Jesus' Theology of Believer's Prayer

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

JESUS’ THEOLOGY OF BELIEVER’S PRAYER

A RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO

DEBORAH GILL, PH.D.

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

BTH 532 NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY

BIBLICAL THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT

BY

GEORGE R. TRUE III

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI

NOVEMBER 2013

ii

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1

THE PLACE OF PRAYER ............................................................................................................ 2

Priority…………………………………………………………………………………………….2

Devotion…………………………………………………………………………………………..4

Authenticity……………………………………………………………………………………….5

THE RELATIONAL NATURE OF PRAYER: UNDERSTANDING THE FATHER AND HIS

HEART ........................................................................................................................................... 7

Knowing God as Father…………………………………………………………………...……...7

The Character of the Father………………………………………………………………………9

BELIEVING PRAYER: EXPECTING ANSWERS FROM OUR GOOD FATHER ................. 12

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 15

WORKS CITED ........................................................................................................................... 16

1

INTRODUCTION

Communication between two parties serves as the most important element undergirding

their entire relationship. Proper communication lies at the heart of any healthy connection

between two persons. The same principle at work in human interactions holds true in that

between the divine and the human, God and man. In his teachings, the God-man, Jesus Christ,

presents foundational principles that strengthen and enhance the relationship between the

believer and their Father in heaven, and allows them to live freely and move powerfully in the

Kingdom of God. This paper contends that Jesus’ theology of believer’s prayer finds its basis in

proper relationship to God and expectant faith in him. Understanding prayer’s place in their lives

and their position in relation to the Father empowers believers into a kingdom lifestyle of faith-

filled, powerful prayer.

The primary passages under study will focus on those tied to the giving of the Lord’s

Prayer. Attention will be given to the historical and cultural setting of the texts in order that they

may be understood appropriately. The prayer itself, while valuable and deserving of study, will

not be examined in this paper. Relevant passages from Mark and John, while valuable, also lie

beyond the scope of this paper. The study will begin by taking up the foundational principles of

believer’s prayer, proceed to discuss the importance of a proper relationship with the Heavenly

Father in prayer, and end with a study on the nature of faith in the prayer life of followers of

Jesus.

2

THE PLACE OF PRAYER

In Matthew chapter 6, one encounters one of the most well-known passages regarding

prayer, commonly referred to as the Lord’s Prayer. In the prayer itself, Jesus teaches his

followers how to pray, offering them a model for their own prayers. A study of Matthew 6 shows

the type of prayer that Jesus expected his followers to practice, containing the basic foundations

necessary for entering into the place of prayer. The opening part of Jesus’ teaching reads this

way:

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray

in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say

to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut

the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will

reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for

they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your

Father knows what you need before you ask him (Matt. 6:5-8).1

Priority

The first step in understanding Jesus’ theology of believer’s prayer lies in understanding

the importance Jesus places upon it. While most Christians would not debate the importance of

prayer in their lives, they could not articulate the significance Jesus places on this discipline. An

examination of Matthew chapter 6 demonstrates that the opening three sections, detailing the

spiritual disciplines of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, show a linguistic unity that sets them

1Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.

3

apart from the other sections of the Sermon on the Mount. Each section closes with the refrain,

“And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”2

The rabbis of the first century employed a practice in which they summarized the essence

of their message by identifying core practices, which they believed to encapsulate the essence of

what God requires from humanity.3 An example of this can be found in the words of Shimon the

Just, recorded in The Mishnah, where he states, “By three things is the world sustained: by the

Law, by the Temple-service, and by deeds of loving-kindness.”4 The author of Tobit, an

apocryphal text from first century Judaism, wrote, “Prayer with fasting is good, but better than

both is almsgiving with righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than wealth with

wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to lay up gold. For almsgiving saves from death and

purges away every sin. Those who give alms will enjoy a full life.”5

Jesus employs this practice in his discussion of the disciplines, presenting what scholar

Marc Turnage identifies as his “three pillars of faith”6 According to Turnage, “Evidence from

contemporary Judaism suggests that Jesus ordered His three pillars according to the priority he

gave to each.”7 In the light of this interpretation, Jesus gives prayer an important place in the

lifestyle that he seeks to instill in his followers. Theologically speaking, the discipline of prayer

should occupy a significant place in the lifestyle of disciples.

