but the new believer's calling on the name of Jesus. In Luke's writings, the verb to baptize (βαίτίζω) appears in both passive and active forms. However, in the formula “in the name of Jesus,” it appears only with passive uses of the verb. Put simply, I do not baptize you, you are baptized. This indicates that the formula has to do with receiving rather than giving. This is not to argue that early Christians would not have cared who supervised baptisms. The Promise of the SpiritLuke recalls earlier teachings about the Spirit through his terms “gift” and “promise.”. By noting that the promise is for others, he makes the proper response for the present crowd (namely, repentance and baptism in Jesus's name) and the gift of the Spirit paradigmatic for all subsequent believers. By alluding to “far-off” Gentiles by way of Isaiah's language, Luke also reiterates the prominence of the Spirit for the Gentile mission. By concluding that the gift was available to “as many as God calls,” Luke clearly echoes the end of Joel 2:32, completing the quotation interrupted in Acts 2:21.It will so happen thateveryone who calls on the name of the Lord will be delivered.For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be those who survive,just as the Lord has promised;the remnant will be those whom the Lord will call.Summary and ExhortationVerse 2:40 (“[w]ith many other words he testified”) probably means that Luke skips through many supplementary proofs and arguments provided by Peter. Instead, Luke's narrative moves quickly the final exhortation and emotional appeal: “Save yourselves!” This restates briefly the speech's central idea. The immediate referent of “save” here is Joel's prophecy in Acts 2:21: whoever calls on the Lord's name will be saved. Therefore this salvation at least includes deliverance from God's eschatological wrath and destruction, available through Christ. For Peter's hearers to save themselves from the generation's wickedness was not, as some later Gentile Christian interpreters would have it, a summons to leave Israel and their Jewishness; rather, it was a summons to leave their rebellion against God, like a repeated prophetic summons to Israel in the Old Testament.Peter's term γενεά (genea) means here a temporal “generation,” not (as some would interpret it) “race” (γένος). By calling the generation crooked here, Peter is appealing to the Old Testament, particularly Deuteronomy 32:5. Peter's point is an exhortation not to harden their hearts as their ancestors did in the wilderness.Peter thus continues the preaching tradition followed by John the Baptist, underlining the continuity of salvation history and of the saving message.

Audio from Ilana Stein in Jo'burg surrounded by tweeting birds. Alongside a compelling read of the chapter, Ilana compares the psychology in South Africa re coronavirus to that of the Jerusalemites in our chapter, watching the ravaging of the area around them by the Babylonians, but saying 'perhaps it won't come to us'.https://www.sefaria.org/Jeremiah.37

Curator Rachel Dedman unpicks the personal and political histories woven into Palestinian textiles, the role of the ‘embroidered woman' in resistance movements, and how the British Mandate changed clothes after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the 20th century. With a century of dresses, jackets and coats - ‘hundred-year-old sisters' - from Lebanon, Jordan, and the West Bank, a new exhibition in Cambridge shows embroidery as both a historic and living tradition, and why clothing could be some of the most significant cultural sources from Palestine today. A split-front jellayeh, stitched up after World War I, reveals how British occupation of the former Ottoman territories affected social codes. Studio photographs of urban, middle-class Jerusalemites wearing European imports - and ‘traditional' clothes like costumes - speak to class and regional inequalities, as much as diversity. Reading textiles like history books, curator Rachel Dedman reveals how women's bodies have long been sites of national identity, through the Nakba (catastrophe) in 1948, Naksa (setback) in 1967, to the first Intifada against Israel. We look at a dress patched up with a United Nations Relief and Works Agency-issued bag of flour, to find histories of resistance, transnational solidarity, and economic empowerment. Plus, Rachel explains ‘auto-orientalism', and refashions the keffiyeh, revealing the role of men in this women's work, and deconstructing binaries between genders, arts and crafts. Material Power: Palestinian Embroidery runs at Kettle's Yard in Cambridge until 29 October 2023, then the Whitworth in Manchester into 2024. For more, you can read my article in gowithYamo: https://www.gowithyamo.com/blog/textiles-in-cambridge-palestinian-embroidery-at-kettles-yard WITH: Rachel Dedman, curator, writer, and art historian, and Jameel Curator of Contemporary Art from the Middle East at Victoria and Albert Museum. Rachel is the curator of Material Power, and previously curated Labour of Love: New Approaches to Palestinian Embroidery at the Palestinian Museum, West Bank, 2018. ART: ‘UNRWA Dress from Ramallah, Palestine (1930s)'. PRODUCER: Jelena Sofronijevic. Follow EMPIRE LINES on Twitter: twitter.com/jelsofron/status/1306563558063271936 And Instagram: instagram.com/empirelinespodcast Support EMPIRE LINES on Patreon: patreon.com/empirelines

Isaiah punctures the self-satisfaction of Jerusalemites during the reign of Hezekiah

A new book, Parallel Lines, explores the  emotional and physical toll of war, ethnic conflict and religious codes on young people growing up in Jerusalem. British-born, former journalist Ruth Eglash wrote the fictional account of Jerusalem's  conflict capturing the pain and angst from all sides through the eyes of three unlikely heroines. KAN's Mark Weiss spoke with Ruth Eglash about Parallel Lines. (Photo;Courtesy)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Jerusalemites declare that the Land of Israel has been given to them as an inheritance.

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‚biography‘ features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Matthew Teller is an Author, Travel Writer and Documentary-Maker. He writes and broadcasts for the BBC and other media outlets around the world. His latest book Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City was published in March 2022 (Profile Books Ltd, 9781788169189) Viola Raheb, Theologian is Project Manager at Pro Oriente Foundation Vienna and Senior Fellow at Bruno Kreisky Forum

