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Revelation
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
Revelation
Revelation is the last book of the Bible, and it is unlike any of the others—filled with strange, confusing imagery, numerology, and apocalyptic visions.
It was written during the second wave of persecution under the Roman Emperor Domitian (the first wave being under the Emperor Nero) and many scholars believe that is why it is focused on end-of-world scenarios, where the just achieve their heavenly reward of “A New Jerusalem” and the evildoers wind-up in fiery lakes of lava, burning for all eternity.
Revelation is considered scripture because one of the earliest historians on the subject mentioned that John the Apostle wrote both his Gospel and the Book of Revelation while imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. (Which is possible, if John was fairly young while Jesus lived and then lived to be quite old, since Revelation can be dated to around 95 AD with Jesus having been crucified around 33 AD.)
If you recall our last lesson (Other Letters), the decision as to whether a writing would be included in the New Testament as “scripture” was whether the earliest scholars considered it Apostle-created or Apostle-adjacent. Therefore, Revelation is included.
The Book’s author describes divine “visions,” many of which are difficult to comprehend but seem to borrow heavily from numerology. For instance, there is a seven-headed dragon, a seven-headed beast and reference to a scroll with seven seals which was presented to a Lamb (representing Jesus)—although we are told this particular lamb has seven horns and seven eyes. (Revelation 5:6-14)
The Book describes a great deal of death and destruction, brought about by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—Conquest, War, Famine and Death. (Revelation 6:1-8)
Chapter 13 describes “the Beast” or the Antichrist, who rises out of the sea and is empowered by Satan, represented by a dragon. A second entity, known as “the False Prophet” is the enforcer for the Beast, and requires all people to receive the Mark of the Beast, which is the number 666.
But all is not lost: “Then I saw the heavens opened and there was a white horse; its rider was called ‘Faithful and True.’ He judges and wages war in righteousness. His eyes are like a fiery flame. . . he wore a cloak that had been dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God.” (Revelation 19:11-14)
Bible scholars haven’t always agreed on what the Book’s imagery is supposed to mean, but the gist seems clear: things may be miserable right now, but God will grant us the final victory. The New Jerusalem will not need the sun or the moon because "the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." (Revelation 21:23).
This echoes the Gospel of John Chapter 1, which reinforces the notion that John was the author:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)
And now, you’ve done it—you’ve gone through the major highlights of the Bible, and hopefully you now have a ‘basic’ understanding of what it means. Feel free to share the posts, and God bless!
Anne Cleeland
Letters of Paul
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
Letters of Paul
As we learned last time, Paul wrote much of the New Testament in the form of letters to the new Christian communities, and when you consider Paul’s extensive travels and his years of imprisonment, it is a miracle that these letters survived at all.
But survive they did, and they bear interesting insight into the early Christian communities. The Corinthians were having unity problems (see 1 Corinthians chapter 1); the Thessalonians were being persecuted (see 1 Thessalonians chapter 1); and the Galatians were not following his instructions, which annoyed Paul to no end (see Galatians, chapter 1).
Some notable excerpts from Paul’s letters:
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8)
“Admonish the idle, cheer the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with all. See that no one returns evil for evil; rather, always seek was is good for each other and for all. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, in all things give thanks.” (1 Thess. 5:14-22)
“Do not be misled; bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
“And now, these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
“Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on as uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly rewards us with all things for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works.” (1 Tim. 6:17)
“I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example to those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.” (1 Tim. 1:15-17)
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3:23)
And finally, on the eve of his execution, Paul wrote these words to his successor, Timothy: “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:6)
The Council of Jerusalem: One of the early problems for Paul and the Apostles was exactly what it meant to be a “Christian,” as that term was first coined by the church at Antioch. Jesus himself was a Jew, but he gave no specific direction to the Apostles about how they were to go about complying with The Great Commission, other than naming Simon Peter as the leader the new church. Therefore, many argued that the Jewish Mosaic laws should be honored by any new non-Jewish Christians—circumcision, strict sabbath requirements, and dietary restrictions among them.
Paul, along with Simon Peter and the other church leaders came together to discuss the matter at the Council of Jerusalem in 49 AD. (Acts 15; Galatians 2). Simon Peter agreed with Paul’s take on the matter, and decreed that Mosaic law needn’t be honored by followers of Christ. (Which is notable, because both Simon Peter and Paul were observant Jews). This decision was obviously instrumental in the rapid spread of the faith.
Fun fact: Paul barely escaped from a riot in Ephesus because the silversmiths in that city were furious that no one was buying their idols anymore. (Acts 19:23)
Next time: Letters not written by Paul
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Paul of Tarsus
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
Paul of Tarsus
The Book after the Gospels is called The Acts of the Apostles (referred to as “Acts”) and it tells us what happened immediately after the Resurrection. We are told that Jesus stayed on earth for forty days, speaking to his followers and performing miracles. (Acts 1:3) At the end of this time, he gave the Apostles what is known as the Great Commission, instructing them “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) He then ascended into heaven, “and a cloud took him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9)
Then, the same Simon Peter who’d denied even knowing Jesus during his trial gave a bold speech, condemning the people of Jerusalem for their role in the crucifixion and instructing them to “repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:37-40). As a result, “about three thousand persons were added that day.” (Acts 2:41) It was an enormous number, considering the population of Jerusalem at the time was about 30,000.
Indeed, the new religion started spreading amazingly fast—so fast, that the Emperor of Rome decided things were getting out of hand and issued his own commission: he sent Saul of Tarsus out to Judea to put a stop to it.
