BS-604 The Gospels and Life of Jesus

Contact

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Course Description

This course addresses the message of Jesus Christ, His person and work, as presented in all four gospels. It will also point out the value of examining & comparing the three Synoptics to identify the distinctive focus of each one.

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Objectives

The goal of this course is for students to be able read and interpret the Bible with sound principles, and so nourish themselves and others spiritually. This course will explain, emphasize, and illustrate insights through systematic study of gospel passages in order to extract their missiological relevance for how we understand our lives for Christian faith and practice in the world. live our lives in the world. In particular, students who successfully complete this course will –

• Appreciate the importance of identifying the context of a passage for understanding it, and gain skill at doing so.

  (This is vital in passages like Matthew 4, Luke 4, Mark 6, John 4.)

• Be aware that not all of the language in the Bible is straight-forward. They will be able to recognize and differentiate between passages that are straight-forward versus those which have a considerable amount of figurative language, and will have a sound perspective for interpreting and applying passages whose language is figurative.

  (For example: What does Jesus mean when he says to pluck out your eye or cut off your arm if they cause you to sin?)

• Comprehend the importance of carefully determining the meaning of words in the Bible, especially significant theological terms such as “kingdom,” “deliverance,” and “born again.” They will have gained skill at identifying both the range of meaning which a term may have, as well as how it is being used in a specific context.

  (For example: “kingdom” in the parables, “deliverance” in Luke 4, and “born again” in John 3.)

• Come to realize that earlier events and earlier books in the Bible set the stage for understanding passages that occur later in the Bible. They will be able identify such connections and explain how that biblical background sheds light on subsequent passages in the Bible.

  (For example: Jubilee language of Jesus in Luke 4 rooted in Isaiah 61 and Leviticus 25.)

• Realize how a basic knowledge of the culture and customs of the times in which the Bible was written can help shed light on the meaning of the biblical text.

  Three examples:

  • What was Jesus’ concept of the Kingdom and why did Jesus and Roman/Jewish leaders differ on the meaning?

  • Why were Herod and Jewish leaders “disturbed” by the birth of Jesus in Matthew 2?

  • Why was a Pharisee disturbed that a woman entered his home and was anointing Jesus with an expensive jar of perfume?

The course will set forth these fundamental interpretive insights, will illustrate them from Scripture, and will give students practice on interpreting passages.

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Academic Integrity / Plagiarism

Doing Your Own Work. Students are required to do their own work. Group study and review sessions are fine and are encouraged. But when completing an assignment or writing a paper, students must do their own work. Similarly, when taking a quiz or an exam, whether in the classroom or online, students are to do their own work.

“Closed Book” Quizzes

If a quiz or exam is “closed book,” students are to take it without the aid of their Bible, any books, reference works, or notes. [Professors will designate whether an exam is closed book, or whether students may use their Bibles or notes, etc.] Using notes or other materials when taking a quiz or exam that is “closed book” constitutes cheating.

Proper Attribution / Plagiarism

For term papers & research papers, it is expected that students will read and use multiple sources. When referring to information that is commonly known, footnotes are not needed. However, if students use detailed information drawn from a specific source, they must give credit to that author; in specific, they must identify the book, author, and page # of the source. If failure to do so is an honest oversight, as a minimum, it will reduce the grade of a paper. But if a student passes off research done by another person as his or her own work, that is plagiarism, which is a serious violation of academic integrity.

Consequences for Violations of Academic Integrity:

In the case of a violation any of the above, at the discretion of the professor and the Academic Dean of Kairos University, based on the seriousness of the violation, any of the following consequences may be imposed:

• The student may be required to re-accomplish the work or exam in question, or to complete a designated alternate assignment; such work will receive a maximum grade of “C”.

• The student will not be given an opportunity to re-accomplish the work and will receive an “F” for the work in question. This may result in the student will receiving a grade of “F” for the course.

For repeated violations of academic integrity in more than one course, a student may be dismissed from the university.

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Course Textbooks

Books (to purchase)

• Stein, Robert H. An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press,1981.

  • Borrow a copy from Internet Archive.
  • A Review by William G. Morrice

• Wenham, David, and Steve Walton. Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Gospels and Acts. Volume 1. Second Edition. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2011 or 2016.

  Do not purchase Volume 2 or Third Edition.

• The Bible (NRSV or NIV)

• Keener, Craig S. The Historical Jesus of the Gospels. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012

Articles (provided in portal)

• Hertig, Paul. “Geographical Marginality in the Matthean Journeys of Jesus,” Missiology: An International Review, vol. 25 (April 1997), 157-163.

• Hertig, Paul. “ Relational Discipleship through Experiential Learning. (Matthew 28:16-20)” Missiology: An International Review, vol. 29 (July 2001), 343-353.

• Hertig, Paul. “Jesus’ Migrations and Liminal Withdrawals in Matthew,” in God’s People on the Move: Biblical and Global Perspectives of Migration and Mission, eds: vanThanh Nguyen and

• John M. Prior, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2014, 46-61.

• Hertig, Paul. “The Jubilee Mission of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke: Reversals of Fortunes,” Missiology: An International Review, vol. 26 (April 1998), 167-179.

• Hertig, Paul. “The Powerful and Vulnerable Intercultural Encounters of Jesus,” in Mission Studies 32 (2015) 1–23.

• Hertig, Paul. “The Subversive Kingship of Jesus In Luke” in Missiology: An International Review, vol. XXXII, No. 4 (October 2004), 475-490.

