Dr. Michael Peppard

He's a healer. And I don't know how to explain that as a modern person. I can't understand. I have a modern scientific mindset that's the air I breathe. So I think in that way. But I'm very open to mystical power. I'm open to Reiki. I'm open to acupuncture. I'm open to the kinds of ways that even meditation and mindset can have physical effects. you know, in the chemical, in the biochemical world.

He's a healer. And I don't know how to explain that as a modern person. I can't understand. I have a modern scientific mindset that's the air I breathe. So I think in that way. But I'm very open to mystical power. I'm open to Reiki. I'm open to acupuncture. I'm open to the kinds of ways that even meditation and mindset can have physical effects. you know, in the chemical, in the biochemical world.

So who knows what he's doing, but people seem to believe that it's working. So he's a, he's a healer first. Um, he's a, he's a wisdom teacher, I would say second. So he is crafting stories that are of kind of narrative theology that he's delivering to people as an itinerant

So who knows what he's doing, but people seem to believe that it's working. So he's a, he's a healer first. Um, he's a, he's a wisdom teacher, I would say second. So he is crafting stories that are of kind of narrative theology that he's delivering to people as an itinerant

you know, quasi homeless person by his own account, homeless as an itinerant person, delivering stories that confront them to reflect on their life, to reflect on their ethics, to reflect on how they treat the poor, to reflect on nature, to reflect on what God asks of them. Those are the top two things that Jesus is doing. He's healing in his teaching. Now, how does this transition into politics?

you know, quasi homeless person by his own account, homeless as an itinerant person, delivering stories that confront them to reflect on their life, to reflect on their ethics, to reflect on how they treat the poor, to reflect on nature, to reflect on what God asks of them. Those are the top two things that Jesus is doing. He's healing in his teaching. Now, how does this transition into politics?

Well, he's a highly ethical person and he believes in God's sovereignty, that God is in charge, right? He is absolutely positive of divine sovereignty.

Well, he's a highly ethical person and he believes in God's sovereignty, that God is in charge, right? He is absolutely positive of divine sovereignty.

So that is going to have a clash with political rulers of the day who, in his mind, and most people's minds, were not ethical, were highly exploitative, highly exploitative of the poor, expropriating people's land, having all kinds of oppressive taxation regimes. Tax isn't even the right word because it's so exploitative. It's not like tax. It's systematic taxation.

So that is going to have a clash with political rulers of the day who, in his mind, and most people's minds, were not ethical, were highly exploitative, highly exploitative of the poor, expropriating people's land, having all kinds of oppressive taxation regimes. Tax isn't even the right word because it's so exploitative. It's not like tax. It's systematic taxation.

Oppression of resources, yeah. Rome is an extractive empire. It's... It's an empire that, there's different kinds of empires in world history. Rome really wants to extract resources from the periphery and bring them to the center. And they don't so much care whether you speak Latin or, you know, read Virgil. Like that's not, they don't care about that, right?

Oppression of resources, yeah. Rome is an extractive empire. It's... It's an empire that, there's different kinds of empires in world history. Rome really wants to extract resources from the periphery and bring them to the center. And they don't so much care whether you speak Latin or, you know, read Virgil. Like that's not, they don't care about that, right?

Whereas like Alexander the Great did want you to read Homer and build Greek architecture, right? He was a cultural imperialist. He was a different kind of person, but which is why they're even speaking Greek in the New Testament, of course.

Whereas like Alexander the Great did want you to read Homer and build Greek architecture, right? He was a cultural imperialist. He was a different kind of person, but which is why they're even speaking Greek in the New Testament, of course.

So he, when he's teaching then about, when he's teaching in parables, and he starts talking about the kingdom of God all the time, and then that kingdom of God is giving visions of human life that are in conflict with the ethics and the power structures of the world that's on earth. And then he brings that to cities.

So he, when he's teaching then about, when he's teaching in parables, and he starts talking about the kingdom of God all the time, and then that kingdom of God is giving visions of human life that are in conflict with the ethics and the power structures of the world that's on earth. And then he brings that to cities.

Inevitably, you're going to have some conflict because he's using his primary metaphor is political, right? So this is what someone like Pilate hears. He's walking around. Someone's walking around talking about the new, the coming kingdom of God. Well, there's only one king. There's only one monarch in Pilate's mind, and that's the emperor, right? And that's in his day, Tiberius.

Inevitably, you're going to have some conflict because he's using his primary metaphor is political, right? So this is what someone like Pilate hears. He's walking around. Someone's walking around talking about the new, the coming kingdom of God. Well, there's only one king. There's only one monarch in Pilate's mind, and that's the emperor, right? And that's in his day, Tiberius.

And so now someone's coming, talking about a new king, right? They also had a client, what we call a client king in Herod, meaning an appointed kind of local king who's going to collaborate and kind of do what Rome wants and sometimes push back, but mostly do what Rome wants.

And so now someone's coming, talking about a new king, right? They also had a client, what we call a client king in Herod, meaning an appointed kind of local king who's going to collaborate and kind of do what Rome wants and sometimes push back, but mostly do what Rome wants.