Setting the stage for the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chooses language for his narrative that provides clues for recognizing the royal-prophetic-divine authority of Jesus.
5:1-2 (Dynamic equivalency) Taking notice of his many afflicted followers, Jesus begins his covenantal teaching to train his disciples under his divine-royal authority.
5:1a "Seeing the crowds"
ALTERNATIVE: "Taking concern for the crowds..."
In the OT often when God "sees" his people under affliction/oppression, he is taking charge to save them, to show mercy and compassion (Exodus 2:25).
Matthew 9:35-36 follows the same two-part pattern as Matthew 4:23-5:2 -- (1) Jesus travels throughout regions preaching/teaching/healing...(2) He "sees" the crowds following him and shows compassion to them by training, teaching, and employing his disciples under his service.
So, in Matthew 9:36-36:
(1) "And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. (2) When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few..." (Compare also to Matthew 14:14ff, 15:29ff.)
The parallel passage helps to underscore Jesus' sermon on the mount as an act of God's saving justice:"like sheep without a shepherd" is a quote from Numbers 27:17, where God choses to transfer leadership from Moses to Joshua . Thus, Jesus "Joshua" is the new shepherd (after Moses) to lead renewed Isreal (represented here by the twelve disciples, and the crowds by extension) into the promised inheritance. Jesus is also the new-David, the the final king after God's own heart to shepherd his people.
5:1b-1d "he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him."
ALTERNATIVE: "Jesus ascended the mountain. After he sat down in order to train his disciples, they came..."
"Jesus ascended the mountain"
The point here of the ascension on the mountain is to draw out and rightly elevate Jesus' supreme authority, who is the Prophet greater than Moses and subsequently the scribes/pharisees who claim to be faithful disciples of Moses. The closing narrative of the sermon (Matthew 7:28-29) functions as an inclusio in this regard: "And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes."
The way Matthew describes the setting of the sermon of alludes to the giving of the Law in Mt. Sinai. Moses ascends the mountain to receive God's covenant. The people (multitude) remained at the bottom, and the elders (like Jesus' disciples) ascend with Moses (Ex 24:1 -- the elders, however, must worship from afar). The surprising twist of course, is that Jesus is not only like Moses in his ascension, but like Yahweh the King himself speaking the covenant. The shere shock of the people afterwards evidences the divine power of his teaching, not too unlike the trembling people experienced hearing God speak to Moses on Mt. Sinai.
This allusion to Moses and Sinai, in my mind, gives preference to translating the Greek word "oros" as "mountain" rather than "hill". It is important to draw out that the sermon on the mount is not simply a teaching, but a *covenant* proclamation, binding over those who are being instructed with promised blessings (and cursings).
Luke's account, in my opinion, makes the same allusion between Moses and Jesus, but from a different perspective (ie. Moses coming down the mountain). Most attempts to find a "common ground" between Luke and Matthew tend to skew this shared theological connection (albeit portrayed from different angles).
The "mountain" also carries royal-divine significance in biblical theology. The mountain of God's chosing represents a physico-spiritual bridge between God and man. Mount Zion is the location of David's throne and the temple, the center of worship. Likewise, after Jesus' ascends into heaven (true Zion), he sits upon the throne of David at God's right hand. Jesus is transfigured on a mountain (Matthew 17:1); He is tempted on a mountain concerning the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8), and after his resurrection, the Son of God chooses a mountain to inaugurate his fulfillment of the royal messianic expectations of Psalm 2 (Matthew 28:16ff).
Jesus prophecies of his death in terms of ascension: "We're going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of the law, and they shall condemn him to death..." (Matthew 20:18ff). When Jesus is mocked as the King of the Jews on the cross, he is commanded to "come down" from the cross. (27:40, 42).
"he sat down"
In Jesus' society, the synogogue teacher would sit to teach. In our society, "to teach" sounds too weak to describe how a sermon functions for discipleship. Discipleship is about engendering thought, behavior, and character for a community and its members represent and honor their master-teacher. It is closer to military training than public education, and involves a lasting commitment between teacher and students. It is teaching with abiding authority and mutual responsibility[1].
