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Door Knocking – is it still worth it?

Sun, 13 May 2012 10:33:00 GMT

My church is Glenfield Presbyterian, a small church on the North Shore of Auckland. We are like most suburban evangelical family churches, with robust enthusiastic worship, great biblical preaching, modest children’s and youth ministries, some small groups, a traditional and contemporary service, and a real desire to see people healed, helped, and come to Christ.

In recent times we have reflected that we have become a church that is just waiting for people to come to us, and we are not going to “them” enough. Well, we have woken up to something; “they” aren’t really coming – well, at a trickle at best. We have realised that if we simply sit and wait, they likely won’t come. The definition of madness is to continue to do the same thing expecting a different result! So, we resolved to look more outward and go to them.

First, a thoughtful Christian in our church, Mauray Ganter, came up with the idea of putting a repainted post office box outside of the church, painted green, with “Letters to God” on it (LTG). We then went out and started telling people that they could put prayers in the box, and we would pray for them. Two things happened. First, people started bringing prayers which is great. Secondly, something happened in the service in which it was launched. There was a fresh sense of excitement, of God’s presence, and since then, this sense has remained and we have started growing. Perhaps the enhanced sense of God’s presence relates to us becoming missional as we should be, or is it the other way around; we have become missional because God is urging us to be and we have finally heard. Either way – it is interesting!

Secondly, this year, feeling impelled by the Spirit, I ran an evangelistic training program in preparation to go door-knocking. I wrote a manual, which I hope to publish eventually, and we trained in “everyday evangelism” for work and life, and prepared to go out visiting people. As part of the preparation, Julian Batchelor came and ran his DNA conference. Julian and I have the same passion with different approaches and emphases, but his day with us was extremely helpful in getting people to think evangelistically again.

After six weeks of “classroom” time, including sharing our testimonies with each other and role playing etc, we have started going out. We are going on Sunday afternoons, every fortnight. We go with open hearts. Without going into details, we simply introduce ourselves warmly, say that we are from Glenfield Presbyterian Church, and that we are just going out to say hi to people in the community, and we go where the conversation leads. We record the results and are creating a database of our community. The results are most interesting. We have not seen anyone come to Christ on the spot yet, but we are finding ourselves warmly received. In a one or two hours of visiting, most of us are finding on average one very uptight European Kiwi who gives us the shift – although no-one has been rude. We find people of non-European backgrounds universally warm, welcoming and open. We are finding a surprising number of Europeans open as well. When I meet someone from another Christian or Roman Catholic church I usually ask something like, “so you are a believer and follower of Jesus?” They usually enthusiastically say, “yes” in some way. I then switch to encouraging them and always ask to pray for them and their family – they love it! Interesting stuff.

We are finding people who need material help or prayer, or are lonely; we are also finding interesting people doing good things in the community like the Charity Pirates who raise money for kids in NZ, great chat with that guy – an Anglican. We are finding people of other faiths. Many know the church or people from it, and it leads to great conversations. We are also giving out a heap of literature about the church and its programs, and my little booklet, What’s God Up To, which summarises the faith (email me at mkeown/laidlaw.ac.nz if you want to get copies).

As God leads, we share about other initiatives in terms of the usual church stuff, holiday programs, ecology (A Rocha), an open-arts night once a month, a community trust, a food bank and Opshop which we can tell them about. We feel like we are reconnecting with our community, because we are – and it is good! I heartily recommend it, as long as you do it well out of love and compassion! Our approach is to make the connection and be led by the Spirit.

I think it shows that our mission is inadequate if we simply sit and wait for people to come. Every church has a community and I believe we are charged to take Christ to it – not to “wait for them to come,” but to “go to them and, as God does his stuff, often despite us, make disciples.” So is door knocking worth it? Hang yeah! We are going to keep doing it! At the least it is changing us! At the most, I sense it will change lives and who knows, the community.

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Great Debate

Sun, 06 May 2012 23:23:00 GMT

Gilbert Keith (G. K.) Chesterton, renowned Christian author and theologian, was born in London on 29 May 1874. His younger brother, Cecil, arrived 5 years later. At Cecil’s birth, the precocious Gilbert reportedly announced, “Now I shall always have an audience.” If Gilbert was hoping for a quietly passive younger brother, he was to be shocked. As soon as Cecil could speak, he refused to merely listen to Gilbert. He insisted on debate. And as the boys grew up together, they disagreed about everything.

Although the brothers engaged in relentless debate, each had a deep love for the other. They often argued, but never quarrelled. Apparently they once debated for 18 hours and 13 minutes! The problem with a quarrel, according to G. K, is that it so often interrupts a good argument. This was surely one of the keys to G. K. Chesterton’s intelligence, sharp wit, profound thought and lasting legacy in writing.

God, grant us great debate partners.

Too often, in a simplistic pursuit of certainty, we choose to only surround ourselves with those who echo back to us our own biases. We don’t seriously allow for contending points of view. At too early an age, we stop really thinking deeply. We settle in our own traditions, baptising them as the only truth. This, in spite of the fact that we know from the Scriptures that all of us are finite and fallen beings who are exhorted by God to diligently search for knowledge and wisdom as for silver and gold.

How much we need robust debate partners – and yet, how few models we have. Parliamentary debates, more often than not, are framed by adversarial attack. They are frequently characterised by cheap insults, personal attacks, thoughtless stereotyping and a blatant unwillingness to listen to alternative viewpoints. Worthy arguments are often shouted down before they are heard or considered. And sometimes we Christians are not much better. With God on our side, as it were, we are too quick to speak, too slow to listen and too lacking in respect for those who hold alternative viewpoints.

At Laidlaw we declare it to be our aim to graduate students who, among other things, exhibit the skill of being able to “articulate their faith in dialogue with others, with confidence, curiosity and respect.” These words are written into our Student Graduate Profile. And as an interdenominational, intercultural College, we are well placed to realise this goal through, among other things, rigorous debate.

What are the characteristics of great debate?

Can I suggest the following: firstly, genuine love for my partner in debate. Unless I love that person who holds the alternative viewpoint, I will never be genuinely free to learn. Secondly, I must have the capacity to attentively listen; and thirdly, the ability to patiently question. Finally, I will be genuinely prepared to change my view in response to the debate, for surely it is the case in real debate that I willingly become vulnerable to my opponent. I submit the sureness of my viewpoint to the critique of this other person. I allow for the possibility that I may be wrong, that I may need to alter my view. God give us all the grace to realise that we may be wrong!

Genuine debate will most likely be uncomfortable. It may assault the stronghold of my certainty and security. Nevertheless, in debate I am willing to embrace this tension because of my love for truth and my commitment to the quest for truth. For Christians, genuine debate will always result in a re-engagement with the gospel to which the Scriptures bear witness, the bottom-line for our lives and pursuit of truth.

God, grant us intelligent and incisive partners in debate. May genuine, robust debate become a context in which we all move closer to mature love, faith and hope, grounded in the gospel of God’s grace in Christ.

by Dr Rod Thompson – (National Principal/CEO) Disclaimer and Policy

Money, Politics and the Kingdom

Tue, 01 May 2012 21:19:00 GMT

As is not unusual, our political scene is a bit messy at the moment. The big talking point is the Kim Dotcom-John Banks donation scandal. The situation has emerged because allegedly John Banks asked Dotcom to split a $50,000 donation into two $25,000 donations and then declared them anonymously when he should have named the donor. So now there is a he-said, she-said type of situation with Banks denying wrongdoing and knowledge, and the wolves gathering to prove he did. It sounds a little messier today with John Banks having lobbied Maurice Williamson over Dotcom’s proposed purchase of his Coatesville home.

If we cast our minds back, there has been a continual run of issues in the NZ political scene such as excessive payments to the CEOs of Government organisations, travel expenses, and more. The trade-off of money for lobbying is now etched into political practice – well, it always has been. Anyone watching the US Election knows that money plays an enormous role in US politics, with near on a billion dollars spent on each side to establish who is President. Then over the Tasman we have the Peter Slipper affair, where the speaker of the House has stood down for sexual and financial misappropriation. The Australian government sits on a knife-edge as a result. Money and politics are inseparable bed-fellows.