2Gerald Friedlander, The Jewish Sources of the Sermon on the Mount, The Library of Biblical Studies, edited by

Harry M. Orinsky (New York: Ktav, 1969), 93.

3Marc Turnage, “The Three Pillars of Jesus’ Faith,” Enrichment Journal 16 (Fall 2011): 101.

4The Mishnah, Avot 1:2; All Mishnah quotations are taken from The Mishnah, trans. Herbert Danby (New York:

Oxford, 1933). ‘

5Tobit 12:8-9, New Revised Standard Version.

6Turnage, Three Pillar’s, 101.

7Ibid.

4

Devotion

The place of prayer in the life of the believer should not only occupy a place of priority,

but it should also represent an expression their devotion to God. The heart of those who pray

should focus upward towards God and not outward towards the praise and applause of men.

Jesus states, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and

pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by others” (Matt. 6:5).

Correct interpretation of this text necessitates understanding what Jesus means. Jesus,

here, condemns not the location of such prayers, but the heart behind them which sought the

recognition of others for its piety. As a practicing Jew of his day, Jesus would have engaged in

prayers in the synagogues and the streets. In fact, prayers in the synagogues held a special place

in ancient Judaism, for they thought that such prayers gained a better chance of being heard by

God.8 Jews also engaged in prayer in the streets during the days of their various feasts and public

fasts.9 Jesus here addresses the issue of motivation in prayer.

Believers must not engage in the discipline of prayer as a show of outward piety seeking

the honor and applause of men, but to enter the place of authentic, heartfelt engagement with

their Heavenly Father, knowing that genuine interaction lies at the center of what he desires. As

A. W. Tozer writes in his classic, The Pursuit of God, “God formed us for His pleasure, and so

formed us that we, as well as He, can, in divine communion, enjoy the sweet and mysterious

mingling of kindred personalities.”10

A devoted heart desiring to enjoy the presence of God and

engage in communion with him should characterize the place of prayer in the believer’s life.

8John Lightfoot, “Matthew,” in Matthew—Mark, vol. 2 of A Commentary on the New Testament from the

Talmud and Hebraica (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 143.

9Ibid.

10

A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God (Rockville, MD: Serenity, 2009), 32.

5

Authenticity

In Matthew’s text, Jesus not only addresses the heart behind believer’s prayer but also

speaks to the words that are used in practice of the discipline. The text states, “And when you

pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for

their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”

(Matt. 6:7-8). Interestingly, Jesus highlights the Gentiles in this reference, referring to their

tendency to utter repetitive prayers in hopes that such prayers would gain the attention of their

particular deity and receive an answer from them.

Historical records indicate just how repetitive Gentile prayers could be, “Antoninus the

pious, the gods keep thee. Antoninus the merciful, the gods keep thee. Antoninus the merciful,

the gods keep thee.”11

One source records this prayer to Caesar,

Let the parricide be dragged: we beseech thee, Augustus, let the parricide be dragged.

This is the thing we ask, let the parricide be dragged. Hear us, Caesar. Let the false

accusers be condemned to the lion. Hear us, Caesar. Let the false accusers be condemned

to the lion. Hear us, Caesar.12

Some Jews, however, actually repeated this mistake of the Gentiles believing that “Everyone that

multiplies prayer is heard."13

In contrast to such practices, Jesus seeks to remind his followers that such words were not

necessary, for the Father already knew of their situation (Matt. 6:8). Jesus took issue with such

“empty phrases” (Matt. 6:7) as the basis of being heard by God. As Lightfoot comments, “Christ,

therefore, does not so much condemn the bare saying over again of the same petitions, either in

11

Galliean, Avidio Cassio: quoted in Lightfoot, 145.

12

Lamprid, Commodo; quoted in Lightfoot, 145.

13

The Mishnah, Taanith 67:3.

