Interview: Joshua F. Walker

In my original post introducing the interview series I would embark upon on this blog, I mentioned highlighting students and calling them scholars as well. While it may not be the case in every seminary/grad school, the MA/PhD students at my institution are encouraged to be vibrantly engaged scholars by participating in scholarship through their research, publishing, paper presentations, and in engagement with the guild and church. This interview highlights the first of what I hope to be a handful of interviews with McMaster Divinity College students/scholars.
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Josh Walker is in the PhD program at MacDiv and is an all around good guy. He blogs at www.bringthebooks.org.
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AR: You’re originally from California. What degrees have you previously undertaken, whereabouts, and what brought you to MacDiv?
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JW: It is true I spent time as a young boy in California, but I would consider Arizona to be my home. It was in Arizona that I went to college at Grand Canyon University, where I studied philosophy there under David Reiter. From there, my wife and I moved to Mississippi where I attended Reformed Theological Seminary. At RTS I found a passion for the biblical languages, mainly Greek, so I spent much of my time reading the New Testament in the original language and reading books about the Greek language. When we decided to pursue a Ph.D., MacDiv seemed like a good fit because one of the worlds leading Greek scholars, Stanley E. Porter, taught there. Now that we have been at MacDiv for about two years, we find that our choice to study under Dr. Porter was a good one. He is a great supervisor and a scholar worth modeling.
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AR: What are your research interests?
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JW: As noted above, my primary research interest is Greek. I am currently working on applying a linguistic method to one of Paul’s letters and seeing the wonderful fruit it bears. In addition to Greek, I enjoy Pauline studies, both exegetical and theological, as well as canon formation and early Christian origins.
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AR: What do you believe is the role of Christian higher education?
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JW: I reflected on this question in a paper I wrote this semester. Without going into all the detail I did there, fundamentally I view Christian higher education as serving the local Church. All the work I do in the academy is done with the aim of edifying the body of Christ, in some respect. Now, this does not mean that everything I do needs to be written is such a way that the average Christian could understand it, but it does mean that I have in mind work that will, in some way, edify all believers.
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AR: Are there any books outside of the Bible that have been especially formative in your Christian walk?
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JW: One book that was formative for me as a new Christian was Desiring God by John Piper. I found as a new Christian that Piper’s book helped me to see that Christianity was not first and foremost about me, but that it was about God. It took my focus off of myself and placed it on God. This may seem pretty simple and straightforward, but at the time, this was revolutionary. To think that everything was ultimately about God and his glory was a novel thought that changed the way I thought about everything.
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AR: Do you have any notable experiences with the Gospel of John you could share?
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JW: I have spent a lot of time studying the very first verse of John and how it relates to the prologue of John and the rest of John’s Gospel in general. Of particular interest for me is the third clause of John 1:1, which teaches that the Word (who was made flesh in John 1:14) is the one true God of the universe. The implications of this are startling. From the very first words of his Gospel, John declares the unique and utter divinity of Jesus the Christ. This is a truth that is repeated throughout his Gospel, but it is so important that John links it with Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning”) right from the start of his book.

John 1:19-28 – John the Baptist’s Testimony – The Voice

Verse 19 of chapter 1 is where the narrative proper begins in John’s Gospel. The first 18 verses function as a Prologue, introducing people and themes that will be addressed and expounded upon throughout the rest of the Gospel. And here in verse 19 is where John the Baptist’s testimony is picked up on and explained. In this short section (vv. 19-28) John provides his testimony to the Jewish leaders.

In verse 6 John the writer introduced us to John the Baptist as a man sent from God. His purpose was to be a witness, testifying to Jesus with the purpose that people would believe Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God (v. 7). The content of John’s testimony was not given there. It was hinted at in verse 15 but now in verse 19 it will be given in more detail.

“And this is his testimony.” Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to John out in the wilderness on the other side of the Jordan in Bethany (vv. 19, 30). They wanted to know who this John was that was proclaiming a baptism of repentance. And so John’s testimony is initially given in the context of being questioned.

He is evidently asked if he is the Messiah, the Christ. But he responds that he is not.

If he is not the Messiah, then perhaps he is Elijah. He says he is not.

If he is not Elijah, then perhaps he is the promised prophet. He says he is not.

These three figures, the Messiah, Elijah, and the Prophet are all end time figures that in some way or other were expected by first century Jews. Some were looking for a Davidic Messiah, some a priestly one; some were looking for Elijah from Malachi 4:5 or the Prophet like Moses from Deut. 18:15-18 (Carson, The Gospel According to John, 142-43). But with three denials and no positive statement about his ministry the Jewish leaders are understandably not satisfied. They need a response to bring back with them to those who sent them (v. 22). So, they flat out ask, “What do you say about yourself?”

John responds in the words of Isaiah the prophet: “I am the voice crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord” (v. 23). In the Isaiah text the ground is being levelled to make a way for the return of the exiles and the coming of the Lord and now John picks up this text to apply to his work of announcing the coming of the Messiah in Jesus.

This still leaves open in their mind why he baptizes if he is not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. What authority does he have to do this? The Pharisees among the group ask him this question and he responds by saying, “I baptize in water. Among you stands one you don’t know. He comes after me and I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals.” This water baptism is a pointer to the one who comes after and is greater. Even untying his sandals, the job of a slave, is too much honour for John, he believes.

John’s testimony can be summed up as it was in the Prologue with inclusion from this section: to bear witness to the Light by being the voice in the desert.