What might a Christian think? Well, in our economy this unholy alliance of money and politics is inevitable at least to some degree. Any organisation needs money to run itself, and any campaign needs funding. Things start to get smelly when donations are undeclared, and when money is given in exchange for “services”, e.g. lobbying. This in ancient terms might be called patronage, whereby a wealthy person grants patronage in exchange for services in kind – reciprocity. Money becomes power and a means of political manipulation. Such patronage and reciprocity oiled the Roman Empire.

Jesus came amongst us and spoke of something different, “no-strings-attached” giving. The “political system” of the Kingdom does not run in this way, and neither should our churches. God becomes the agent of reciprocity in that, we give freely and graciously, and he rewards; rather than we give and expect repayment in kind. Giving to the poor who can’t reciprocate is encouraged. Misunderstood, this can lead to prosperity teaching whereby we give with the expectation of present-day financial blessing i.e. material prosperity. With a sound understanding of the “now – not yet” tension in the New Testament, we see that the real promise is of spiritual blessings in the present, and spiritual and material blessings in eternity – the full experience of eternal Shalom. Indeed, when we make present day blessing the motivation for giving (“give and God will bless you with more”), we potentially rob the giver of the blessing as they are giving out of false motives – to be loaded. If indeed we are materially blessed, we should reinvest that in the Kingdom, rather than use it for self.

Anyway, how does this relate to the political scene? Very uncomfortably! The “you scratch my back – I scratch yours” type system is now so normalised, that it must be very hard for a Christian in the political system to function without falling prey to it. As I read the Sermons of Jesus (Mount in Matthew and Plain in Luke), I suggest these are not unrealistic ideals, an interim ethic, or law indicating our need for Jesus; rather, they are ideals which should inform how we live 24/7. How a Christian politician does this in NZ’s political scene must be one of the greatest challenges to a believer imaginable.

When such patronage systems creep into the church, it needs lancing out. We see it in some churches where the wealthy are “lobbied” by CEO pastors for giving, and/or people give to the church then expecting the church to “play the game their way.”

At a national political level we Christians need to be a voice to keep the pressure on the system demanding that donations, lobbying must be declared. We have to make this sort of thing very hard or we will find our political system overwhelmed, and it will look more and more like Rome every day.

We also must beware playing the lobbying game to get political parties to “enforce” a Judeo-Christian ethic – that is not the way of the Kingdom – we do not use the weapons of this world…

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Stimulus

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:44:00 GMT

Like many Stimulus readers, we at Laidlaw College greeted the news with a tinge of sadness that Stimulus, the New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought and Practice was to cease publication at the end of 2010. We had thought that Stimulus was the journal to inform and challenge thoughtful readers for the indefinite future. Consequently, we were grateful when the opportunity arose for us to consider re-launching it. We are pleased that this has come about, and grateful for the opportunity “to be part of the gospel imperative to transform minds and put faith in God into practice.” We are planning to produce the first edition of the newly re-launched Stimulus this week.

Readers of the former Stimulus will recognise the words to be part of the gospel imperative to transform minds and put faith in God into practice.” They appear on the Stimulus website and have appeared in each issue of the journal for as long as I have been able to ascertain. I trust that it will give comfort to those readers, and to assure them that we aim to continue to do just that. We are not publishing Stimulus primarily for scholars, although we hope scholars will find it interesting, but for thinking and thoughtful Christians and Christian leaders. We do not aim to be the voice of Laidlaw College, although no doubt there will be contributions from Laidlaw College people, as indeed there have been in the past. We will welcome contributions from across the spectrum of the church in New Zealand, and when the opportunity arises, from outside NZ as well. We will continue to publish “provocative and challenging material,” and we will endeavour to uphold the standards set by the previous publishers, so that Stimulus will remain worthy of its description as “The New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought and Practice.”

We do think it appropriate that Stimulus should reappear around the Easter season, although the re-launch pales into utter insignificance alongside resurrection story so fundamental to the Easter celebration. Accordingly, you will find three articles with an Easter theme. Briar Harvey, a photographer who works in the Laidlaw College Library, has produced a photographic essay considering the emotions that Jesus might have experienced as he approached his death, and in his resurrection. Peter Carrell’s contributes an article on the resurrection narratives as a reminder of the reliability of the New Testament text, and Hugh Bowron has an essay on Holy Saturday, pondering the meaning of the enigmatic clause in the Apostles’ Creed, “he descended into hell.” The other article from Mark Keown departs from this theme, as he writes on evangelism in the church, a topic that is close to his heart.

In addition to these we have retained some familiar columns from the former Stimulus. Inside you will find “St Imulus” and “Models and Metaphors.” We have added “The Voice” that we hope will become a regular column seeking to apply the text of Scripture to life, “Freudian Slips” containing contributions from members of the staff of Laidlaw College’s School of Counselling and “Educated Guesses” from the School of Education. The issue is rounded off with a set of book reviews, a music review and a movie review.

We trust that readers will find the new Stimulus thought-provoking and interesting, and that we will be able to continue the high standards set by the former publishers for the foreseeable future.

To subscribe to Stimulus using our online form click here. To request a subscription form, email mkhan/laidlaw.ac.nz.

by Philip Church (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission and Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

ANZAC Day

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 02:08:00 GMT

As I write it is ANZAC day. I didn’t get up for the Dawn Parade; in fact I confess I never have. From time to time it has crossed my mind, but usually only briefly. It might be because of my generation. It seems to me that ANZAC day is much more important now than it was when was growing up. My father served in the Pacific in World War II, but ANZAC day seemed to hold no significance for him either, but then again, neither did Easter. He was very conservative in his outlook, and attending the “Breaking of Bread” each Lord’s Day was he believed the Lord wanted him to do, rather than celebrating some annual festival with pagan origins. I have moved on from that. Easter has become one of the most significant seasons in the Christian calendar for me. But ANZAC day still has little significance.

The fact that ANZAC day and Easter are always quite close together highlights something else for me. Today, the secular media are giving ANZAC day wall to wall coverage. The best they could do at Easter was an extra edition of Praise Be on Good Friday, The Vicar of Dibley on Sunday, and a news item about the 4,500 teenagers at the Baptist Youth Ministries Easter Camp on Monday. Of course this is better than Ben Hur or The Robe, which were regular Easter fare a few years ago.

What this highlights to me is that we now truly live in a post-Christian Society. Of course ANZAC day recalls a significant event in the history of New Zealand and Australia, as well as Turkey. Several years ago I was at a restaurant in Istanbul when the waiter asked where I was from. When I replied that I was from New Zealand he embraced me, called me his friend, and invited me for dinner. He just ignored colleagues I was travelling with from the UK and the USA. Indeed, they needed to buy visas to enter Turkey. New Zealanders just walk straight in for nothing. Yes, ANZAC day and Gallipoli are etched on our national memory, and this is right. Significant freedoms have been won by our uncles and fathers in the two World Wars of the twentieth century, as well as the other conflicts New Zealanders have been involved in. But should it be New Zealand’s pre-eminent “holyday” I wonder. For that is what it seems to have become.

Surely, the freedoms won by Christ that we celebrate at Easter are far greater. The secular media seem to have forgotten these. But, hold on. Should we Christians to expect special mention of the events that are significant to our faith any longer. I am not sure that we should, although ironically, I think Diwali gets more media attention than Easter.

It is worth considering why the days when the secular media marked Easter in some way are long gone, and why we live in a post-Christian society. I wonder if it has something to do with the way we Christians have not really heard call of Christ to “Go and make disciples of all nations ...” Before we lament the poor media coverage of Easter along with the (seeming) over the top coverage of ANZAC day we might need to lament our poor efforts as evangelism.

by Philip Church (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission and Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

The Hunger Games

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:40:00 GMT

The film, The Hunger Games has experienced huge success at the New Zealand box office and around the world. The film is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ New York Times best-selling, young adult, sci-fi trilogy of the same name.