Saul was a Roman citizen, but he was also a Jew who was educated in Jerusalem; therefore, he was a good choice to lead the persecution and crush this new religion before it threatened the empire. Saul commenced his work with relish, “Entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.” (Acts 8:3) He is also described as overseeing the execution of St. Stephen, the very first Christian martyr. (Acts 8:1)
Having got Jerusalem under control, Saul was traveling to Damascus, Syria, with the intention of bringing back the followers of Jesus in chains. (Acts 9:1-2) However, on this journey, “a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting’.“ (Acts 9:4-5)
As you can imagine, this experience resulted in an abrupt change in attitude, and instead of wiping-out Christianity, Saul went down in history as its greatest evangelist.
He changed his name to Paul and eventually sought-out the Apostles in Jerusalem—who could be forgiven for thinking it was some sort of trick. But he won over their trust, and commenced to spread the Gospel throughout the known world with extraordinary success. Over the next 14 years, he covered modern-day Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy—journeys totaling thousands of miles by sea and by foot.
With shrewd insight, he helped to set-up the seven early churches in seven busy trading ports—Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Philippi, Colossae, and Thessalonica—the better to spread the Gospel far and wide. He then spent the remainder of his life writing letters to these early communities, issuing advice and settling disputes.
Also known as “epistles,” these letters make-up the bulk of the New Testament. When you hear someone refer to “Corinthians,” they are referring to a letter Paul wrote to the early Christian church in Corinth, Greece. Paul is also the reason the New Testament was originally written in Greek; Paul spoke Greek, which was the international language of trade at the time.
The oldest book of the New Testament is 1 Thessalonians (addressed to the Christians in Thessalonica) which was written approximately 50 AD. Interestingly enough, Paul’s early letters pre-dated the Gospels themselves; the Gospel writers did not begin their work until approximately 60 AD—probably because the first generation was passing away, and it was decided that a record should be made.
Of the 27 books in the New Testament, 13 or 14 are attributed to Paul, along with a large portion of Acts; therefore, he is responsible for about half the New Testament. Quite a turn-around, for the man commissioned with wiping-out those pesky Christians—and another compelling piece of evidence that Jesus was exactly who he said he was.
Meanwhile, you can only imagine how annoying all this was to Rome. Paul was imprisoned seven times over these years, with many of his letters written from prison. Finally, around the year 64 AD he was executed in Rome—beheaded instead of crucified, which was a courtesy since he was a citizen of Rome.
The unlikeliest of heroes, who—next to Jesus, himself—lived perhaps the most influential life in all of history.
Next time: Paul’s Letters
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The Resurrection
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
The Resurrection
Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and the Jewish sabbath begins Friday at sunset. The sabbath ended on Saturday night, and so the women who wished to anoint Jesus’ body pursuant to funeral rites had to wait until Sunday morning to seek access to his tomb.
As is the case with much of the Gospels, the accounts of the Resurrection don’t always align, with Mark and Luke reporting that three women came to the tomb only to discover it empty. (Matthew 28:1-8; Luck 24: 1-3)
John gives us a slightly different narrative which is of interest because—remember—there are scholars who believe the Apostle John is the same person who wrote the Gospel of John and is also the “John” who wrote the Book of Revelation. So, it is possible that John is telling the story as an eyewitness. He tells us that Mary Magdalene—a former prostitute and now a devout follower—came to the tomb early in the morning only to see that stone had been rolled away from the entry. In great distress, she then ran to fetch Simon Peter and John because she feared that someone had taken Jesus’s body. The two apostles raced to the tomb, with John arriving first but afraid to enter. Simon Peter then joined him, entered the tomb and saw that it was empty, with the burial cloth that had covered Jesus’ head rolled up separately from the cloths that had covered his body. (John 20:1-10)
Meanwhile, Mary is outside weeping and a man asks her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She believes she is speaking to the gardener, and explains that she does not know what has happened to Jesus’ body. The man then says her name, and she realizes it is Jesus. He warns her not to touch him, but to go tell the others what she has seen. (John 20:11-18).
Later, Jesus appeared to all the other disciples in the room where they’d been hiding. John tells us he came through a locked door and “stood in their midst,” showing them his wounds. (John 20:19-20, 26-27). He then said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)
We are also told that Jesus appeared to other followers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-43) and later to a crowd of more than 500 people. Paul, the Christian leader who wrote much of the New Testament, told the early church that most of those 500 people were still alive and could verify the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:6).
So; did this really happen? If it did, Jesus is exactly who he said he was, and if it didn’t, Jesus is of little importance—there’s really no in-between, is there? But perhaps the strongest evidence is circumstantial in nature.
In law, there are two kinds of evidence, direct and circumstantial. Oftentimes, direct evidence doesn’t exist and so a legal case has to be proven using circumstantial evidence—evidence that creates a reasonable inference. One example of circumstantial evidence is the behavior of a person around the time of an alleged act; for instance, if a thief was seen to go on a wild shopping spree shortly after the money went missing.
In this case, the behavior of the persons is very compelling. The Apostles went from cowering in a room—afraid that they would be crucified next—to losing all fear of death, and going out to boldly proclaim the Gospel. And whatever happened to create this change of heart also inspired these provincial men to travel across the known world—from India to Africa to Europe—so as to spread their message. They were no longer afraid of death, and indeed, all were tortured to death save John, who went to prison instead. No one ever recanted.
And meanwhile, Christianity spread like wildfire—despite some very serious efforts to crush it—with the result that it became the official religion of the Roman Empire some 300 years later. All the armies that ever marched and all the leaders that ever led—all put together—haven’t affected life on earth as much as this one itinerant preacher who briefly lived in an obscure backwater of the mighty Roman Empire.
And on top of that, there’s the evidence of Paul of Tarsus—the unlikeliest hero of all—who we will discuss next time.
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The Crucifixion
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
The Crucifixion
Crucifixion was a brutal death, meant to send a warning to others: don’t cross Rome, or you will be made to suffer, and suffer mightily. Although the crucifixion of Jesus is the most famous example of this type of execution, the Romans had been using it for hundreds of years.
