February 2005

Contents of this issue of the Joan K. Snipes e-newsletter:
- Jesus' reliance on Hebrew Scripture;
- a special offer;
- Coat of Many Colors, a new CD.

Dear Readers,

To what extent did Christ Jesus know, lean on, and value the Hebrew Scriptures, as evidenced in the Bible?

Gospel writer Matthew notes that Christ Jesus declared: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Matthew 5:17) During his years of ministry, Jesus demonstrated a very thorough knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures. He saw his life and mission as the fulfillment of prophecy.

One aspect of Jesus' familiarity with Scripture is evidenced by the various people he mentions in the course of his teaching and healing. Here is a list of them: Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Lot, Moses, David, Solomon, Elisha, Jonah, and Zacharias/Zechariah, a righteous man who was stoned to death in the court of the temple. (II Chronicles 24:20-22; Matthew 23:35)

At key points in his career, Jesus quoted from the Old Testament. This happened time and time again. This brief essay simply highlights a few examples. (All Bible quotes are from the King James Version.)

When Jesus joined Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus, he found them discussing the news of his crucifixion. The disappointment these two disciples were feeling at the moment is reflected in one brief comment: "we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." Jesus' reply shows his reliance on Bible passages and their relevance to his life and mission. "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." He continued, "Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." (Luke 24:45)

The Hebrew scriptures consisted of three main divisions, or groups of books: the Torah or Book of the Law, the Nebiim or Prophets, and the Kethubim or Writings. It is significant, according to Bible scholar Thomas Leishman, that "one book out of each of these three groups seems to have been regarded by the Master as of especial interest or importance, as far as can be judged from a careful study of his citations." The three books most commonly quoted by Jesus are Deuteronomy, representing the Law; Isaiah, from the Prophets; and Psalms, from the other writings of the Old Testament. Leishman goes on to say that "these three books embody the highest type of thought to be found in the divisions of the Hebrew Bible which they represent."

The book of Psalms had a vital influence upon our Master's thought. Several of the beatitudes are borrowed almost word for word from the Psalms. "The meek shall inherit the earth" were originally words of the Psalmist. (Psalm 37:11 says: "the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.") "Blessed are the pure in heart" is an echo of Psalm 24:3, where the writer asks who is fitted to stand in God's holy place, and the answer comes, "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart." Another distinct fore-shadowing of a beatitude is in Psalm 18:25, where the poet cries to God: "With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful."

Jesus' most poignant references to the Psalter occurred when his crucifixion was imminent. John records this statement: "this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause." Jesus' reference is to Psalm 35:19 which reads: "Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause."

Mark writes that "at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" This question begins the first verse of Psalm 22. For many years, I have wondered if perhaps Jesus was reciting that prayer on the cross, and only verbalized the first line of the first verse. To me, it makes sense that he might have been prayerfully reviewing all the ideas in Psalm 22 at that very difficult hour.

Our Master's last recorded words before his death and resurrection -- "into thy hands I commend my spirit" -- are drawn from Psalm 31:5 ("Into thine hand I commit my spirit....") The gospel citation is Luke 23:46.

Before the commencement of Jesus' public ministry, he went into the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. The weapon with which Jesus repelled these satanic suggestion was the book of Deuteronomy. As Leishman puts it, "Thrice he was tempted, and thrice he silenced the devil with a quotation from the Deuteronomic Code." In Matthew 4:4 during the temptation, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 ("man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.") Please see Matthew 4 and Deuteronomy 6:16, 6:13, 6:4.

Proof of how much the Hebrew Scriptures meant to Christ Jesus may also be found in the account of his visit to the synagogue at Nazareth, soon after his baptism by John and the temptation. When he stood up and read from "the book of the prophet Esaias," he gave new significance to these words: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." You might like to compare the verses in Isaiah 61 with those in Luke 4.

To explore this topic more deeply, I highly recommend the book by Thomas Leishman that has been the basis of this essay. It is titled: "The Interrelation of the Old and New Testaments." The book was published in 1968 by Vantage Press in New York. Unfortunately, it is out of print, but used copies are available via web page sources such as www.alibris.com. (Chapter 11 of the book, beginning on page 209, contains the Leishman quotes cited in this essay.)

A SPECIAL OFFER

Around the country, I am currently booking Bible workshops entitled Hezekiah, Godly King of Judah; Teaching the Bible to Children; and Women Prophets. May I enlist your help in spreading the word? Here's how: 1. Request that I send you the informational email about Bible workshops. 2. Send the workshop email to at least 5 people with a cc or bcc to me. 3. I will send you, by email attachment, a copy of the booklet, Exploring the Bible, described below, that can be read on your computer or printed out. I appreciate your assistance on this. (I would love to do additional workshops abroad as well here.)

COAT OF MANY COLORS

I highly recommend a new musical CD by David Sand called "Coat of Many Colors." The CD includes 20 lovely songs about four Bible people: Noah, Joseph, Nehemiah and Jesus. David, a very talented musician who lives in Virginia, has composed these songs over the past decade.

The vocals are by David Sand and June Thompson. My husband and I really like these jazz-inflected folk songs. Among our favorites are "Gather 'Round" from the Nehemiah cycle and "Our Son," from the Jesus cycle.

To learn more, please see http://www.white-sandpublishing.com/. To order, email David at whitesandmusic@verizon.net.

Yours truly,

Joan Koelle Snipes

Volume 5; No. 1
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