Kingdom People10. The King in the Kingdom Dan Bidwell, Senior Pastor Matthew 21:1-19 Symbols I want to start with a little game guess the movie. Give you 30 seconds with the person beside you to name whichever movies you can based on the symbols... Then well check the answers together. Just so you know, this came from a survey of 1000 people in the US. The percentages are the percentage of people who recognised each symbol. (Reveal movies on click) Anybody get 100%? Anybody on 0%? Anybody else whos never seen Dodgeball??? Or Watchmen? When I see the Ghostbusters icon, and it takes me back to 1984 when I was 9 years old, and I went to see Ghostbusters in the movies with my friend Damien. No parents, just two 9 year olds at the movies on their own. Do you remember the opening scene in the library with the ghost librarian? We were terrified... for about 2 minutes anyway. The rest of the movie was hilarious! (at least according to 1984 standards, as reported by a 9 year old! ) Anyway, we have minds that quickly recognise symbols like these. And even simple symbols like these, simple graphics, can evoke the entire plotline of a movie, or a series of movies. Of course you need to have been exposed to these symbols to recognise them. And so when they collated the results of the study by when participants were born, CLICK They found that people born in the 70s recognised the most symbols thats to do with which movies they chose for the study whereas the next generation above that recognised less. If they were icons from older movies Im sure the stats would be reversed. The point Im trying to get at is, in every culture there are icons or symbols that are immediately recognisable. And if youve been brought up with those stories, then an image, a word, a line from a movie, even a misquoted line from a movie is immediately recognisable as part of a bigger plotline. 1 Well in our Bible passage today, Jesus performs three symbolic acts. Symbols that would have been immediately recognisable to the people around him, the people who had grown up with the OT scriptures and prophecies as their popular culture. For us, though, were a bit like people born in the 60s or earlier (at least the ones in the film study we looked at). Well probably recognise a few of the OT symbols and symbolism, but not 100%. But Im hoping today we can come closer to seeing the triumphal entry through the eyes of those who were there, to see it in the bigger plotline of the Bible, and to understand how Jesus wanted people to respond to him. So why dont we pray that God will help us see Jesus clearly and in the larger Biblical context this morning/evening: Dear Father, as we read this passage today, will you help us to see the symbolism, to recognise Jesus (as the promised King), and to respond with faith and fruitful lives as his followers. We pray this for the glory of the King who died for us, amen. The three symbolic acts are not surprisingly the colt, the courtyard and the curse. The Colt Lets start with the colt. Youll remember that Jesus has been travelling deliberately towards Jerusalem ever since he was revealed as the Messiah, back in chapter 16. That was in Caesarea Philippi in the very north of Galilee, the very north of Israel. And as we start ch21 Jesus has travelled all the way south to Jerusalem in Judea, a journey of 100 miles. Which he would have travelled on foot. With him are crowds of people. Some are there for his healing and teaching. Others are making their way to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. Passover was one of the three festivals where Jewish males were expected to go up to the Temple in Jerusalem (along with Weeks Tabernacles1). During Passover, the population of Jerusalem could swell from 30,000 to perhaps 180,000 people, with pilgrims coming from not only Galilee and other parts of Israel, but from all over the Mediterranean. You can imagine how busy it would have been, how many people would 1 France p771 2 have been camped all over the hills around Jerusalem, because there was no way the city could accommodate them all. And this is the scene into which Jesus makes his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his first symbolic action. So we pick up the action at 21:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away. Now the commentators assume this is something that Jesus has pre-arranged. Its not a Jedi mind trick (these are not the droids you are looking for... the Lord needs them... ;-) (Had to be from the 70s...) No, Jesus has pre-arranged this moment for exactly the reason that Matthew gives in v4 Jesus is planning to ride into the city on a donkey in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, prophecies that paints him as the King. 5 Say to Daughter Zion,See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey,and on a colt, the foal of a donkey. BTW this quote is actually a mashup of Isaiah 62.11 and Zechariah 9:9. Isaiah and Zechariah are two prophets who wrote 700 and 500 years before Christ respectively. But both are written out of the context of Gods people living under foreign rule. If youll allow me a quick history lesson of the Israelites. Davids kingdom had been split into two after Solomons death, the northern tribes had been destroyed by Assyria in 722BC. The southern tribes had been taken into exile by the Babylonians in the 586BC. After 70 years, the southern tribes were allowed to return Jerusalem when Persia conquered Babylon, but Gods people were still under foreign rule in their own country, in the Promised Land. After the Persians, it would be Alexander the Great, and then the Roman Empire up to the time of Jesus, ruling over Gods people. 3 Gods people were waiting for a king. A Messiah. A savior. A king to bring Gods people under Gods rule. And so Zechariah, in 500BC, imagines the day when Gods king will ride into Jerusalem, and assume the throne, establish the kingdom, restore Israels fortunes. Listen to Zechariah 9:9, and read along with v5 on the passage from Matthew: 9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you,righteous and victorious (Zechariah 9:9) A righteous and victorious king... In the two centuries before Christ, there had been a number of Jewish rebellions against the occupying Roman armies. Men who claimed to be the righteous and victorious king. The messiah. But they were swiftly and brutally put down by the Roman rulers. And now we have Jesus ready to ride into Jerusalem as the promised king. The messiah. You can only imagine the tension in the air... Will he the king they were expecting? Did you notice the difference between Zechariah and what is written in Matthew 21:5? Righteous and victorious. They are missing from Matthew. You see, Gods people had majored on the victorious aspect of Zechariahs prophecy. This king is going to come and he is going to conquer and rule and get trid of the Romans. But they were focusing on the wrong part of the prophecy. Actually, the king in Zechariahs prophecy is not a warrior king. Hes gentle. Lowly. He comes to bring peace. In Zechariah, God says the king will remove the warhorses from Jerusalem. And thats why Jesus is there on this little donkey. Its just like Jesus told the disciples in the last chapter Jesus hadnt come to lord his rule over people like the Gentiles did, instead he taught them that the Son of Man came to serve others. Whoever wants to be first must be a slave. Jesus is a very different kind of king. PAUSE 4 But the crowds, they get the image the Zechariah prophecy is being fulfilled before their eyes. Theres no missing this famous teacher, the one who everyone had been talking about on the road, the one who had been healing and teaching. And now as they arrive in Jerusalem, there he is. Sitting above the crowd, riding on a donkey. So they roll out the red carpet for the king. Palm fronds and clothing anyway. It was part of the festival tradition for people to carry palm fronds or tree branches on their way up to the altar its part of Psalm 118 which is a traditional Passover psalm... A song that the pilgrims would always sing on their way into Jerusalem. But now Psalm 118 (which is where the Hosanna quote comes from) all of it sudden takes on a different meaning when the actual Son of David, the promised King, the Messiah is there in front of them. Hosanna to the Son of David!Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! Hosanna literally means, Save us. But they would have said hosanna a bit like we say hallelujah that is, a term of praise, more than a literal plea to be saved. But here when theyre singing Hosanna and Jesus is right there in front of them, theres this beautiful double meaning when you know that just a week later, he would literally save them by dying on a cross... So thats the first symbolic act, laden with Old Testament symbols and imagery and fulfilment of prophecy. Its Jesus painted unmistakeably as the Messiah. So what are we supposed to take from these verses? I think were meant to see Jesus as hes portrayed, and see him as the centre of Gods plan to bring peace, the centre of Gods plan to restore his people, the centre of Gods plan to restore his rule over a rebellious world. Thats certainly the wider Zechariah context, and the wider context of all the OT prophecies about the Messiah. So thats the first idea kind of simple recognise Jesus as the Messiah. The Courtyard The next part of the passage teaches us that not everybody will recognise Jesus as Messiah. 