Essentially, the method of execution was slow suffocation. The nailing to the cross in itself was not life-threatening, but it forced the victim to lift up his chest to take a breath, and eventually—after several days—he would be too exhausted to do so. (And oftentimes the soldiers would break the victim’s legs so as to hasten the process.)
The cross would be on public display, bearing a sign that proclaimed the crime. In Jesus’ case, the sign read “This is Jesus, King of the Jews” since he hadn’t been executed for any recognized capital crime. (Matthew 27:35; Mark 15:25; Luke 23:33; John 19:18)
To add insult to injury, the condemned criminal would be forced carry his cross-beam to the place of execution—the route being called Via Delorosa, which you can still see marked on the streets of Jerusalem to this day. Every year, many Christian pilgrims retrace Jesus’ steps, and the crowds are especially large on Good Friday.
It is interesting that all four Gospels give a detailed, hour-by hour account of the crucifixion. We are told that Jesus kept falling as he walked the Via Delorosa, and so the Roman guards enlisted an onlooker to carry his cross—Simon of Cyrene. (Luke 23:26)
All four Gospel writers tell us that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. He was raised up on the cross at 9 o’clock in the morning and died at 3 o’clock in the afternoon—unusually fast for such an execution. (Mark 15:25-34)
He was crucified between two criminals, and the Gospel of Luke gives us an interesting insight: one criminal lambasts Jesus, wondering why he won’t save them, but the other rebukes the first, and asks, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus tells him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)
We are told that the earth reacted to Jesus’ death; darkness covered the land for three hours, and the curtain in the temple was torn in two. (Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44)
The Gospel of Luke then tells us there was a member of the Sanhedrin named Joseph of Arimathea, and that he’d disagreed with the Council’s actions. Joseph went on his own to ask Pilate for custody of Jesus’ body, and permission was granted. Joseph then wrapped the body in linen-cloth before placing it in a tomb cut in the rock, “one in which no one had yet been buried.” (Luke 23:50-54)
Next time: The Resurrection
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Gethsemane, the Arrest and the Trial
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
Once their Passover meal had concluded, Jesus and the Apostles went over to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. This short time in the Garden is marked by Jesus’ anguish and submission to God’s will.
Jesus instructed the Apostles to stay awake and pray while he stayed at a small distance, praying alone. In profound distress, he expressed his human desire to avoid the coming suffering: "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." (Matthew 26:39) Despite his repeated pleas to the disciples to stay vigilant, he found them sleeping, and noted that "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Mark 13:41.)
One of the Apostles, Judas Iscariot, then led a group of Sanhedrin, temple guards, and a Roman cohort over to arrest Jesus, identifying him by a pre-arranged signal in the form of a kiss. (Mark 13:48-55) The Roman officers arrested Jesus, although one of Jesus's Apostles attempted to stop them with a sword and cut off an ear. The Gospel of John specifies that this was Simon Peter (John 17:10), and Luke adds that Jesus healed the wound. (Luke 22:51) Jesus rebuked the violent act: "Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword shall perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)
Immediately following his arrest, a religious trial began before Annas, the former high priest, and then before Caiaphas, the current high priest, as well as before the Sanhedrin. During these proceedings, Jesus was accused of blasphemy for declaring himself the Messiah and Son of God, and the council condemned him to death (Matthew 26:63–66). However, since the Jewish authorities lacked the power to carry out capital punishment, they brought Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea.
Once before Pilate, the charges were then reframed to be political: Jesus was accused of inciting rebellion by claiming to be King of the Jews, and by forbidding tax payments to Rome—the two charges most likely to catch Roman displeasure. (Luke 23:2).
It seems clear that Pilate was reluctant to fall-in with their plans, however; initially he found Jesus not guilty, and was going to release him (Luke 23:4) This enraged the Jewish authority, and so Pilate promptly passed the buck; because Jesus was from Galilee, he decided to send him to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, who was also in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. (Luke 23:6-8)
For his part, Herod hoped that Jesus would perform a miracle, but when Jesus refused to speak, Herod angrily sent him back to Pilate. (Luke 23:6–12).
Again, Pilate told the crowd he didn’t find Jesus guilty of a capital crime; he would only flog and release him. But the crowd was adamant, and so Pilate made one last attempt; it was the custom at Passover to release one prisoner: “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” But the crowd insisted that Barabbas, a rebel leader, should be released instead.
And so, Jesus was condemned to death.
Fun fact: The Apostles had scattered, fearing they’d meet the same fate as Jesus. Simon Peter, however, hung around the courtyard when all this back-and-forth was taking place. Recognizing his accent, several people accused Simon Peter of being with Jesus, but—just as Jesus had predicted—Simon Peter denied knowing Jesus on three different occasions.
Next time: The Crucifixion
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The Last Supper
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
The main Jewish authority during this time was the Sanhedrin; a legislative and judicial council which was composed of 71 members, including the High Priest, chief priests, elders, and scribes. Many of tahe Sanhedrin’s powerful members were very unhappy with Jesus’ teachings, and considered them blasphemy.
Under Roman rule, however, the Sanhedrin's power was significantly restricted—especially when it came to matters of capital punishment. The Sanhedrin could pass death sentences, but could not carry them out without Roman approval. For their part, the Romans didn’t concern themselves with petty local disputes—especially religious disputes. The Romans tended to be concerned about only two things: whether taxes were being paid, and whether an insurrection was being plotted. Therefore, the Sanhedrin had to try to convince the local Roman Governor—Pontius Pilate—that Jesus had told his followers not to pay taxes and that he considered himself the King of the Jews and thus a rival to Roman rule. Both claims were false, of course, but were guaranteed to catch the Governor’s attention. (Luke 23:2)
Jesus and his disciples had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover holiday, and indeed, The Last Supper was their Passover celebration. We are told that Jesus withdrew to a “large upper room” with his apostles to hold the seder meal. (Mark 14:15; Matthew 26:18)
During the ritual, we are told Jesus did three significant things:
(1) He washed his disciples’ feet. Judea was a dusty place, and so as a matter of course servants would wash their guests’ feet upon entering a house. To the apostles’ surprise, Jesus himself knelt to begin washing his disciple’s feet. Simon Peter objected, claiming such a task was beneath him. (John 13:8)
But Jesus replied, “If I, therefore, the master and teacher have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” (John 13:14-16).