6

the same words, or in words of the same import,” but “a false opinion, as if there were some

power, or zeal, or piety, in such kinds of repetitions.”14

Jesus should not be understood as against all types of regular structured prayer, because,

as a faithful Jew, he would have participated in the regular prayers of the Jews.15

Jewish piety

would have necessitated praying three times a day. This practice held such significance for them

that, after the destruction of the temple in AD 70, they believed it fulfilled the requirement for

temple sacrifices, rendered impossible by the temple’s destruction.16

In the early stages of the

Christendom, the Lord’s Prayer, given by Jesus here in this context, substituted for the Jewish

tefilla in being prayed three times daily.17

Instead of the repetition of the right phrases, Jesus points his followers to one of the most

significant and privileged positions that they have as his followers, that of sons and daughters of

God. Scholar Brad Young notes “The supreme barrier one faces during prayer is not the words or

the liturgy, but rather the way one understands the nature of God.”18

Jesus understood this and

wanted to make sure that his followers related correctly to God. His followers have the

wonderful privilege of approaching him as their Father, a title Jesus emphasizes in verses 8 and 9.

Believer’s prayer finds its basis in this relationship to God as Father. A powerful life of faith

filled prayer begins with the proper view of God and relationship to him.

14

Lightfoot, 145.

15

Ibid., 146.

16

Lawrence Schiffman, From Text to Tradition (Hoboken, NJ: Ktav, 1991), 246.

17

David Flusser and Huub Van De Sandt, The Didache (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002), 294.

18

Brad H. Young, The Parables (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998), 42.

7

THE RELATIONAL NATURE OF PRAYER: UNDERSTANDING THE FATHER AND HIS

HEART

Relationship to God as Father served as a foundation for the prayer life of believers in

Jesus’ teachings. As opposed to religions where adherents would attempt to appease their deity

through their repetitions, Jesus invites his followers into a more intimate connection to the

Heavenly Father, rendering such vain words unnecessary. As theologian Wayne Grudem states,

“We now relate to God not as a slave relates to a slave master, but as a child relates to his or her

father.”19

Believers avoid such manipulative techniques by remembering the blessing given to

them by God, namely knowing him as their Father. The construction used in the Matthew 6:9

reads “Abba, ho pater,” placing the Semitic language and Greek together in one phrase.20

This

construction appears only three times in the entire New Testament, and all three are in the

context of “fervent prayers.”21

According to Bailey, the early church preserved this Semitic

terminology despite writing in Greek because “the word Abba was so important to the apostolic

community.”22

Knowing God as Father

In order to understand the supreme importance of the father/son dynamic in the prayer

life of Jesus and his teachings, one should understand one of the prevailing mindsets at work in

the first century that influenced the words of Jesus. Jesus’ personal lifestyle resembles first-

19

Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994), 739.

20

Kenneth E. Bailey, Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2008), 96.

21

Ibid.

22

Ibid.

8

century Jewish holy men known as the Hasidim, or men of deeds.23

The lifestyle of the Hasidim

included characteristics such as: secret piety, fear of sin, charity, and an intimate relationship to

God.24

These men utilized a title for God, Abba, portraying “a warm, close address similar to

‘daddy’”25

This intimate connection to God served as the basis for their expectant prayer life that

often witnessed the miraculous hand of God. One of the most well-known of these figures

appears in the writings of Josephus as Onias the Circle Maker. Josephus writes, “Now there was

one, whose name was Onias, a righteous man he was, and beloved of God, who, in a certain

drought, had prayed to God to put an end to the intense heat, and whose prayers God had heard,

and had sent them rain.”26

The Mishnah expands on this story, illustrating the importance of

Onias’ relationship to the Father: “Hadst thou not been Onias I had pronounced a ban against

thee! But what shall I do to thee?—thou importunest God and he performeth thy will, like a son

that importuneth his father and he performeth his will.”27

Jesus, like Onias and the other Hasidim, related to God as a son relates to his father, and

this provides the backdrop for understanding why Jesus specifically calls God Father in verses 8

and 9 of Matthew chapter 6. According to Shmuel Safrai, “the relationship of a Hasid to God

was not just one of child of God, but of a son who can brazenly make requests of his father that

23

Marc Turnage, “Jesus and the Hasidim,” (lecture, Center for Holy Lands Studies Summer Institute, July 22,

2013).

