Numbers of Sons and Daughters, who baptized Jesus and just where was that sermon delivered?

I'm guessing Henry VIII didn't get to this part of Numbers...

...because if he had, he'd've read the passage about the Daughters of Zelophehad in Numbers 27, and his perceived need for a son would have been so very different. Maybe. Were you as intrigued as I was at reading about the daughters of Zelophedad, who spoke up for their inheritance rights? Rather cool. Almost made up for the rather gruesome skewering of Zimri and his Midianite woman, Cozbi, in chapter 25... I wonder if they forgot that Moses was married to a Midianite woman. But things get intense whenever there is a question of syncretism-- that is, blending the practices of the Israelites with those of the other nations around them.  And syncretism, and the plague that was the consequence, was at the heart of that chapter about the worship of "Baal of Peor." The word "baal" is interesting. It's a Hebrew honorific we could translate as "lord" or "master," and its use here echoes with the question being asked of the Israelites over and over: Who is your God? Who is your Lord?  "I am the Lord your God..."

Also, when we read about one group amongst the Israelites having priority over another-- and the stories that back them up (like the rebellion against Moses and Aaron by Korah and Co.) it's always important to ask, "Just who is writing this, and who benefits from this story?"  This part of the Pentateuch may be drawing from multiple sources, but it's being redacted by the Priestly community, so it is no surprise that the Levites are coming out on top... Similarly, we will read about the controversies around intermarrying when we get to Ezra and Nehemiah, books from and about the Post-Exilic era... the same Post-Exilic era that brought us Numbers... giving a whole 'nuther layer of context for the stories about punishing those who intermarry with women from other ethnic groups.

On a lighter note... Did you enjoy the chapter about Balaam and his donkey? I love when his donkey starts talking and gives him what-for for not "listening" to him when he was trying to avoid the angel with the sword... That's another story that is fun to imagine being told around a campfire. 

Fun with Luke...Who baptized Jesus, and where did he give The Sermon? What are your "Lucan Ticks?"

These are some fun quirks we can notice when we read the gospels one after the other, or read one at home while hearing another in church.  In Mark 1 we heard that John baptized Jesus, then Jesus had his (2 verse ;) ) sojourn in the wilderness, then John was arrested.... But in Luke 3, John is arrested before Jesus is baptized.   Luke keeps the language around Jesus' baptism very passive, avoiding having the baptizer be the active-subject of the sentence. Some scholars have speculated that Luke was trying to distance Jesus a bit from the troublesome Baptist, or that Luke was emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit (which might make sense, given what unfolds in Acts, which was also written by Luke.)

More fun with Luke comes in chapter 6, when he gives The Sermon. Instead of locating the sermon on The Mount, as Matthew does, Luke locates it on "a level place," or The Plain. And Luke's version of the sermon is different, too, shorter, for one. And have you compared Matthew (5:1) and Luke's (6:20) beatitudes?

Check it out... what do you notice? What are your "Lucan Ticks," the ways you hear Luke's voice come through? Does this suggest anything to you about what the different evangelists think is more important to share about Jesus' teachings, what is more important about the Good News?

Thank you for being on this journey!

Peace,

Paige+