It was a clear lesson about the humble service he expected them to do for others—with no nonsense about thinking they were too important to do even the most mundane of tasks.
(2) He established the Eucharist, or Holy Communion. “Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: ‘This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.’” (Luke 22:19-20)
(3) He gave the disciples The Great Commandment: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples; if you have love for one another.” (John 13:31-33)
During the meal, Jesus also predicted that one of his apostles would betray him, and he also said that before the cock crowed the following morning, Simon Peter would deny knowing him three times. (Matthew 26:20; John 13:38) Simon Peter vehemently denied this, and declared that he would die for Jesus.
Fun Fact: the Easter holiday moves around on the calendar because the Last Supper was a Jewish Passover meal, and Jewish holidays operate on a lunar calendar. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox (which also moves around slightly, but is usually March 20). Therefore, Easter Sunday can be anytime within a four-week period, which is the lapse of time from one full moon to the next.
Next week: Gethsemane, the Arrest and the Trial.
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
Miracles
We can conclude that Jesus must have been a compelling speaker, but we can also assume that much of his fame came from the news that he was performing miracles. As I mentioned last time, word must have spread like wildfire—especially when the miracles were directed toward healing the sick. He would have been mobbed, and indeed, we are told that he would often instruct the healed person not to say anything, just as he did with the blind man of Bethsaida. (See: Mark 1:40; 1:43; 7:36; Matthew 9:30; Luke 8:56)
We are also told that—to bypass the crowds—one paralyzed man had resourceful friends, who lowered the man on a mat through an opening in the roof. (Mark 2:1-12) Therefore, we can easily assume that it must have been a chaotic scene, whenever Jesus went out in public.
Publicly, many of the Jewish religious leaders were opposed to Jesus, but in private it may have been a different story. We are told that a leader of the synagogue named Jairus threw himself at Jesus’ feet and begged him to heal his twelve-year-old daughter—which Jesus did. (Luke 8:41-56). And even after Jesus’ arrest, King Herod was “greatly pleased” to see him, hoping that he’d perform a miracle. (Luke 23:8)
Interestingly enough, it seems that oftentimes the miracles depended upon the strength of the recipient’s faith, and where there was no faith there were no miracles. Compare Jesus’ words to a blind man in Mark 10:52 (“Go your way; your faith has saved you”) to Matthew 13:58 (“And he did not do many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.")
And perhaps the most famous example is that of the Roman centurion, an important soldier in the conquering army who—surprisingly—came to ask Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus agreed to go with him, the centurion said it wouldn’t be necessary: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed." Jesus replied: “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” (Matthew 8:5-13)
Other well-known miracles:
Water into wine: Jesus’ first recorded miracle, when he attended a wedding in Cana. The hosts had run out of wine, and Jesus’ mother prompted him to help them out, even though he was reluctant to show his power as yet. Mom knows best, though. (John 2:1-11)
The Feeding of the Five Thousand: this miracle is the only one to appear in all four Gospels; Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31–44, Luke 9:12–17, and John 6:1–14. The event occurred when a large crowd had followed Jesus to a remote area where there was little food. Using five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus multiplied the food to feed approximately 5,000 men (plus women and children), and we are told there were twelve baskets of leftovers.
Raising Lazarus from the Dead: Jesus heard word that Lazarus, one of his friends, was very sick in a nearby town. By the time he arrived, however, the man had died and been in the tomb for four days. Before the crowd of mourners, Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out, and he did, still wrapped in his burial cloths. (John 11:1–44)
Walking on Water: After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the apostles by ship back to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while he remained behind to pray. Night fell, and the apostles’ ship was caught in a fearsome storm. Fearing for their lives, the men then saw Jesus, walking toward them on the water. They were frightened, thinking that they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus told them not to be afraid, entered the ship, and the storm subsided. (John 6:1-14)
Fun fact: The Jewish leaders at the time criticized Jesus for performing miracles on the Sabbath, and used this as a pretext in their plot to kill him. (John 5:1-18).
Next week: The Last Supper
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
The Double-Miracle at Bethsaida
You may recall that Zaccheus had to climb a tree to see Jesus over the crowds—and the crowds were growing bigger every day. Why was this? Jesus was preaching a Gospel that resonated with a lot of people, of course, but aside from that, he was also performing miracles. In particular, we are told that he was healing the sick, and there are many instances in the four Gospels where a person was cured—forty-two altogether, along with references to other miracles which were not recorded.
You can see how this would be a huge draw—there was a high mortality rate in Judea; suddenly you hear that this Jesus person is curing the sick, and so you are naturally desperate to see if he can heal your loved one, too. In fact, even his supposed enemies were willing to ask for a miracle, as we will see in the next post.
It is also understandable if you are highly skeptical of the whole premise. Miracles, really? More like lucky coincidences, or the power of persuasion, maybe; very hard to believe someone was walking around performing miracles.
But then again, there’s the blind man of Bethsaida.
The Gospel of Mark tells us that when Jesus arrived at Bethsaida, he was presented with a man who’d been born blind, and was asked to heal him. Jesus drew the man to a private place, and laid hands on his eyes—but then there was some confusion, because the man could see, but he could not see clearly: “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Jesus then touched the man a second time, and then he could see everything distinctly. (Mark 8:22–26)
Why was this significant? Because in modern times we have learned that the eyes may look, but it is the brain that sees. For example, think of the “fool the eye” displays that are so popular; if you stare at a moving spiral for 30 seconds then look away, your visual world is now transformed by your brain so that stationary objects seem to bulge and move. But then—very quickly—your brain switches back to a world where objects are once again stationary.