The film is set in dystopian, post-apocalyptic North America, now called Panem (from the latin: panem et circenses). In this brave new world, the gap between rich and poor has increased to such a degree that the vast majority of the population have been forced to labour in 12 heavily bordered gulag-like districts while the privileged minority inhabit the beautiful Capitol and appear to live for little more than fine food, haute couture and entertainment. In Panem, the crème of this state-sponsored entertainment is a heavily dramatised “Survivor”-style reality show staged live which pits young tributes from the poor districts against each other in a fight to the death. In Panem, the televised “Hunger Games” is a powerful, political tool of control that has the double edge of presenting the poor of the twelve districts with the illusion of hope via celebrity while the glorified “underdog” narrative staged by the producers of the show distracts and desensitises the rich minority. The result is no one can really see the depravity. The powerful minority do not realise that they are dehumanised by their tacit participation in the spectacle. The districts that are forced to struggle against each other symbolically in the televised game are strategically divested of the impetus of unity needed to rebel against their oppressors. Everyone in the scene is invested in and complicit with a destructive economy that maintains the status quo.

The Hunger Games presents several allegories that resonate with the experience of modern Western society given its heavy dependence on media. The film begs us to question in which ways we are wittingly or unwittingly complicit in certain modern economies, those of the global financial, but also the political or diplomatic, or the more subtle cultural and libidinal economies. These are the social economies of which popular culture and celebrity are cogs on a much greater wheel. These are economies where we as a minority, majority, male, female, Pākehā and Māori have lost our grace. Economies that continually cycle, that are seemingly inescapable, because we are inside them, and dependant on them for this continuing reality. These economies feed us enough hope to continue to manipulate our limited choices. We wonder if we are in fact unable to escape those economies in which we blindly participate. In The Hunger Games even victory is yet another spoke in the economic wheel that ensures its continuation.

In the closing scenes the heroine of the film finally recognises the futility of “The Hunger Games” when she and the other tribute from her district are left as the lone survivors, when they are reduced again by the maxim, kill or be killed. This is when grace enters Collins’ foreboding narrative. It is in this moment that these survivors escape the economy of The Hunger Games; when they face each other, not as competitors, but as human beings. In this moment, almost without knowing it, they refuse to comply with the game. Not out of refusal for its own sake, not out of ‘do and die’ or for virtuous glory. But out of grace which suddenly falls on the scene. The two choose rather to live in grace with the possibility of retribution from the state, than to live in competition, ruled by the state.

It is a sad irony that the popular success of The Hunger Games, its adaptation to film, its economic success contaminates its own message, complicit as it is with the same economy that operates the film and media industry that supplies us reality television and a thousand other entertainments in a dehumanizing array. The message is, if it can escape its own context: that of the power of grace to escape the shallow economies of capitalism and popular culture.

by Yael Klangwisan (Senior Lecturer – School of Education) Disclaimer and Policy

NZ Racism and Sexism: The Sad Truth

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:36:00 GMT

It is tragic that the scourge of racism has reared its ugly head in NZ society around Pat Lam, coach of the Blues rugby team. We all know racism is there, bubbling under the surface. We hear the anti-Asian comments, we see the marginalisation of people of colour. It is wrong! In my many years of interest in rugby I have heard many comments on talkback suggesting that Polynesian rugby players are not as intelligent as Pakeha, that they rely on brute strength, that they don’t train as hard, etc. Well this is incorrect from a human perspective, a Christian world-view, and from a sporting perspective.

A look at recent history of NZ rugby suggests that the evidence does not support claims made by social media “experts” – in actual fact, it cuts the other way. If anything, the All Blacks are over-represented with Polynesians/Maori remembering that Maori and Polynesian make up only 22% of the NZ population.

In last year’s RWC final for example, there were seven of the fifteen All Blacks with Polynesian heritage (including Maori who are Polynesian) in the starting line-up: Mealamu, Kaino, Weepu, Cruden, Kahui, Nonu, Jane and Dagg. In the 1995 RWC final nine started: Lomu, Little, Bunce, Bachop, Jones, Brown, Z. Brooke, R. Brooke and Osborne. Some of the real stand-outs in both tournaments were the Polynesian/Maori players; especially Jonah Lomu in 1995 and in 2011, Weepu, Nonu and Kaino. In competitions to choose the greatest ever All Black teams Island and Maori names come up regularly like Nepia, Muliaina, B.G. Williams, Lomu, Rokocoko, J. Smith, Umaga, Bunce, Stanley, Nonu, Little, Herewini, S.M. Going, S. Bachop, Z. Brooke, Shelford, Nathan, M. Jones, Kaino, R. Brooke, O. Brown, Mealamu etc. We need to remember that while many Maori have played for the All Blacks with distinction since its inception, the first Polynesian rugby players only began playing in the mid-60’s. Check out the NZ Sevens teams too, with four successive Commonwealth Gold Medals! Put bluntly, it is aberrant nonsense and disgusting to suggest that a rugby team is losing because it has too many Polynesians.

We can also note that the balance of Polynesian/Pakeha players in the NRL is changing radically, with more and more Polynesians across the teams. We see the same happening across rugby codes throughout the world. If we look more broadly, check out the Breakers starting line-up and that of the NZ netball teams. This is because, rather than being “inferior” and “dumb,” Polyneisans/Maori are, more often than not, exceptionally gifted and talented sportsmen and women. I would imagine we will see this balance continue to shift, and just as African Americans dominate American sport more and more, PI and Maori will dominate NZ and other nations’ sporting codes.

All people, and we as Christians more than any other, should abhor what has been said of the situation in Auckland rugby and speak out. And not just because Pat Lam is a brother in Christ! From a humanitarian point of view, what is being said violates his human rights. From a Christian perspective, we need to be gripped by the vision of Jesus Messiah to break down the long-existing barriers between nations and cultures and notions of cultural superiority and allow ourselves to be gripped by the Kingdom’s radical egalitarianism in which all humanity is esteemed as divine image-bearers and on a level playing field. What is happening all goes to show the terrible danger of social media; where the limits of free-speech are being tested anonymously – others must speak out when human dignity is violated, as in this case.

At the same time, largely unnoticed, in Otago, one of the casualties in the fall-out of the Otago Rugby Union financial crisis has been the axing of funding for the Otago Women’s Rugby Team. There is now a move to raise the $20,000 required within the Otago community. And rightly so! My wife Emma and I have observed for a long time the marginalisation of women’s sport in NZ in media and public psyche, and this despite glorious achievements since the days of Yvette Williams, our netballers, and more recent stars like Valerie Vili, Alison Shanks, the Ever-Swindells, Sarah Ulmer and more. Not to mention that the Black Ferns are unbeaten in all four successive women’s Rugby World Cups! And with plenty of Islanders and Maori!

This axing is a disgrace in my view, and shows how women’s rugby is really valued – it should never have happened. Again, all people and we Christians in particular should be up-at-arms at this. While the gospel is not about removing the distinctives of gender, it speaks of an end of oppressive patriarchy and a world of gender equality and opportunity. I hope that the good people of this nation get behind the campaign and in the future women’s sport is not seen as second rate to be cast aside when the purse strings are tight.

It all goes to show we have much work to do as a people and as a church to stand against racism and sexism in our seemingly egalitarian nation. Perhaps we should start by looking more closely at our own lives and churches and watch for our own racism and sexism? I suspect it is everywhere – do we need to repent?

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Does our education system prepare people for jobs?

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:55:00 GMT

Stuart Middleton’s EDTalkNZ article of 4 April http://www.stuartmiddleton.co.nz/?p=1391 asks if education can hold its head up high and say that we are doing our best and addressing the issue of preparing young people for jobs. He writes; “I am frustrated by the unwillingness of education systems to accept that the key purpose of each stage of formal education is to prepare students for the next stage of their lives – education, eventually being a responsible adult, and, yes, finally getting a job. “

Yes, education is addressing the issue but we can’t expect education to be the answer to younger people failing to get work. There are many reasons for this and to suggest that educators don’t consider it a critical outcome to educate for employment seems more than a little unfair. There are numerous social ills that have led to the low work skills but most education systems view themselves as part of the solution to the problem. The teaching of goal setting and reflective critical thinking is evidence of this. We are teaching students in our schools today whose future jobs are undefined. They are required to respond to a world and to technologies we, in 2012, cannot produce a skill set for.