24

Ibid.

25

Veli-Matti Karkkainen, Christology: A Global Introduction (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 25.

26

Flavius Josephus, The Works of Flavius Josephus, trans. William Whiston (Auburn and Buffalo, NY: John E.

Beardsley, 1895), E-Sword, v. 10.2.1.

27

The Mishnah, Taanith 3:8.

9

someone else cannot make.”28

This intimate connection to God allowed the Hasid to operate with

a special openness and boldness in prayer, founded on their special relationship. David Flusser

notes, “These charismatic pious men believed that their ties with God were stronger than those of

other men, although they certainly did not exclude the possibility that others were able to attain a

similar position.”29

By his introduction of the Lord’s Prayer with the two, specific references to

the Father, Jesus invites his followers into this place of intimacy with God that enables bold

expectant prayer.

The Character of the Father

Not only does Jesus demonstrate the importance of a relationship with God, but he also

shows the necessity of understanding his character. In Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus

immediately follows the prayer with the Parable of the Friend at Midnight.

And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say

to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I

have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the

door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you

anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his

friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I

tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be

opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the

one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will

instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If

you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more

will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

(Luke 11:5-13).

Jesus helps his audience gain a proper perspective of the character of God and its impact on

prayer.

28

Shmuel Safrai, “Jesus and the Hasidim,” Jerusalem Perspectives Web site; accessed 9 November 2013;

available from: http://www.jerusalemperspective.com/2685/.

29

David Flusser and R. Steven Notley, The Sage From Galilee (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 100.

10

As with any teaching of Jesus, the impact gains power when one understands the culture

of the teacher and his or her audience. In this story, a man goes to his friend at midnight, in need

of bread for a guest who recently arrived from his journey. The picture painted portrays

interactions between neighbors, something likely to have taken place in the first century, at

midnight, denoting a sense of urgency.30

In the culture of the first century, the value of

hospitality put an obligation on both the friend and the neighbor, such that the friend’s obligation

to receive his visiting friend and the neighbor’s obligation to assist his friend would be

understood by the crowd. The visitor in such a case was a guest, not only of his friend, but also

of the entire village.31

In such a setting, the neighbor’s rejection would be overwhelmingly

shocking to such a crowd, violating every cultural standard of hospitality, thus creating the full

impact of the story and enraging the multitudes.32

Jesus uses role-play in this parable to demonstrate God’s character “by the exaggerated

characterizations of actions unlike God” which would “make the listener understand the divine

image.”33

The neighbor’s actions represent the antithesis of God’s character, such that one

should understand God’s willingness and goodness as strongly as the neighbor’s unwillingness

and rejection. God gladly and willingly helps those who approach him in prayer, because of his

goodness. As John Nolden writes, “The role of the parable is to encourage the praying of the

30

Young, 45.

31

Ibid., 45-46.

32

Ibid., 46.

33

Ibid., 42.

11

Lord’s Prayer, with the confidence that God will, as we lay our needs before him, respond

positively to our requests.”34

God’s willingness again receives attention in verses 11-13, where Jesus highlights the

fact that the basis of their expectation for answered prayer can be shown by another portrait, that

of a father giving gifts to his children. Jesus asks a rhetorical question: “When your child asks

you for bread, will you give him a stone? Or if he asked for some fish, would you give him a

snake?” Jesus bases the question on the assumption that a normal, earthly father would never

give such things to his son. How, then, could God whose character consists of absolute goodness?

This goodness should be firm in believer’s minds when they approach God, emboldening and

solidifying the foundation of their expectation of receiving from him when they approach him in

prayer. God’s “bounty thus transcends that of earthly parents because he is essentially good and

not evil, as they are known to be.”35

God, who hears prayers and petitions from believers, “does

not need to be importuned, but is only too eager to give the best of answers.”36

Living in the

intimacy of the father/son relationship and resting in his character of absolute goodness should

prepare believers to live a life of expectant prayer.

