Page 120 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

description of the crowd disciples is more positive than that of the Twelve he says, “this is an

63
extremely curious fact.” Unsympathetic, suspicion, and hard-core opposition are the attributes
64
of the opponent crowd. The fourth group, the opponents, expresses concerns for Judaic
institutions and ideas and civic matters. They display biblical legalism and “a certain rational,

65
didactic orientation.”
Baird’s four of classifications are comprehensive and detailed. Nevertheless, it is quite arbitrary

to divide the public crowd into two groups in terms of Jesus’ selective treatment of message and

methodology in his preaching. The treatment Jesus gives his twelve disciples and that which he

gives the opponents is distinct. Jesus does not distinguish the crowd, however, into two distinct

66
groups, those favoring and those opposing, while he preaches. Rather, he displays different
approaches to each individual audience. Consequently, it is preferred to classify Jesus’

67
audiences into four groups: the individuals, the disciples, the mass, and the opponents.

certain religious outcasts (Luke 15:1, Matt. 21:32, Mark 2:15 and so on); and the John the
Baptist contingent (Mark 1:1-6, 3:11-12, Luke 3:7-14, 7:18-23).
63 Ibid., 42.

64 Ibid., 44. Matt. 9:23, 9:25, Luke12:54, 7:12, 12:1, 18:9, 23:18, Mark 1:27, 15:29-30, 15:
35-36, and so on.

65
Ibid., 48.
66
Luke 4:16-29.
67 Samuel Shangchi Pan, “A Stylistic Analysis of Jesus’ Teaching As Presented in the
Canonical Gospels for Application to Contemporary Preaching,” Ph.D. diss. The Pennsylvania
State University, 1990, 26-36. He also divides Jesus’ audience into four groups: “(1) individuals,
(2) the multitudes, (3) the disciples, and (4) the religious leaders.” He explains well Jesus’
stylistic adaptation of his message to these distinct groups of people.