5 And that tension begins in v10, when Jesus enters the city. We read that the whole city was stirred that is shaken up. And not stirred with positive emotion, but instead with the first seeds of opposition that will eventually lead to Jesus crucifixion. The Jerusalemites want to know who this is making an entrance as a king. Another Jewish wannabe-Messiah would be bad for them. It would bring political tension with the Roman governor, perhaps jeopardise their way of life, their relative peace. So you have the crowds who had been following Jesus from Galilee who are proclaiming him as Messiah, contrasted with the people of Jerusalem who are questioning Jesus identity. Thats when Jesus performs his second symbolic act and the scene for this is the temple court. [Slide Temple] Just to help you picture it, this is a reconstruction of the Temple in the Israel Museum. In real life the Temple in Jerusalem was huge, the size of 29 football fields. And it was imposing, built on top of a hill so that if you looked up it would fill your vision. A symbol of Gods presence with his people, looming large over the city. It was the place for symbolically drawing near to God, the place where Gods people offered sacrifices of blood to remind themselves of the seriousness of sin. A place to find forgiveness. And a place to remember Gods promises to his people, Gods rescue of his people. Thats why so many had come to Jerusalem, to remember the way God had rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, the miraculous saving of his people when they painted blood on their doors and the angel of death passed over them, passed them by. But you can imagine the hubbub, the commotion, of 180,000 people arriving and crowding into the Temple precinct. Because they wouldnt have brought their sacrifices with them, all the way from Galilee or further afield. No, they had to buy animals when they arrived. And so there were the merchants selling lambs and goats, and doves and other birds for sacrifices. There were the money changers, who you needed so that you could pay your temple tax in the temples currency. There must also have been food for sale, to feed so many people. You could imagine those tables and stalls and markets all around Jerusalem in the surrounding villages and just outside the temple walls. But in Jesus time, the sellers had taken their trade inside the temple walls, into the Court of the Gentiles the very large courtyard that you can see surrounding the smaller walled area in the centre. 6 Any person could go into the court of the Gentiles but only Jews could go into that inner walled area, and then only certain people could go so far Jewish women to the first part, then Jewish men, then priests into the part where they performed the sacrifices, and then into the most holy place, the Holy of Holies, only the High Priest could go in, and even then only once a year. [Slide off] But now, the outer Court of the Gentiles was filled with merchants and money changers. Jesus is furious. He goes in (v12) and he drives them all out the money changers, the dove sellers. He turns over their tables and he yells at them a mashup of Isaiah 56 and Jeremiah 7 prophecies about keeping the temple holy. 13 It is written, he said to them, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers. (Matthew 21:7) I read that it was perhaps Caiaphas the High Priest who had allowed the merchants into the temple courtyard, and maybe only a year or two earlier. It puts an interesting spin on Caiaphas role in the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin you could see this symbolic act in the Temple as Jesus condemning Caiaphas personally and deliberately, then just a few days later Caiaphas getting his revenge on Jesus. An interesting theory, but Matthew doesnt make it explicit, so we can speculate, but I wouldnt stake my career on it. What we do see, though, is Jesus condemning hollow religion. Jesus was condemning the priests and teachers of the law for failing to treat the temple as the holy place it should have been. The same way they failed to treat God as they should have. Its a complaint against many of the priests throughout the OT, and it makes me think seriously about my own heart as someone who works in the church... Because this is the problem I think. Jesus comes into the temple, and he sees all these people who are close to God, living right under the shadow of Gods presence, yet they fail to follow him properly. Its exactly the same as many of the crowds who had followed Jesus they were close to him, they heard his teachings, but they never followed him fully. Never really gave up their lives, never really changed their allegiance towards Jesus. They were close to God, but not really changed. 7 And I think theres a warning for us here in church about that. A warning not to live our lives close to following Jesus, close to knowing him, close but no cigar. That was the rich young man back in chapter 19 wasnt it. From external appearances he looked so close to God, but in the end his heart was far away. His heart was consumed by his stuff, instead of being consumed by God. So what about your heart?Because Jesus third symbolic act tells us that this is a life or death decision. The Curse After the episode in the temple court, Matthew contrasts two very different reactions to Jesus in just one verse (v15): there are the little children who keep shouting what the pilgrims outside the city had shouted Hosanna to the Son of David! Remember all through ch18-20 the little children have popped up as models of dependent faith. Well, here theyre contrasted with the chief priests and teachers of the law who are indignant about what Jesus had done, indignant that anyone should identify him as the messiah. One is a model of faith, the other a model of false religion. To make the point clear, the next day Jesus enacts a parable about the consequences of false religion, the consequence of living a fruitless religious life. Verse 19: he sees a fig tree without any fruit on it, and he curses it, and it withers straight away. The image comes from the OT again the fig is a symbol of the good life that God promises his people, but also something he threatens to take away when his people fail to take him seriously, when they stray to sin and other gods (Jeremiah 8:13). And so here Jesus pronounces judgment on the fruitlessness of the chief priests and teachers of the law. Like the fig tree, God removes his blessing from them. He curses them and they will wither eternally... Again, this is a stark warning for us.Our hearts matter to God, our genuine faith matters... PAUSEJ 8 Thats a heavy message, I know. We normally read this passage at the beginning of Easter week. Because this passage begins the last week of Jesus life... a week that would end with Jesus dying on the cross, then rising to new life on the third day. And that Easter story reminds us that what we just read is not a fairy tale. Its history. And a part of history that hasnt yet been completed. Because Jesus the King will return one day to his kingdom. Just like that day in Jerusalem, he will come back to earth, and hell turn over the tables of hollow religion. He will ask us about the state of our hearts. Hell look for the fruit of faith growing in our lives. And many will be shown to be pretenders. But not those who have cried out Hosanna save us. There is something so beautiful about faith in Jesus. He knows we could never save ourselves. We could never do enough religious ceremonies to save ourselves. We could never do enough penance to earn his forgiveness. We could never outweigh our mistakes with good deeds. There is nothing we could do to stand before God on our own merits. It would be hopeless. And so we need a king who rides into our lives, with the promise of mercy and peace. A king who forgives. A king who saves... Shall we pray? Our loving heavenly Father, help us to draw near to you with all our hearts. Hosanna, save us. Sometimes it is so easy to forget you, or not to take you seriously, or to get caught up with other things. Hosanna, forgive us, and restore us, and save us we pray. Give us hearts to serve you only. And we pray this week that many in the Napa Valley and beyond would hear the news of your love for us in Jesus Christ. We pray that many would recognise Jesus as King, and give their lives to him. And we pray in his saving name, Jesus our Lord and savior. Hosanna and amen. 9

