-How structure emphasizes theology
-Chiastic structure (Dr Master, we did you proud!)
-Parables
-Outlines of Luke and John
[To the former student, Stu, who taught the first thirty minutes]
"Get it all on record [as he clipped a digital recorder to Stu's shirt], then we can dissect you later."
"For those of you who have a Synopsis of the Gospels, you can do this as much as you want!"
[Colors on the screen]
"Notice how often it goes from black to green. If that's what those colors are supposed to be... I'm never quite sure, if you have something... lime-ish."
"In my opinion, which is hardly typical of any segment of people..."
"If you call someone, 'You of little faith!', it is by no means a compliment. But... they at least have some!"
[Mark 8:31 as the turning point of the book]
"Even after Peter's spectacular acknowledgement of who Jesus is, he still didn't get it!"
"Talk about having one's cake and eating it too... rolling around in my head."
(Yeah, we didn't get it either...)
"That parallel seems to resolve, unless it's okay to flip white and yellow."
"Try it on for size, see what you think. Someday we'll meet the evangelist who'll tell us all our outlines were out to lunch. We'll see. As Mary goes out to lunch... haha."
(A student had gotten up to leave the classroom...)
"Matthew's Gospel is paradoxically trying to win Jewish people to faith by recording the conflict between Christian and Jewish teachers, competing for the right to say, 'We are the true legacy of Israel.'"
[According to the three parables that 'detail' Christ's return in Matthew 24-25]
"Either Christ will return unexpectedly - based on the householders and the thief - or He'll return too early - based on the faithless servant who was surprised when His master showed up - or He'll return too late - according to the parable of the ten virgins! I think that covers all logical options! What was Harold Camping thinking? If this proves we can't know, I don't know how to prove it!"
"The story of Jesus healing the paralytic causes a controversy. 'Who can forgive sins but God alone?' Haha... bingo!"
[Looking at the powerpoint slide]
"Well... you ready for some fireworks?"
"...Which is fascinating for a source critic, which... if you're not a source critic, not much of this is fascinating..."
"So, Luke has got this thing about geography. Is it pathological? I'll leave that to the counseling majors."
"What is a chiasm? Sounds... racy."
[He really does struggle with the new technology]
"I could have... eraser. Go away! Maybe if I change colors, it'll go away."
"Let's be a large small group. That's not oxymoronic."
"Use either your real Bible or synopsis. If you've been waiting to use your iPod Bible, go for it!"
"I never was very good at charades."
"The only time I've heard [John 12:20-] taught is if they're forced into it... if they're going through the whole gospel."
"The Triumphal Entry... the Palm Sunday Spectacular!"
"Your neighbor comes over to your house and says, 'Ashley! Tell me about Jesus!' ...All three of you can relate."
"'The hour has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory...' Ahh, I wish I had a bass voice."
"I have no proof Andrew and Philip ever said this, but... 'Jesus, we love your little parables. But... did you hear what we said? There are some Gentiles here to see you!'"
[Referring to a diagram on the board]
"Then there was that strange robotic... chart. Two-headed monster? I don't know..."
"Therefore the saying spread between the sistern and the brethren... oh well."
(For the record, I laughed.)
"If this doesn't seem odd to you, you've been in church too long."
"And by believing, you may have life in His Name... fade to black."
"In church, we do not say 'fade to black', we say, 'In Jesus' Name, amen!' And in the low church, we say, 'You are dismissed.'"
"By this time, we're nearing the 90s... not the ones you lived through, the 1990s. Just the 90s."
"Remember, for Gnostics, you can't ever have God in bod."
"What does this do to inspiration? Nothing. It just means He inspired more than one person!"
"It's 9 o'clock, you'll believe anything by now."
[Calling on students with questions, but some students didn't have their hands raised at all]
"I keep seeing hands doing things... not doing real things."
"We know our Bible too well... we don't ask the questions we ought to be!"
"It would be good to know not just for an exam... for life!"
"I am going to go over a few of them because I find them immensely fascinating, and I get to decide what we do!"
"I know so little French, I have to put it in when I do!"
"You can look it up at your leisure... ie: next summer."
[The accusers of Jesus at Caiaphas' house]
"They couldn't ever get their accusation right until they got their false act right!"
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