Other examples include: (1) you “see” things in your dreams; (2) you are not aware of your blind spots, even though they are always there (3) some people have visual hallucinations, where they “see” things that are not there.
But more to the point, modern medicine has advanced to the point where in some situations, people who’ve been blind can regain their sight. But we’ve also learned that it is not as simple as it sounds.
An early case was Michael G. May (born 1954) who regained partial vision after a pioneering corneal transplant. But the doctors were surprised to find that he had no intuitive grasp of depth perception—as people walked away from him, he perceived them as literally shrinking in size. May also had trouble differentiating complex shapes, dimension and orientations of objects, and it took a period of adjustment for his brain to comprehend what he was seeing.
Newborn babies must go through this same type of adjustment, but they don’t have the means to tell us about it and so it was an unknown phenomenon—and besides, it seemed so obvious that you see with your eyes; no one knew about the brain’s role.
So; Jesus performed a second miracle for the man born blind, helping his brain to sort it all out so that—we are told—suddenly, the man could see everything clearly.
The Gospel writers at the time had no idea about any of this—they only know that Jesus performed a second miracle because the first one, for reasons unknown, did not “take.”
Which seems a fairly strong argument that it actually happened, doesn’t it?
Next time: Miracles
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Forgiveness and the Golden Rule
We discussed how there are two basic tenets in Jesus’ teachings: There is an eternal life in paradise waiting for us if we follow the right path, and we should do our utmost to help each other follow that path.
With respect to the second part—doing our best to help each another—Jesus gave us what is known as the Golden Rule: “Do to others what you would have them to do you.” (Matthew 7:12: Luke 6:31)
He then spelled-out clearly what is expected, notably in Luke 6:27: “. . love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. . .”
This was yet another radical idea—you must love those who hate you, and bless those who wrong you? This seems an almost impossible request—we’re only human, after all, and our natural reaction is to seek retribution. But Jesus goes on to point out: “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them and lend expecting nothing back, then your reward will be great. . .” (Luke 6:33)
We are also asked to be examples: “You are the light of the world. . .just so, your light must shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:13)
There are millions of unsung heroes—those who have forgiven even the most heinous wrongs quietly and without fanfare, but here are three more famous examples:
Pope John Paul II and his assassin. In May 1981, Pope John Paul II was the victim of an assassination attempt by a Muslim radical. The Pope nearly died, and never fully recovered from the attack. As soon as he was well enough, he visited his attacker in prison and the two spoke quietly for about twenty minutes. “What we talked about will have to remain a secret between him and me,” the Pope said as he emerged from the cell. “I spoke to him as a brother whom I have pardoned and who has my complete trust.”
Immaculee Ilibagiza survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide by hiding for 91 days with seven other women in a tiny 3-by-4-foot bathroom at a Hutu pastor's home. During this ordeal, she lost her mother, father, and two brothers to the violence. She went on to become a motivational speaker and best-selling author on the topic of forgiveness, and later founded an orphanage for African children.
Louis Zamperini: An Olympic runner and bombardier who survived nearly three years of brutal torture in Japanese POW camps, Zamperini later visited his captors to offer forgiveness—although his chief tormentor refused to meet with him.
Next week: The double-miracle at Bethsaida and what it means.
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The teachings of Jesus: The Parables
As I mentioned in the overview, what Jesus taught was a radical reconfiguring of the religious beliefs of the day. To make it more understandable, he used parables—stories that are similar to fables in that they illustrate a moral lesson. Here are a few of the more famous:
The Workers in the Vineyard. A vineyard owner (representing God) hires a few day-workers from the town square early in the morning. He hires more at midmorning, at noon, in the early afternoon, and toward the end of the day. When it comes time to pay them, however, he pays everyone the same amount. The early-morning workers are outraged, since the latecomers shouldn’t be paid as much—and they complain bitterly about the unfairness of this. The owner answers, “My friend, I am not cheating you, did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matt. 20:1-16
The Prodigal Son. A father had two sons, and the youngest demanded his inheritance early so he could go off on his own. He promptly spent all the money on loose women and gambling, and wound-up starving and having to tend pigs. Thinking that he may as well go home and ask if he could tend his father’s pigs, he returned home. But instead of being angry, the father rejoiced to see him, and arranged a massive party to celebrate. The oldest son, upon seeing this, had a similar reaction to the early day-workers in the parable above; this was completely unfair—he’d served his father faithfully but he’d never had a party thrown for him. The father tells him, “My son, you are here with me; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because this brother was dead and has come back to life again; he was lost and has been found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
The Good Samaritan. To better understand this parable, it is important to know that Samaritans (residents of Samaria) were very much looked down upon by the Jews of the time, and that Jews studiously avoided any contact with them.
A lawyer was listening to Jesus teach that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and he asked, “But who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus told the following parable: A traveler was set upon by robbers, who beat him and left him for dead on the side of the road. A priest passed by but did not stop, and a Levite (a member of tribe of Levi, who performed religious duties for the Jews) crossed the road to avoid the victim. But a Samaritan saw the victim, and loaded him up on his donkey so as to take him to the nearest inn. The Samaritan bound his wounds, and then paid the innkeeper to nurse the man, promising to check-in on his return journey in the event more money was needed. Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The lawyer replied, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
Lazarus and the Rich Man. There was a rich man who feasted every day, but at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died but was sent straight to hell. The rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering torment in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus received what was bad; but now he is comforted here and you are tormented.’ So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father – send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.’ But the rich man protested, ‘Oh no, father Abraham—but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’” [Note: IRONY ALERT]
(Luke 16:19-31)
Fun fact: the Gospel of Luke contains twenty-four Parables, while the Gospel of John contains none.