Scripture Reading: John 9:1-41 1 Now as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who committed the sin that caused him to be born blind, this man or his parents?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him. 4 We must perform the deeds of the one who sent me as long as it is daytime. Night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said this, he spat on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. He smeared the mud on the blind man's eyes 7 and said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated “sent”). So the blind man went away and washed, and came back seeing.8 Then the neighbors and the people who had seen him previously as a beggar began saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some people said, “This is the man!” while others said, “No, but he looks like him.” The man himself kept insisting, “I am the one!” 10 So they asked him, “How then were you made to see?” 11 He replied, “The man called Jesus made mud, smeared it on my eyes and told me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and was able to see.” 12 They said to him, “Where is that man?” He replied, “I don't know.”13 They brought the man who used to be blind to the Pharisees. 14 (Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath.) 15 So the Pharisees asked him again how he had gained his sight. He replied, “He put mud on my eyes and I washed, and now I am able to see.”16 Then some of the Pharisees began to say, “This man is not from God because he does not observe the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such miraculous signs?” Thus there was a division among them. 17 So again they asked the man who used to be blind, “What do you say about him, since he caused you to see?” “He is a prophet,” the man replied.18 Now the Jewish religious leaders refused to believe that he had really been blind and had gained his sight until at last they summoned the parents of the man who had become able to see. 19 They asked the parents, “Is this your son, whom you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” 20 So his parents replied, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But we do not know how he is now able to see, nor do we know who caused him to see. Ask him, he is a mature adult. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Christ would be put out of the synagogue. 23 For this reason his parents said, “He is a mature adult, ask him.”)24 Then they summoned the man who used to be blind a second time and said to him, “Promise before God to tell the truth. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see.” 26 Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” 27 He answered, “I told you already and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You people don't want to become his disciples too, do you?”28 They heaped insults on him, saying, “You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!” 30 The man replied, “This is a remarkable thing that you don't know where he comes from and yet he caused me to see! 31 We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They replied, “You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume to teach us?” So they threw him out.35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man replied, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you.” [ 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said,] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.”40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him, “We are not blind too, are we?” 41 Jesus replied, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.Main ThemesThe SettingSince the beginning of chapter 7, we have had a continuous sequence of events. Chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 are one “scene.” Because the chapters tell one narrative, but we tend to study them separately (out of convenience, not for any theological reason), we need to be intentional in carrying over the information provided in the earlier chapters that apply to the later chapters in this story.For purposes of chapter 9, we must remember the chronology of the Feast of Tabernacles. The feast lasted eight days. It began on a Sabbath (a Saturday) and it ended on the next Sabbath. Beginning with verse 7:37, all the action has been occurring “[o]n the last day of the feast.“ That means chapter 9 is happening during a Sabbath.In chapter 9, Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath. Sounds familiar. It didn't go well the first time, how will it go over this time? (Spoiler: not well.)Who Committed the SinAfter Jesus heals a blind man on the Sabbath for the first time (see John 5), Jesus tells the man, “Look, you have become well. Don't sin any more, lest anything worse happen to you.” (v. 5:14) As I discussed during Session 10, Jesus words should not be assumed to mean that sickness will occur as a supernatural result of the man's sin. That very well may be the case, but one could also take Jesus' words in a more ordinary way. Sometimes sin naturally leads to injury and disease. Sexual immorality can lead to sexually transmitted diseases. In some parts of the world, stealing could lead to one's hands being lost. Drug use can lead to addiction and mental illness. The list could go on.However, the first-century world did believe there was a strong connection between ailments and sin—particularly in the case of blindness. Jewish literature provides examples of the connection. For example, according to one contemporary source, one who saw a blind, lame, or otherwise seriously afflicted person should praise God as judge. Presumably, the assumption was that the person must have done something to properly merit such a condition. However, the case should not be overstated. Certainly the contemporary Jewish people understood that sin could cause affliction as a natural consequence (like the examples in the previous paragraph). They also believed that demons could cause disease, so God was not the only available cause.What is curious (to put it mildly) about the blind man in chapter 9 is that he was blind from birth. This limits the range of options. The man could not have caused his own blindness in a natural sense, and no one seems to posit demon possession. Therefore God must have caused his blindness. Moreover, in a further logical leap, it must have been for someone's sin. Who's sin? That is how the conversation begins.Many people at the time would have accepted the possibility that the man's blindness was the result of the parents' sin—most likely of the mother's while she was pregnant. Some people at the time may have also believed in prenatal activity significant enough to constitute sin. This is not a Jewish example but Isis and Osiris were said to have copulated in the womb. (Weird, I know.)As much as our modern sensibilities may be offended by the idea that someone may suffer illness for someone else's sins, Jesus reply may be even more offensive to modern readers. He explains, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but he was born blind so that the acts of God may be revealed through what happens to him.”God in his sovereignty orchestrated the man's illness such that a great good would come of it. Notice that this is a very powerful response to the problem of evil and suffering in general. Why would a good God allow evil and suffering in the world? Perhaps God has a plan. Maybe he is working all this out for good. In fact, the logical “Problem of Evil” is no longer very popular in the philosophical community. It is impossible to show that God can have no justifying reasons to allow evil and pain. The philosophical battle is now the probabilistic “Problem of Evil.” In other words, given the current state of the world is it more or less probable that a good God exists.Spittle and DirtJesus spat on the ground and made some mud. In the ancient world, spittle was sometimes associated with curative powers. For example, emperor Vaspasian (who postdates Jesus by a few decades) reportedly also healed blindness with spittle. This tradition regarding spittle already existed in the Jewish world, although it was probably borrowed from the Gentile world. Perhaps Jesus uses spittle because his audience would have understood the reference: Jesus was curing someone. The other alternative is that this is an allusion to the creative act of Genesis 2:7. (Genesis 2:7 says, “The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”)There is a potential double entendre in the word “smeared,” which other translations may translate as “applied.” This is the same word as “anoint.” To anoint means to apply oil. Anointing has a powerful religious meaning. Both in the Old and New Testaments, it means one blessed by God. In the New Testament, God anoints with the Holy Spirit (e.g., Acts 10:38). Perhaps Jesus anointing the blind man with mud giving him physical sight is a prefigurement of Jesus anointing believers with the Holy Spirit giving them spiritual sight.Jesus sends the blind man to wash himself in the pool of Siloam. This was the exact same pool used in the water-drawing ritual during the Feast of Tabernacles (remember, the feast going on “right now” in the story world). Jesus uses the “holy water” of the festival for his own purposes. Talk about cultural appropriation.What Will the Neighbors Think?The blind man is healed and the “neighbors” are amazed and confused.In Jerusalem, a man could survive as a beggar though he would remain poor. Jewish contemporaries emphasized charity. Charity towards the destitute was also commanded in the Old Testament. (However, I do not want to give the misimpression that a life of begging was viewed favorably in any way. Jewish contemporaries recognized begging as a shameful condition to be avoided—perhaps even to the point of death, i.e., it would be better to die than to live as a beggar.)The main point is that the “neighbors” were probably Jerusalemites. These were people who had seen the blind man beg on a daily basis since, probably, a very early age. They had probably donated to him regularly. They had indisputable knowledge of the blind man and his condition. When the healing occurred, the neighbors are shocked to the point of denial. Making Mud on the SabbathJesus is doubly guilty of breaking the Sabbath, the Pharisees will claim. Not only did Jesus heal on the Sabbath like he did back in chapter 5, but he made mud on the Sabbath! Sadly, I am not kidding. Notice how the text keeps going back to the mud. “Now the day on which Jesus made the mud and caused him to see was a Sabbath.”The Pharisees do not praise God for the healing. Even if they intend to investigate a potential violation, they do not seek Jesus first to obtain first-hand testimony. They simply accuse Jesus of being a sinner (i.e., he cannot be from God because he does not observe the Sabbath).The TrialThe text immediately shifts into a sort of legal proceeding. The Pharisees treat the blind man and his parents as witnesses.An Epistemological ConflictNotice that there is an epistemological conflict between the Pharisees and the blind man. The Pharisees “know” from their interpretation of the law. They know that the law forbids working on the Sabbath. So they know that Jesus cannot be from God. The blind man “knows” from experience. He knows he was blind. He knows that he can see. So, he knows that Jesus must be from God. For the sake of clarity, I am not trying to make a larger point about epistemology here, like whether we should trust our own experience more than scripture. I think that would be a dangerous conclusion to draw. Jesus never undermines the Torah. Jesus does, however, also appeal to experience. See the miracles and believe. Even through clear and convincing miracles the Pharisees were unwilling to consider that perhaps they did not “know” the Torah as well as they thought. Or, more accurately, the Pharisees were unwilling to recognize their hypocrisy and ill intentions. It's not so much that they “knew” the scriptures condemned Jesus as much as they were committed to that statement because it served their purposes. As we have seen throughout the Gospel of John, this inability to see is not an intellectual shortcoming but a moral one.As an interesting side note, an example of biblical hermeneutics that accounts for both scripture and experience is the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, which considers scripture as the first authority and then also takes into account tradition, reason, and experience. For example, Wesley praises the church fathers because not only did they remain faithful to Christian doctrine “[b]ut still they never relinquish this: 'What the Scripture promises, I enjoy. Come and see what Christianity has done here, and acknowledge it is of God.'“Only a Man of God Could Do ThisThe Pharisees recognize a problem with their argument. They believed that no one would be able to restore blindness like Jesus did unless that man were from God. Remember John 3:1-2: “Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, came to Jesus at night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.'” So the Pharisees must deny the healing.Rigging the TrialThe Pharisees call on the blind man's parents to testify. Before the testimony, they rig the trial. Anyone who confesses Jesus as the Christ will be excommunicated. The text does not explicitly say this, but the Pharisees probably hoped that with enough pressure the parents would even deny that their child had really been blind. The parents would have earned great favor with the religious leaders if they had testified that their son had faked his illness to receive charity. The blind man's parents are in fact intimidated. They are only willing to confirm that their son was blind and can now see. How that happened? They won't say. Ask our son, they say instead, he is “mature” or “of age.” That means that the blind man is at least 13 but could be much older.The Blind Man's FaithThe Pharisees call the blind man to the stand once more. Notice the leading the question. They demand (if I paraphrase), “Condemn Jesus as a sinner.” But the blind man is an example of faith. He may not fully know who Jesus is but he will not deny the miracle. “Say what you will about Jesus, but I was blind and now I see.” The Pharisees give him one more chance to recant his statement. “Tell us again what he did to you.” The blind man responds with mockery. “Do you want me to tell you again so you also might believe?” Of course that's not the reason for the Pharisees' question.The Pharisees go on the offensive. They insult the blind man, “You are his disciple!” This works on two levels. First, it is an accusation of bias. The blind man is lying for the benefit of his master. Second, as the Pharisees claim to be disciples of Moses, it is accusing the blind man of betraying their religion and their God. Notice that both the “you are” and “we are” are emphatic in Greek. It is like saying, “I myself had to fix it” to emphasize who performed the action. This is a heated debate filled with accusatory overtones.The Pharisees make one more claim. “We do not know where this man comes from!” We have discussed this idea extensively in prior sessions. Jesus is from above; he is from God; he is from heaven. The religious leaders refuse to see this. In this case, the Pharisees may not only be accusing Jesus of being a stranger to Jerusalem and their religious community but also perhaps accusing him of being an illegitimate child.The blind man goes on the offensive himself. Remember that everyone, the Pharisees included, granted the premise that only a man of God could do the miraculous signs that Jesus was doing. The blind man points this out and leaves the Pharisees with no excuse. Additionally, the blind man's claim that no one had ever heard of a blind man from birth being healed appears to be historical when considered in context. Such claims existed in the Gentile world but they did not seem to exist in the Jewish world.The Pharisees stoop low. Remember the assumption was that the man's blindness was caused by sin. The Pharisees have no issues using that assumption. “You are a filthy sinner and you dare attempt to correct us, disciples of Moses?”Notice that the blind man grows in his belief and understanding of Jesus as more information is presented to him. First Jesu is a “man” (v. 9:11), then a “prophet” (v. 9:17), and finally “Son of Man” (v. 9:35-37).Jesus Comes to JudgeRemember John 3:17-18:For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.The word for “condemn” in John 3 is the same as the word for judge in John 9 when Jesus says:For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.This sure seems like a contradiction at first blush. Let's consider what contradiction means. The law of non-contradiction says that two contradictory propositions cannot both be true in the same sense at the same time. Both verses quoted above refer to the same time: Jesus coming into the world. But, do both verses refer to judgment in the same sense? I do not think so. Consider John 12:47-50:I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.What do all three passages in John tell us when read in conjunction? Jesus did not come to judge in the sense of inflicting immediate punishment—i.e., condemn. Those who hear Jesus and disobey he does not condemn. They may continue to do as they please. Jesus is on earth to save not to destroy. However, the revelation that comes through Jesus will eventually judge in the sense of deciding or determining. Jesus' words divide people between those who believe and those do not. And in the last day, at the final judgment, that is the only consideration that will matter.The Great ReversalJesus words at the end of this chapter are enigmatic. “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.” Jesus also says, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin, but now because you claim that you can see, your guilt remains.”To gain sight is only valuable to one who is blind. To anyone who who thinks that they can already see, that offer is worthless. A doctor is only valuable to a sick man, not to a healthy man. Salvation is only valuable to a condemned sinner, not to a righteous man.Consider these statements found in Matthew 9:12-13:“Those who are healthy don't need a physician, but those who are sick do.”“I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”The word “gospel” comes from “god-spell” meaning a “good story.” Gospel is in turn a translation of the Latin word euangelion that means “good news.” What is “good” about the news of Jesus? Christ has come to save the world. He offers this salvation freely to all who would believe in him. But notice that this message is not just pointless but offensive to someone who thinks that they need no saving. That offense, I think, is why those who see become blind. Whatever truth is held by those who see is intentionally discarded by the offense of the good news. They turn deliberately and vehemently from the truth of the gospel. In this way, those who recognize their need are given all things while those who recognize their good things lose all things.

