1)      Norm has moved into the beginning of the passion story in chapter 6 and works through the implications of Jesus’ actions up to his betrayal.  Beginning with a thought that the resurrections of Lazarus might have been some foreshadowing on Jesus’ part, the questions of Jesus riding a donkey soon comes up (186-190).  This move might not have just been done to fulfill prophesy, it could have been used as a political movement, directly against Pilate or to mimic Solomon (190-200).  After seeing Jesus come into the city, Norm goes to the temple where Jesus upturned the tables.  Here he learns of the strong connections with the scriptures and how Judas might have been counted as a money trader (200-214).  The final sections of the chapter examine Judas’ strange death and the last supper, and the weirdness the disciples would have seen in the act (214-228).

2)       Norm’s train of thought in the chapter is interesting because of the use of other’s ideas for transitions sequences.  Just as he had never thought of Jesus as Solomon or the foreshadowing with Lazarus, neither had I.   It does bring into question some of the last chapter’s ideas of Jesus’ omniscience.  

Part 1

Norm continues his quest to the subject of Jesus’ death, “a detective’s nightmare” (186).  Norm first explores the occurrence of resurrection in the Gospels.  He questions why only John talks about Lazarus.  He concludes that perhaps this event fits John’s purpose for writing.  It fits into the historical narrative.  John is not concerned with facts but storytelling to understand and inspire the faith (188-190).  In the next section, he visits Mount of Olives.  Norm parallels the political geography of 1st century to the present (191).  Jerusalem is seen through a wall of Jesus’ tears in Luke.  In Luke, the speech of Jesus, whether historical or not questioned by Norm, is very somber convey the burden of death before Jesus (192).  Each Gospel emphasizes a different aspect of the crowd when Jesus rides into Jerusalem.  Norm cites that Matthew and John have used the Old Testament to interweave stories from Zechariah and Solomon to elevate Jesus as a fulfiller of the prophecies of old (194-200).  Norm visits in the Gospels and the Holy City the event when Jesus turned the tables.  After comparing and contrasting the accounts, Norm asserts that all four locate the table turning “in the temple” as a key detail that cannot be left out of the story (205).  John’s account is situated earlier than the other Gospels in the beginning of Jesus’ career, which is odd to Norm (205).  Norm again sees this event of Jesus parallel like the Last Supper to the Old Testament.  The table turning restores hope of a second temple in Isaiah and Jesus acts like Jeremiah in this event (206-211).  In the Last Supper, Norm sees how the Gospels could have pinned Jesus as the Second Moses or a retelling of the first Passover in Egypt (220-227).  Another series of questions Norm’s explores is how Judas died and why did he betray Jesus?  Norm does not think it is just for money, perhaps power or jealousy (215).

Part 2

One of the many topics Norm touches on in this chapter that I never realized until reading this book was the political overtones of Jesus.  I always saw Jesus as a spiritual leader not a political one.    When Norm mentions how the parade on the donkey could have be a parody of Pilate’s military parade and a challenge to Roman rule (195).  Could we discuss the questions Norm asks about political Jesus more in class?  If Jesus was mocking Pilate, why didn’t this come up in the evidence for his arrest and death?  Interesting questions to ponder I might add.  I enjoy how this book takes me on my own quest with open discussion and variety of theories to decipher through.

Part I          
      In this section of the book, Norm is edging closer to the topic of Jesus’s death (186).  Norm travels to the Mount of Olives and
begins to think about Jesus’s resurrecting Lazarus after four days and the symmetry between that and other resurrections (187-190).  Norm next begins to wonder about Jesus and his parade into Jerusalem on a donkey, including what its purpose was whether or not he was influenced by Zechariah or Solomon, who both had similar experiences (193-201).  At some point, Norm meets up with Rabbi Feldman and begins to wonder about Jesus and his actions against the temple, in particular, the table turning that is featured in all four gospels (201-207). Norm then turns his attention to Judas Iscariot, wondering why he
betrayed Jesus and what he had to gain from that betrayal.  He also contemplates the two different death stories, represented in Matthew and in Acts (213-220).  Norm also begins to think about the Last Supper and whether or not it was actually a Passover feast or some kind of other gathering, as well as Jesus’s representation as the “new lamb” of Passover (220-228).

