BEMA Episode Link: 81: Silent Years — Association
Episode Length: 36:08
Published Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2018 01:00:00 -0700
Session 3
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings discuss the perfect timing spoken of in Galatians 4:4 in reference to the coming of Jesus in his cultural context. We also wrestle with the personal implications of the different responses to Hellenism in our world today.

Discussion Video for BEMA 81

Rising Strong by Brené Brown

Transcript for BEMA 81

Notes

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

BEMA Episode 81: Silent Years — Association

Title & Source Summary

This episode explores the concept of “perfect timing” mentioned in Galatians 4:4 regarding Jesus’s incarnation in first-century Jewish culture. Marty and Brent examine the five major Jewish responses to Hellenism (Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes, Zealots, and Pharisees) and challenge listeners to identify how they personally resonate with each group’s strengths and weaknesses in contemporary Christian life.

Key Takeaways

  • God sent Jesus at the perfect cultural moment when Judaism was wrestling with how to respond to Hellenism
  • Each of the five Jewish groups brought both positive contributions and negative tendencies to the conversation
  • Rather than identifying with just one group, we should recognize how we embody aspects of all five groups in different areas of our lives
  • Modern American evangelicalism often combines the worst of both Herodians (cultural consumption) and Pharisees (spiritual rigidity)
  • Every group, even those we consider compromised, has something God wants to use for His kingdom purposes
  • The danger lies in embracing a group’s weaknesses while neglecting their strengths, or vice versa
  • Creating space for God (through text, prayer, service) while remaining culturally engaged is the ongoing tension of faithful discipleship

Main Concepts & Theories

The “Perfect Timing” of the Incarnation (Galatians 4:4)

The episode centers on Galatians 4:4, translated variously as “when the set time had fully come” (NIV), “when the fullness of time had come” (ESV), and “when the appointed time arrived” (CJB). Marty proposes that this “perfect timing” refers to the unique cultural moment when Judaism was actively wrestling with how to respond to Hellenism. The incarnation occurred at precisely the point when these five different responses were in full dialogue with each other, creating the ideal context for Jesus’s ministry and message.

The Five Jewish Responses to Hellenism
1. Sadducees

Positive Contribution: They lived out their priestly role, representing the legitimate function of spiritual leadership that God instituted. The New Testament affirms the need for spiritual leaders (Hebrews 13:17 - “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority”). Both Testaments show the tension between the “priesthood of all believers” and the need for specific ordained roles.

Negative Tendency: Complete corruption. They used their religious position for personal gain and political power, demonstrating how spiritual authority can be perverted for selfish purposes.

Modern Application: Clergy, pastors, small group leaders, elders, and deacons must recognize that their role is God-ordained and valuable. However, they must vigilantly guard against using the Gospel, the Kingdom, or their position for personal benefit. The question for all spiritual leaders is: “In what places am I using what God has set up for my own personal gain?”

2. Herodians

Positive Contribution: Because they fully engaged with Hellenistic culture, they were perfectly positioned to speak God’s message within that cultural context. Their cultural fluency gave them access and credibility to redeem cultural spaces from within.

Negative Tendency: Compromise and idolatry. They embraced cultural consumption without critical discernment, allowing the values of Hellenism to shape their identity more than Torah.

Modern Application: Most modern listeners struggle with Herodian tendencies. Anyone with a smartphone, computer, or access to entertainment technology lives in a consumptive culture. We create space for what we want to create space for—the things we binge-watch, the products we buy, the throwaway culture we participate in. However, our cultural engagement also positions us to redeem those same spaces. The challenge is to recognize both the idolatry and the opportunity.

Marty and Brent model vulnerability here, acknowledging their own Apple product collections and entertainment consumption (Game of Thrones, Netflix, HBO). The question isn’t whether we engage culture, but whether we’re critically aware of how that engagement shapes us and whether we’re creating equal or greater space for God through scripture, prayer, and service.

3. Essenes

Positive Contribution: Complete and utter devotion to the Text. They knew the path and walked the path. Their commitment to creating radical space for God—whether through textual study, prayer, or service—represents a superpower in the body of Christ.

