Category: EDU

R4E130927 – Barabbas (New Testament Character Study) by Douglas Jacoby

You can download the full audiobook recording on qobuz or amazon or itunes.

The mystery of Barabbas’ name

• Original pronunciation: Barabbás (accent on last syllable)
• Bar is Aramaic for son, and is found in names like Bartholomew, Bar-Jonah, Bartimaeus, Barsabbas, Barnabas
• Meaning of Barabbas
  • Traditional view: this was the son of Abbas
  • Another possibility: Bar-rabban (son of the rabbi)
  • Either way, he must have had a first name; he was more than merely “son of Abbas” or “son of the rabbi.”
• Another Jesus?
  • Some late manuscripts (see Matthew 27:16-17) supply a first name: Jesus. Pilate then would have been asking which Jesus he should release.
  • Jesuses in the Bible: Joshua, son of Nun; Jesus son of Sirach (Apocrypha); one of Jesus’ ancestors (Luke 3:29); Jesus called Justus (Colossians 4:11); Jesus of Nazareth… the early church may have known as many as 12 men named Jesus.
  • Note: Jesus was a common name in the first century AD.

The political situation

• High tension. The Roman occupation had begun in 63 BC. Discontent will boil over in the revolution of 66-73 AD. By 70 AD, however, both Jerusalem and her stunning temple would lie in ruins.
• Zealots dissatisfied with the Roman occupation longed for autonomy, and were willing to result to violence to achieve their ends.
• Might persons like Barabbas have been heroic figures for some of the Jews?
• Yet would the Romans really release such a (presumably dangerous) man? This is exactly what another Roman governor did in 85 AD, so the Barabbas account appears historical.

Barabbas: crime & punishment

• Matthew 27 – notorious prisoner
• Mark 15 – murderer
• Luke 23 – murderer
• John 18 – robber
• Acts 3:14 – murderer
• The Romans would have crucified Barabbas. This was a common punishment for rebels and political criminals.

Scriptural study

• Matthew 27:16-17
• Mark 15:6-15

Application

• We relate. We know guilt.
• We know the shame of saying “Never again,” only to backslide. We know the destructive power of anger, what it is to be impulsive, how far we sometimes go to get our own way.
• Barabbas was robber, rioter, murderer.
  • Yet haven’t we too robbed the Lord of his time, his money, his honor? We have treated as our own what truly belongs to him.
  • We have rioted in our hearts, our innards a seething sea of attitudinal, chaotic, self-focused feeling.
  • As for murder, collectively we share the guilt for the crucifixion of our Lord.
  • A substitution has taken place!
    • “He paid a debt he did not owe / I owed a debt I could not pay / I needed someone to take my sins away…”
    • Human substitutions are rejected (Moses, Exodus 32:32; Paul, Romans 9:3). But a divine substitution? See Psalm 49! (And be sure to follow up this lesson with the Ransom podcast.)

Conclusion: Who goes free?

• “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:17)
• Shall the guilty be released and the innocent suffer? Yes. The innocent is willed by God to suffer, and the guilty walk free. “Go in peace,” they said in former times.
• We are all Barabbas!
• With all of this in mind, let’s live a life worthy of our Lord: grateful, making the most of our new lease on life!

R4E130925 – Jacob (Old Testament Character Study) by Douglas Jacoby

You can download the full audiobook recording on qobuz or amazon or itunes.

Hebrew words:

• Ya’aqov (Jacob) — sounds like “he deceives/supplants.”
  • Jacob appears 380x in the O.T.
  • Compare this to Isaac (133x) and Abraham (309x).
• Beth-el (Bethel) — house of God
• Ye’abeq (Jabbok) — he wrestles
• Yisr’ael (Israel) — God strives
• Peni’el (Peniel) — face of God

Further study:

• His life falls into four periods: Canaan, Aram, Canaan (again), and Egypt. Find the exact chapter numbers for each period.
• There are also four monuments/pillars/markers: 28:18, 31:45, 35:14, 35:20. What would be the “markers” in your own spiritual pilgrimage?
• Our study in Genesis: 25:26 (birth); 25 (deception of Esau); 27 (deception of Isaac); 28:10-15 (Bethel — see John 1:51); 31:42, 53 (“Fear of Isaac”); 29:14-28 (marriage[s] in Aram); 32:22-32 (wrestling match at the Jabbok); but had Jacob profoundly changed? (33–fear of Esau, 33:14–deceit?, 34:1ff–lack of concern for Dinah, 35–lack of concern for Bilhah (cp. 49:2-3); 37 (“death” of Joseph); 46:2, 29-30 (reaffirmation of divine promise and reunion with Joseph); 48-49 (blessing Joseph’s sons and his own sons); death (49:33) and burial (50:14).
• Sexual purity: compare and contrast Genesis 29 (Jacob and Rachel) with Genesis 34 (Shechem and Dinah).
• In summary, Jacob led a hard life:
  • Not so impressive as his father’s and grandfather’s lives (47:9).
  • Endured the loss of his beloved (favorite) wife and his special (favorite) son.
  • Ran away from his parents.
  • Still, he kept his eye on the promises, insisting that he be buried in Canaan (49:29-33).
• Other Old Testament books: Joshua 24:3, 4, 32; Psalm 105:10-23; Hosea 12:2-4, 12; Malachi 1:2ff.
• New Testament: John 4:5-6, 12; Acts 7:12, 14-16; Romans 9:10-13; Hebrews 11:9, 20ff.