Recommended Reading:

• Dunn, James D.G. Jesus Remembered. Christianity in the Making, vol. 1. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
• Dunn, James D.G. Beginning from Jerusalem. Christianity in the Making, vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009.
• Green, Joel B. Seized by Truth: Reading the Bible as Scripture. Nashville: Abingdon, 2007.
• Powell, Mark Allan Introducing the New Testament, 2nd Edition: A Historical, Literary, and Theological Survey. Fortress, 1998.

Reference Works:

• A Bible dictionary and recent biblical commentaries for the exegetical paper.

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Instructions for Submitting Work Online

This course is taught on Zoom through Kairos University’s class portal. Further instructions on course submission will be given on first day of class.

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Course Requirements & Grading Factors

Attendance Requirements:

Students are expected to be in all class sessions unless they are ill or there is a family emergency.

Attendance Component of the Grade / Penalties for Missed Classes:

In this course, there is a 2-point penalty for each absence. Furthermore, the quizzes and the final exam are heavily based on the course lectures; so, students who miss a fair amount of class are, in effect, penalizing themselves.

Instructions for Required Assignments /Grading Criteria:

Instructions for each assignment are listed in the assignment itself and will be reviewed briefly in class beforehand.

Grades will be Based on the Following:

Penalty for Late Work:

The due date for each assignment is stated on the assignment and in the class schedule. Work turned in late will be penalized 10% of the value of the assignment. Late work will not be accepted more than two weeks late. Any work not turned in by that time will receive a zero.

Date of the Book Report:

December 1, 2022, or February 25, 2023, depending on which Zoom sessions student participates in.

The Following is Kairos University’s Grading Scale (based on percentage):

_{Section I (March 4-17, 2023)}

Gospel Introductions

• Matthew, Mark, Luke, John comparisons and contrasts

  Sound and unsound ways to interpret the Gospels

• The Gospel of Matthew
  • Narrative themes, purpose, audience
  • Galilee in Matthew’s Narrative
    • Matthew’s historical context, genealogy, Jewish-Gentile Tension, Magi (chapters 1-3)
    • Galilee of the Gentiles, circle of the peoples (4:12-17)
    • The calling of Matthew: the marginalized Galilean (9:9-13)
    • The calling of Galileans: the marginalized people (4:18-25; 26:69-75)
    • Jesus’ Multicultural and Missiological Mission (10:5-6; 12:1-21; 15:12-28; 28:16-20).

• Readings:

  • Articles by Hertig, Paul
    • Geographical Marginality in the Matthean Journeys of Jesus
    • Jesus’ Migrations and Liminal Withdrawals in Matthew
    • Relational Discipleship through Experiential Learning
  • Books:
    • Wenham/Walton Chapters 3, 10
    • Keener, Chapters 12-14.

_{Section II (March 18-31, 2023)}

The Gospel of Luke and Mark’s Influence

• Introducing Luke, the Author

• Introducing Luke, the Gospel
  • Narrative themes, purpose, audience
• Interpreting Luke, the Gospel
  • Historical context and literary context. Luke acknowledges Mark
  • Contemporary Context
  • Application

• The Upside-Down Kingdom, Mary’s Song (1:46-55)

• The Upside-Down Kingdom, The Birth of Jesus and Baptism of John (3:1-23)

• Jesus’ Mission, Downward Mobility, the Jubilee Message (4:14-44 [Mark 6:1-6])

• Rich and Poor, Jubilee reversals (Luke 6:20-26, 7:18-23, 14:15-23)

• Disciples Pick Grain. Woman Avoids Disdain (Luke 6-7)

• Feeding of 5000 and Parables (9:10-17 [Mark 6:31-44], 10:25-37, 15:1-31 [Mark 7:24-29])

• Jesus crosses boundaries and borders (17:1-4, 17:11-19 [Mark 1:40-45], 19:1-10, 21:1-3)

• The King Enters Jerusalem (Luke 19 [Mark 11:1-33])

• The King Rejected. The King on Trial Luke (20-23)

• The Crucifixion and Resurrection (Luke 23-24)

• Readings:
  • Articles by Hertig, Paul
    • The Jubilee Mission of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke
    • The Subversive Kingship of Jesus In Luke
  • Books
    • Wenham/Walton Chapters 1, 2, 4, 11, 7, 8.
    • Stein, Robert H. An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus, pp. 15-169 (entire book).
    • Keener, Chapters 15-18.

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The Gospel of John

• Introducing John, the Author

• Introducing John, the Gospel
  • Narrative themes, purpose, audience
  • Historical context and literary context
• Jesus: The Word made flesh
  • Grace and Truth vs. the Law (1:17)
    • Saving the world rather than condemning the world (3:16-18)
  • The Way, the Truth, the Life (14:6)
    • What does this mean when Jesus says it? How is it translated?
• Nicodemus, a Pharisee, contrasts the Samaritan woman, a Gentile (John 3-4)
  • Born of water born of flesh, born of spirit (3:5-6)
• Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
  • Nothing but surprises; every barrier broken
  • Who really is this woman?
    • Her reputation and impact on the town
  • Jesus’ Samaritan Mission Significance for the early church mission (John 4)
  • The Man Born Blind (John 9)
    • The blind sees the unblind as blinded
    • Why is there suffering in the world?
• Readings:
  • Article by Hertig, Paul
    • The Powerful and Vulnerable Intercultural Encounters of Jesus.
  • Books:
    • Wenham/Walton Chapters 12.
    • Keener, Chapters 19-22.