Horizons Bible Study 2016-2017 Who is Jesus?  What a Difference a Lens Makes Lesson 8: Jesus According to Other Abrahamic Faiths Grocery shopping today can be a cross-cultural event.  In certain stores, I hear Spanish, Asian and Eastern European languages.  I see Muslim and Hindu women, distinctive in their lovely dress.  I enjoy the parade of people. Growing up, my world was very “white Protestant” with no mixing of races and faiths.  I had two Jewish friends and one Catholic, but I did not attend their worship and knew little about their faith. It is a very different world now.  In order to interact well with Muslims and Jews, it is important to know what we have in common and how differently we see Jesus. Abraham is important to all three faiths.  In Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abraham and his household to leave their homeland.  God promises that through Abraham’s innumerable descendants all families of the earth would be blessed.  God calls Abraham and his … [Read more...]

Horizons Bible Study 2016-2017 Who is Jesus? What a Difference a Lens Makes  Lesson 5: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 If you want to get a picture of what a mess the church can be, the Corinthian house churches are a good start.  Granted, the church is unfaithful in every age, but the Apostle Paul has his work cut out for him.  The controversies are many: divisions over leadership, sexual misconduct, suing each other in court, arguments over spiritual gifts, economic and class distinctions and theological disputes.  It all sounds rather contemporary. It helps to have a bit of background on Corinth.  It was a cosmopolitan, prosperous Roman city on a major trade route.  It hosted an athletic event second only to the Olympic Games, with the most influential political office in the city being that of the sponsor of the games.  Many of the colonists were freedmen who were former slaves, and the city was unusual in allowing freedmen to be elected as magistrates (Richard B. Hays, “First … [Read more...]

  Horizons Bible Study 2016-2017 Who is Jesus? What a Difference a Lens Makes Lesson 4: John 9 When I was in the fifth grade, I got eyeglasses. I was amazed at the difference. From a distance, I could see leaves on trees and street signs. I could make out the homework assignments on the blackboard. Light and shadow were sharper and more nuanced. The Gospel of John, more than any other Gospel, is distinctive in its portrayal of Jesus. The lens through which he is viewed is an eternal one. Jesus is the Word that created life, and Jesus is the light of the world. The image of Jesus as God’s light conveys his singular role as revealer — the one through whom God’s light shines and the one who illumines the meaning and purpose of human life (Frances Taylor Gench, “Encounters with Jesus”). The focus of John 9 is sight and insight, blindness and cluelessness. Each character in the story represents far more than what one sees on the surface. Each character in the story, … [Read more...]

  Horizons Bible Study 2016-2017 Who is Jesus? What a Difference a Lens Makes Lesson 3: Luke 4:14-30 The Gospel of Luke uniquely has some of the most well-known stories in the Bible. Jesus is born and laid in a manger. Angels appear to shepherds. The parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are found only in Luke. Luke includes more about the Holy Spirit and about women being among Jesus’ followers than the other Gospels. Though parts of the Gospel of Luke are beloved, as a whole we tend to water it down, diluting its electricity and shock. Jesus in Luke upends common standards of economics. The poor are mentioned again and again. The song of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) describes the poor being filled and the rich being turned away empty. Luke’s beatitudes do not say, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” as in the Gospel of Matthew, but rather, “Blessed are the poor and woe to the rich.” Luke includes the story of Lazarus, the beggar who sits, covered with sores, at the … [Read more...]