Negative Tendency: Isolationism and separatism. By removing themselves from culture, they lost the context and the audience for their devotion. This creates the danger of becoming cult-like when disciples isolate themselves with a teacher without broader community accountability.

Modern Application: Those devoted to deep textual study, prayer disciplines, or radical service must recognize the vital role they play while guarding against the temptation to separate from the broader faith community. The antidote to becoming “cultish” is purposeful engagement with other perspectives, other churches, and those who approach faith differently. The question is: “Where in my life do I isolate myself and refuse to be in the middle of the conversation?”

4. Zealots

Positive Contribution: Passionate action and mobilization. Zealots move from learning to doing, from discussion to action. Jesus chose zealous disciples (including a literal Zealot and the passionate Peter) because kingdom work requires people willing to overcome obstacles and lead others into action.

Negative Tendency: Using the wrong tools and weapons. In their passion to accomplish good ends, Zealots are tempted to grab imperial methods and worldly tools because they’re efficient and readily available. They can lose sight of the people they’re trying to help, seeing individuals as obstacles rather than image-bearers with potential.

Modern Application: Zeal must be tempered not by animal appetites but by commitment to look like God—the God who knew when to stop creating and when to stop destroying. The challenge for zealous believers is to maintain passion while ensuring they’re using kingdom methods rather than worldly ones. Brent identifies the particular Zealot danger: “They stopped seeing potential in people because they see the Roman soldier, and they just say, ‘Well, that is a foregone conclusion. There is nothing good there. I’m going to get rid of that to meet my goal.’”

5. Pharisees (P’rushim)

Positive Contribution: Passionate devotion to God’s commandments and desires. Their commitment to doing what God says and living according to His standards is exactly what God wants to use.

Negative Tendency: Lacking compassion. In their focus on the standard, they forget that the standard exists for the people, not the people for the standard. They can fail to see that everyone is trying to do their best with what they have.

Modern Application: Jesus spent most of his time with Pharisees despite critiquing them harshly, suggesting their devotion was exactly what was needed, tempered with compassion. Drawing on Brené Brown’s work in Rising Strong, the question becomes: “Do we really believe that everybody everywhere is trying to do their best?” The whole reason for the standard is to redeem people (a concept rooted in Leviticus from Session 1).

The Dangerous Mix: Modern American Evangelicalism

Marty offers a sharp critique: American evangelicalism often takes the worst of Herodians and the worst of Pharisees and combines them. We are spiritually Pharisaic (rigid about who’s in/out, focused on doctrinal correctness, lacking compassion) while being culturally Herodian (consuming culture, living comfortably, embracing consumerism).

The historical Pharisees, for all their faults, were at least consistent—they were Pharisaic both religiously and culturally. The villages of Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida (Pharisaic strongholds) had no marble streets, no running water, no paved roads, no ornate city gates. They rejected Hellenistic culture practically as well as theologically.

In contrast, modern believers often combine spiritual rigidity with cultural consumption—”the worst mix.” The call is to learn compassion while engaging culture to redeem it, rather than consuming culture while lacking compassion.

The Principle of Association vs. Identification

Marty shifts the typical approach in this episode. Rather than asking listeners to identify which single group they belong to, he invites a more nuanced question: “How do I associate with each of these groups in different areas of my life?” This recognizes that:

  1. We all embody different tendencies in different contexts
  2. Each group has both strengths and weaknesses we must recognize
  3. The goal isn’t to pick a team but to embrace the strengths while guarding against the weaknesses of all five approaches
  4. Self-awareness about our tendencies in specific areas is more valuable than a single categorical label

Examples & Applications

Personal Vulnerability and Self-Examination

Both hosts model vulnerability throughout the episode:

  • Marty: Associates most with Essenes but acknowledges strong Herodian tendencies (Apple products, Game of Thrones, comfortable living). He had to pause when Brent asked whether he spends more time in scripture or entertainment, despite being “the most dedicated person to the Text” Brent knows.

  • Brent: Identifies as a Pharisee who struggles to see potential in people, defaulting to black-and-white judgments. He admits spending more time watching movies than engaging the Text on a month-to-month basis.