When times are tough many unemployed choose to re-educate or on-educate themselves in the face of the alternative – unemployment. Good on them! They stand a better chance. Perhaps they were employable for jobs that have since disappeared or for which there is saturation point.

Then there is a sub-group of our 20 to 30 year olds who intentionally steer away from the 40 year plan of work and paying the mortgage and explore a self-sustainable utopia outside that paradigm. Their ‘tertiary’ education is spent on volunteer farms and eco-communities, building homes called Earthships that are capable of total self-sustainability. They live and work in eco-communities, vedic communities which are spreading across the globe. They are living and learning permaculture, horticulture and across culture! Of course it’s not tertiary education as we know it, its life-long learning for which there is no graduation and documentation. Are they in denial that getting a job is important? Or are they creative, resourceful, independent learners looking after themselves and their world? That bracket of society at least experiences freedom from the oppression of unemployment. Good on them too!

I also disagree with Middleton’s idea that life-long learning needs documentation to validate it. Life begins well before the 10+ years of formal education and continues well beyond it. Most of the skills he lists are included in the key competencies of the NZ Curriculum and, anyway, five year olds arrive at school with no documentation and they have been on the greatest learning curve ever in their first five years. Education must be multi-focused. The world of work for today’s five year olds is unimaginable. When they retire in 2077 will there even be careers?

Middleton writes; “The skills of employment are not hard to define and one list is about as good as another.” Well, that depends when the list was generated. We are unable to define the jobs of the future and the skill set required for employment in those jobs. By the time a three year degree is completed, jobs in some industries will have been reshaped and technology will have made the skill-set virtually redundant. Oz Guinness at a Darwin conference recently commented on the phenomenon of this, saying that modern technology, especially communication, has removed the gaps in our existence. The gap between one thing and the next thing gave us time to respond. We are now constantly overwhelmed by the immediate. Educational systems are overwhelmed too.

Finally, education systems do not have an “unwillingness to accept that the key purpose of each stage of formal education is to prepare students for the next stage of their lives”. The next stage is what life-long earning is all about. Life is changing so rapidly that many learners are left completely uncertain if they have anything to contribute any longer. If they can’t define and identify the next stage of their life how can their educators be expected to?

by Lyn Rombouts (Lecturer – School of Education) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1007

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 18:52:00 GMT

Unbelievable! Sensational! Glorious! Hallelujah! “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever.” What can I say? If Friday and Saturday were the worst days of my life, this is the best day of my life. It is the greatest day in history! Yeshua is risen! He is alive! He is Messiah! Our hopes have not been in vain! Praise be to the God of Israel!

It all started as was planned. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, Salome and one or two others went to the tomb to anoint the body. Yeshua’s mother was spent so John and James’ mother remained with her.

The women were wondering how they would get the stone aside. We should have gone with them I now realize – we are such wimps! As if the Romans will help!

They needn’t have worried for when they got there, they were stunned to find that the Roman soldiers were gone and the stone had been rolled aside! For a minute they thought they had the wrong tomb, but they had taken a careful note where the tomb was when they had been with Joseph as he had buried Yeshua.

As they stood outside in total confusion – as if they needed any more – they saw a man in gleaming white clothes. Actually, Salome swears she saw two men, but that is by the by – they can be forgiven for not getting everything right when in such shock. The man told the women something like, “don’t be afraid, you are looking for Yeshua the Nazarene who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Go and tell his disciples that he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”

After this, if I am honest, the details are sketchy – hardly surprising with something so astonishing! It seems that the women made to return. Mary Magdalene told us that as they headed back she became separated in the garden and had an encounter with a man she thought was the gardener. She then claims that the man revealed himself as Yeshua. She fell at his feet, but he told her not to touch him. I didn’t know what to think when the women told us all this I must admit. Women are notoriously unreliable when it comes to such things. But Mary has been so trustworthy?

I wasn’t alone in being skeptical. We all were. There were some heated interchanges as Mary and the others insisted on what they had seen. Then abruptly Peter spoke, “I am going to have a look. Come on John.” John jumped up. Others wanted to join, but Peter said it should be a small group – our lives may still be in danger. They were gone in a flash.

My head was abuzz with thoughts. Can we trust the women? Are they deluded? A hallucination? Was the angel a ghost? My dad had always told to me never trust a woman – too emotional. These women have never made me doubt them though. They are actually amazing! I don’t know? Or, has someone stolen his body? If so, who? Only the Romans themselves could have pulled it off with the kustodia posted outside, the guard. They were hardly likely to do it too. Did someone bribe them? It wasn’t one of us; we were here all last night. Judas – I have no idea where he is? Joseph? Nicodemus? Hardly likely, they would have told us and they renounce such things. And if they did, why? What is there to gain, except more bloodshed? Did Yeshua get out of the tomb? Was he really dead, or was he unconscious? No, he was dead. His blood had separated. What’s more, how on earth would he move the stone with his hands torn with nails, and slip past or overcome the kustodia with his wounds? Or is this what he meant when he made those bizarre predictions of his suffering, death and resurrection? Mmmmm.

While Peter and John were gone, Cleopas stood up. He spoke openly of his doubts and that there must be another explanation. Mary and the women responded resolutely and angrily, telling him that he had no respect for women and that they knew what they had seen. Cleopas snapped at this point and said that he had had enough and that he was returning home to Emmaus. I said I would join him for the eleven km walk, I needed to get away. He needed a companion as well; it may not be safe on the road. We slipped out into the city and on our way.

It was a lovely warm early spring day, not that I really noticed. I was glad to get away from the intensity of the room. We talked about what had happened. We tried to make sense of it, discussing the options. It was an intense discussion as we batted ideas back and forth. As we slowly drifted along a traveler came up from behind. He was dressed in a long robe with long sleeves that covered his feet and hands, while his face bore many scars. I pondered what this traveler had been through – some severe accident. He asked us what we were speaking of and why we were so sad. Cleopas responded rather bitterly as I remember, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” The traveler asked him to clarify, “what things?”

Cleopas told him of Yeshua, his amazing prophetic ministry of preaching and his miracles throughout the nation. He told him how we had thought he was the long awaited Messiah, and how our hopes were dashed. He retold the story of the last two days from his arrest to his death. He spoke of our shattered dreams that he would raise up the people of Israel, overthrow the Romans, and bring to pass the last days where Israel would be restored and God’s rule would extend to the ends of the earth. He told him of his burial, and how this very morning some of the women had gone to the tomb and found the stone rolled away, the guards gone, the body gone and the women’s experiences of the angel. We told him of Mary’s supposed experience of seeing Yeshua.

The stranger listened intently, his eyes having a certain almost familiar warm penetrating power. Then he spoke. What he said blew our minds. He started by insulting us as fools and that we should believe the prophets – we didn’t really notice surprisingly. He went through the sacred scriptures, speaking of Moses, the first Joshua, the words of Isaiah especially the Servant and Isaiah 53, the Psalms especially Psalm 22, of Daniel 7 and the Son of Man – he spoke of a Messiah very different to the one I had always dreamed of – one who came not with sword to establish Israel above the nations and to reign with armies, but one who would come with mercy and compassion to restore through love. He spoke of the need for Messiah to suffer and to die as a sacrifice for sins, to save all peoples of the world – I had never noticed that in the Scriptures. He spoke of his resurrection, reaching back to Ps 16 and Isaiah 53. He spoke of a plan to restore a world with love and with preaching the good news. My heart blazed as he spoke. It was if a sword was piercing my very soul.

We came to Emmaus and the traveller made to go on. We pleaded with him to come to Cleopas’ home, to enjoy the hospitality of his family. We wanted to hear more! He smiled; I will never forget the deep warmth of his scarred countenance. We still had no idea of his name or who he was. I believed he must be an angel, or more likely a prophet who had tasted great sorrow.

