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1. Paul's Hardships

2 Corinthians 6:3-13

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... . The underlying problem in the letter is that the Corinthians have come to doubt the legitimacy of Paul’s apostleship and particularly his motives for claiming authority. Under the influence of the opponents, they now regard their founding apostle as one of the imposters or as a “deceiver” (planos). Just as Jesus was executed as a messianic pretender, a “deceiver” (planos) of the people, so also Paul—the apostle of Jesus Christ who shares in Christ’s death and life (cf. 1:5, 9–10; 4:10 ...

2. In Lystra and Derbe

Acts 14:8-20

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... 17:13). It may have been easy to win the crowd to their side because the apostles had spurned their divine honors (cf. 28:6; Gal. 1:6). Nevertheless, some persuasion was needed, and this may well have been along the lines that the two men were imposters, perhaps even that their power stemmed from some malevolent force. So, with the crowd behind them, the Jews stoned Paul, executing at last the punishment on which they had set their hearts in Iconium (v. 5). Then as a final indignity, thinking he was dead (v ...

3. Paul Speaks to the Crowd

Acts 21:37--22:21

Understanding Series

David J. Williams

... active at this time. Josephus appears to distinguish between the sicarii and the followers of the Egyptian, but to the Roman commander they would have all seemed the same. And now he thought that the Egyptian had returned and been set upon as an imposter (see Hanson, p. 9, for Luke’s “remarkable accuracy in relating his narrative to contemporary history”). 21:39–40 Thus it came as a further surprise when Paul identified himself as a Jew from Tarsus (v. 39)—a Jew, lest the commander should think ...

4. Body / Ambassador

2 Corinthians 5:11--6:2

Understanding Series

James M. Scott

... defense of the legitimacy of his apostleship, which climaxes in a direct appeal to the Corinthians not to receive God’s grace in vain (6:1). In essence, Paul urges the Corinthians to quit seeing him as a suffering and dying apostolic imposter and to acknowledge him instead as the divinely appointed representative of Jesus Christ on earth and the minister of reconciliation that he really is. Otherwise, they risk forfeiting the eschatological salvation of the Lord. For the Corinthians to defect from Paul ...

5. Paul's Charge to Timothy

2 Timothy 3:10--4:8

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... 12), as did Paul (1 Thess. 3:4; 2 Cor. 12:9–10; Rom. 8:17; Phil. 1:29). It is otherwise with the false teachers. Not only do they not live godly lives, thus avoiding persecution, but they are evil men (cf. the list in vv. 2–4) and imposters (better, “charlatans,” as the NAB, a direct reference to vv. 6–9), who will only go (“progressing” again; see disc. on 1 Tim. 4:15; 2 Tim. 2:16; 3:9) from bad to worse. Fine “progress” these charlatans will make, as they go only deeper into their sins ...

6. Eschatological Discourse: Prediction of the Temple’s Destruction

Matthew 24:1-35

Teach the Text

Jeannine K. Brown

... and false prophets. First-century history indicates that Jewish antagonism toward Rome (culminating in the war of AD 66–70) produced any number of false messiahs or zealots promising the defeat of Rome. For example, Josephus mentions “deceivers and imposters” who “under the pretense of divine inspiration foster[ed] revolutionary changes. . . . They persuaded the multitude to act like madmen, and led them out into the desert under the belief that God would there give them tokens of deliverance” (J ...

7. False Teaching

2 Timothy 3:1-9

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... Moses and produced lying miracles before Pharaoh (Exod. 7:11–12, 22; 8:7—Paul uses names supplied by Jewish tradition). Further, Paul refers to them in verse 13 with a term that often means “magicians,” but here is translated “imposters”—Paul likely means “charlatans.” It is not so much that the false teachers perform miracles but that their spurious ideas about the resurrection and their empty promises of godliness cast a spell over undiscerning listeners. Paul is confident that their ...

8. Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

Mark 8:1-13

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... about the interpretation of religious laws. A sign: What is requested may have been something more spectacular than healings and exorcisms, the sort of thing others in the ancient world claimed to do. In 13:21–23, Jesus warns the disciples about later imposters who would come working “signs” to try to lead the church astray. It is possible that Mark’s refusal to use the term sign to describe Jesus’ works may have been motivated by a desire to avoid shallow comparisons between Jesus and wonder ...

9. Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

Luke 4:14-30

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... at whose command the walls of Jerusalem would fall down (Antiquities 20.169–170). This sign was probably inspired by the story of Israel’s conquest of Jericho (Josh. 6:20; cf. Acts 21:38). Finally, Josephus tells us of another “imposter” who promised salvation and rest, if the people would follow him into the wilderness (Antiquities 20.188). Years later, Israel would suffer terribly as a result of following the popular messianic/military figures of Menachem and Simon bar Giora (first war with ...

10. The Coming of the Kingdom of God

Luke 17:20-37

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... appearance of a savior. But the disciples are not to go running off after them (see note below). The reason for this prohibition is that the appearance of the Son of Man will be sudden and unannounced. Those who are heralded and announced are imposters; but Christ will appear as the lightning flashes across the sky. Interrupting the flow of the idea, Jesus reminds his disciples that this day of glorious revelation must be preceded by suffering and rejection (see 9:22) by this generation. For the people who ...

11. Jesus Walks On the Water

Mark 6:45-56

Understanding Series

Larry W. Hurtado

... is a most interesting background for the sea miracle account here. In Mark the phrase reappears on the lips of Jesus in the trial scene (14:62), and there, also, is probably intended as an allusion to these OT passages. Also, in 13:6, Jesus warns of imposters who would come making the same (divine?) claim for themselves. (See “I am,” NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 278–83.) 6:52 They had not understood about the loaves: It is the feeding miracle that Mark refers to here, and he may have wanted to call particular ...

12. Zacchaeus the Tax Collector

Luke 19:1-10

Understanding Series

Craig A. Evans

... way. Jericho is only seventeen miles or so east of Jerusalem (see note on 10:30 above). 19:2 chief tax collector: Fitzmyer (p. 469) prefers to use the title “toll collector,” since these people collect “indirect taxes (tolls, tariffs, imposts, and customs).” But for our purposes the traditional designation will serve. The chief tax collector was one who collected these tolls and tariffs and had several agents under his authority. “Since the [chief tax collector] usually had to pay the expected ...

13. The Plague of Blood

Exodus 7:14-24

Understanding Series

James K. Bruckner

... the Lord’s control of the water, and later provision of water for the thirsty people in the wilderness. The Lord would provide water in a very dry place, but Pharaoh could only go into a house on the banks of an unpotable Nile. Pharaoh is an imposter Lord. Additional Notes 7:21 Durham quotes an older Egyptian text that describes a bloody river in an earlier era (ca. 2300 B.C., “Admonitions of Ipuwer,” see Durham, Exodus, p. 98). “WHY REALLY, the River is blood. If one drinks of it, one rejects (it ...

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