I was invited to lead Bible Study sessions at the 2019 Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church Western Pennsylvania from June 6-8, 2019. The bishop of the Conference told me she heard about me and my body of works regarding the New Testament. This conference is composed of 800 churches, representing 10 districts and 23 counties in Pennsylvania. I am excited and feel a great responsibility.
Proposed plan:
Session 1: Luke 5:1-11 with Reader-Response Criticism
Session 2: In-Depth Study of Select Themes in Luke 5:1-11
Session 3: A New Vocation through Transformation and Discipleship
Sunday, March 24, 2019
Caution about Joseph's dreams and the Mustard Seed
In the Old Testament, there is a famous story about Joseph's dreams (Gen 37:1-11).
He had dreams about himself.
All the family members bow down to him. Even the sun, moon, and the stars bow down to him.
The focus of his dreams is self-aggrandizement: To be the center of the family and the universe.
His dreams are so self-focused a dream.
Just to be a great person is not good dreams. They are naive and hollow.
Don't preach to others, saying something like "be ambitious."
Ambition without a good purpose of life may be dangerous.
One's dream must be for self and others as well.
Because of his naive and self-centered dreams, Joseph was hated by his brothers.
One day, he was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.
There he came to realize that he was nobody, getting through all kinds of ordeal and difficulties.
In Egypt, he probably learned new life lessons that he was nothing.
He realized his dream was wrong.
He needed God at the center of his life.
Don't read the mustard seed parable through the lens of Joseph's dreams. This parable is not about ambition or success. Sometimes people misunderstand this parable and preach something like this: "You can become whatever you want. You can be the most successful person." If that is the meaning of this parable, Jesus would have used a cedar tree as a metaphor for God's kingdom. But Jesus used the mustard seed and mustard plant as a metaphor for God's rule. The mustard plant is not a tree and grows several meters high only, incomparable to the size of a cedar tree.
The point of the mustard parable is a small seed should not be ignored. It has potential and grows enough. Mustard plants are very useful to both birds that are sitting on the branches and people who use them as food or medicine. Mustard plants are not found in lofty deep mountains where cedar trees live. They are everywhere nearby the village, just like the good news of God spread like wildfire to everyday people in their neighborhoods. While cedar trees may be used for rich houses or a king's palace, mustard plants are very useful to everyday people.
Small things or small beginnings cannot be ignored. Small people cannot be ignored. They are all gifted with the potential to be realized in their own ways, serving the good news of God.
*My book on the parables of Jesus: Jesus's Truth: Life in Parables (2018).
He had dreams about himself.
All the family members bow down to him. Even the sun, moon, and the stars bow down to him.
The focus of his dreams is self-aggrandizement: To be the center of the family and the universe.
His dreams are so self-focused a dream.
Just to be a great person is not good dreams. They are naive and hollow.
Don't preach to others, saying something like "be ambitious."
Ambition without a good purpose of life may be dangerous.
One's dream must be for self and others as well.
Because of his naive and self-centered dreams, Joseph was hated by his brothers.
One day, he was sold into slavery and taken to Egypt.
There he came to realize that he was nobody, getting through all kinds of ordeal and difficulties.
In Egypt, he probably learned new life lessons that he was nothing.
He realized his dream was wrong.
He needed God at the center of his life.
Don't read the mustard seed parable through the lens of Joseph's dreams. This parable is not about ambition or success. Sometimes people misunderstand this parable and preach something like this: "You can become whatever you want. You can be the most successful person." If that is the meaning of this parable, Jesus would have used a cedar tree as a metaphor for God's kingdom. But Jesus used the mustard seed and mustard plant as a metaphor for God's rule. The mustard plant is not a tree and grows several meters high only, incomparable to the size of a cedar tree.
The point of the mustard parable is a small seed should not be ignored. It has potential and grows enough. Mustard plants are very useful to both birds that are sitting on the branches and people who use them as food or medicine. Mustard plants are not found in lofty deep mountains where cedar trees live. They are everywhere nearby the village, just like the good news of God spread like wildfire to everyday people in their neighborhoods. While cedar trees may be used for rich houses or a king's palace, mustard plants are very useful to everyday people.
Small things or small beginnings cannot be ignored. Small people cannot be ignored. They are all gifted with the potential to be realized in their own ways, serving the good news of God.
*My book on the parables of Jesus: Jesus's Truth: Life in Parables (2018).
Saturday, March 9, 2019
Teaching through social media
These days social media is an important way of communicating with the larger world.
See my blog, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
As a professor, I am not merely interested in knowledge of the past but in today's world. I must tackle issues and help people today. That is why I study and teach history, religion, and culture.
See my blog, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
As a professor, I am not merely interested in knowledge of the past but in today's world. I must tackle issues and help people today. That is why I study and teach history, religion, and culture.
Sunday, March 3, 2019
ANOTHEN (ἄνωθεν): Not born "again" but born "from above" (John 3:3)
[Courtesy of FreeBibleImages.org]
The Greek adverb anothen (ἄνωθεν) means double meaning: "anew, again" or "from above." In other words, the issue is whether one is born from above or born again. The NRSV and some other translations render the adverb as the former. The NIV takes it as the latter.
Jesus does not seem to mean "again" because it is Nicodemus who mistook it as he asks: “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4).
Then, Jesus answers him: "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). He unpacks the meaning of "from above." Such a person born from above must have water baptism in which one receives the Spirit. More directly, "born of the Spirit" corresponds to "born from above" in 3:3. The Spirit comes from above, God. It is God's Spirit. Therefore, "born from above" implies that one has to depend on God or the Spirit to live a new life. Likewise, one needs to be constantly informed and molded by the Spirit. Spiritual birth comes from the Spirit and does not have a birthdate. It can maintain itself through ongoing spiritual renewal.
*The book regarding the above: Truth, Testimony, and Transformation.
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