34

John Nolden, Luke 9:21-18:34, vol. 35B of the Word Biblical Commentary, gen. eds. David A. Hubbard and

Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word, 1993), 626.

35

Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, Luke 10-14, vol. 28A of The Anchor Bible, gen. eds. William F. Albright and David N.

Freedman (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1985), 914.

36

Michael Wilcock, Luke, The Bible Speaks Today, gen. ed. John R. W. Stott (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1979),

126.

12

BELIEVING PRAYER: EXPECTING ANSWERS FROM OUR GOOD FATHER

At the center of the passage considered in the last section, specifically following Jesus’

parable, Jesus invites his followers to this life of prayer. He states, “And I tell you, ask, and it

will be given to you…” (Luke 11:9). Luke uses the Greek word aiteo, meaning “to ask, request,”

to communicate Jesus’ message.37

Robert Stein notes, “This is best understood not as an

imperative of command (‘You must ask in order to receive’) but as an imperative of condition

(‘If you ask, you will indeed receive;’ cf. 6:37-38).”38

Jesus displays the fact that those who pray

and request from their Heavenly Father will receive an answer from him. Stein comments that to

add qualifications to the statement would displace the “focus from God’s gracious response to

believers’ prayers to the qualifications.”39

Based on the character of God, elaborated in the

surrounding parables, Jesus invites believers into a place of faith-filled prayer that expects and

receives answers from the Heavenly Father.

Closely tied to this teaching in Luke 11, Jesus tells another story that strengthens his call

to expectant prayer in Luke 18, that of the Unjust Judge. The call to faith cannot be separated

from a proper view of God, for as Brad Young notes, “True faith focuses on an awareness of

37

George Abbott-Smith, A Manuel Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 3rd

ed. (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1937),

14.

38

Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24 of The New American Commentary, gen. ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville:

Broadman, 1992), 327.

39

Ibid., 328.

13

what God is like,” and this faith in a good God serves as the basis for true prayer.40

Within both

the parable of the Contemptible Friend and the Unjust Judge, a bold, tenacious faith takes focus.

In 11:8, Jesus states that even the friend of questionable character would answer his neighbor’s

request because of his “imprudence.” Luke uses the Greek word anaideia, which translates as

“persistence, importunity.”41

It should be understood as tenacity, bold persistence, or

shamelessness. The Hebrew term for the bold faith presented in both parables chutzpah expresses

determined persistence, perhaps “raw nerve,” relentless diligence.42

Young notes that “One

without shame will do anything to achieve his or her purpose….a person with brazen tenacity

demands what he requires without shame.”43

Within ancient Judaism, such boldness was celebrated as a quality of your religious

commitment, to the extent that “extolled perseverance to the edge of blasphemy in the struggle

contained in the relationship between God and humanity.”44

Because of the high value placed on

the father/child relationship with the Father in Judaism, they recognized that “the strong-willed

tenacity” exhibited by a child with their parent to get what they want was appropriate in some

situations.45

Jesus shows this bold faith particularly in the parable of the Unjust Judge, where the

widow’s boldness in prayer “wears out” the judge until he relents and gives her what she wants.

The original language uses a boxing term, which speaks of striking your opponent under the eye,

40

Young, 44.

41

Ibid., 48-49.

42

Ibid.

43

Ibid., 49.

44

Ibid.

45

Ibid.

14

resulting in a black eye.46

Young expresses the strength of this statement when he summarizes

the judge’s response: “I will grant her justice lest in the end she comes and gives me a blow in

the face.”47

In the parable of the Contemptible Friend, determined persistence got the neighbor

exactly what he needed, solely because he kept knocking. In both stories, a bold, shameless,

persistent request received God’s response.