The posture of sitting describes not only teaching authority, but when combined with ascension language, it connotes kingly-judicial authority. Jesus' sitting down on the mountain shows a higher authority than the seat of Moses in the synogogue (Matthew 23:2). In answering the messianic expectations of the mother of the sons of Zebedee (upon hearing about his ascension to Jerusalem 20:18ff)), Jesus alludes to his cross as the throne where God will choose to make one sit upon his right hand and left hand. In fulfillment, the two robbers are said to be crucified "one on his right and one on his left" (Matthew 27:38) (cf. Jesus and the Victory of God, N.T. Wright).
After Jesus is raised, he ascends to heaven to sit down at the right hand of God (Acts 2:20, Eph 1:20), he receives authority over all other authorities. He not only has the authority to teach about God's justice, but his teaching is a demonstration of God's saving justice. His very words practice what they preach.
Jesus' teaching is also an exercise in sharing his authority. He is a king training his vicegerents to engage a spiritual combat and leading them in His victory, so that they might be prepared to carry forth his saving justice and so multiply his loyal subjects in number and allegiance. (Unfortunately, the posture of a leader sitting down in our culture might suggest being "casual" about something, or not wanting to speak up.)
SUMMARY: The setting of the sermon on the mount provides clues, mounting evidence towards the calling and the supreme royal authority that Jesus fully receives from his Father in his resurrection and ascension. Matthew's gospel reminds us that He is still with us until the end of the age; He is preaching his sermon to all the nations from heaven through his chosen discipleship leaders (Matthew 28:16ff).
5:2 "And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying"
ALTERNATIVE1: "Then he taught them with supreme authority declaring"
ALTERNATIVE2: "Then he bound them by his teaching saying"
"to open the mouth"
This phrase is often (if not usually) employed for messages intended to carry binding authority, judicial weight or special wisdom:
* God "opens the mouth" of a prophet to declare His words (Exod 4:12, 15; Num 22:28; Ez 3:27)
* The mouth is opened to teach Torah to those without understanding (Matthew 13:35/ Psa 77:2; Psalm 51:15)
* To slander or make false witness or accusation (Ps 22:13, Ps 109:2)
* Speaking out (in court) for the rights of those who cannot defend themselves (Pro 31:8,9)
* To be silent during unfair treatment when one could raise a judicial complaint (Ps 38:13; Isa 53:7)
* Others: vow to God (Jud 11:35), cursing (Job 3:1), making a defense (Job 33:2).
SUMMARY: Jesus' message carries binding, covenantal authority.
Towards the end of high school (1993-94), I began experimenting with music composition on my home computer. By the end of 1995, I had compiled an album of four songs ("Arcade Music" as some of my fans call them), followed by two guitar-vocal "covers". My Christian conversion in Spring 1996 forever altered my entire life and caused me to re-evaluate even how I use my imagination. Since then I haven't composed music, though in recent years I have used photography, poetry, writing, and video-editing as creative outlets to the glory of God. I still delight in these songs as my own, however amateur and immature.
Scattered Thoughts seemed an appropriate title for my works given the collage of genres, styles, and influences they represent. The computer music is mainly a blend of new age, metal, and alternative sounds (with a decent dose of Rush). I titled myself "Fractal Opera"--no doubt due to my love of math and music and my conviction that beauty arises from chaos. What follows is a chronology about these compositions written after Neon Moon was completed for my sister's seventeenth birthday in Jan '95.
"Dream of Desires"(Summer 1993)--my first composition! Perhaps my rawest piece of music. It’s fast paced, but still remains dramatic. This was tracked in a MOD format which only allowed 4 8-bit sampled instruments to play at a time. Although it is probably the closest thing to video game music I have, I still think it was an accomplishment considering didn’t I know any music theory at the time, and I did it all by ear.
"Falling and Flying" (Spring 1994) was going to be an attempt to re-create my first composition "Dream of Desires" with more tracks and higher quality samples, but I wanted to enter it into a composition contest which emphasized originality, so I had to make it a whole new song. It was, however, never judged in a music composition contest because the contest crashed.
