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Page 1: Sayings 3: Further “Kingdom” sayings

Sayings 3: Further “Kingdom” sayings

Page 2: Sayings 3: Further “Kingdom” sayings

So far we have looked at parables that suggest that

A)God’s sovereignty is something that slowly develops and bears fruit.

B) God’s sovereignty is something of immense value, for which we are prepared to give up everything else in life.

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Both these seem to support a ‘wisdom’ reading of “God’s sovereignty”

• Ethical wisdom is something that develops slowly within the human soul, and if developed leads to the “fruit” of good action.

• By comparison with the wisdom and goodness that come from being subject to God, material goods have little or no importance.

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• Both these ideas about what it is like to be subject to God’s will are also reminiscent of Stoic thought.

• What about that other key Stoic idea, that having this kind of wisdom makes us invulnerable — that God-based wisdom makes immune to the effects of misfortune.

• Is there any trace of that third idea in the kingdom parables?

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Everyone who hears these principles of mine and puts

them into practice is like a wise man who built his house

on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and

the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did

not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But

everyone who hears these words of mine and does not

put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his

house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose,

and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it

fell with a great crash.

Rock and Sand(Matthew 7.24)

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Is this self-referential?

•Yes, in that it refers to Jesus’ own teaching.

•No, in that the saying declares the point or principle effect of adopting the distinctive view of life that he advocates.

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• “If you adopt this way of seeing life, then you will be like a man with his house built on rock. If you stick to the usual, common way of seeing life, your house is built on sand.”

• This very similar to a Stoic saying something like this: “If you adopt the Stoic view, then you will be invulnerable; if you don’t, then you are at the mercy of fortune.”

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"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6.19

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Thomas 35:

Jesus said, "One can't enter a strong person's house and take it by force without tying his hands. Then one can loot his house."

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Thomas 21:

For this reason I say, if the owners of a house know that a thief is coming, they will be on guard before the thief arrives and will not let the thief break into their house and steal their possessions.

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One can't enter a strong person's house and take [his possessions] by force without tying his hands. Only then can one loot his house. So if the owner of the house knows that a thief is coming, he will be on guard before the thief arrives and will not let the thief break into his house and loot his possessions.

restored saying? (Thomas 35 + 21)

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Compare imagery:

• House built on rock — immune to the storms.

• Owner of the house on guard — house protected against robbers.

• Property stored where robbers cannot reach it.

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meaning?• If you are subject to God’s sovereignty, if you

value inner goods over external (material goods), then...

• ...you are protected against anything that life may throw at you...

• ...because the things you value (righteousness, integrity) cannot be taken from you; the things that can be taken from you, you do not value...

• Robbers and storms — i.e., misfortunes.

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Thomas 21 continues...

As for you, then, be on guard against the world. Prepare yourselves with great strength, so the robbers can't find a way to get to you, for the troubles you expect will come.

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Thomas 103

Jesus said, "Congratulations to those who know where the rebels are going to attack. [They] can get going, collect their imperial resources, and be prepared before the rebels arrive."

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Thomas 98

Jesus said, "The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill someone powerful. While still at home he drew his sword and thrust it into the wall to find out whether his hand would go in. Then he killed the powerful man."

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emended translation?

Jesus said, "The Father's kingdom is like a person who wanted to kill a tyrant. So, while still safe at home he drew his sword practiced by thrust it into the wall to find out whether he had enough strength. Then he went and killed the tyrant."

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Thus the more cautious of travelers also act. A

traveler has heard that the road is infested by

robbers; he does not venture to enter on it alone,

but he waits for the companionship on the road

either of an ambassador, or of a quaestor, or of a

proconsul, and when he has attached himself to

such persons he goes along the road safely.

Compare Epictetus, Discourses 4.1.92

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So in the world the wise man acts. There are many companies of robbers, tyrants, storms, difficulties, losses of that which is dearest. "Where is there any place of refuge? To whom shall he attach himself? To what person generally? …Is it not possible to find a safe fellow traveler, a faithful one, strong, secure against all surprises?" Thus he considers and perceives that if he attaches himself to God, he will make his journey in safety.

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And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be

The Beelzebul dispute (Mark 3):

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"How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man.”

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Thomas 35:

Jesus said, "One can't enter a strong person's house and take it by force without tying his hands. Then one can loot his house."

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One can't enter a strong person's house and take [his possessions] by force without tying his hands. Only then can one loot his house. So if the owner of the house knows that a thief is coming, he will be on guard before the thief arrives and will not let the thief break into his house and loot his possessions.

restored Thomas

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Is the Mark context original? It implies the following:

• Jesus performed many spectacular “exorcisms”, or appeared to do so (or pretended to do so).

• This attracted the attention of the “Jewish authorities.”

• They accused him of being in league with Beelzebul (of practicing black magic).

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and...

• He responded with a series of arguments, in the form of parables:

1. “A house divided cannot stand.” I.e., if Beelzebul and I are in league, but also fighting, then Satan’s kindgom will fall.

2. “You can’t enter a man’s house and take his property without tying him down.” I.e., You can only exorcise demons by being able to tie down Satan. Only then can you banish his demons.

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and...

• The identical saying in Thomas has been taken from the Beelzebul context and stripped of that context.

• It has been given a philosophical meaning instead.

• The fact that it is is very similar in imagery to another Synoptic saying, and in its apparent philosophical content to several other Synoptic sayings and several other Thomas sayings is ALL a coincidence.

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or...• Jesus did not appear to perform a series of

spectacular exorcisms. He never aroused any dispute over exorcism.

• The two sayings originated as philosophical sayings. They do have a similar meaning to the five other sayings that seem to have a similar meaning.

• The Thomas version of the “entering the house” saying (35) appears to go with Thomas 21 because it does go with Thomas 21.

• The Thomas version explains the saying as being about being ready for misfortune because it is about being ready for misfortune.

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and...

• Some time after the death of Jesus...

• Some (Jewish) Christians were claiming that Jesus was the messiah...

• Other Jews rejected their claim...

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• “But Jesus had special powers. He was able to cast out demons, for example.”

• “If he cast out demons, then that just shows that he was in league with the devil.”

• Mark 3 is Mark’s response (written around 70 AD) to that dispute, between Jewish Christians and their Jewish opponents (a dispute which arose around 70 AD).

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.

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The prevailing ideas entertained by [Jefferson] and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old constitution, were that slavery was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically...This idea, though not incorporated in the constitution, was the prevailing idea at that time. Those ideas, however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an error. It was a sandy foundation, and the government built upon it fell when the "storm came and the wind blew."

Alexander Stephenson