Next time: The Teachings of Jesus: Significant Encounters
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When you’re curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
The teachings of Jesus: The Parables
As I mentioned in the overview, what Jesus taught was a radical reconfiguring of the religious beliefs of the day. To make it more understandable, he used parables—stories that are similar to fables in that they illustrate a moral lesson. Here are a few of the more famous:
The Workers in the Vineyard. A vineyard owner (representing God) hires a few day-workers from the town square early in the morning. He hires more at midmorning, at noon, in the early afternoon, and toward the end of the day. When it comes time to pay them, however, he pays everyone the same amount. The early-morning workers are outraged, since the latecomers shouldn’t be paid as much—and they complain bitterly about the unfairness of this. The owner answers, “My friend, I am not cheating you, did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Are you envious because I am generous?” (Matt. 20:1-16
The Prodigal Son. A father had two sons, and the youngest demanded his inheritance early so he could go off on his own. He promptly spent all the money on loose women and gambling, and wound-up starving and having to tend pigs. Thinking that he may as well go home and ask if he could tend his father’s pigs, he returned home. But instead of being angry, the father rejoiced to see him, and arranged a massive party to celebrate. The oldest son, upon seeing this, had a similar reaction to the early day-workers in the parable above; this was completely unfair—he’d served his father faithfully but he’d never had a party thrown for him. The father tells him, “My son, you are here with me; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because this brother was dead and has come back to life again; he was lost and has been found.” (Luke 15:11-32)
The Good Samaritan. To better understand this parable, it is important to know that Samaritans (residents of Samaria) were very much looked down upon by the Jews of the time, and that Jews studiously avoided any contact with them.
A lawyer was listening to Jesus teach that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, and he asked, “But who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus told the following parable: A traveler was set upon by robbers, who beat him and left him for dead on the side of the road. A priest passed by but did not stop, and a Levite (a member of tribe of Levi, who performed religious duties for the Jews) crossed the road to avoid the victim. But a Samaritan saw the victim, and loaded him up on his donkey so as to take him to the nearest inn. The Samaritan bound his wounds, and then paid the innkeeper to nurse the man, promising to check-in on his return journey in the event more money was needed. Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The lawyer replied, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37)
Lazarus and the Rich Man. There was a rich man who feasted every day, but at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, who longed to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died but was sent straight to hell. The rich man called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering torment in these flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus received what was bad; but now he is comforted here and you are tormented.’ So the rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father – send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they don’t come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.’ But the rich man protested, ‘Oh no, father Abraham—but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Abraham replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’” [Note: IRONY ALERT]
(Luke 16:19-31)
Fun fact: the Gospel of Luke contains twenty-four Parables, while the Gospel of John contains none.
Next time: The Teachings of Jesus: Significant Encounters
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The Apostles
Little is known of Jesus’ early life, and we are given very few personal details. Instead, the gospel writers decided to focus exclusively on what Jesus said and did, with minimal interpretation or commentary—leaving us to draw our own conclusions.
One thing Jesus did early in his ministry was gather twelve Apostles to assist him—ordinary men, who were minding their own business and unaware that they were about to become more famous than they could ever imagine.
Gospel accounts vary, but in the Gospel of Matthew we are told that Simon and Andrew were fisherman on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called out to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matt.4:19) We are told that the two didn’t hesitate: “At once, they left their nets and followed him.” (Matt.4:20) Jesus then came to another set of brothers, John and James, who were also fisherman, working with their father. “He called to them and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.” (Matt.4: 21) These two sets of brothers—Simon and Andrew, James and John—tended to be the core of the Apostles, and were present at all major events.
Jesus would designate Simon as the head Apostle, naming him “Peter” which is the Greek translation for “rock.” (It would be “Kepha” in the original Aramaic language.) Jesus told Simon, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matt 16:18) Once again, we are given an unlikely hero, because Simon Peter tended to have a temper, tended to argue with Jesus, and famously ran away when Jesus needed him most. Yet the nickname was borne out, because Peter redeemed himself—courageously leading the church in the early days until he also was crucified.
One of the apostles, Matthew, was a tax collector, and it is important to remember that tax collectors were hated with the heat of a thousand suns, since they collected taxes on behalf of the Roman oppressors and tended to cheat their fellow countrymen while they were at it. Yet, we are told: “. . .he saw a man named Matthew, sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ‘Follow me,’ and he got up and followed him.” (Matt. 9:9)
It’s interesting, isn’t it? That an itinerant preacher with no worldly goods spoke to these men and they left their lives and families without a backward glance. It is a good example of what the Gospel writers did in reciting this history: this is what happened; make of it what you will.
The scriptures provide few details about the other Apostles listed in Matt. 10:1-4: Philip, Nathaniel, Bartholomew, Thomas, James the lesser (called this to avoid confusion with John’s brother, James the greater), Thaddeus and Judas Iscariot. And rounding up the twelve, we are given another unlikely hero—Simon the Zealot, in that the Zealots were the terrorist faction of the day; ultra-religious Jews that regularly took-up arms against the Romans.
The Apostles earned their immense fame mainly from what they did after the Resurrection—and indeed, their behavior lends credence to the truth of the Resurrection itself: they went from eleven terrified men (eleven because Judas Iscariot had committed suicide), hiding in an attic for fear the Romans would come after them, too—to men who went forth to the four corners of the known world, fearlessly preaching the Gospel. All but one wound-up getting tortured to death for their trouble, and yet they never faltered. So; something happened to change their minds, there in that attic. As the Gospel writers invite—you may draw your own conclusions.
