{"id":71530,"date":"2019-03-14T00:18:11","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T06:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=71530"},"modified":"2019-03-14T00:18:11","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T06:18:11","slug":"new-testament-notes-106-107","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2019\/03\/new-testament-notes-106-107.html","title":{"rendered":"New Testament Notes 106-107"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>
A stained glass window in the Palmyra New York Temple, depicting the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River
(LDS Media Library)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew 11:2-19<\/a><\/p>\n

Luke 7:18-35<\/a><\/p>\n

Compare Mark 1:2<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Much could be said of these verses, but I\u2019ll confine myself for now to just four observations:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some critics of traditional Christian claims have made a lot of the fact that Jesus never explicitly describes himself as divine, the Son of God, and so forth.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Yet, in Matthew 11:2-6 and Luke 7:18-23, we see an instance of how, even when he\u2019s asked a clear question, he answers implicitly, not expressly. \u00a0He doesn\u2019t say Yes, and he doesn\u2019t say No. \u00a0Not in those words. \u00a0But he describes what he\u2019s doing, which plainly accords with messianic expectations and, therefore, virtually screams Yes<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jesus praises John the Baptist very highly, describing him as \u201cmore than a prophet\u201d and saying that nobody born of a woman (which covers most of us, I think) has been greater, yet, almost immediately thereafter, he points out that whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven (as given in Matthew) or the kingdom of God (as given in Luke) is greater than John.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What does this mean? \u00a0Being born again, into the Kingdom, makes one a prince (or princess) and an heir of God. \u00a0That\u2019s greater than merely mortal greatness, and greater than John on his own.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

3.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Latter-day Saints have been taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith about the office of an \u201cElias\u201d or forerunner. \u00a0Clearly, in Matthew 11:14, that\u2019s how the name is being used. \u00a0Jesus surely wasn\u2019t teaching that Elijah had been literally reincarnated in John; reincarnation was not a Jewish doctrine, and never has been. \u00a0Thus, plainly, Jesus is saying that John has come in the manner and role of Elias 0r Elijah. \u00a0The name is being used, in other words, to designate an office or function.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

For more on Elias<\/em>\/Elijah<\/em> from a Latter-day Saint perspective, see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The female personification of wisdom implicit at both Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:35 goes back to at least the Old Testament book of Proverbs, and, of course, to the fact that the Hebrew word for wisdom<\/em> is a feminine noun.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve written on a matter that I see as closely related here<\/a>\u00a0and, more adequately because at greater length and in greater detail, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

With those articles in mind, here\u2019s a recommendation:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other night, I watched a roughly 50-minute documentary on Netflix that was hosted by Dr.\u00a0Francesca Stavrakopoulou, the Oxford-educated\u00a0Head of the Department of Theology and Religion at Britain\u2019s University of Exeter and a specialist on the Hebrew Bible. \u00a0It was entitled \u201cDid God Have a Wife?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Just so you know: \u00a0Dr. Stavrakopoulou, raised without religion by a Greek father and an English mother, is a self-declared atheist who does not think highly of the historical accuracy of the Bible. \u00a0But this was a fascinating documentary that, with a few points of disagreement, I personally found quite congenial to a Latter-day Saint point of view.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Matthew 11:2-19 Luke 7:18-35 Compare Mark 1:2 \u00a0 Much could be said of these verses, but I\u2019ll confine myself for now to just four observations: \u00a0 1. \u00a0 Some critics of traditional Christian claims have made a lot of the fact that Jesus never explicitly describes himself as divine, the Son of God, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-71530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNew Testament Notes 106-107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Matthew 11:2-19 Luke 7:18-35 Compare Mark 1:2   Much could be said of these verses, but I'll confine myself for now to just four\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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