Chapter 4

News Weekender
 
George Willis

Wise Men come calling, or were they imposters to the title?

excerpt:

All this is fine and we can give the Wise Men their due in combining this scholarship, but wisdom should not come along with this praise unless wisdom involves the abandonment of caution. Arguably, you can be wise and brazen, wise and falling down a mountain, wise and forced to take on a lion armed with only a few jokes and neat handwriting. But, these Wise Men seem to make the definition of wise plead for expansion.

Herod saw the Star, and like any new celestial challenge gathered all the Chief Priests and historians, and demanded of them an explanation as to what the Maji offered–or as Plato put it, ‘Something to say.’

To the non-Jewish King of the Jews–King Herod the Great–the Maji asked of him: ‘Where is the King of the Jews so we might worship him?’ The Star brought them to this query. One can only imagine if they rehearsed this and really heard what they were saying.

Herod, aside from not being Jewish, is also not exactly the cheeriest of persons when his own conferred authority is questioned, be it based on mysticism, a sign, or a rival. The most amazing thing about the whole exchange of three learned Maji from the East coming to offer worship and gifts is that Herod demanded neither of that for himself.

He let them pursue their objective. For the Three Wise Men, this is more dangerous than deciding to grab a Roman Centurion and see if he likes being tickled.

“
Chapter 6

Russ Lambau

King Herod passes away, but a bigger funeral is avoided.

excerpt:

Greetings, glad you’re back friends and loyal listeners–welcome. You are joining us for hour three of our exciting excursion into broadcast radio excellence as we delve deep, deep, deeper into the issues that matter most, brought to you by your host Russ Lambau here at the prestigious EAB Broadcast booth; let’s go.

Friends, earlier in the first hour I shared with you the NY Edition article about the death of Herod, and there is still a lot of buzz going around about who will succeed Herod as the King of the Jews. You know where we stand on this, but you are not going to believe what almost happened to ensure the quote unquote ‘mourning’ the King. Friends I kid you not, just released hot off the AP wire and reporting on all the cable shows is the amazing plan to ensure we all mourn Herod’s passing whether we liked the guy or not.

I guess Herod wanted to make sure there was no dancing in the streets when the people heard he died, but this is incredible! According to the APP office from Jerusalem:

Chapter 8

NY Times-Edition

14 AD - Caesar Augustus dies in Nola peacefully at age 76.

excerpt:

Princeps Caesar Augustus dies in Nola peacefully at age 76. Emperor, First Citizen, Prince, Octavius: Augustus has been known by many titles. Whatever name Augustus will bear is now a matter for historians. On August 19th, Augustus drew his last breath and made a final statement to his surviving wife Livia:

‘Since well I’ve played my part, clap now your hands and with applause dismiss me from the stage. Remember our long union, Livia; farewell.’

It is fitting that Augustus, always known for his powerful rhetorical and communication skills, parted with a moving line as he left the stage a final time. Funeral arrangements are planned for the end of the week, starting with a procession through Rome, with the body carried by Senators to the Field of Mars for cremation.

Some local historians feel the Field of Mars is an ironic place for Augustus. The Field of Mars, known better as the Campus Martius, was once a farm owned by Tarquinius Superbus, last King of Rome, but was burnt during the revolution, which established the Roman Republic. Augustus is largely credited with formally ending the Republic. It seems as though the royalty connection is coming back full circle.


Chapter 25

Sunday ABS the Week

What does Jesus think about wealth?

excerpt:

It is to them and them first that Jesus keeps exalting. He keeps saying blessed are the poor, and everyone imagines he is meaning anyone in some need. All are welcome, but the specific challenge he is making is for everyone to address and aide these poor as they would address and aide Jesus himself–and he means this third group.”

“Is he being that direct Casey, or is he blurring them as an image of those needing help as we all do? Can he be using them to illustrate treating others as you would like to be treated, with their plight being the most dramatic in terms of a visual imperative to be generous?”

“That is the problem with this whole ‘everyone is equal’ arrangement. Jesus is making the distinction every chance he gets: the poor get there first, the privileged will have to follow or be humbled. If you want the real distinction, look at the word Jesus is using. If Jesus were discussing the poor as a class of people who were working, he would be using the word penes instead–as it is being recorded and used he is using the term ptochos, and this is a very different word. They both refer to poor, but one means struggling, the other means destitute. Jesus is using the term for destitute. This is Greek of course and a dramatic distinction. He says blessed are the poor and, in the same vein, he says blessed are the hungry; in the same flow he says blessed are the poor in spirit. None of this goes to the middle, there is not a lot of ‘blessed are those who want a better roof and larger den’–‘blessed are those who gave the guy a job cleaning the barn’–and I think that is where some of the crowd feels good but not in need of a personal call to action. This rich man was such a listener.”

“George Willis, what is your take here? This Jesus also spends a lot of energy on parables where kings have wealth, fathers have wealth, give wealth, or forgive money/loans to servants. We hear people are invited to large banquets; can this be where he makes room for privileged people as they too keep turning out to hear his message?”

“The problem with the parables of benevolent rulers and rich men living justly in the eyes of Jesus and this message is these parables are not about real men. They are referring to the God who Jesus keeps addressing as Abba. When he offers these examples, he is quick to refer to God as the king or land owner, and even refer to him in this particular familiar way. It is the linguistic distinction of changing the way you refer to someone as ‘Father’ or ‘Dad.’ There is a big difference in the Semitic world as this Abba is left to direct biological ‘Dad/Son’ relationships. When he finishes the parables of well-mannered kings and businessmen, he ends it on the Abba note; when he discusses men and the hearts of men, no such accommodation is made. I have to agree with Casey, to accept what he is saying–men will be judged first on their own, as will the hapless rich man wanting to follow Jesus and backing out just as fast. And then, as he keeps saying, by how one treats the poor.

The hard part about this is the poor he is referring to are the very poor who people generally run to avoid. Homeless, naked, hungry, sick, imprisoned–these are the very people he is referring to, and telling everyone they are those meek to inherit the earth.”