A new MP3 sermon from Sovereign Grace Baptist Church is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: The Inordinate Reaction from the Jerusalemites Subtitle: Jesus - Feast of Tabernacles Speaker: Jim Billings Broadcaster: Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Event: Sunday Service Date: 9/4/2022 Bible: John 7:10-53 Length: 53 min.

The British conquest of Jerusalem took place in December 1917. In the second episode dedicated to Jerusalem in World War One, I discuss the value of Jerusalem for the British during the war, how this changed but more importantly once the British began to plan the conquest of Palestine, how policy makers began to invest time and effort in order to prepare for the much awaited conquest of the Holy City. Later in the podcast I discuss the British conquest of the city, the military operation and how the city was surrendered. Lastly, I discuss how Jerusalemites reacted and experienced the first few years of British rule. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things. Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn't reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods. Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.  Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (Other Press in the North America, 2022; Profile Books in the UK, 2022) lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city's depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller's highly original ‘biography' features the Old City's Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls. It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

Did the Jerusalemites sell their homes to their occupiers for a song out of desperation and יֵאוּשׁ ?

Karene Sanchez is an expert of so many fields in the history of Jerusalem and Palestine that it is hard to summarize our discussion. As usual we started with a chat on how Karene has come to work on Palestine and Jerusalem and from there we explored the question of languages spoken in the region, the local Christian communities, particularly the Catholics, both Latins and Melkites. Lastly we discussed the large and fascinating topic of European cultural diplomacy which targeted Palestinians and Jerusalemites, first through the work of missionaries and later of diplomatic missions. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-55540-5Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It was supposed to be a week of celebrations as Jews, Muslims and Christians in the Holy Land all marked their holidays at the same time. But in Jerusalem, and particularly on the sensitive Temple Mount / Al-Aqsa compound, the biggest story in recent days has been the outbreak of violent clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli police.  Nir Hasson, Haaretz's Jerusalem correspondent, and our senior analyst Anshel Pfeffer, join the podcast to explain what's behind this wave of violence and why, despite the fears that it will deteriorate into an all-out war, both Hamas and Israel will likely try to avoid that scenario. Nir also describes what most Jerusalemites really think about the headlines, while Anshel discusses the political effect of these events, and the likelihood of this crisis bringing down Naftali Bennett's government. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children are the often neglected population of every city, they are invisible, they leave very little records and unless of tragic events once children are adults their youth is forgotten. Julia Shatz tells us about her work trying to bring back to life the children of Jerusalem during the British Mandate. Most of the material is to be found in the American Colony archives, managed by the previous guest of the podcast Rachel Lev. The fascinating story of the American Colony was also told by Abigail Jacobson who has published extensively on their humanitarian work. Julia, as well told, us about a key humanitarian work provided by members of the colony and under the British by a multiplicity of individuals. Nurses are another invisible category, often neglected in historical narratives, they played a key role in Jerusalem helping Jerusalemites of all faiths and ethnicities. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luke 13:1-913 1-5 About that time some people came up and told him about the Galileans Pilate had killed while they were at worship, mixing their blood with the blood of the sacrifices on the altar. Jesus responded, “Do you think those murdered Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die. And those eighteen in Jerusalem the other day, the ones crushed and killed when the Tower of Siloam collapsed and fell on them, do you think they were worse citizens than all other Jerusalemites? Not at all. Unless you turn to God, you, too, will die.”6-7 Then he told them a story: “A man had an apple tree planted in his front yard. He came to it expecting to find apples, but there weren't any. He said to his gardener, ‘What's going on here? For three years now I've come to this tree expecting apples and not one apple have I found. Chop it down! Why waste good ground with it any longer?'8-9 “The gardener said, ‘Let's give it another year. I'll dig around it and fertilize, and maybe it will produce next year; if it doesn't, then chop it down.'”

Jerusalemites vs villagers, Sharecropping land vs trees

The last three chapters of Zechariah (Zech. 12–14) develop themes that appeared in Zechariah 9–11. But there is a rising intensity, signaled by the phrase “on that day,” repeated sixteen times. The climax is in the last chapter, where God's universal kingdom is fully established.Zechariah 12 is part of this rising intensity. The first part (Zech. 12:1–9) is superficially easy to understand, but at one level its interpretation is difficult; the second part (Zech. 12:10–13:1) is immensely evocative, and is cited in the New Testament.(1) The first part pictures the formerly scattered exiles, now returned to Jerusalem, facing the onslaught of hostile nations. It appears that even Judah initially abandons Jerusalem: the NEB's translation is probably right: “Judah will be caught up in the siege of Jerusalem.” Then the Lord intervenes and makes “Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling” (Zech. 12:2). God confounds the cavalry charges (Zech. 12:4), and the people of Judah take courage from the steadfastness of the Jerusalemites (Zech. 12:5). As a result, the fact that they are among the enemy is turned to advantage: they are like fire that ignites dry tinder (Zech. 12:6). The triumph is glorious (Zech. 12:7–9).So far, so good. But of what does this speak? The question cannot be answered without recourse to other Scriptures, to an entire way of putting the Bible together. Some think that this refers to empirical Jerusalem at some point in the future, with (presumably) suitable shifts from cavalry to something more modern. Others think this is an apocalyptic vision of final assaults on the people of God, on the citizens of the new Jerusalem. Does the next section shed light on the debate?(2) The second section is in stunning contrast to the first. The house of David and the Jerusalemites have just been powerfully encouraged. Yet now God himself pours upon them a spirit of contrition (Zech. 12:10), certainly not a spirit of triumphalism. They find themselves mourning for someone put to death in the city, and being cleansed from their sin and impurity by a new fountain “opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem” (Zech. 13:1). Who is this person, pierced through, for whom the people mourn? The most natural reading of the Hebrew is that it is Yahweh himself: “They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn” (Zech. 12:10). At one level the “piercing” can be understood metaphorically: Yahweh is “wounded” in exactly the same way that he is cuckolded in Hosea. But there is a more literal fulfillment, a more literal piercing (John 19:34, 37). What is the good of a merely military triumph unless the people of God mourn for what they have done to God—and discover that he has opened a fountain to cleanse them from their sin (Zech. 13:1)? This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

The last two chapters of the first part of Zechariah are triggered by a question. The question is posed by a delegation from the exiles about liturgical observance. The Jews in Babylon wanted to remain in liturgical sync with the Jerusalemites. Their delegation is pretty early in the life of the returned community—late 518 B.C., just over twenty years since the initial restoration and only a year since the commitment to rebuild the temple, under the preaching of Haggai, had taken hold. The formal answer to their question is not given until 8:18–19. Yet the focus on fasting as a ritual to be observed calls forth sermonic material and various oracular sayings from the Lord that press beyond merely formal observance and call the people, yet again, to fundamental issues. Zechariah 7 is the first of these two chapters, and verses 5–14 provide the first barrage of the prophetic response. We may usefully organize this material by asking three questions:(1) Is our religion for us or for God? The prophet Zechariah faithfully conveys God's question to the delegates of the exiles: when across seventy years (i.e., from 587) they faithfully fasted on certain days, thinking those were the “proper” days, did they do so primarily as an act of devotion to God, or out of some self-centered motivation of wanting to feel good about themselves (Zech. 7:5–7)? Fasting may be no more than self-pity, or faithfulness to a cultural mandate, or passive acceptance of tradition. How much of the religious practice was offered to God?(2) Does our religion elevate ritual above morality? That is the burden of Zechariah's stinging review of earlier Jewish history (Zech. 7:8–12). Implicitly, Zechariah is asking if their concern for liturgical uniformity is matched by a passionate commitment to “show mercy and compassion to one another,” and to abominate the oppression of the weak and helpless in society (Zech. 7:9–10). Indeed, a genuinely moral mind extends to inner reflection: “In your hearts do not think evil of each other” (Zech. 7:10). Implicitly, Zechariah asks us precisely the same questions.(3) Does our religion prompt us passionately to follow God's words, or to pursue our own religious agendas? “When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen” (Zech. 7:13), the Lord Almighty announces. Passionate intensity about the details of religion, including liturgical reformation, is worse than useless if it is not accompanied by a holy life. In true religion, nothing, nothing at all, is more important than whole-hearted and unqualified obedience to the words of God. This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

In Israel, there are many things that usually don't - and according to some, never should - mix: Jerusalemites and the beach, Tel Avivis and the Kotel, HaPoel and Macabbi fans, Haaretz and Yisrael HaYom readers. But our episode today explores the most complicated and fundamental duo in terms of mixing and not-mixing - Jews and Arabs. Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter at israelstory.org/newsletter/. For more, head to our site or Tablet Magazine. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode Maria Chiara Rioli, author of the wonderful work A Liminal Church, Refugees, Conversions and the Latin Diocese of Jerusalem 1946-1956 (Brill), tells us about her personal path that brought her to work in Jerusalem and later to work on Jerusalem. We discussed her work with the Open Jerusalem project and the question of archives and what archives mean for Jerusalem and Jerusalemites. One the most fascinating discoveries by Maria Chiara was business cards printed in the late 19th and early 20th century by the Franciscan Printing Press, a unique way to look at Jerusalemites, their businesses and the services available to the local population. We then moved to discuss the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem first at large, then focusing on the very important and controversial period between 1946 and 1956. The work of Maria Chiara adds plenty of new material related to 1948 and the Palestinian refugees. Lastly, we discussed the very little known Saint James association, a group that emerged within the Patriarchate and produced a new Catholic liturgy in Hebrew.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/jerusalemunplugged. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Three major stories broke over the past week about Israel's cyber-surveillance of Palestinians, from hacking the phones of human rights defenders and officials, to increased monitoring of Jerusalemites, to the mass deployment of facial recognition software against Palestinians in the West Bank. To discuss these issues and their broader implications, FMEP is proud to host a conversation with four experts – Andrew Anderson (Front Line Defenders), Marwa Fatafta (Access Now), Avner Gvaryahu (Breaking the Silence), and Sophia Goodfriend (7amleh), in conversation with FMEP President Lara Friedman. For biographies and a list of resources shared during this webinar, please visit: https://fmep.org/event/welcome-to-the-panopticon-israels-systematic-surveillance-of-palestinians-and-the-implications-for-the-world/