The Amish with MP3 Players

Marty shares a humorous story from his first Israel trip with 48 Amish people who had MP3 players and laptops. When he asked about this apparent contradiction, they responded: “There’s three orders of Amish. There’s the New Order, there’s the Old Order, and we are what’s called the Out-of-Order.” This illustrates that even separatist movements engage with culture in ways that might seem contradictory, and that self-aware humor about our inconsistencies is healthy.

The Question of Time Management

Brent’s challenge to Marty—”Do you spend more time in scripture or more time in movies and TV?”—cuts to the heart of the Herodian struggle. Even for someone deeply committed to daily disciplines, the question requires honest reflection. This led to the insight: “We create space for the things we want to create space for.”

Many believers claim they “can’t make time” for scripture memorization or morning devotions while creating extensive space for entertainment on “the back end of our day.” The issue isn’t time availability but priority and space-creation.

The Hypothetical BEMA Mobilization

Marty envisions a future where the BEMA community moves from learning about the kingdom to being the kingdom through organized service and action. He acknowledges that when this happens, it will be driven by Zealots—those passionate enough to mobilize despite obstacles. This illustrates how each group’s contribution is needed for the full expression of the body of Christ.

The Essenes Serving in the Temple

Marty humorously imagines what it must have been like when Essene priests came to Jerusalem to fulfill their temple duties. Did they “put their head down, do their job”? Were they seen as “radical freaks” by the other priests? “Here comes Bob [insert Hebrew name], he’s going to be flipping out about the Sons of Light”? This playful speculation highlights the tension between devotion and engagement.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

  1. The Theology of “Perfect Timing”: A deeper exegesis of Galatians 4:4 and other New Testament passages that speak to God’s timing (Romans 5:6, Ephesians 1:10, 1 Timothy 2:6). How does divine sovereignty work with historical contingency?

  2. The Sociology of Religious Movements: How do these five groups compare to religious sociology categories like “accommodationists,” “separatists,” “transformationists,” and “revolutionaries”? What can H. Richard Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture contribute to this discussion?

  3. The Historical Accuracy of the Five Groups: What do we actually know historically about each group? How much is reconstructed vs. directly attested? What role did the Dead Sea Scrolls play in our understanding of the Essenes?

  4. Hebrews 13 and Spiritual Leadership: A fuller study of leadership structures in the early church. How do we balance the “priesthood of all believers” (1 Peter 2:9) with the clear establishment of specific leadership roles (Ephesians 4:11-13)?

  5. Compassion in the Prophetic Tradition: How did the Hebrew prophets balance calling out injustice with compassion for people? Is there a biblical model for “prophetic compassion” that avoids both the Pharisee tendency (harsh judgment) and the Herodian tendency (compromise)?

  6. Creating Space in a Consumer Culture: Practical disciplines for resisting consumerism while remaining culturally engaged. What does “being in the world but not of it” (John 17:15-16) look like in practice?

  7. The “Everyone Is Doing Their Best” Principle: A theological evaluation of Brené Brown’s claim. Does this align with biblical anthropology? How does this relate to concepts of sin, brokenness, and human agency?

  8. Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida Archaeological Evidence: What do the archaeological remains tell us about Pharisaic resistance to Hellenistic culture? How did their built environment reflect their values?

  9. The Critique of American Evangelicalism: Is Marty’s assessment fair? What historical factors led to the combination of spiritual Pharisaism and cultural Herodianism? What movements within evangelicalism resist this pattern?

  10. Isolation vs. Separation: What’s the difference between healthy separation (Essenes protecting their devotion) and unhealthy isolation (Essenes losing context and audience)? How do we discern when to separate and when to engage?

Comprehension Questions

  1. According to the episode, what makes Galatians 4:4’s reference to “perfect timing” significant in relation to the incarnation of Jesus? What was unique about the first-century cultural moment?

    Answer: The “perfect timing” refers to the unique cultural moment when Judaism was actively wrestling with multiple responses to Hellenism. The five groups (Sadducees, Herodians, Essenes, Zealots, Pharisees) were all in dialogue, creating the ideal context for Jesus’s ministry. The cultural wrestling match over how to respond to Hellenism—the “anti-story” of self-centered individualism—positioned the incarnation at precisely the moment when these questions were most alive.

