Battlestar Galactica Bible Study Week 6

Season 2- Episode: Final Cut

Matthew 2:1-18

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
¹³ When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵ where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷ Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

¹⁸ “A voice is heard in Ramah,
    weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
    and refusing to be comforted,
    because they are no more.”

Reflect on the Bible passages in light of the film.

What do you think of what happened on the ship “Gideon”?

Do you think an incident like this can take place and nobody be criminally responsible? Why or why not?

Reflect on this quote: “what happened on the Gideon was a tragedy, not a massacre.”

Compare and contrast what happened in Bethlehem with the Gideon incident.

What does Lee say about his pilots?

What does the crew learn about the pilots and the pit crews on the flight deck?

Reflect on this quote: “I don’t need to explain myself to anyone, especially her.”

How does Ellen see the whole situation with Adama, Laura and the news crew?

Reflect on this quote: “When are you going to realize…we’re all alone out here.”

Why does Herod kill the children of Bethlehem?

Why do you think people of power become paranoid?

What is the danger in this paranoia?

Where else have we seen this in history?

What is Adama’s reasoning as to why Si was not charged for the Gideon incident?

What do you think of this explanation?

What has happened to Kat?

How do the various commanders and leaders respond to the final report?

Who do you think is right and why?

How does the reporter say her views on Galactica changed?

What does it mean to say that we are both ‘deeply flawed’ and ‘deeply human’?

How do the Cylons respond to the report?

Reflect on this quote: “it truly is a miracle from God.”

Why did the Magi react to Jesus as they did?

Compare and contrast what happened in the episode today with the visit by the Magi.

2 Corinthians 11:1-11, 16-28

 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! ² I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. ³ But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

⁵ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” ⁶ I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. ⁷ Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. ⁹ And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰ As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
 I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷ In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. ¹⁸ Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. ¹⁹ You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! ²⁰ In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹ To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. ²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. ²⁷ I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?

James 1:22-24
 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

Reflect on the Bible passages in light of the film.

What do you think of the decision to give the reporter unlimited access to Galactica?

What do Adama and Laura want out of this?

What does the reporter want?

What does she say about the ‘face’ that she may show to the rest of the fleet?

Is it important to see ourselves as we truly are? If so, why?

What does James say about this?

Reflect on the James quote in light of the episode’s commentary on knowing yourself.

How is the Word of God like a ‘mirror’?

What do you see when you look in that mirror?

Reflect on this quote: “you must do it before we tear ourselves apart.”

How did the early church almost ‘tear itself apart’?

Reflect on this quote: “from darkness you must fall.”

Reflect on this quote: “he thought the military was a joke. A place for emotional cripples and patriotic fools.”

Why is Gaius jealous of those being interviewed by the news team?

Why did Jesus’ followers resent Paul so much, do you think?

Why is “Six” willing to let Gaius ‘beg’ to be interviewed?

What does she say about Gaius and politics?

What makes politics someone’s ‘strong suit’?

How did Paul’s ineptitude at politics hurt him in the 2 Corinthians passage?

How does Gaius respond to the reporter’s request for an interview and why does he react this way?

What is Gaius’ defining characteristic?

Why does Paul come off as so full of himself in the 2 Corinthians passage?

Why are the pilots trained to consider themselves ‘dead’ already?

What do you think of this?

How did Paul consider himself ‘dead’ even as he lived? How did this lead to a richer kind of life?

What does Gaeta say about his life on Galactica?

Reflect on this quote: “now tell her why you’re qualified to lead this fleet.”

What qualifications does Paul put forth for him to be an apostle and leader? Reflect on this.