Proverbs/John/Acts

John 20-21
John's resurrection section is the longest of any of the gospels. Jesus appears many times in several different situations. The writer goes to pains to demonstrate that Jesus is not an ephemeral spirit or ghost. He can eat; he can be touched. The exclamation of Thomas, "My Lord and my God!" is the climax of the gospel. The next section in fact reiterates why the writer has embarked on the endeavor. It is followed by an epilogue of sorts telling the story of the rather personal reconciliation between Jesus and Peter, who denied him.



Acts 1-4
Re-read Luke 1:1-4. You will find a parallel here. Luke and Acts are so tightly tied together that they are sometimes simply referred to as Luke-Acts. Acts, the only real historical book in the NT, tells the story of the church in those important first years.

Luke kind of picks up where he left off, retelling in greater detail the story of the ascension of Jesus. He then tells of how Judas was replaced by Matthias, a member of the community that had gathered together.

Chapter 2 is the familiar story of Pentecost and Peter's great discourse. In many ways it is here that the disciples finally get it, they finally understand what Jesus was all about. It is here too that we start the story of Peter, the first major section of the book.

Chapter 3-4 tell of Peter's exploits - Peter heals, Peter preaches, Peter is arrested. These stories are bookended by the end of chapter 2 and the end of chapter 4, in which the life of the community is described...people shared their goods, spent time together in prayer, worshiping God and breaking bread.


Proverbs 5-24
Again we hear of the "strange woman" who lures with the perils of foolishness and adultery and then Wisdom speaks, she invites all people, rich, poor, wise, unwise.

We are then treated to the actual proverbs (of Solomon) 10 - 22:16. Some of these may have come from Solomon, some likely from other sources. They are loosely connected, but in general you can pretty much pick a verse at random and get a good saying.

In the middle of chapter 22 we pick up the "Words of the Wise" through chapter 24. The sources of these sayings are varied, many related to Egyptian wisdom.

Don't forget to bring your top 10 proverbs to our next meeting, scheduled for August 3.