Jesus teaches that believers should exhibit a boldness and shameless confidence in their

interaction with their Father in heaven, requesting from him whatever they need and expecting

him to respond favorably. Because of Jesus’ comparison of the incredible goodness of God’s

character in relation to both the unjust judge and the contemptible friend, one should expect that

such boldness and persistence will receive an answer. As believers, we should continue in prayer

until the Father answers. Kenneth Bailey notes on this parable, “Persistence in prayer is

appropriate for the believer up until there is an answer…before the answer is given, persistence

in prayer is part of genuine piety.”48

Until the Father speaks, expectant prayer should continue.

46

Ibid.

47

Ibid., 58-59.

48

Bailey, 267.

15

CONCLUSION

In the light of the Jewish culture and the teachings of Jesus, believers should engage in a

powerful life of faith-filled prayer, founded in God’s character and their relationship to him as

his child. Their position in relation to the Father with such a strong character should lead them to

have no problem making bold and shameless requests, and to seek to do so persistently until he

answers. Understanding Jesus’ theology of prayer should lead believers to ask, seek, and knock

knowing that the perfect Heavenly Father desires to give good gifts to his children.

Jesus’ Theology of Believer’s Prayer applies directly to the prayer life of the

contemporary believer. First of all, it directs their faith towards God the Father, and his perfect

and loving character as the giver of good gifts to his children. Understanding this should make

prayer a safe place to be bold, honest, and shameless, discussing whatever need may be weighing

down the heart. Second, it lends toward a relational prayer life of communion rather than simply

a dutiful prayer life of obedience. Love and relationship between Father and child should create

an atmosphere of care and acceptance rather than one of fear or duty. Lastly, Jesus’ theology

should embolden believers to expect answers to prayer and see the miraculous hand of God

move on a regular basis.

A church culture built around this prayer relationship with the Heavenly Father should be

one of the most powerful, loving, and miraculous communities in the world. May this discipline,

rightly understood, take its place of priority in the individual lives of Christ’s followers

everywhere as they seek to live and practice the lifestyle of the kingdom of God.

16

WORKS CITED

Abbott-Smith, George. A Manuel Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. 3rd ed. Edinburgh:

T & T Clark, 1937.

Bailey, Kenneth E. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2008.

Fitzmeyer, Joseph A. Luke 10-14. Vol. 28A of The Anchor Bible. General editors William F.

Albright and David N. Freedman. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1985.

Flusser, David, and Huub Van De Sandt. The Didache. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002.

Flusser, David, and R. Steven Notley. The Sage From Galilee. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.

Friedlander, Gerald. The Jewish Sources of the Sermon on the Mount. The Library of Biblical

Studies. Edited by Harry M. Orinsky. New York: Ktav, 1969.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.

Josephus, Flavius. The Works of Flavius Josephus. Translated by William Whiston.

Auburn and Buffalo, NY: John E. Beardsley, 1895. E-Sword, v. 10.2.1.

Karkkainen, Veli-Matti. Christology: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003.

Lightfoot, John. “Matthew.” In Matthew-Mark. Vol. 2 of A Commentary on the New Testament

from the Talmud and Hebraica. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979.

The Mishnah. Translated by Herbert Danby. New York: Oxford, 1933.

Nolden, John. Luke 9:21-18:34. Vol. 35B of the Word Biblical Commentary. General editors

David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Dallas: Word, 1993.

Safrai, Shmuel. “Jesus and the Hasidim.” Jerusalem Perspectives Web site. Accessed 9

November 2013. Available from: http://www.jerusalemperspective.com/2685/.

Schiffman, Lawrence. From Text to Tradition. Hoboken, NJ: Ktav, 1991.

Stein, Robert H. Luke. Vol. 24 of The New American Commentary. General editor David S.

Dockery. Nashville: Broadman, 1992.

Tozer, A. W. The Pursuit of God. Rockville, MD: Serenity, 2009.

17

Turnage, Marc. “Jesus and the Hasidim.” Lecture, Center for Holy Lands Studies Summer

Institute, July 22, 2013.

____________. "The Three Pillars of Jesus' Faith." Enrichment Journal 16 (Fall 2011): 100-101.

Wilcock, Michael. Luke. The Bible Speaks Today. General editor John R. W. Stott. Downers

Grove, IL: IVP, 1979.

Young, Brad H. The Parables. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998.