There are two highly symbolic actions in Ezekiel 11, one of them beginning in Ezekiel 10, the other entirely within the chapter at hand:(1) Although it is difficult to trace exactly the movement of the glory of the Lord, it is reasonably clear that this glory, once associated with the temple—especially with the Most Holy Place and the ark of the covenant over which the cherubim stretched their wings—abandons the temple and hovers over the mobile throne. The same mobile throne Ezekiel had seen in Babylon is now parked by the south entrance to the temple. The four living creatures, now identified as cherubim, transport the glory of the Lord to the east gate (Ezek. 10:18–19), and then to the mountain east of the city (Ezek. 11:23). Thus the presence of God judicially abandons the temple and the city. Nothing stands in the way of their destruction.(2) The picture of the cooking pot (Ezek. 11:3–12) conjures up the false sense of security that a strong, walled city could engender among its inhabitants. The Jerusalemites thought of themselves as the good meat within the “pot” of the walled city, nicely surrounded and protected. But God himself will drive them out (Ezek. 11:7). This city will not be a “pot” for them at all (Ezek. 11:11). The truth of the matter is that the Jerusalemites, whom the exiles were inclined to lionize because they were still there in Jerusalem, were extraordinarily arrogant. While the exiles pinned their hopes on them, the Jerusalemites themselves saw the exiles as so much rubbish, people rejected by God and transported far away from the land and the temple (Ezek. 11:14–15). Indeed, God says there is going to be a mighty reversal. True, God did scatter the exiles among the nations. But while they have been away, God himself has been their sanctuary (Ezek. 11:16)—which shows that the temple is not strictly needed for God to be present among his people, to be a “sanctuary” for them. Thus while the Jerusalemites will be destroyed (even as they dismiss the exiles as of no account), God will gather together a remnant from among them (Ezek. 11:17). Ultimately he will put into place a new covenant that will transform them (Ezek. 11:18–20). These themes are taken up in more detail later in the book (e.g., chap. 36).The vision of chapters 8–11 ends with Ezekiel transported back to Babylon, telling the people everything he has seen and heard. The first strands of hope in this book have been laid out, but not in the categories expected. Jerusalem will be destroyed, and God's purposes for the future center on the exiles themselves. How often in Scripture does God effect his rescue, his salvation, through the weak and the despised! This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

Remember the daze when you had to pull over and ask for directions? WAZE is most beneficial when you are going somewhere you've never been. As long as you have battery (or power) and you entered the correct address, you can just sit back and trust WAZE, even if she changes her mind or the directions on you. In 536 BC, the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt, the relationship with God was reestablished,.  The Israelites had a new lease on life but there was no resulting power, only a temple, a worship facility that was having no apparent impact on the people of God or their world. Their rebirth was seen in their return, but their recovery was unseen and abundantly manifest in the rubbled mess called “Jerusalem”, the city of peace. This is the picture of many believers. They are saved, they have established a connection to God, but have no resulting power that brings real life. No walls. A city with no walls isn't a city. As a people, the Israelites illustrate the incompleteness that often besets and bewilders reborn believers. The Jerusalemites, frustrated by their inability to restore their capital city, depict believers who seem unable to regain control of life issues mangled in their pasts. Like those in ancient Judea, so often with us: recovery was so long in coming, the conviction grows that it is never going to happen. But, then something happens...someone is dispatched by God to come and lead the effort to rebuild God's way.

Both individuals and larger communities sometimes vow, under the pressure of desperation, to reform themselves and devote themselves to pleasing God. When the pressure abates, they rescind their promises and return to their self-centered sin. Their fickleness becomes transparent. The judgment or disaster threatening them does not really teach them the ways of righteousness or instruct them to turn from sin. They simply want relief, and if a vow before the Lord can achieve it, why, then they will vow. But that does not mean they really try to keep their vows.That is the sort of pathetic drama that unfolds in Jeremiah 34. Nebuchadnezzar is at the gates of Jerusalem (Jer. 34:1). Motivated by sheer desperation, King Zedekiah leads the people in a covenant that proclaims freedom for all slaves (Jer. 34:8). The Mosaic covenant had in principle greatly ameliorated slave conditions by limiting servitude to six years (Jer. 34:14; Ex. 21:2; Deut. 15:1, 12). A stream of prophets—Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah—excoriated the covenant people for their callousness, for their mercenary defiance of God's Law, especially in the matter of slavery. And now Zedekiah leads the Jerusalemites in this major reform.From other sources (see meditation for August 9) we know that news reached the armed forces of Babylon to the effect that an Egyptian army was advancing to relieve Jerusalem. So far as we know, this report was untrue. Nevertheless the Babylonian army withdrew to face this new threat from the south. To the citizens of Jerusalem, this must have seemed like almost miraculous relief. Stupidly, sinfully, wickedly, the former slave-owners “changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again” (Jer. 34:11). Their real hearts are thus completely exposed.Inevitably, the Babylonian forces discover there is no threat from Egypt, and the siege closes in again. There is no hope of relief this time. Who will believe any of their acts of “repentance” now? God declares, “But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again” (Jer. 34:16). They have not “proclaimed freedom” to their “fellow countrymen” (Jer. 34:17). So the only “freedom” they themselves will experience is the freedom to fall by sword, plague, and famine (Jer. 34:17).What hope is there for people who put on a show of “repentance” calculated to earn some mercy, but who return like a dog to its vomit and like a pig to its muck (2 Pet. 2:20–22)? This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

The vision of the two baskets of figs (Jer. 24), one “very good figs, like those that ripen early” (Jer. 24:2—the early ones ripened in June and were viewed as a delicacy, cf. Isa. 28:4) and the other basket full of figs “so bad they could not be eaten” (Jer. 24:2), is plain enough. The good figs point to the Israelites who have already been sent away into exile in “the land of the Babylonians” (Jer. 24:5). God will watch over them and bring them back. He will give them a heart to know the Lord. “They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart” (Jer. 24:7). By contrast, the poor figs point to Zedekiah and his officials and the remainder of the people in Jerusalem. They will become “a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing” (Jer. 24:9). They will not remain in the land. They will be banished, and God will follow them with “sword, famine and plague” (Jer. 24:10).This analogy calls forth two reflections. First, it is a reversal of popular expectation, both in Jerusalem and in the exilic community in Babylon. The Jerusalemites were tempted to think that they were the elite, since they had been spared: God had not sent them into exile. The exiles were the rubbish; those left in the land were the faithful remnant. The exiles were tempted to think the same thing. They did not want to contemplate the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, for then there would be no “home” to go home to. So they tended to idealize the people who were left behind, praying that God would one day restore the exiles to the faithful remnant in Jerusalem. But God here says that the real situation is precisely the reverse. Those left behind in Jerusalem are disgusting and will be destroyed. The good figs are in exile, and God will bring them back to the land. In short, the remnant is in exile. The same theme (without the imagery of the figs) is developed in Babylon by Jeremiah's contemporary, Ezekiel: e.g., Ezekiel 11:14–21.Second, this is such an astounding reversal of popular expectations that it prompts the reader to think of a host of other reversals in the Bible. One thinks of the mighty Egyptian empire against the Israelite slaves; of the rich man and Lazarus; of the beatitudes of Jesus that promise the kingdom to the poor in spirit. Think of as many such reversals as you can, both within the pages of Scripture and in later history. God delights to exalt the humble and to humble the exalted. After all, our Redeemer died on a cross. So why should thoughtful Christians scramble for power and position, instead of for humility and faithfulness? This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson's book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan.

What should the role of churches of all denominations be as the country emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic? More than 5,500 people including non-church members, congregations and church leaders have provided their testimony on the human cost of the pandemic when places of worship were closed and unable to play their usual role as crisis centres and places of comfort. We hear how two people made a contribution to their communities and the leader of the research, Dr Dee Dyas from the University of York tells Edward that churches and other places of worship have a unique opportunity to play a key role in the nation's recovery. As the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire took hold on Friday, both Israel and Hamas declared victory. But continuing unrest at the Al-Aqsa mosque on Friday suggests that the underlying issues remain as unresolved as ever. We return to the region and hear from two Jerusalemites who have lived through these perilous past few days, Abeer Zayyed, a volunteer at the Al Aqsa mosque and Rabbi Ron Kronish, who also works in Jerusalem. In June world leaders will gather in Cornwall for the G7 Summit. To mark the occasion, Truro Cathedral and local school choirs have released a song to send a message to them. Written by Sir Tim Rice and Peter Hobbs the lyrics ask the leaders to 'collaborate and take their responsibility seriously'. Now other singers from around the world can add their recordings to the performance. We hear from some of the Truro choristers and Esme Page, co-founder of the Sing2G7 initiative, explains how children can get involved. You can listen to the song and find out more here: https://www.sing2g7.org/ Producers: David Cook Louise Clarke-Rowbotham Editor: Tim Pemberton Photo: © Mazur / cbcew.org.uk

“This is an essential book for those who wish to understand a city that remains a nexus of world affairs.” —Booklist (starred) Jerusalem is the epic history of three thousand years of faith, fanaticism, bloodshed, and coexistence, from King David to the 21st century, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict. How did this small, remote town become the Holy City, the “center of the world” and now the key to peace in the Middle East? In a gripping narrative, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city in its many incarnations, bringing every epoch and character blazingly to life. Jerusalem's biography is told through the wars, love affairs, and revelations of the men and women who created, destroyed, chronicled and believed in Jerusalem. As well as the many ordinary Jerusalemites who have left their mark on the city, its cast varies from Solomon, Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificent to Cleopatra, Caligula and Churchill; from Abraham to Jesus and Muhammad; from the ancient world of Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod and Nero to the modern times of the Kaiser, Disraeli, Mark Twain, Lincoln, Rasputin, Lawrence of Arabia and Moshe Dayan. In this masterful narrative, Simon Sebag Montefiore brings the holy city to life and draws on the latest scholarship, his own family history, and a lifetime of study to show that the story of Jerusalem is truly the story of the world.