  2. What does Marty identify as the fundamental problem with modern American evangelicalism, and how does it relate to the five groups discussed?

    Answer: Marty argues that American evangelicalism takes the worst of Herodians and the worst of Pharisees and combines them. We are spiritually Pharisaic (rigid, judgmental, lacking compassion about who’s in/out) while being culturally Herodian (consuming culture, living comfortably, embracing consumerism). This is “the worst mix” because historical Pharisees were at least consistent—rejecting Hellenistic culture both theologically and practically, as evidenced by villages like Chorazin and Capernaum. The challenge is to learn compassion while engaging culture redemptively, rather than consuming culture while lacking compassion.

  3. Each of the five groups brings both a positive contribution and a negative tendency. Choose three groups and explain what they positively contribute to the kingdom and what danger they face.

    Possible answers:

    • Sadducees: POSITIVE - They represent the legitimate role of spiritual leadership that God wants to use. NEGATIVE - They became completely corrupt, using their position for personal gain.
    • Herodians: POSITIVE - They are perfectly positioned to engage and redeem culture because they understand its language and values. NEGATIVE - They compromise and fall into idolatry, allowing culture to shape them more than Torah.
    • Essenes: POSITIVE - They demonstrate complete devotion to the Text, prayer, and creating space for God. NEGATIVE - They isolate themselves, losing context and audience, risking becoming cult-like.
    • Zealots: POSITIVE - They mobilize action and move from learning to doing, overcoming obstacles to make kingdom work happen. NEGATIVE - They use the wrong tools and weapons, grabbing imperial methods for efficiency and failing to see potential in people.
    • Pharisees: POSITIVE - They are passionate about God’s commandments and doing what God says. NEGATIVE - They lack compassion, forgetting that the standard exists for people, not people for the standard.

  4. How does the episode challenge the typical approach of identifying with just one group? What shift does Marty make in this episode compared to how he’s taught this material in the past?

    Answer: Rather than asking listeners to identify which single group they belong to, Marty invites a more nuanced approach: “How do I associate with each of these groups in different areas of my life?” This recognizes that we all embody different tendencies in different contexts. The goal isn’t to pick a team but to embrace the strengths while guarding against the weaknesses of all five approaches. Self-awareness about our tendencies in specific areas is more valuable than a single categorical label. Marty acknowledges he may have “overplayed” the identification question in the past.

  5. According to Brent’s observation about Zealots, what particular danger do they face beyond using violent methods? How does this relate to seeing people as image-bearers?

    Answer: Brent identifies that Zealots “stopped seeing potential in people.” When they see a Roman soldier, they conclude “there is nothing good there. I’m going to get rid of that to meet my goal.” They see individuals as obstacles or foregone conclusions rather than as image-bearers with potential for redemption. This loss of vision for human potential and dignity leads them to use people as means to an end rather than recognizing them as the very purpose for which they’re fighting. This connects to the broader theme that all the standards and methods exist for the sake of redeeming people, not for their own sake.

Personalized Summary

BEMA Episode 81 represents a powerful shift from historical analysis to personal application. After spending several episodes examining how first-century Judaism responded to the “invasion” of Hellenism, Marty and Brent turn the lens on contemporary believers: How do we respond to cultural forces today?

The episode’s central insight is that the “perfect timing” of Galatians 4:4 isn’t random—Jesus came when Judaism was actively wrestling with the most important cultural questions of how to maintain faithfulness while engaging (or resisting) the dominant culture. This wrestling created the ideal context for Jesus’s ministry.

Rather than treating the five groups as historical curiosities, the hosts invite honest self-examination. The vulnerability modeled by both Marty and Brent—acknowledging their struggles with cultural consumption, time management, and judgment—creates permission for listeners to do the same. The shift from “which group are you?” to “how do you embody aspects of all these groups?” is pastorally wise, avoiding simplistic categorization while maintaining the diagnostic power of the framework.

