Encountering Jesus in the Gospels

Encountering Jesus in the Gospels

Spring 2012 – Six 2-1/2 hour sessions, dates and location TBA
Instructor: Ray Pennoyer III, M.Div., Ph.D.

Preliminary Syllabus (latest revision: Feb 19, 2012)

Instructor

Ray Pennoyer III, M.Div., Ph.D.
Phone:
Email: ray.pennoyer@nestheology.org

“Office Hours”: I will try to arrive a half hour early for class. Come early to go over any difficulties you are having, or simply to visit with me as I do any last minute preparation.

One way or another, let me know if you have questions or are experiencing difficulties!

Time and Location

Six sessions of 2-1/2 hours each. Dates and location TBA

Course Description

In this course, Jesus Christ himself will be our primary teacher! Here’s how: The heart of the course will be an immersion in the Gospels of Luke and John, thus putting us directly in touch with the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus.

Our approach will be to read, in installments, the Gospels of Luke and John in preparation for the class sessions. When we meet together, we will first go over important background material for understanding Jesus and his world. We will then watch together the corresponding sections of two excellent films that depict these Gospels – films that have been carefully chosen for both their faithfulness to the biblical text and their dramatic power. Refreshments will be available, and questions and comments will be encouraged.

Note that our focus will be on understanding the content and context (historical and cultural) of Jesus’ ministry. Certain technical questions regarding the Gospel accounts (sources, manuscript evidence, apologetic issues) will be touched on only lightly because those issues are covered in more depth in the upper division course “Jesus the Savior of the World.”

The course is suitable for Christians both new and seasoned, including young people! We would also welcome anyone earnestly inquiring about the Christian faith.

Course Objectives

If we work together, I believe each of us will leave this course

1)     challenged by an encounter with Jesus in some special way. His impact on us should affect our life and thinking and, ultimately, impact the world around us;

2)     knowing the content of the Gospels of Luke and John better, and so building a foundation for God to use for his glory in the future; and

3)     further equipped to read and study Scripture faithfully, through background concepts, tools, and example.

Required Texts (in addition to various handouts)

Peter Walker, Jesus and His World. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.

(An excellent little book – I think you will like it a lot!)

Bible

• The choice of translation is yours. There are several excellent English translations on the market. If you do not currently own a bible that you enjoy reading, I might suggest the NIV.
• Listening to the Bible can be an effective way of learning its content and a great way to make good use of commuting time or other spare time. I highly recommend The Bible Experience by Zondervan which is a word-for-word dramatized reading of the Bible in the TNIV version. If you do not want to purchase the whole set you can also download the individual books of Luke and John from iTunes at $3.95 each. Here are the links:

• Luke: The Bible Experience (Unabridged) http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAudiobook?id=401944981&s=143441
• John: The Bible Experience (Unabridged) http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAudiobook?id=401945328&s=143441

• Abbreviations for Bible References:
• Luke 1-3 means “Luke chapter 1 through chapter 3”
• Luke 1:1-2:7 means “Luke chapter 1 verse 1 through chapter 2 verse 7”
• Luke 1:1-4 means “Luke chapter 1 verse 1 through verse 4”

It would be a good practice to bring both your bible and the Walker text to each class.

 Course Requirements

Credit or Audit? Not everyone is taking this class for credit. For me, this is really just a book keeping issue. If you are here it is because you are committed to learning this portion of the Scriptures. Whether you are taking this course for credit or not, I welcome your full participation in all course “requirements”. All the requirements are tools to help inspire you to learn this material and to make our time together as valuable as possible, and there are no “second class citizens” here.

Attendance and in-class participation

Attendance and participation are foundational for our progress together. If you must miss a class, try to give me some notice.

Readings and preparation for class

Note that assigned readings should be done prior to the class session – even the first class!

Take-home exercises (“homework”)

I have prepared take-home exercises for you to help you in your readings and preparation for class. These will be turned at each class.

What is NOT required:

• Final exams, research papers or quizzes.
• Agreeing with me on every point! It is expected, however, that you learn and grapple with the material.

Outline of Planned Classes (subject to change)

Note: Readings and take-home exercises should be done in advance! Even for the first class!  This will help you get the most from the course. If for some reason you cannot complete the readings or take-home exercise before a particular class, please come anyway. Don’t miss a class for that reason! It is not my practice to embarrass anyone or put someone “on the spot.”