Fun fact: St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome was thus named because—according to tradition—Peter was buried beneath its high altar after his crucifixion in 64 AD. No one knew if this was actually the case, though—it seemed unlikely that anyone could collect his body, if Peter was crucified as an enemy of Rome. Then in 1939, excavations beneath St. Peter’s Basilica unearthed a complex network of catacombs beneath the structure, including a burial casket of bones labeled “Petros Eni”—Peter is here. Forensic examination showed the bones belonged to a robust man of 60-70 years, which was consistent with Peter at the time of his death.
Next week: The Ministry: what Jesus taught.
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The Gospels
Four books start out the New Testament, each a different account of the life of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The word “gospel” translates to “good news.”
Interestingly enough, these four accounts often do not align—with the birth and resurrection narratives serving as prime examples. Traditionally, Matthew and John were considered eyewitness accounts but scholars tend to believe that none of the four were actual eyewitnesses, mainly because the Gospels were written well after the fact, with the earliest being the Gospel of Mark in 65 AD. (Remember, Jesus was crucified about 33 AD) It was only as the eyewitness generation began to pass away that the Gospel writers decided they’d better write it down. Here’s a brief rundown of each:
The Gospel of Matthew was written in Syria about 85 AD. No one is certain who Matthew was, but his Gospel is packed with the most information. It is believed he was writing for a Jewish community due to his emphasis on the law of Moses.
The Gospel of Mark was written first, around 65 AD, and is the shortest. It is believed that Mark was St. Peter’s translator. Both Matthew and Luke seem to have used Mark’s Gospel as their template, and many portions are copied word-for-word. Mark is believed to be a foreigner, in that he tends to make mistakes when it comes to geography and appears to be writing for a non-Jewish community.
The Gospel of Luke was written about 90 AD. He was a physician who traveled with St. Paul, and was not Jewish. His is called the “universal gospel” because he directed his writings toward the poor and toward foreigners. He mentions women more than the other three.
The Gospel of John was written around 90-95 AD. It does not follow Mark’s template, but instead uses imagery to great effect (e.g., light; living water.) John omits many of the miracles, and also omits the baptism, the parables, and the trial. Many people argue that the writer of this Gospel was also John the Apostle (and thus an eyewitness) as well as the writer of the Book of Revelation. It is possible, if he was a young teen during Jesus’ life and lived to be quite old.
The only common stories in all four Gospels are the feeding of the five thousand, and John the Baptist, which is who we will cover next.
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New Testament Intro
To recap, we’ve just gone through a few thousand years of Old Testament, focused mainly upon the history of the Israelites—their triumphs and their defeats. But now we’re starting at the year zero with the New Testament, which covers only about 100 years and focuses on the story of Jesus—who He was, and what happened after He died. The New Testament takes up approximately 400 years after the Old Testament ends.
The New Testament can be divided into four parts:
(1) The Gospels (four different books that describe the life of Jesus; what He did and what He said)
(2) The Acts of the Apostles (A book that details what His followers did immediately afterward)
(3) Twenty-one letters, which are actual letters written to the early Christian colonies, giving them instructions and advice. Fourteen are believed to be written by St. Paul.
(4) Revelation, the last book of the Bible, which contains a lot of imagery and end-times predictions.
It is important to remember that Jesus himself wrote nothing down. We know very little about his early life, and he didn’t start his ministry until he was about thirty years old. He lived in a small, obscure town—a backwater of the mighty Roman Empire—until he was put to death at age thirty-three for causing too much of a ruckus. Yet twenty centuries have come and gone, and He remains the central figure for much of the human race. All the emperors, all the kings, all the presidents, all the prime ministers—all of them combined together—have not affected life on earth as much as this one man.
So, let’s find out about Him.
Next time, The Gospels
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Where is the Messiah?
We’ve gone through many of the highlights from the Old Testament, and if you are a cursory Christian you might be scratching your head. It’s all very interesting—and now you may have a better understand of Old Testament references—but what does any of this have to do with Christianity?
There’s a simple answer that is taken straight from the Old Testament itself: The Messiah.
The Hebrew word translates as “the anointed one”; a savior who will rescue and restore the Jewish people. There are many prophecies of this Messiah in the Old Testament; for example, he will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and will be from the lineage of David. (2 Samuel 7:12–13). He will be a priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), and possess an eternal kingdom (Daniel 2:44, Psalm 45:6–7).
Some of the prophecies specifically foretell of a mighty warrior who will restore Judah and Israel by destroying their enemies. (Jeremiah 23:5–6) This version was increasingly favored after the Roman conquest of the Middle East in 63 BC; many Jews looked for a Messianic military leader who would free them from Rome’s iron grip. But other prophets declared that his reach would be far broader, that “. . .nations and peoples of every language serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingdom shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
And—in contrast to the conquering hero—the prophet Isaiah depicted the Messiah as a suffering servant who would bear the sins of others and die unjustly: “But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins; upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.” (Isaiah 53: 5-6)
Interestingly enough, after the abundance of prophets during the tumultuous divided kingdom period, suddenly there was a silence—no prophets for around 400 years. Everything went still with anticipation until—out of nowhere—a disheveled wild man named John the Baptist showed up, and the world would never be the same.
Next time: New Testament Overview
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Solomon
King Solomon was the next King of Israel after David, and he is perhaps best known for his wisdom. When he was a young man, God appeared in a dream and told Solomon, “Ask something of me, and I will give it to you.” Rather than asking for riches or power, King Solomon asked for “an understanding heart.” (1 Kings 3:5).
Probably the best-known example of the wisdom of Solomon is the “split the baby” story. Two women appeared before him, each claiming they were the mother of a baby. Solomon decided that—since it was impossible to know which was lying—he would ask one of his soldiers to cut the child in half. Immediately, one of the women relinquished her claim and he knew that she was the true mother—she’d rather lose her child forever than see him killed. (1 Kings 3:16)
Solomon is also traditionally recognized as the author of the biblical books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs.