The critique of American evangelicalism is sharp but fair: we combine spiritual rigidity with cultural consumption, creating “the worst mix” of Pharisaic judgment and Herodian compromise. The historical Pharisees, whatever their faults, lived consistently with their convictions. Modern believers often lack that integration.

Ultimately, the episode calls for three movements:

  1. Self-awareness: Honestly examining where we embody both the strengths and weaknesses of each group in different areas of our lives.

  2. Balance: Learning to create space for God (Essene), maintain devotion to His ways (Pharisee), exercise spiritual leadership humbly (Sadducee), engage culture redemptively (Herodian), and mobilize into action (Zealot)—while avoiding corruption, idolatry, isolation, violence, and cold judgment.

  3. Compassion: Remembering that the entire project exists for people. Whether it’s the Text, the standard, the temple service, cultural engagement, or kingdom action—it all exists to redeem image-bearers who are trying to do their best with what they have.

The unspoken sixth group in this episode is Jesus himself—the one who perfectly balanced all five contributions while avoiding all five pitfalls. He engaged culture without compromise, maintained devotion without losing compassion, exercised authority without corruption, created space for God without isolation, and mobilized action without violence. The incarnation at the “perfect time” brought the perfect integration of all these responses.

For contemporary disciples, the challenge is to recognize that we need the contributions of all five groups (including people who embody tendencies we find uncomfortable) while remaining vigilant against the unique temptations each tendency brings. The body of Christ requires diversity of gifting, temperament, and approach—all submitted to the way of Jesus, who came at just the right moment to show us how it’s done.

Original Notes

The Set Time

Galatians 4:4 When the time was right, G-d sent Jesus…

NIV “But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law…”

What was special about “that time?” Marty argues that it was because of Hellenism and its impact on individuals and their perspective on their worldview. Especially how they interact with others who believe differently than they do.

Hellenistic Reponses Review

Sadducees

  • Positives: they are living out their priestly roles. Many protestant believers typically reject the idea of priesthood. Other more liturgical faiths like Catholicism and Lutheranism embrace priesthood much more freely. Is there space for protestants to honor the priesthood of all as well as the more formal priesthood of leaders? Honoring your leaders in Hebrews 13. Israel is called to be a Kingdom of Priests that ALSO had a tribe fully dedicated to priesthood. Are we aware that the role of the priest is something that G-d wants to use?
  • Negatives: They are completely corrupt. None of us are immune to the struggles that the Sadducees faced.

What struggles do we share with the Sadducees?

Herodians

  • Positives: They are perfectly placed to engage the conversation and teach the world by our example and how we use the conveniences that Hellenism and consumerism has provided.
  • Negatives: They’re willing to compromise for their own pleasure. Most of us struggle to some degree with these conveniences. We assume consumption and it brings a degree of idolatry that we need to be aware of. Even those of us who are most dedicated to studying the Text struggle with some of these problems.

In what ways do we compromise our devotion to G-d because of our love of the conveniences of our lives?

Essenes

  • Positives: Complete and utter devotion to knowing the path and walking the path.
  • Negatives: They were not in a position to engage the culture because they have isolated themselves and know nothing about it.

How do we isolate ourselves?

Zealots

  • Positives: They are zealous. We need zealots. In order to face all of the struggles in front of us, we need the zeal and passion to press forward.
  • Negatives: The passion can lead Zealots to reach for the wrong tool when pressed too hard. It can be hard to say enough and follow G-d’s example who knows when to say enough.

What are some of the ways that we can temper the flames of zeal that burn those around us?

Pharisees

  • Positives: They are passionate about following the way and devoted to G-d’s commandments and desires.
  • Negatives: They forgot that people were trying to do their best and lost any kind of empathy for others.

What specific opportunities do we have to be more empathetic to others?

American Evangelicalism

We take the worst of the Herodians and the worst of the Pharisees and we smash them together. We are Spiritual Pharisees. We talk about who’s in and who’s out. Who’s right and who’s wrong. We are also Cultural Herodians. We love to embrace the consumerism of our culture to the fullest extent.

We need to learn how to love people more and engage our culture in healthier ways.

Who agrees with Marty’s assessment that we are spiritual pharisees and cultural herodians–that we consume culture and lack compassion?

Discussion

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