Some things we learn about God:

• Even if God appears to us or works in our life in an intense way, our basic personality type will probably remain unaffected. He will not force us to change. We are all “under construction.”
• God does not spare his chosen ones from tragedy.
• We can wrestle the Lord for his blessing, but if he has already given his word, this is wholly unnecessary — exhausting, unproductive, and ultimately faithless.

For kids (devotional discussion):

• Read the story of Jacob at the Jabbok. For younger children, role-play: the angel, Jacob.
• If you were wrestling your daddy (mommy), who would win?
• Why do we fight (wrestle) God?
• Why does Jacob try to make God bless him, when God has already promised to be good to him?
• Why is Jacob so afraid?

Key verses:

• 28:12 — sees the “stairway to heaven”
• 29:20 — Jacob’s profound (and pure) love for Rachel.
• 32:36 — He demands God’s blessing at the Jabbok.
• 49:26 — tearful reunion with Joseph, whom he believed to be dead.

R4E130923 – Mary and Martha (New Testament Character Study) by Douglas Jacoby

You can download the full audiobook recording on qobuz or amazon or itunes.

Background

• Martha (Aramaic) means something like “the lady.” It comes from the masculine form for master, mar.
• Miriam, named after the sister of Moses, usually Mary in English, comes from the Hebrew for “bitter.”
• Catholic tradition equates Mary with Mary of Magdala (Mary Magdalene), while in Orthodox and Protestant traditions these are two separate persons. In John 12:1-7 and Luke 7:36-50, the anointing is of the feet, not the head, as in the older source Mark 14:3-9 (appearing also in Matthew 26:6-13 and Luke 7:36-51); one Bethany home belongs to Simon the Pharisee (and leper), the other to the home of Martha; and so scholars cannot easily confirm that the anointings represent separate events. This is not easy to decide.
• The sisters may have been born into wealth. Notice the spare room for guests, the family vault, and the expensive perfume.
• Martha is usually mentioned first, suggesting that she was the older of the sisters. Though it doesn’t seem possible to prove this, her being the firstborn is more consistent with her display of personality in the gospel accounts.
• They lived with their brother, Lazarus. (Is it more than coincidence that the figure in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus [Luke 16:19-31] is also named Lazarus?) No mention is made of children or aged parents, though of course the silence does not rule out their presence.

Martha & Martha

• Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-12:8
• Mary sat at Jesus’ feet, even as Saul of Tarsus sat at Gamaliel’s feet (Acts 22:3). The purpose was presumably not only to learn, but also (in turn) to teach. This is revolutionary. See note ** below.
• Contrasting characters
  • higher-strung / lower-strung
  • more task-oriented / more relational
  • more controlling /more accepting
  • standing and serving / seated and learning and waiting
  • leader / follower

Application

• People are wired differently, whether due to nature or nurture, genetics or family of origin, social conditioning, or other factors. Personality differences are not condemned in the Bible. There’s always room to improve, and to the extent that we fall short of the character of Christ, we should never become complacent about “who we are.” Still, contentment (when accompanied by godliness) is a positive thing, and highly desirable (1 Timothy 6:6).
• Even in a single family, personalities differ significantly. Everyone interacts with Jesus Christ in his or her own way. We shouldn’t try to force everyone to respond the same way. Genuine commitment may manifest differently in different people.
• Jesus Christ, as busy as he was, made time for relationships. It is clear that this family held a special place in his heart. Notice also that among his friends he counted not only men, but also women. Of course he comported himself with propriety at all times, but the requirements of holiness and dignity did not dictate that he hold aloof from those with whom he had no immediate “ministry business.”
• Life can be burdensome and distracting, and it’s all too easy to focus too much on all the duties and chores. Every day let us take time to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn. May we all strive to have a “Mary heart” in a “Martha world.”