As we arrived, Cleopas’ family welcomed us in. It was time for the evening meal, and as always, the women had extra food in case of travellers or the return of Cleopas. We sat in silence. The traveller reached for the bread. He looked skyward. He gave thanks – the very words of blessing Yeshua had used at the final meal.

“What is going on,” I thought?

He broke it. He handed it toward Cleopas. Cleopas took it, I saw his eyes widen and mouth open with shock. The traveller turned to me. He handed me the bread, gazing deeply into my eyes. I reached for the bread, and suddenly it dawned on me – it is Yeshua! I slowly stood in utter disbelief and amazement – then he was gone!

All Hades broke loose! Cleopas and I cried, “it is Yeshua.” The women began to weep, we began to laugh, shock, uncertainty and joy intermingled in the room. Cleopas looked at me asking me what I had felt as he had gone through the sacred Scriptures as we walked. I said it was as if my heart was on fire – he said he had felt the same. We resolved that we must return to Jerusalem at once to tell the others. The women were right! Cleopas’ wife remained with the children to come later. His older sons joined us; they were as excited as we were, for they had known Yeshua too. We prepared with haste, and slipped into the early evening. We travelled the eleven kilometres in less than an hour.

We arrived at the home. We found the eleven and others gathered in the room. The mood was no longer one of doubt, confusion and contention. The room was abuzz with excitement. Before we could share our news we were stunned to hear that Yeshua had appeared to Simon Peter as he had walked in the Mount of Olives. We then shared our story of the traveler, his explanation of the Scriptures, the meal, and his disappearance. Joy filled the room. Yet some still doubted. Who can blame them? I apologised to Mary for my earlier doubts. There was joyous reconciliation.

As we rejoiced, suddenly, without warning, Yeshua appeared among us, materialising from nowhere. He spoke in rich Aramaic: “peace be with you.” Some were terrified, believing him to be a ghost – they shrunk back. Peter, Cleopas, Mary, me and some others had no such doubts. Yeshua spoke, joy and love in his eyes. “What are you troubled? Why do doubts rise up in your minds?” He pulled up his robe revealing his bare feet; he rolled up his sleeves to reveal his hands. He spoke, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” Mary his mother was first. Then Mary Magdalene, overjoyed at now being able to hold him. We all came and touched his scars and felt his embrace! I felt his power. Some even experienced healing at his touch! It was glorious. Amazement flooded the room.

Then again he spoke. “Do you have anything here to eat?” Salome went to the table and took some broiled fish from the evening meal. She brought it to him. He took it and ate it. He sat down, and beckoned us to do the same. We complied for we knew when he sat it was time for him to teach us. The women all sat at his feet, gazing at his eyes, touching his scars – their anticipation like us all palpable. He looked at us, and he loved us!

He told us the same account we had heard on the Emmaus Road, this time with even more detail and depth. He spoke of the need for the Scriptures to be fulfilled. It was as if a veil was removed from our hearts and minds. We saw clearly for the first time that the path to redemption was not a warrior Messiah, but a Messiah who would come in compassion, suffer, and die for the forgiveness of all people. He told us that our job now was to go and tell the story to the world beginning in Jerusalem so that all the world will know that Yeshua is saviour and Lord. He told us to wait in Jerusalem until we had received the gift of the Spirit which he and the Father would pour out upon us so that we would be clothed in power, just as he is. He warned us that we would suffer and die too as many will reject the message, even our own people. He helped us to understand all those “parables” of suffering and death – and that we should take up our crosses. We talked late into the night. We asked when he would restore Israel; he said only the Father knows. Who cares I thought, Yeshua is Messiah and Lord! It was the greatest night of my life – I will never forget it! It will sustain me to the end.

Later he took us out of the city toward Bethany. He raised his arms. He blessed us. We watched as he ascended into the air. Soon he was lost to our view. We began to sing, Ps 118 of course! It was glorious. Two men appeared alongside us. They told us that one day he would return in the same way. We returned to Jerusalem, joy in our hearts.

What a week! What a story! It began with glorious hope as Yeshua entered Jerusalem on a donkey, the victorious king. Then our hopes were vanquished as he defied our expectations, was arrested, was killed and buried. Yet now he is risen! He has called us to take his story to the world, even to the Romans! We are to love them too for Yeshua died for them as well! Wow! He will empower us! I have no idea what tomorrow will bring for he warned us of great suffering ourselves and that many of us would die for him and his Kingdom. But I am now ready to die for him – bring it on.

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1006

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:05:00 GMT

Nothing much to say about today except, “woe, woe, woe!” – lament and grief. We remained in the house, we cried, we sang songs of lament, we talked, we tried to make sense of what has happened, but we have no answers.

Jesus is enshrouded by J J Tissot (click to enlarge)

We heard again the details of the trial from Joseph and Nicodemus. We heard them share their deep sense of failure for not speaking up, for not standing against what had gone on. They wondered what might have happened had they done so. Who knows?

We heard Peter admit what had happened at the fire in the courtyard of the high priest’s home. It turns out that Yeshua had been right about Peter denying him. He told that three times he was asked if he was a companion of Yeshua, but three times he had not been able to find the courage to stand for him and had denied it. Then the rooster had crowed! He spoke of his deep sense of bitter failure, his anger at himself, his perplexity. I was impressed with his honesty, and somewhat thankful – otherwise Peter would have hung on one of those crosses. Yeshua had been spot on about all this as usual. How come he is dead?

None of us really care about the “failure” of our brothers. We are all facing our guilt and failure – we were no better. At least Peter had had the courage to follow Yeshua, we had all run. Simon the Cananion wants us to launch an attack on the Romans now, an act of vengeance. None of us have any stomach for that, no need for more needless blood. Even the sons of thunder show little interest.

My heart goes out most to Mary, Yeshua’s mother. She is in deep pain. A mother’s worst nightmare! The others are caring for her. How will she get through this, or will she die of a broken heart!

The truth is none of us know what to make of it all. None of us saw this coming. I presume we will all go back to our old lives, to fishing and stuff like that. Not sure what I will do. Back to the family business I suppose. Sounds so mundane after the last three years – did it really happen?

Will the Holy One ever save us? Are we destined to live forever under the Romans or some other Gentile dogs? “Where are you Adonai? Why have you abandoned us?”

We did make one decision though. The women will go to the tomb in the morning to anoint Yeshua’s body. The Roman guards will allow them to do this I am sure. They don’t like to violate our customs, even though they despise us – the feeling is mutual.

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1005

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 13:01:00 GMT

This is the worst day of my life – I can’t even call it life. It is the day the “Messiah” died! It is the day my hopes have been shattered! Seems he was only a prophet after all! If so, he was a false-prophet. He is certainly not Messiah; he is cursed of God, hung on a tree! A crucified Messiah! Foolishness! He is not the son of the divine, for the Jewish leaders rejected him and the Romans with their false gods vanquished him. Yet how can this be? Yeshua cannot be a false-prophet, not this man of love who healed the sick with a touch, who fed the poor, and who raised the dead – oh that he would raise himself! But the resurrection will come at the end; we are not there yet! I don’t know what to think. Here’s what happened.

Behold the Man by Munkacsy (click to enlarge)

After I fled from the garden the previous night I went to the house where we had celebrated Passover. The others came in dribs and drabs. Only Peter and Judas were not there. So it was Judas who betrayed Yeshua? Why had Yeshua called him then, if he knew? Why didn’t he expose him at the meal, we could have killed him then and there! Was Peter in on it after all? Surely not after he attacked that guy in the crowd! Who knows? That might have been a ruse. The image of Judas kissing Yeshua will haunt me forever. If he were here now, I would kill him with my bare hands!

We grieved through last night. Mary, Yeshua’s mother, and the other women cried laments. Every heart was broken! No one understood! I had nothing to give. I sat in silence, grief and anger.

Ultimately people dozed fitfully. Then it was dawn, the time for prayers – but no-one seemed interested. A knock came at the door, the secret knock agreed on. It was Peter, eyes red and looking a total mess. My first thought was to accuse him, but I held back, he was no betrayer. We ushered him in, and with tears, he told us what he had seen.