Part II         
   
      Norm touches base on a lot of different subjects here, but I think that he is trying to place emphasis on the events prior to the death of Jesus.  It seems to me that in certain ways Jesus is preparing for his death by setting up a sort of chain of events.  For example, I think that his rebellion against the temple was a way of foreshadowing the destruction of the temple.  Throughout the book we have seen various examples of how Jesus’s is either influenced by or made to seem influenced by prophets in the past.  This is a recurring theme and it makes me wonder about what parts of the story of his death are the most accurate.  Even without the supernatural elements, it is still a fantastic story, and it makes me think of Jesus, not only as a spiritual leader, but also as an amazing political leader.  I think that was why he was so troubling to the different leaders of his time, because he was trying to preach the word of God through political and spiritual activism and he happened to find things in the way that the land was ruled that challenged what he believed was ordained by God. The people that crucified Jesus must not have known that after his death he would become more famous. Would they have found some other way to ensure that he could not preach, such as locking him up in prison until such a time where he was no longer a threat?

Part I
The sixth chapter of A Hitchhikers Guide to Jesus opens up with Norm traveling to the Mount of Olives and realizing some of the similarities between Jesus and Lazarus (189).  He begins reading his bible when he notices how differently the gospels portray opinions of Jerusalem as Jesus entered in on a Donkey (194).  Norm questions Jesus’ use of a donkey (parody of Pilate) and wonders if the “impressive sized procession” that followed was Jesus’ attempt to gain attention and win over the city (194-195).  Norm later makes comparisons between Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem and Solomon’s ride into Jerusalem and ponders if possibly Mark could have taken them as the same (199-200).  At the end of the chapter, Norm compares the betrayal of Judas with Jesus and the differences in details of the last supper.

Part II
The method and purpose for Jesus presenting himself into Jerusalem is a topic that many people debate.  Although donkey travel was a common form of travel back then, Norm believes that with his rising in popularity, Jesus presents himself as a threat to the Roman rule.  It is this reason why Norm states “it is no wonder he was hung on a Roman cross within a week” (198).  Norm questions if it is just coincidence, or Jesus’ efforts to create such a scene on his entry.  Jesus foretells of the temple’s destruction and the Roman authorities take him as a serious threat.  This is not surprising due to his rise in popularity.   However it is impossible for one man to destroy an entire temple with his hands, the Roman authority probably looks at Jesus’ overthrowing of the tables as an example of what could come: Jesus overthrowing the entire city.  This topic leads into the next chapter with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Part I     
       In this chapter Norm visits Mount of Olives and Jerusalem. Norm describes in detail Jesus’ ride into the Holy City on the back of a donkey. Norm emphasizes the similarities and differences between this New Testament story of the gospels and the Old Testament stories from various sources. Norm points out that the inspiration behind the NT story could have come from the ones found in the OT in order to fulfill the prophecy. The chapter ends with an introduction into Jesus’ future suffering that begins with the betrayal of Judas.

Part II
      The story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey has been interpreted by scholars as both Jesus’ last attempt to win the city over and as a political movement to challenge Roman power (194). Norm, however concludes that this story of the Gospels is not so much about politics but more about the fulfillment of the prophecy of the new kingdom (197). A scene that Norm concentrates on throughout this chapter is that of Jesus inside the temple upturning tables and reciting the statement: “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:18-22, pg. 213). Guilder, Norm’s professor, states that this statement of Jesus is believed to be one of the most authentic of his sayings (201). While visiting the Al Aqsa Mosque Norm realizes he has been presented with actual evidence that this prediction has been fulfilled.  This chapter ends with more questions for Norm about the next events in Jesus’ life: his crucifixion and resurrection    

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Part 1

Norm goes to the Mount of Olives for sunrise and then to the Dominus Flevit. He pulls out his Bible and begins reading the gospels’ story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. All four gospels show this scene, and Norm points out that Matthew and John explain this event as fulfilling prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9.  He also notes the parallels between Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem and Solomon’s ride into Jerusalem. This was a new concept to me. Later, Norm ponders the intent of Judas’ decision to betray Jesus and decides Judas did not like the kingdom Jesus was proclaiming. The chapter is finished up with discussion about the Last Supper.

Part 2

Norm talks about Jesus upending tables and threatening the temple’s destruction. Norm notes that it was no wonder Jesus was an enemy of the state. The temple was Israel’s pride and refuge, and anyone who threatened its destruction would be labeled an enemy of the state. However, it seems Jesus is not talking about the temple itself being destroyed and rebuilt. It is almost like he is talking about himself as the temple (his death being the destruction and his resurrection after three days being the rebuilt temple).  I assume that the Pharisees, scribes, and officials did not take it like that though. Did they not understand what Jesus was referring to? It seems they were looking at the literal meaning rather than Jesus’ message of himself being the temple. If that is the case, how did they figure one man could literally destroy the temple? Instead, I feel like they were so offended by this foretelling of the temple’s destruction that they did not know what else to do but begin to scheme to destroy Jesus.