BEMA Episode Link: 137: A Dry Tree
Episode Length: 31:42
Published Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2019 01:00:00 -0700
Session 4
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings challenge listeners to consider our methods of advancing God’s agenda and the implications of this new king and new kingdom.

Discussion Video for BEMA 137

BEMA 64: 3 Isaiah — Servant

Transcript for BEMA 137

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 137: A Dry Tree - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 137: A Dry Tree
Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings
Topic: This episode examines the methods of the early church in advancing God’s Kingdom and explores the radical implications of Jesus’s new Kingdom for outsiders. The discussion centers on Acts 7-8, analyzing Stephen’s martyrdom, the church’s non-violent response to persecution, and Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch.

Key Takeaways

• The early church used non-violent resistance rather than pacifism or redemptive violence to confront injustice • Jesus’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount was about exposing injustice through public demonstration, not passive submission • Early Christians chose martyrdom over self-defense as their method of bringing Kingdom • Persecution led to the scattering of believers, which accelerated the spread of the Gospel • The Kingdom’s primary implication is radical inclusion - outsiders become insiders • Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch demonstrates how Scripture interpretation reveals God’s heart for the excluded • The Ethiopian eunuch’s question wasn’t about messianic prophecy but about whether there was a place for him in God’s family

Main Concepts & Theories

Luke’s Literary Device

Luke employs a consistent pattern in Acts similar to Josephus: historical narrative followed by lengthy speeches. This includes Peter’s sermon (Acts 2), Stephen’s speech (Acts 7), and Paul’s testimony to Felix, Festus, and Agrippa. This literary structure helps organize the theological development of the early church.

Jesus’s Non-Violent Resistance Teaching

The Sermon on the Mount contains three examples that demonstrate active resistance to injustice without violence:

  • Right cheek strike: A backhanded blow indicating demeaning treatment of a lower-class person. Turning the left cheek forces the striker to treat you as an equal
  • Cloak lawsuit: An unjust demand violating Deuteronomy’s commands. Giving everything exposes the injustice publicly
  • Angaria (one mile): Roman soldiers could legally force civilians to carry packs one mile. Volunteering for two miles puts the soldier in an awkward position of breaking Roman law
Kingdom Methodology vs. Self-Defense

The early church consistently chose martyrdom over self-protection as their method of Kingdom advancement. Examples include:

  • Stephen: Prayed for his killers’ forgiveness while being stoned
  • Philip of Hierapolis: Endured torture and watched his daughters’ crucifixion while refusing to deny Christ
  • Polycarp: Chose burning at the stake over denying Christ
The Standing Jesus

In Stephen’s vision, Jesus stands at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56) - the only place in Scripture where Jesus is depicted standing rather than sitting at God’s right hand. This unique image suggests Jesus paying tribute to Stephen as the first disciple to fully embrace the cross-bearing call.

Kingdom Implications - Radical Inclusion

The progression in Acts 8 demonstrates expanding inclusion:

  • Samaritans: Ethnic and religious outsiders accepting the Gospel
  • Ethiopian Eunuch: Doubly excluded (foreign and sexually altered) finding acceptance
The Isaiah 53-56 Connection

Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch likely included Isaiah 56:3-5, which directly addresses eunuchs:

  • The eunuch’s question wasn’t about messianic identity but about inclusion
  • Isaiah 56 promises eunuchs who keep covenant “a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters” within the temple
  • Philip used Jesus’s interpretive lens to show how excluded people find belonging in God’s family

Examples & Applications

Historical Examples of Non-Violent Resistance
  • Philip of Hierapolis: Tortured at city gates with chain through Achilles tendon while watching daughters’ crucifixion, yet refused to deny Christ
  • Polycarp of Smyrna: Chose burning at stake over denouncing Christ, trusting God for perseverance without being fastened to the post
Modern Applications
  • The episode challenges contemporary Christian attitudes toward self-defense and gun ownership
  • Questions how modern believers balance personal protection with Kingdom methodology
  • Explores whether current Christian approaches to security align with early church practices
Geographic Expansion
  • Jerusalem to Samaria: Persecution scattered believers, accelerating Gospel spread
  • Jerusalem to Gaza road: Divine appointments through Spirit-led obedience
  • Ethiopia: Gospel reaching African continent through one converted official

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. Comparative Study: Research other ancient non-violent resistance movements and their methodologies
  2. Textual Criticism: Investigate Luke’s literary devices and their parallels in contemporary historical writings
  3. Early Church History: Study additional martyrdom accounts and their theological implications
  4. Isaiah Interpretation: Examine the Suffering Servant passages and their application to both Israel and individuals
  5. Inclusion Theology: Trace biblical themes of outsider inclusion from Abraham through the early church
  6. Ethics of Self-Defense: Explore theological perspectives on violence, non-violence, and Kingdom methodology
  7. Cultural Context: Investigate first-century Jewish attitudes toward eunuchs and other excluded groups
  8. Manuscript Studies: Research variations in Acts manuscripts regarding the Ethiopian eunuch narrative

Comprehension Questions

  1. How does Jesus’s teaching about turning the other cheek differ from simple pacifism, and what was the intended effect of this non-violent resistance?

  2. What is the significance of Jesus standing (rather than sitting) at the right hand of God in Stephen’s vision, and how does this relate to the early church’s approach to martyrdom?

  3. Explain how Philip likely used Isaiah 56:3-5 to answer the Ethiopian eunuch’s question, and what this reveals about the Kingdom’s approach to inclusion.

  4. How did persecution paradoxically advance the early church’s mission, and what pattern does this establish for understanding Kingdom methodology?

  5. What does the progression from Samaritans to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8 demonstrate about the expanding boundaries of God’s Kingdom?

Brief Personalized Summary

This episode presents a challenging examination of Kingdom methodology that confronts comfortable modern Christian assumptions. Marty Solomon argues that the early church’s commitment to non-violent resistance, even unto death, was not weakness but the primary method by which God’s Kingdom advanced. The martyrdom of Stephen and others like Philip of Hierapolis demonstrates a radical trust that forgiveness, not self-preservation, ultimately wins.

The episode’s second focus on the Ethiopian eunuch reveals the Kingdom’s most profound implication: radical inclusion of outsiders. Philip’s Spirit-led encounter shows how proper biblical interpretation, guided by Jesus’s example, reveals God’s heart for the excluded and marginalized. The eunuch’s question wasn’t theological curiosity about messianic prophecy but a deeply personal inquiry about belonging - “Is there a place in God’s family for someone like me?”

This challenges contemporary believers to examine both their methods (how they advance Kingdom) and their understanding of Kingdom implications (who belongs). The episode suggests that true Kingdom advancement may require abandoning conventional approaches to security and embracing the vulnerable, costly path of radical love and inclusion that Jesus modeled and the early church practiced.

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