He had followed as Yeshua was taken from the garden to the home of the high priest Caiaphas – typical Peter, we all flee, he follows, he is the bravest. His plan had been to help him gain release, to stand with him, or join him if Yeshua began the final conflict. He had stood outside by the fire in the courtyard. He saw people going in and out of the home, members of the Sanhedrin, and others he did not know. He had seen Joseph and Nicodemus go in.

I felt a nudge of hope – perhaps it was now that Yeshua would demonstrate who he is, before the Sanhedrin and priests, with Joseph and Nicodemus and we would be called to his aid! We asked Peter what else he saw. He said, rather too quickly, “nothing.” Was there more? Perhaps we will never know.

It was only later in the evening we learned from our two Sanhedrin insiders what had gone on inside. The whole thing was an illegal set-up, the worst of political machinations – more like the Roman Imperial Court than God’s people! Jesus had been interrogated. People had testified against him, all set-ups and their testimonies inconsistent. Some said he had threatened to destroy the temple. All false witnesses! I was livid with rage. Jesus remained silent through it all – Joseph and Nicodemus could not understand why he hadn’t defended himself?

Finally, Caiaphas had asked directly if he is the Messiah. Jesus answered directly, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Unsurprisingly, this set off Caiaphas who tore his clothes and viciously accused him of blasphemy. Many of the Sanhedrin gathered around, they blindfolded him, hit him, spat on him and mocked him, “prophesy!” they said, “prophesy!” He said nothing, his fate was sealed. I wondered why Nicodemus and Joseph hadn’t stopped this – but realized that we were all in the same boat – what could they have done?

Back at the house, a discussion followed and we resolved to get as close to Yeshua as possible. If he did begin the fight, he would need us. We headed toward the temple and fortress. If it was to begin, it would be there.

We got there just after dawn. As we watched we saw a crowd of soldiers coming from the home of the priest. Yeshua wasn’t leading them as I hoped, but they led Yeshua, bound between them. His face was a mess, clearly he had been beaten. We watched in grief and stunned horror. What was going on? Doesn’t look like a war-council, or that Yeshua put up a fight. Simon (the Zealot) suggested we attack, but we held back – a combination of confusion and fear.

We followed at a distance as they took Yeshua to the Praetorium at the Antonia, Rome and Pilate’s base in Jerusalem, into which he and the soldiers disappeared. We slunk into the crowds gathering outside. We waited. Is this the moment? Was this the means Yeshua would use to get into the inner sanctum of the Romans? Would holy war now begin with Yeshua healing himself, talking terms, and then if need be launching his attack? We waited.

In less than an hour Pilate appeared on the balcony. Aside from the soldiers and dignitaries, there were two bound figures – one unknown to me, the other Yeshua, in a terrible state – but standing with dignity. It was announced that it was time for the annual declaration of Passover clemency by Pilate. Pilate announced, “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? Or shall I release Barabbas?” Simon the Cananaion whispered , “I know that Barabbas. We worked together. He and his team attacked a bunch of Romans earlier in the year but got caught! Surely the crowd will call for Yeshua and not him.” Hope awakened again ever so briefly – he will be released! I yelled, “Yeshua.” The others joined in. But our voices were completely overwhelmed by the cries of the crowds, “Barabbas, Barabbas…” I saw members of the Sanhedrin egging them on, with mocking grins. I went silent for fear of arrest. No!

Pilate stood and considered. He raised his hands for silence. He cried, “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” The crowd, clearly set up for this moment began to roar, “Crucify him!” Crucify him!” – louder and louder. Pilate turned and walked away.

To say we were stunned is a total understatement – horror gripped us all, but there was nothing we could do! Yeshua was taken away into the Praetorium. We knew what would happen, we knew about crucifixion! Unless he launched a counter-attack, the Roman soldiers would flog him brutally with a leather whip infused with nails, glass, pottery or rocks. He would then be crucified, nailed to a cross naked and humiliated, until his bones dislocated, his breath gave out and he died! – a declaration to the world of Rome’s might, another pathetic attempt to overthrow her defeated! It is the worst of all deaths, that of a slave – the final humiliation! Hardly the end of a Messiah! Later we learned that they had not only flogged him, but dressed him in purple as if a royal, crowned him with sharp thorns that cut deep, mocked him and beat him mercilessly! He is no threat to Caesar! My heart breaks as I write.

An hour or so later we saw the Roman soldiers bring him out. He was exhausted, his robe no longer clean and fragrant with the women’s perfume, but awash with sweat and blood – he was unrecognizable. He carried the cross-bar of his cross. He staggered, unable to bear its weight. A man was grabbed from the crowd, and forced to carry it for him. I felt for him, he had no choice. They led him to the hill shaped as a skull, the place of death. I wondered, is this all part of the plan? – the later he leaves it, the more impressive it will be.

I knew this was a forlorn hope. I am ashamed to say that at this point, I left in total disillusionment. Indeed, only some of the women watched at a distance. It was later back at the house that they told us what they saw.

They offered him the wine, more mockery, yet he refused it. Then, horror of horrors, they crucified him; nailing his hands and feet and lifting him up. Two others were crucified with him, no doubt Barabbas’ partners in crime! That could have been me I thought! They put a sign above him, “the King of the Jews.” The two criminals appeared to mock him – although Mary thought one of them was kind to Yeshua. The crowds laughed at him, insulting him for threatening to destroy the temple, calling him to save himself. One cried, “Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.” Yes I thought – why didn’t he? A Roman soldier was heard to mutter, “surely this is the Son of God.” A strange thing to say – what was he thinking?

He was heard to say things from the cross – crying out to Adonai “why have you forsaken me” – that is appropriate. Probably because he is a false-Messiah I suppose! He said, “it is finished.” Yes, I thought, our hopes are finished! What a glorious waste of time! Then he died with a loud cry! I can’t believe it, Yeshua dead!

The women reported how the ground had shaken at that moment and how the sky had grown dark for three hours. I had noticed these things myself and wondered whether they were some strange portent. They related how a soldier had speared Jesus in the side, the gushing of his separated blood, you don’t have to be a doctor to know he is truly dead! They told how they had remained at the cross lamenting and grieving when Joseph and Nicodemus arrived. Joseph had been to Pilate requesting his body. He had been granted permission so they had taken his battered and bruised body and laid it in Joseph’s own tomb. They told how the Romans had sealed the tomb, and had placed a guard on it, to ensure no-one would desecrate the tomb or steal the body. As if we would do that I thought! What is the point? My life is over! My dreams are shattered. Why did he let them kill him? He could have used his power to save himself! Cursed is the day that I was born!

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1004

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:46:00 GMT

Again we awoke with no idea what was about to happen? It was the day of Passover. Me and a few of the others thought we would take the initiative, so we asked Yeshua where he would like us to prepare the Passover? He singled out Peter and John for the task.

The Last Supper by Carl Bloch (click to enlarge)

I was more than mildly annoyed – hadn’t I done a decent job with the colt? Back down the pecking order. I hope they stuff it up. I was really disappointed at not having the honour of slitting the throat of the lamb and watch the priest scatter the blood at the base of the altar.

Anyway, he sent them into Jerusalem where they would be met by a man with a water jar whom they were to follow. He would lead them to a home and a guest room – that is the place we are to prepare. Must have some wealth to house us all, whoever it is. Perhaps one of our friends in the Sanhedrin, like Nicodemus or Joseph. Just as with the donkey colt, I am not sure whether it was a set-up or some prophetic moment? Feels like a set-up this one. So Peter and John took some of the women with them (men don’t cook the Passover) and left to get things ready.

We mooched for the day, and followed later and arrived at the home. Everything was ready. I wasn’t expecting what happened next. Yeshua rose, took off his robe, still full of the fragrance of the perfume poured on it the previous night. He took a towel, poured water in a basin and called us forward to wash our feet – all of us, women and men. We were stunned; this is the work of a slave. Peter alone had the courage to put up resistance – no way are you washing my feet Lord! Yeshua put him in his place, and he complied, as did the rest of us. Jesus then told us that we were to do the same for others.

