Luke 1:26-38 Syntactically

I wish I had been taught more about syntactical patterns in narratives in school.  However, even past the 50 year mark one can learn.  I created an outline which can be found here.   Luke1.26to39.syntactical

 This demonstrates to me that the center point of the narrative at the Annunciation is Mary’s question in verse 34 – “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”  (ESV). 

One can not bypass the miraculous claim of the passage.  This miracle is presented as the central point of the story.  Note the emphasis on virgin (v. 27 twice, v. 34 “i have not been with a man”) and the clarity that it is the Most High who has conceived the child.

My analysis had

A-A’  v. 2617; v. 38 – Mary betrothed/servant, Gabriel

B-B’ v. 28-29; 36-37 – Favored Women

C – C’  v. 30-33; 35 – Who/How; Son

D – v. 24  How?

So the D is the central point of the narrative, as I see it.  I know Thomas Jefferson actually cut out all the miraculous from his edition of the New Testament, to find his rationalistic Jesus.  the one presented in the text is not easily trimmed without doing damage to the central parts of the text.

Have a Merry Christmas fellow readers.

God’s Sense of Humor – 2 Samuel 7

So we find that David wanted to build a “house” for the Lord.  In this case “house” means a house of worship – made of solid materials and luxurious – suited to bring Glory to God.  However, the Lord, through Nathan says to David, “So you, whom I plucked from behind the sheep, want to give me a house?  I will give you a house.”  In the second use, “house” means dynasty. 

That is, folks, a pun.  Some call puns the “lowest form of humor.”  So the Almighty stoops to puns to communicate!  I wonder if he laughs at his own jokes.  When you stop reading the bible as if it is to be read by a newscaster you will find that there are many bits of humor like this – OT scholars call this “word play.” 

So David wanted to make a name for himself by building a house for God.  God had a better idea, David’s name would endure with glory, because it is attached to the one king who can fulfill the eternal promise of this text – I think you know who we mean.

2 Samuel 7:16 
    And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.

Luke 1:31-33
    And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.

Image of God Study

In an adult class we are discussing the meaning of the Image of God, and how it has changed from the entrance of sin in Genesis 3.  Here are some class notes:

Created in God’s Image –

• Gen 1:27-28; 5:1; 9:6

What does this mean?

• Morality
• Spirituality
• Knowledge
• Community
• Creativity
• Stewardship
•  
•  

 What happened to the Image after Sin?

• Genesis 9:6
• James 3:9
• Rom 3:23
• I Cor 11:7

 Restoration of the Image –

• Romans 8:29
• Colossians 1:15
• Colossians 3:10
• 2 Corinthians 3:18
• I Cor 15:39
• 2 Cor 4:4

What do you think of this:  “…as we read the rest of Scripture, we realize that a full understanding of man’s likeness to God would require a full understanding of who God is… and a full understanding of who man is…The more we know about God and man the more similarities we will recognize and the more fully we will understand…the image of God.”    Bible Doctrine, W. Grudem p. 190