Iran says they did not attack an Israeli ship, Jerusalemites are under fire for partying too hard on Purim & the Western Wall gets botox. Social Media links, Newsletter sign-up &, Support the show $ here: https://linktr.ee/israeldailynews Music: Narco or Love Addict by Bar Alfandari Ft. Elior Shemesh https://open.spotify.com/artist/0GE2lMUi936oDHpSGEOaGH?si=gdXfsHHrS7Gyf_2ps0OwiQ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/israeldailynews/support

When a large building project is finished, or when an important goal has been reached, often there is a tendency to slack off. Many a congregation has devoted considerable energy to building a new facility, only to retreat into lethargy for months or even years afterward.Nehemiah perceives that the building of the wall is not the climax of the return, after which relaxation should be the order of the day. The rest of the book makes this point clearly enough. The rebuilding of the wall is scarcely more than preparation for a number of more far-reaching political and religious reforms. In ministry, it is vital always to distinguish means and ends.With the wall finished, Nehemiah stays on for a while as governor of the entire region of Judah, but appoints two men to be in charge of Jerusalem—his brother Hanani (apparently a man he could trust), and a military man, Hananiah, chosen “because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do” (Neh. 7:2—compare meditation for January 6). There is something refreshing and fundamental about such leaders. They are not sycophants or mercenaries; they are not trying to “find themselves” or prove their manhood; they are not scrambling up the mobile ladder to success. They are men of integrity, who fear God more than most.Nehemiah then gives instructions regarding the opening and closing of the gates—instructions designed to avoid any traps set between the dangerous hours of dusk and dawn (7:3). Thus the administration and defense of Jerusalem are settled.The sheer emptiness of the city is what now confronts Nehemiah (7:4). The walls have been rebuilt more or less along their original lines. Jerusalem is a substantial city, and yet the vast majority of the returned Jews are living in the countryside. What takes place in the following chapters, then, is something that can only be called a revival, followed by the determination of the people to send one-tenth of their number into Jerusalem to become the fledgling kernel of a new generation of Jerusalemites. As a first step, Nehemiah digs out the now aging records of those exiles who had first returned from exile in order to determine whose genealogical records demonstrated them to be part of the covenant people, and especially those who could legitimately serve as priests. The steps Nehemiah pursues seem to be part of a careful plan, one which, as Nehemiah himself insists, “my God put . . . into my heart” (7:5). This podcast is designed to be used alongside TGC's Read The Bible initiative (TGC.org/readthebible). The podcast features devotional commentaries from D.A. Carson’s book For the Love of God (vol. 2) that follow the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan.

David: I'll build you a House (temple). God: No, I'll build you a HOUSE (heritage) 2 Sam 7 (Episode #201)We are wondering why Jesus teaching in the Jerusalem TEMPLE was such a big deal. Place is important. Here, we find out something that is even MORE important. We will look at the "foundations" of the Temple that Jesus is speaking in physically. It involves a decision to build a nice HOUSE for God in 2 Samuel 7:2. But the Lord says:, "You think you are going to build me a house (temple). I am going to do you one better: I am going to build YOU (David and his progeny) a HOUSE (a heritage, a lineage, a promised future). When Jesus gets to Jerusalem, we find Him occupying both the physical HOUSE that David and Solomon builds and occupying the prophetic and messianic OFFICE that the Lord establishes. No wonder the Jerusalemites were a bit confused! Listen, it is easier to see 3000 and 2000 years later.

The long season of Sundays after Pentecost, also called Ordinary Time, feels anything but ordinary this year. The “long pause” of the pandemic has given way to a rush of civil unrest around race and racism in this country, and there is plenty of grief to go around.LGBTQ+ Pride month usually evokes joyous celebration. But this year we’re contemplating how the progress achieved by one segment of the human family can be leveraged for the sake of another. We want to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter, in part by carrying on an internal, mostly white-people-to-white-people conversation about racism and white supremacy, the original and ongoing sins of the North American project and the North American church.We’ll use Psalm 27 as the supporting reading every week, casting it as a Pride psalm and an anti-racist psalm, as it expresses faith in the promise of divine shelter for those who are most vulnerable in this world. “I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Singing at the end of the world as we know it. Jerusalemites exiled to Babylon in the 6th century BCE found it impossible to go on with life as usual. Their songs went silent. They swam in a swirl of sadness (“there we sat down and there we wept”) and rage (“happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us”). Psalms of lament give voice to both these feelings; both are welcome in God’s house, God’s family, God’s ear. Any church that denies or ignores the emotional/spiritual cost that is being extracted from us all is whistling in the dark.To tell us your thoughts on this sermon, click through to the web posting and leave us a comment. Or, find us on social media: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Or, email us the old-fashioned way: info@galileochurch.org. To contribute financially to the ongoing ministry of Galileo Church, find us on Venmo, Patreon, or PayPal, or just send a check to 6563 Teague Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76140.

Why are Jerusalemites gearing up for a traffic nightmare? Because this week, 26 presidents, 4 kings and 4 prime ministers are expected to visit Jerusalem for the "International Holocaust Forum", the largest international event held in Israel. Streets will be closed, parking will be a nightmare, and cars and public transport will need to be re-routed for security reasons in the capital city. Some of the dignitaries expected to arrive are; Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, the Swedish, Danish, and Czech Prime Ministers (among many others from European countries), the King of the Netherlands, the King of Spain, and the King of Belgium. Even Prince Charles from the UK and U.S. House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi are expected to arrive for the event. Find out what they will they do, and where the event will take place in Jerusalem. Also, were the devastating fires in Australia caused by climate change, or was it arson? International Public Diplomacy Director at the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies, Barry Shaw, ( Strategic-Israel.org & TheViewFromIsrael.com ) tells us about both issues, and lays out the facts in each story for us to better understand what exactly is taking place. The Tamar Yonah Show 20JAN2020 - PODCAST

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem's libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world's most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem's literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors' hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem's libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world's most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem's literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors' hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/van-leer-institute

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem’s libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors’ hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem’s libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors’ hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem’s libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors’ hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem’s libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors’ hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem’s libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors’ hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The library is a gathering pool of narratives and of the people who come to find them. It is where we can glimpse immortality; in the library, we can live forever.” ― Susan Orlean, The Library Book. Benjamin Balint and Merav Mack's Jerusalem: City of the Book (Yale University Press, 2019) is a fascinating journey through Jerusalem’s libraries which tells the story of this city as a place where some of the world’s most enduring ideas were put into words. The writers of Jerusalem, although renowned the world over, are not usually thought of as a distinct school; their stories as Jerusalemites have never before been woven into a single narrative. For the first time ever the stories are told of the custodians, past and present, who safeguard Jerusalem’s literary legacies. By showing how Jerusalem has been imagined by its writers and shelved by its librarians, Mack and Balint tell the untold history of how the peoples of the book have populated the city with texts. In these authors’ hands, Jerusalem itself—perched between East and West, antiquity and modernity, violence and piety—comes alive as a kind of labyrinthine library. Renee Garfinkel is a psychologist, writer, and Middle East commentator for the nationally syndicated TV program, The Armstrong Williams Show.. Write her at r.garfinkel@yahoo.com or tweet @embracingwisdom.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The people of Jerusalem now question Jesus' messiahship on the basis of where he has come from. They think that the Messiah's origin will be unknown; so since they know where Jesus is from, he is disqualified (v. 27). Later we will hear of others among the crowd who think the Messiah's origin is known and who disqualify Jesus because he comes from Galilee (vv. 41-42). Neither of these opinions is accurate, which reveals the confusion and ignorance of the people, who, like the opponents, are judging by appearances rather than with right judgment. Jesus' teaching about the sabbath and his reference to the people seeking to kill him (vv. 19-23) leads some Jerusalemites to conclude that he is the man the authorities are trying to kill (v. 25). They realize Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah (v. 26), so the fact that he is speaking publicly and without interference from the authorities raises the question of whether the authorities have concluded that Jesus is the Messiah after all. If false teaching is not opposed, then people get the impression that either it is not false or it is not significant.