Like its predecessor, "Falling and Flying" is a thematic piece. It starts off with an eerie mood. I tried to capture part of the falling theme with a dissonance effect. After the fall, I tried to catch the listener with some sort of order[1.03]. This order soon turns to chaos[1.31] which is just as quickly smothered with the relief of some kind of hope[1.44]. The song then jumps into a resolution [2.50] with the re-emergence of chaos. In the end, neither chaos or hope compromises; both fade off together, forever.
"Prince of Cumberland" (Summer 1994) is more fun than thematic. It was constructed after "Falling and Flying", but the simple main melody and bass counterpart was imagined many years earlier on a synthesizer in Indiana, while I visited my grandparents. Later, during in high school band, I played the little ditty for a few of my friends; they were humored, so I made up some silly lyrics to it and tracked the tune on my computer. "Prince of Cumberland" ranked 20th out of 42 compositions in an online tracker music competition called "Music Composition II (MCII)".
"Mother’s Park"(Fall 1994) started some time in November around my mother’s birthday. Underestimating the time to put it together, my mother’s birthday soon passed and she was presentless until Christmas Day. Then I presented this song to her.
Knowing my mother’s taste for cheerful, relaxing music, I attempted to capture brighter images in "Mother’s Park" than I had in previous songs. It seems I was partly successful, for when I asked my mother to close her eyes and tell me what she sees during the song, she told me that the first half of the song she pictured herself walking through a park. So the song became her park.
After creating half of Mother’s Park, I decided to give into my temptation to experiment with an argument theme [4.50+] which occurs after the “typewriter” break[2.50-4.20]. I wanted to have two sides, with different moods and images, fighting to voice their own opinion. The sinister mood is exact and pounds with each drum beat, while the lighter mood is more abstract and elevates. The arguments remain the same, but they become shorter, and interrupt one another until at last the arguments merge into a compromise at the very end.
Technically, I see "Mother’s Park" as being superior to my other compositions. The instrumentations fit the music and were higher quality (all 16-bit samples). I experimented a little with some of the cadences which also turned out well. In hindsight, there are a few things I would like to change (like too many cymbals at the very end). But I chose to follow Aldous Huxley's own advice in the Preface to his Brave New World: it is best to leave the art as it is, learn from its flaws and move on.
"Neon Moon" (Jan 1995) is my own version of a song by Brooks and Dunn that is my sister’s all time favorite country song. She had always bugged me to learn the guitar solo, so for her seventeenth birthday I planned on learning the solo for her. Soon, however, I was confident that I could do the whole song for her. And since she had always questioned my singing ability--which still may be in question--I tried to redeem myself with my own "Neon Moon."
This project became pretty complex. First I had to play the original song a billion times to figure out the lyrics, the instrument chords, melodies, and cadences. I tracked all the background music with my computer, selecting the most appropriate instruments I could find. Next, I decided to make the performance sound live, so I ripped a sample of a crowd from one of my live Rush CD’s and looped it continuously. So, now I had an audience and the accompaniment. Next, I called upon my physical abilities to strum the guitar, play an original intro (as a decoy), the guitar fills, the solos, and the vocals. Well, I wasn't so talented as to do all that at once. I did, however, figure out a way to create an amateur mixing device consisting of two cassette decks and my soundcard. So, all I had to do was strum the entire song; then record the intro, fills, and solo, over the strums; and lastly, add my own voice so that it would stand out the most on the tape--you think I should have mixed the voice in first? :-)
After several hours and several sides of tapes, it was completed. Not polished, but after singing that song a bigillion times into a pair of headphones that I was using as a microphone, I knew the one you hear was the last one. I still cringe at some of the vocal track, but it was worth seeing the tears in my sisters eyes and my step-father's disbelief that I was the one singing. :-)
"Rivendell" (Winter 1995)--my final recorded song. My version(s) of an early Rush song based on the enchanted elfin realm in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. This time without the computer. It was a gift for a girl, who was one of my best friends, whom I also had a secret crush on in college and whom I consider instrumental in my "coming to the Truth" as she later put it. I gave her the distribution rights for the music for a whole year (and then I could give it to whomever I want). She later told me that she had cried while listening to it at night in bed.