Session One

• Read Jesus and His World, Introduction & chs. 1 and 2
• Read “Luke” in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (handout)
• Read Luke chapters 1-9
• Watch together: Jesus Film (1979) part 1

Session Two

• Read Jesus and His World, Chs. 3 and 4
• Read “Luke” in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (handout)
• Read Luke chs. 10-24
• Watch together: Jesus Film (1979) part 2

Session Three

•  Read Jesus and His World, Chs. 5 and 6
• Read “John” in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (handout)
• Read John chs. 1-6
• Watch together: The Gospel of John (2003) part 1

Session Four

•  Read Jesus and His World, Chs. 7 and 8
• Read “John” in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (handout)
• Read John chs.7-12
• Watch together: The Gospel of John (2003) part 2

Session Five

•  Read Jesus and His World, Chs. 9 and 10
• Read “John” in How to Read the Bible Book by Book (handout)
• Read John chs. 13-21
• Watch together: The Gospel of John (2003) part 3

Session Six

•  Read Jesus and His World, Chs. 11 and 12
• Read Acts chs. 1-4; 1 Corinthians 15; Rev 1
• Watch together: Resurrection (2004)

Getting the most out of your readings

What should I read first?

Ideally, it would be great if every week you could read the assigned chapters in the Walker text (and the How to handouts) before reading those in the Gospel. That way you can take some of that background material with you and apply it as you read the Gospel. But when it comes down to it, the order is not that important. So dig in!

Reading the Bible for this class

Advice and directions you will not find anywhere else!

1) Some of you may have never read the Bible, or at least never read large sections of the Bible at one time. Well, you are in for an adventure! It might help you to know that most of the books of the Bible were intended to be read all at one time, and not just “little portions” here and there. For example, most of the letters in the New Testament were intended to be read out loud from beginning to end at meetings of the early Christians. That includes letters like Romans and 1 Corinthians – covering 16 chapters each! Coffee anyone?

2) That reminds me: The “chapter and verse” markers in our Bibles were added in the late Middle Ages (starting around 1200 AD) for ease of reference. They are therefore not technically part of “God’s Word.” So let’s be grateful that we have them – and indeed let’s use them for reference – but let’s try not to fall into the mindset that the books of the Bible consist of little fragments called verses. The Bible rather consists of sixty six “books” that are intended to be read and understood as complete compositions.

3) As you read the Bible, feel free to underline or highlight portions that seem especially important to you. You can even leave little notes in the margins of your Bible. This is not being disrespectful – it can even be a kind of record of what God is showing you. I’d recommend a pencil or some sort of pen that does not bleed through the page.

4) As you read the Bible for class, make a note of questions you may have but try not to get “hung up” on particular verses. Remember we have many chapters to cover, and one of our goals includes getting the “big picture” of what is going on – first in Luke, then in John. And besides, oftentimes it is in the context of the “big picture” that the smaller constituent parts fall into place and start to make sense.

5) I have provided a handout from the relevant sections of How to Read the Bible Book By Book by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. Please read this in association with your Bible reading. The book’s subtitle is “A Guided Tour” and it is intended to help you get the most out your Bible reading. The best way to use this material is to read the brief introductory sections first (“Orienting Data,” “Overview”, “Specific Advice”) and then to read the part titled “A Walk through…” section by section in conjunction with your reading of the biblical text. Note: If you find this helpful, I hope you will consider purchasing the book.

6) As you get ready to read the Bible, adopt an attitude of humility and ask God to help you understand what is going on. And not only that, ask him to make this material impact your life and thinking. And be encouraged! If you are a Christian, this material is your heritage! It is God’s will that you know the Scriptures better and have it impact your life and the world around you. If you are not a Christian, understand that these are the events and the documents that define us. We have no secret doctrines or secret ceremonies. Everything we are is publically available in the Bible and in our lives. We invite you to get to know Jesus our Savior and Lord. From what I hear, he is actively looking for more disciples!

7) Get ready to work hard in your studies, remembering to be patient with yourself and with others. And keep in mind that there is a difference between “preaching” and classroom/academic study. Faithful preaching is “proclamation” – we hear the Word of God and respond. In the classroom we approach things a bit differently – with questions, dialogue, and careful consideration of issues. Honest questions are good questions and as such are neither silly nor a sign of “lack of faith.” They are more often a sign of “faith seeking understanding” – a noble attitude which would be good for us all to adopt. I hope you will bring your questions with you to this class even if we are not always able to explore them fully due to time constraints or other considerations.