I. Two Source Hypothesis: The Testing of Jesus
 

 Mark 1:12-13  (Tested)

 Matthew 4:1-11  Luke 4:1-13 (Debate)

II. Maintaining Honor in a “Nosey” Society

 If honor is a public claim to worth AND a public acknowledgment of that claim, and if others know too much about a person, then one can rarely if ever make honor claims. Hence secrecy is the best policy. If people are getting too close to the truth for comfort, deception is the next best strategy. And if a person is in great danger of losing honor, the greatest value in this society, there are a number of “lies” to avoid that possibility.

 A. Concealment of failure (Matt 21:28-32)

 B. Concealment of unintentional failure (Luke 10:25-29)

 C. False Imputation (John 8:31-49)

 D. Avoiding quarrels or trouble (Matt 26:69-75)

 E. For gain (1 Kings 21)

 F. Sheer concealment (John 7:1-10)

 G. Pure mischief, or to confuse authorities (2 Tim 3:1-17)

 H. On behalf of friend, guest, or kin (Joshua 2)
 
 

Frans Neirynck, “Synoptic Problem,” New Jerome Biblical Commentary 40(1990):1-37.

John J. Pilch, The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1999.  "Secrecy," pp. 129-134; "Deception and Lying,"  pp. 46-51.

 John J. Pilch, "Secrecy in the Mediterranean World: An Anthropological Perspective," Biblical Theology Bulletin 24 (1994) 151-157.

 __________, "Lying and Deceit in the Letters to the Seven Churches: Perspectives from Cultural Anthropology," Biblical Theology Bulletin 22 (1992) 126-134.