We then reclined to eat. Jesus told us again the great story of the Exodus when God had redeemed our people from Egypt. No-one tells it like Jesus! It was as if he were there! I love Passover, it always gives me hope. What better time to prepare for the redemption of Israel from Rome – hope began to rise in me again. Perhaps he was waiting for this? Genius!

As we ate the tasty lamb and bread, Yeshua spoke. “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me – one who is eating with me.” After a second of stunned silence I burst out, “not me Lord, never!” All the others in unison joined in. We were shocked! Another parable? We looked at each other suspiciously – surely none of these blood brothers would do such a thing?

Things settled. He took up the cup, and said, “this is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many.” He went on,” I will never drink of the fruit of the vine until I drink it anew in the Kingdom of God. Again I was confused? I understood the idea of a covenant, blood and sacrifice. But “my blood?” What covenant? I sensed deep confusion in the room. It was certainly not like any Passover I had taken – seemed that it was pointing forward to something I couldn’t quite grasp. The power of the wine then muddied my thinking – I am sure he knows what he is doing.

As is usual we sang from the Psalms, Pss 115–118 – in fact the same song sung as Jesus entered Jerusalem, and the one he quoted to the Pharisees in the story of the Tenants. This Psalm seems very important this week. The refrains “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,” “his love endures forever,” and “hosanna” resounded forth! We left to the Mount of Olives. I noticed that Judas was gone. He really has been acting strangely. I am sure he will rejoin us.

We settled in a grove, weary from the meal and wine. Yeshua spoke. He spoke of the scattering of sheep, of getting our bags and weirdly of taking a sword, and of going again to Galilee. I was lost with all but the mention of a sword – yes, we will need it for the Romans!

Then he turned to Peter and out of the blue said something about Satan choosing him to test and that Peter would deny him. Peter and Satan again! I was horrified! Was he accusing Peter of betrayal? Is he the one? Or is this something different? Surely not Peter!

As you can imagine, Peter was shocked – “no way will I betray you,” he cried, “even if the rest do! “

I don’t blame him. The truth is I took that personally – as if I would ever betray the Messiah! I wondered if Peter is a betrayer?

Yeshua fixed his penetrating eyes on Peter, and told him that before the rooster crows to raise the dawn, he will disown him three times. Peter kept protesting his innocence; as did we all! The truth is, we had no idea what was going on? We were about to find out.

We went onto the garden of Gethsemane, the valley of oil. We were tired. Jesus told us to wait, and left us with Peter, James and John. As I like to do on such occasions, I followed at a distance, to see what would happen. He told the three to watch and pray and he went deeper into the grove. He fell to the floor, tears streaming from his face like blood, in horrific anguish. I have never ever seen him like this – I was moved. He cried, “Abba, everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

I felt a growing sense of excitement! This is it! The cup – yes, I remember him speaking to James and John about the cup of suffering – the war! It is about to begin! Tomorrow! Of course, after the Passover – a new Passover, a new covenant! Glorious! The blood of the Romans will be the sacrifice for the new covenant. Blood would be shed tomorrow! That is why he is so full of concern!

Yet something troubled me about his words, they didn’t quite fit what I was thinking, but I shook it off. No, that must be what it means. I shrunk back, lay down to rest, and slightly inebriated, was soon asleep – dreaming of the liberation that was about to begin! Was I ready? I would soon find out!

The next thing I knew, all hell broke loose. At first I thought it was on! But no, there was Judas with a crowd of hooligans armed with swords and clubs. Yeshua faced him, the other ten disciples were gathering behind him, waking from their slumber. It’s not Peter, it’s Judas! Not him, we are great mates! Everything was a blur. Judas greeted Yeshua with a kiss of greeting. They exchanged words. The men grabbed Yeshua. Peter proved he is no betrayer or denier and swung his sword at one of them slicing off an ear. I was about to wade in but Jesus cried, “no more of this!” He reached out, touched the ear of the man and healed him! He said something about not leading a rebellion – I thought, “Really? I thought you were.” He said something about arresting him in the temple. He put up no resistance. We were in disarray, confused and scared. I saw some of the crowd move to grab us. I saw others begin to run, clothes flying. Then I ran myself, fled with all my being. What the hell is going on?

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1003 (Evening)

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 05:29:00 GMT

We walked the three kilometers back to Bethany and were surprised to find we were not eating at Martha and Mary’s. They need a day off for sure! Rather, we had been invited to the home of a certain Simon, one of the many lepers whom Yeshua had touched and healed – I still marvel at such power. As you can imagine, as a man who lost everything with his leprosy, Simon is not a wealthy man. Yet, he loves Yeshua so much that he will not take no for an answer. Yeshua refuses to dishonor him, and so we went to eat with him and his family. The meal was simple, but generous and good. He gets the idea of generosity, like the widow. In fact, it is nearly always people like the healed leper who do.

As we reclined, a woman came in to the home to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume. As I observed her approach Yeshua from behind as he stretched out from the table, I remembered a similar event back in the home of another Simon, the Pharisee (it was Nain I think). We were eating at his home when a prostitute came and anointed Yeshua’s feet with tears and perfume. I wondered what this woman would do. Is she a prostitute too I thought? I hoped not, they still make me uncomfortable. Not so for Yeshua, he is not at all concerned about such things – he just loves and embraces all “sinners” – but not in that way!

The woman snapped off the neck of the flask and poured it all over his head. It washed over his whole body, the room filled with the beautiful fragrance. We later debated what it meant – was she anointing him king in some way? Or as a priest like Aaron? Or did she just want to lavish him generously, as people sometimes did at meals and festivals? Anyway, glad it didn’t happen to me; last thing I want is to smell like a woman!

I then made a twit of myself again! Still thinking about the widow at the temple-treasury, me, Judas and a couple of others started to discuss whether this was a waste of money or not – after all, it was more than three-hundred denarii’s worth. Simon the leper could have used that money, would have fed him and his family for a year! I dared to speak up and said, “what the heck are you doing woman? That could have fed the poor for a year!”

That went down like a lead-balloon. Yeshua rebuked me for daring to tell her off! He told me that she had done a beautiful thing and that throughout the world this would be told in her memory. That has a silver lining I suppose, the good news going to the ends of the earth – a sliver of hope of the good news of the victory of the “Lord” and “Saviour” (not Caesar) heralded to all. That hope was quashed by his other words though. He said something about her preparing him for burial – another parable alluding to his death or something? Why does he bang on about this death crap? Messiah’s don’t die; they inflict suffering and death on the enemies of Adonai. They raise the righteous! I really think I am missing something.

He also said something about him not always being with us, but the poor always being so. I suppose he must be talking about his going on some future mission to another part of the world without us, no doubt to suppress the Gentiles. Not sure why the poor would be with us after the great victory? Wouldn’t the curse of Adam be gone, the words of Deuteronomy no longer be relevant. Surely he has come to end that? Isn’t that what “good news to the poor” means? Yet again I was perplexed, humiliated and shocked. I would have thought he would have been infuriated, what with his commendation of the poor widow earlier in the day, and his constant appeals to care for the poor! In fact, that seems his number one issue!

When Yeshua said these words, I heard Judas mock Yeshua under his breath and say something like “that’s it, enough, I’m out of here.” He slipped out. No idea where he is going, but he is the one who is most agitated with Yeshua’s behavior. Will talk to Judas about it later if I get the chance.

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1003 (Afternoon)

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:14:00 GMT

After a spot of lunch and the midday prayers it was back to the Temple, this time to the Court of Women. We sat beside the Temple treasury with its thirteen trumpet shaped receptacles into which people make their various offerings. Passover is a great time for people to show the world their generosity to the Holy One. We observed people of great wealth placing in huge amounts of gold and silver coins – I was impressed at their piety.

