Part 1
Norm begins the chapter off heading to northern Galilee. He is following the footsteps of Jesus’ travel. He heads up to Mount Hermon and to Pan’s cave, a sacred place in the older Roman religion dedicated to the God Pan. Norm makes reference to the landscape of Pan’s cave, noting the pool, large opening, and rocky terrain. He draws a parallel to Matthew 16 when Jesus said “On this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death will not prevail against it.” Norm believes Jesus could have possibly been at Pan’s cave when he said that. He then travels to Herod the Great’s theater, and then back to Jerusalem.
Part 2
This was probably the most boring of the chapter I have read so far. The others were pretty interesting, this one, not so much. It focuses heavily on Jesus’ travels, his prediction of his death, Peter’s role, Jesus as a second Solomon, and the importance of the Dome of the Rock. One thing that grabbed my attention was the idea some people have regarding Jesus’ prediction of his death. Some claim these sayings were composed after Jesus’ death to persuade people to believe it was part of the plan. Others say Jesus started to get the feeling his name was getting too big, and he would likely face the same fate of John the Baptist. Norm poses a good question to this idea: If Jesus did sense a call to suffer and die for his people, what did he think that death would accomplish? If these sayings were made up after Jesus’ death, you would think the author would have Jesus say why he was dying, or that his death would save the world. It simply never says why Jesus had to die. This reasoning makes me believe these sayings were not made up after Jesus’ death.
Norm begins the chapter off heading to northern Galilee. He is following the footsteps of Jesus’ travel. He heads up to Mount Hermon and to Pan’s cave, a sacred place in the older Roman religion dedicated to the God Pan. Norm makes reference to the landscape of Pan’s cave, noting the pool, large opening, and rocky terrain. He draws a parallel to Matthew 16 when Jesus said “On this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death will not prevail against it.” Norm believes Jesus could have possibly been at Pan’s cave when he said that. He then travels to Herod the Great’s theater, and then back to Jerusalem.
Part 2
This was probably the most boring of the chapter I have read so far. The others were pretty interesting, this one, not so much. It focuses heavily on Jesus’ travels, his prediction of his death, Peter’s role, Jesus as a second Solomon, and the importance of the Dome of the Rock. One thing that grabbed my attention was the idea some people have regarding Jesus’ prediction of his death. Some claim these sayings were composed after Jesus’ death to persuade people to believe it was part of the plan. Others say Jesus started to get the feeling his name was getting too big, and he would likely face the same fate of John the Baptist. Norm poses a good question to this idea: If Jesus did sense a call to suffer and die for his people, what did he think that death would accomplish? If these sayings were made up after Jesus’ death, you would think the author would have Jesus say why he was dying, or that his death would save the world. It simply never says why Jesus had to die. This reasoning makes me believe these sayings were not made up after Jesus’ death.
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