My guitar skills were at their peak for "Rivendell"--two years after receiving my guitar for Christmas. I challenged myself to do a song where I would play and sing at the same time, without mixing magic. I did, however, overlay my voice on top of my guitar so I could read the poetry and sing the chorus in the hidden track version [5:52; 6:21-1113] . The lyrics are worth leaving with you.
"Rivendell" by Rush from Caress of Steel
Sunlight dances through the leaves,
Soft winds stir the sighing trees,
Lying in the warm grass,
Feel the sun upon your face.
Elfin songs and endless nights,
Sweet wine and soft relaxing lights,
Time will never touch you,
Here in this enchanted place
I’ve traveled now for many miles,
It feels so good to see the smiles of
Friends who never left your mind
When you were far away.
From the golden light of coming dawn,
Till the twilight when the sun is gone,
We treasure every season,
And every passing day.
[chorus]
Feel there’s something calling you,
You’re wanting to return,
To where Misty Mountains rise
And friendly fires burn.
A place you can escape the world
Where the Dark Lord cannot go.
Peace of mind and sanctuary,
By loud waters flow.
We feel the coming of a new day
Dark gives way to light a new way,
Stop here for a while, until the world,
The world calls you away.
Yet you know I’ve had the feeling,
Standing with my senses reeling
This is the place to grow old till
I reach my final day,
[chorus]
Let's dive into the movie's philosophy of life and death. One way of describing the entire movie of Big Fish is in terms of facing death as a means to life. Do you think Edward Bloom's knowledge of his own death was the big fish bowl he needed to obtain fullness of life? Could the big fish in the river also be symbolic of life surviving through death?
There are some strong gospel parallels to a philosophy that lives in light of the ultimate future. Edward Bloom's friends were affraid of seeing their own death (and so by trying to save their own lives they lose it). Young Edward, however, chooses to face his own death. In the end, he obtains "eternal life", and on the way he has the courage to wrestle through any adversity and the ambition to obtain whatever his heart desires. In a similar way, knowledge of our baptism into Christ's death and resurrection provides for us the assurance that "nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus". Christ sums up for us all of human history: the sufferings and the glories to follow.
His son Will raises the question about his father's ego. After all, he is at the center of all his own stories. His son feels like a mere minor character; in his own words, "a footnote". That is a big problem begging to be resolved the whole movie. Was it ever really resolved?
We do see in the stories that Ed uses his courage and ambition to be a blessing to those who need it. For instance, he provides friendship and jobs for freeks, financial direction to a poet, and he returns to Spector in order to save it, at his own expense. But what about his son?
The stories are intended as Ed's gift of himself. The sharing about his life is his sharing his life. His surprise ending is allowing his son to tell the final chapter that is faithful to the rest of the story. Again, we can relate this to the gospel. The gospel is primarily about one person: Christ, the climax of Israel's story. Christ's kingdom signs and parables are primarily about himself and the salvation/eternal life he brings through his death and resurrection. Christians are those who live in the final chapter of His story. In a sense, the main story is already finished, but He has still given us the responsibility (and grace for) [re-en]acting the final part of the last chapter, bearing His image and likeness so that we might be faithful witnesses to Him, walking in the light of the rest of His story. And when that story is faithfully told, it will still be all about him. But in as much as we are his and are in him, he is all about us.
Do you think that Big Fish attempts to resolve the relationship between the father and the son in a parallel manner?
So, last week I went looking all over for a Squirrel Nut Zippers album and finally found a copy at Best Buy as they were closing--a swinging Hot album, I should add. I decided to check-out at a register with a tall, skinny blonde behind the counter. She asked for my number. I paused.
"Can I give you my cell number?" I answered.
"Whatever floats your boat," she smiled.
I couldn't help but grin. Not because of what she said, but how she said it. Her voice reached a questionably deep tone. My grin soon turned to an uncomfortable silence. As a copy of my receipt was handed to me, the employee's name badge came into full view: "Adam."
Like sound sleep, nostalgia is one of those things you risk losing trying to get more of it. The past simply refuses to be brought wholly into the present, lest the past become a thing of the past, or more precisely, a thing of the present.