As we watched, an old woman dressed in black, clearly a widow, shuffled over to the freewill offering chests. We watched as she drew two small leptons from her bag, looked skyward with reverence and placed them in. It would take 100 of these to make up a day’s wages. I wasn’t impressed after seeing all the generosity of the others. Yeshua spoke, telling us that she had given more than the others for she gave out of her poverty, all she had to live on. I felt rebuked, but said nothing. He’s right of course. I wondered if there was a link to the earlier mention of the sort of widows that the scribes devoured earlier. I was reminded of Yeshua’s teaching on wealth – wealth is a gift to be used for God and his purposes – we cannot serve both the Father and money. But I like money!

Yeshua made to head back to Bethany. As we turned, the sun caught the Temple, and its radiance burst forth over the valley. I couldn’t help myself, and said “Look Rabbi! What huge stones! What glorious buildings!” I truly love the Temple, it is a wonder, worthy to be the centre of the world!

Quick as a flash, Yeshua spoke, “Do you see these great buildings. Not one stone will be left on another, every one will be thrown down!” I gasped audibly; shocked and dismayed. What was this teaching? He had already debated the destruction of the Temple with the Jewish leaders – here we go again! What event could possibly cause this? Surely, this Temple will never fall again! There would be no Babylonian or other invasion, as at the time of the exile! Messiah has come, Zion will reign, the nations will flow in and like the widow, bring their wealth!

We walked and sat and rested on the side of the Mount of Olives, enjoying some shade in the heat of the spring-day. He sat with Peter, James and John – I sat at a distance and listened. They too had been stunned like me at any thought of the destruction of the temple! They asked when it would happen? – hoping to decipher the parable. Yeshua then gave one of the longest speeches I have ever heard him give. He spoke of wars, earthquakes, false Messiahs; of his people persecuted and hated, tried and imprisoned before Jews and Gentiles; of the gospel preached to all nations; of families torn apart. He spoke of the desecration of the Temple, as in the days of the horror Antiochus Epiphanes (may he be cursed!) who tried to set up his altar of Zeus Olympios in the Temple – may such desecration never happen again! He warned of a time of horrific suffering, even the elect deceived, signs in the sky, and the Son of Man coming in glory on the clouds – my mind went to Daniel 7 as it often did when Yeshua used that name. He spoke of angels gathering God’s people. He told us to watch for the signs. He warned us not to try and predict the day – even he didn’t know when this would occur. Finally he told us to keep watch, speaking parables to reinforce the point.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Was it all just like the words of the writings of our times, full of symbolism or imagery? If so, what did it point to? Was it a prediction of another attack on Jerusalem – would the war for the world involve its destruction again? The writings of Zechariah spoke of such things perhaps. What is this coming of the Son of Man? Is it his elevation to his glory? Yet again I was at a loss. Time to head back to Bethany.

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy

Diary of a Disciple: Day 1003 (Morning)

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:48:00 GMT

We rose again in the morning, this time with muted expectation. A few bits and pieces to eat and then we again headed into Jerusalem. The fire had gone from us all, replaced with concern. No-one dared to ask Yeshua what was going on, we were all worried. We had talked into the night while Yeshua wandered the hills as is his custom. No-one could figure it out. Some believed today would be the day and were hopeful. Most were not so sure.

Pharisees Question Jesus (click to enlarge picture)

We walked past the fig-tree; the one Yeshua had cursed the previous day. As usual, Peter could not hold back, and blurted something about it. Yeshua took the opportunity to remind us of the power of prayer – if we believe, we will see glorious happen, like moving mountains. I prayed for the end of Roman rule. I have faith! Actually I feel more like the man who a while ago cried out to Jesus, “I believe, take away my unbelief!” But I would never admit it. We shouldn’t be surprised that the tree withered; after all, this is the guy who calmed the storm, walked on water and more. When he commands, nature responds; another indication of his immense power. Why doesn’t he use it on the Romans? Or am I missing something?

We arrived at the temple and Yeshua walked the courts. The sellers and money-changers were back in business, but Jesus didn’t seem interested in a repeat of yesterday’s reaction. He was watched closely by the temple soldiers and leaders.

As he walked a group of priests, scribes and others came to Yeshua. He stopped. They challenged him, “by what authority are you doing these things?” My heart rose, perhaps now he would demonstrate his power. My hopes were dashed as Yeshua gave them a riddle about John the Baptist’s authority. The leaders refused to answer, no doubt not wanting to commit either way, or earn the ire of the crowd or betray themselves. Because they refused, Yeshua stated he would not answer their question. Furious, they left. My confusion deepened. When will he make his move? I looked around at the other disciples. I expected Peter to rebuke Yeshua again, but there would be no repeat of Caesarea Philippi.

Then, as the Jewish leaders withdrew, Yeshua sat and began to teach. The leaders paused at a distance to listen. He told a story of a vineyard. We all knew immediately that the vineyard is Israel, Isaiah liked that metaphor too. Perhaps this was the story that would set ablaze the revolution. It turned out to be nothing of the sort. Rather, it was more provocation of the leaders. He likened them to tenants of the vineyard who had failed in their task. Tenants! They see the promised-land as theirs by right – that will hurt! The tenants had refused to listen to servants sent from the owner to gather fruit – I assume it meant prophets and is basically insulting them as failed fruitless leaders, like the shepherds of Ezekiel. Nice! Even worse, Yeshua was likening them to the leaders of Israel who caused the exile! What is he doing? Then in the end these tenants kill the son! What is he saying? Another parable of his death perhaps? Then the owner came to kill the tenants – wow, that sounds like a direct threat of the Holy One’s judgment! Then a quote from Ps 118, the psalm sung as he entered Jerusalem – of the builders rejecting the cornerstone. What is he saying? I watched the leaders’ faces closely, their patience was wearing thin – if he wasn’t imbued with the power of Adonai, he would be in serious trouble!

Then more leaders came to Yeshua. This time I could see their ruse. They challenged him on paying taxes to Caesar. Clever! The Sanhedrin cannot kill Yeshua, they have no authority. Yet, if they can demonstrate he is a threat to Rome, they can work with the Romans to deal with him as they do all insurrectionists. Would that be a bad thing though? Yeshua would then show his hand, and begin the destruction that is sure to come – that might be the plan? But, Yeshua was too clever for them, and avoided their snare with another ambiguous parable – “give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” I am still not sure if he was saying we should or should not pay taxes, after all “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” – I think the former, he always pays his taxes. In fact, he shows no inclination to speak against Rome – that’s strange now that I think of it?

Then some Sadducees came to Yeshua. Up until now they have hardly shown any interest in him – after all they are in bed with the Romans and don’t even believe in a Messiah or the resurrection. They have terrible theology! This time they made up a convoluted story about marriage and resurrection – trying to expose that resurrection is not in the Torah. Yeshua dealt to them, but again he was so provocative. He said “you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Far out! That is red rag to a Sadducee-bull; they pride themselves on their knowledge of the Scriptures! Still, his answer that God is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob was inspired – resurrection is in the Torah.

The theological attacks went on unabated all day. Another scribe who liked Yeshua’s answer to the Sadducees asked him which commandments are the most important. He seemed a bit more genuine than the others. I knew what Yeshua would say, he has hammered it into us – love God, love others – including enemies! Well, except the Romans I assume, they need to be sorted out first. The scribe liked the answer – he is quite onto it for a non-disciple.

I am not sure whether to be impressed at his brilliance – he can argue like one of the Greek philosophers; or better, Solomon himself! Or is he simply mad and wants to die?

Then Yeshua went on the offensive again, as he had with the story of the tenants. He quoted Ps 110:1 to make the point that the Messiah is not merely the son of David, but is the “Lord” who will reign until all his enemies are subdued. My ears pricked up at this. Was all this debating a prelude to the moment when he would call the leaders to him and smite the enemies of God? Is this the moment or…?

My hopes were immediately dashed as Yeshua launched a blistering attack on the scribes telling the people to watch out for them because of their love of nice clothing, honour, long prayers, and unbelievably that they devour widow’s houses! I saw their faces. Oh my goodness! Is he serious?

by Dr Mark Keown (Senior Lecturer – Theology, Mission & Ministry) Disclaimer and Policy