Mahdi and Michal are the forces behind ShakShuk, a small restaurant nestled in Jerusalem's bustling Machane Yehuda market. Both native Jerusalemites, this Jewish-Muslim duo work long hours side by side. They're like brother and sister - and they're learning how to have difficult political conversations. For more info, visit us at: hadassah.org/thebranch.

PAYCE Fellow Hanan Zahran talks to Omar Husseini about his perspective on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and how he moved from the U.S. to Palestine. Hanan describes Omar’s work in “unconventional politics” through his job as a liaison to international visitors and his workplace. He describes why he chooses his form of advocacy given the context for Jerusalemites. Omar expresses his hope for Palestine and his hope for the future. Hanan asks listeners: What can you do? This podcast contains audio footage of violence that may be unsuitable for some listeners.

Jerusalem is the most religiously contentious city in the world On the weekend that Easter coincides with Passover and after President Trump’s controversial declaration of it as the capital of Israel, Lipika Pelham takes a journey around this contested city, talking to Jerusalemites who tell her how their faiths and lives are interconnected. She meets the Muslim who for 40 years has kept the Dome of the Rock clean, the devoted Jews praying at the sacred walls to explore how they are waiting at that very spot for the Third Temple to be rebuilt, and at Easter she joins Christians to walk the route taken by Jesus to his eventual crucifixion on Good Friday The religious and the political is constantly interwoven in this beautiful but complex city, Lipika will hear from worshippers from these three faiths to hear how Jerusalem is the centre of the believers’ spiritual quest. Producer and Presenter: Lipika Pelham Photo: Dome of the Rock Credit: Getty Images

The Palestine Podcast showcases a selection of lectures, talks and interviews featuring leading experts and social justice activists active on the Palestine-Israel issue. Brought to you by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Click here to view all podcasts. Subscribe on your favourite platform! Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcherAcastYouTubeDeezerTuneInPlayer.fmPocketCastsCastroRadio PublicBreakerBlubrryPodcast AddictPodbeanPodcast RepubliciHeartRadio jQuery(document).ready(function($) { 'use strict'; $('#podcast-subscribe-button-11212 .podcast-subscribe-button.modal-632417ae82fc0').on("click", function() { $("#secondline-psb-subs-modal.modal-632417ae82fc0.modal.secondline-modal-632417ae82fc0").modal({ fadeDuration: 250, closeText: '', }); return false; }); }); ===== PP#27 - David Landy on 'Jerusalem, The Eternal Undivided Capital' [2018-01-20] - (Download here) INFO: In the first of the XBorders: Accord seminars, David Landy presents his seminar, Jerusalem, the Eternal Undivided City. Jerusalem is a city with one of the most disputed international borders in the world running through it. Nevertheless, it has been proclaimed as both the undivided, eternal capital of Israel and of Palestine. However, while ‘Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian people' is a rhetorical phrase, ‘Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people' is not simply rhetoric, but the lived, concrete reality which Palestinian Jerusalemites must navigate through. This seminar examines how Jerusalem, contrary to the lived reality, is imagined as unitary and how it is presented as such to the international community. It looks at how tourism and archaeology have been used to create myths and to practice unseeing and denial of the very real borders within Jerusalem. It particularly examines how they have been used in the ‘City of David', a tourist site which was the original site of Jerusalem. Finally we ask what these myths mean to those Jerusalemites considered a ‘demographic threat' to the imagined city. About the speaker: David Landy is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Trinity College and director of the MPhil in Race, Ethnicity and Conflict. His main research interests are in race & ethnicity, and transnational social movements, particularly with regard to Israel/Palestine. He is the author of "Jewish Identity and Palestinian Rights: Diaspora Jewish Opposition to Israel', and recently organised a conference in Trinity College on 'Freedom of Speech and Higher Education: The Case of the Academic Boycott of Israel'. This event was hosted by Xborders: Accord. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast reflect the opinions of the speaker(s) only and do not reflect the views of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign unless otherwise explicitly stated. Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcherAcastYouTubeDeezerTuneInPlayer.fmPocketCastsCastroRadio PublicBreakerBlubrryPodcast AddictPodbeanPodcast RepubliciHeartRadio

1. Israelis Show Solidarity With Britain After London Attack Tel Aviv's “City Council” was lit up by images of the Israeli flag and the union jack in solidarity with Britain after an ‘Islamist-related terror attack' in London. #London #Attack ____________________ 2. JCC Bomb Threat Caller Caught With Help From Israeli Intel A dual US-Israeli citizen has been arrested on suspicion of being the perpetrator behind almost all the bomb-threats targeting Jewish communities in the U-S, Europe, Australia and New Zealand over the past 6 months. #JCC #Suspect ____________________ 3. West Bank Settlement Construction Rose By 40% In 2016 According to the “Central Bureau of Statistics,” last year's approval of 2,630 housing units in the West Bank reflects a 40-percent increase in building from 2015. #WestBank #Settlements ____________________ 4. Israel And U.S. Negotiating On Settlement Building Reports are emerging that the recent demands by Washington to partially freeze Israeli settlement building has been rejected by Israel. #Settlements #US ____________________ 5. Court Ruling Protects Rights Of Arab East Jerusalemites ILTV'S Steve Leibowitz sat down with Times of Israel Arab affairs reporter Dov Lieber to talk about the Israeli court ruling to protect rights of Arab east Jerusalemites. #SteveLeibowitz #DovLieber #Court ____________________ 6. Knesset Calls For Combatting Prostitution Among Soldiers Both the Israeli army and the Knesset are concerned over reports that some of the nation's young servicewomen feel compelled to become prostitutes out of financial-distress. #IDF #Knesset #Prostitution ____________________ 7. Venezuelan Jews Finally Make It To Israel Nine Venezuelan Jews have arrived to Israel after getting their conversions to Judaism accepted by the state. #Venezuela #Jews ____________________ 8. Knesset Forbids Sex Offenders From Entering Victims' Schools The Israeli Knesset has taken unanimous-action to extend even greater protection of anyone who was victimized by sex crimes by excluding any offenders from living or working near the targets of their abuse. #Knesset #SexOffenders ____________________ 9. Israeli Law To Provide Income To Battered Women At Shelters Battered women seeking refuge at the nation's shelters will now start receiving income-supplements to gain financial security and hope. #Women #Shelters ____________________ 10. Take The ‘Greenest' Shower Of Your Life Ilan Friedman, SmarTap VP of Marketing and Sales speaking at ILTV studio about SmarTap that regulates and automates every step of your rinse in the shower. #IlanFriedman #SmarTap ____________________ 11. New Law Aims To Neuter Strays Rather Than Put Them Down The Knesset just passed a new law that will keep stray dogs from being put down if they're caught living on the streets. 1.25 million-dollars have now been allocated to pay for homeless dogs to be neutered, instead of killed. #Knesset #Strays ____________________ 12. Restoration Of Jesus' Tomb In Jerusalem Completed Restoration of Jesus' tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepul-kur in Jerusalem has been completed. #Jesus #Restoration ____________________ 13. Hebrew word Of The Day, PIRSOMET | פרסומת = A COMMERCIAL Learn a new Hebrew word every day. Today's word is "pirsomet" which means "a commercial" #Learnhebrew #Hebrewwordofday #Iltvhebrewwordofday _____________________ 14. The Weather Forecast Tonight is expected to be partly cloudy with a chance of light rain and a low of fifty four, or twelve degrees Celsius. The weekend should be fairly clear and with a slight rise in temperatures to a high of sixty-six, or nineteen degrees Celsius. #Israelweather #Israelforecast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When reporter Daniel Estrin first heard through the grapevine that Jerusalemites were planning on participating in the international 12th annual No Pants Subway Ride, he thought: This cannot go well. For those who aren’t familiar, the No Pants Subway Ride invites participants to ride together without acknowledging one another or the fact that they are significantly underdressed. (Nudity is not allowed; participants must sport some form of underwear.) Since its inception, it has grown exponentially. Four thousand New Yorkers participated this past Sunday, along with thousands more across the United States and in 17 countries around the world. But Jerusalem? A town where, in some quarters, visitors may be assaulted for “immodest dress” even when they are fully clothed? Estrin decided to tag along to see how the pantsless commuters fared. His... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jerusalem is not known for its high-functioning infrastructure. With a rapidly growing population squeezed between sacred sites, and as ground zero for an intractable territorial conflict, it’s pretty much an urban planner’s worst nightmare. To wit: Jerusalem’s plan to build a light-rail system to ease congestion and unify the city. In addition to facing a host of logistical obstacles, the proposal prompted considerable opposition because the trains would cross borders that many people have fought hard to define and defend, separating East Jerusalem from West, Arab from Jew. After nearly a decade of construction, at a cost of over a billion dollars, the system finally opened several months ago. But if there’s one thing that unites these commuting Jerusalemites, it’s their frustration with the train’s deficiencies. Daniel Estrin filed this report. [Running time: 15:02.] See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.