The Book of Proverbs offers sound advice—the kind of advice that echoes down through the ages:
Proverbs 15:1: “A mild answer calms wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Proverbs 15:17: “Better a dish of herbs where love is, than a fatted ox and hatred with it.”
Proverbs 12:10: “The just man takes care of his beasts, but the heart of the wicked is merciless.”
Proverbs 10:4: “The slack hand impoverishes, but the hand of the diligent enriches.”
And you may be already familiar with Ecclesiastes 3:1: To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. . .
Solomon’s kingdom became the richest in the world (1 Kings 10:23) and the king continued his father David’s practice of marrying so as to form alliances—a “Bond of Blood” that worked to prevent wars. In all, he had over 700 wives. (1 Kings 11:3)
But his young and beautiful wives had an undue influence, and we are told “When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart to strange gods.” (1 Kings 11:4). As we have seen, the God of the Old Testament does not take kindly to the worship of idols, and so a drastic punishment was called for; the kingdom weakened and fell apart, with the next 400 years marking a very difficult period for the Israelites.
Fun fact: The Song of Songs is basically a collection of love poems, most of them definitely R-rated. The Book is unlike anything else in the Bible, and scholars have often scratched their heads, wondering at its inclusion in Holy Scripture. Most conclude that—while it definitely appears to be an accolade to the pleasures of the flesh—it is also an allegory about the constant love between God and his people.
Next up: Prophets
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Saul and David.
Samuel was the last Judge of Israel, and he was a very well-respected holy man who wore various hats as Judge, prophet and priest. Samuel had two sons who were slated to succeed him but—unfortunately—they were corrupt and so the people rejected them, asking instead that Samuel find them a unifying king. (1 Sam.8:1-4)
After a search, Samuel anointed Saul as Israel’s first king. Saul definitely looked the part—the Bible describes him as handsome and tall. (1 Sam. 10:23-24) Unfortunately, Saul was consistently disobedient to God’s decrees, and so Samuel washed his hands of him and returned home. (1 Sam. 15:10,24) God then informed Samuel to go seek out the next king from the house of Jesse, who was a shepherd living in Bethlehem. (1 Sam. 16:1)
In secret, Samuel traveled to meet Jesse, who had assembled his seven sons for this auspicious visit. Samuel, however, looked them over and then asked the man if he had any other sons, since God was telling Samuel that the next king was not among them.
Jesse disclosed that his youngest son, David, was out tending the sheep in the fields. “That’s him,” said God, and David was brought in and anointed in secret as the next King of Israel. (1 Sam. 16:11-12)
Meanwhile, King Saul was a troubled man—apparently suffering from bouts of depression—and so David joined the royal household as a skilled harpist, his music helping to soothe the spirit of the king. (1 Sam. 17:14-18)
King Saul was also having problems with the Philistines, and in particular a giant warrior named Goliath. The king decreed that whoever defeated Goliath would have his own daughter in marriage and never pay taxes again. (1 Sam. 17:25) David stepped forward to take-on the task, much to the surprise of everyone who knew him as a shepherd/harpist.
But his years in the fields had made David handy with a slingshot, and so the young man found a likely rock and struck the giant down, promptly cutting off the big man’s head with his own sword.(1 Sam. 17:48)
As you can imagine, the crowd went wild and David was a hero; so much so that King Saul saw him as a rival, and wanted him dead. David’s wife, Michal, helped him shimmy out a window in the middle of the night, and King Saul’s son—Jonathan—helped to hide and protect David as he made his escape. (1 Sam.19:11; 20:1) He then lived on the run, hiding in caves, wilderness areas, and even among Israel’s enemies for many years—barely escaping death on many an occasion.
Fun fact: Many of the psalms in the Book of Psalms (later on, in the Old Testament) were songs written by David—only we don’t know the melodies, only the lyrics. You can see how things are going in his life by the tenor of the songs—some are grateful: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose.” (Psalm 23). Some are despairing: “Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.” (Psalm 55) And some seek vengeance: “O God; smash their teeth in their mouths; the jaw-teeth of the lions break.” Take a look, the language and imagery are amazing.
Next Up: David the King.
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Rule by Judges
The Twelve Tribes of Israel are now firmly established in Canaan, each with its own parcel of land thanks to Joshua. There was no central ruler, probably due to their unhappy experiences under an all-powerful Pharoah. Instead, the tribes were ruled by military leaders who were called “Judges”—the word having a different meaning than as we use it today; more aptly we’d consider them tribal chieftains.
This set-up didn’t last very long, historically speaking; only about 200 years between 1200 and 1000 BC. During this period, we see a strong pattern: (1) the Israelites would start worshiping other gods; (2) God would bring the hammer down through foreign oppression; (3) the people would beg God for forgiveness, and (4) God would raise up a Judge to deliver them. Thus, this era saw war after war after war.
But nonetheless, there were some notable Judges during this period, perhaps the most notable being Deborah. Under Mosaic law, women were not involved in public religious life and were generally prohibited from having authority over men, but nevertheless we are told that Deborah ruled as a Judge and she is credited with mobilizing an army to conquer the Canaanite army and bring about 40 years of peace. (Judges Chapter 4)
Samson was also a judge—although he was perhaps best known for falling in love with Delilah, who was bribed by the Philistines to betray him. She discovered that the secret to his great strength was in his hair, and so one night she cut it off so that the Philistine army could conquer his tribe. He was then blinded and enslaved, but he wound-up having the last laugh because when his hair grew back, he pulled down the pillars of the amphitheater by his chains, killing himself and many Philistines in the process. (Judges Chapter 16)
Gideon was another unlikely hero, called by God to defeat the Midianites who had murdered his brother. He was hiding in a winepress when an angel greeted him, “The Lord is with you, O Champion.” Gideon respectfully suggested that perhaps the angel had the wrong guy. (Judges 6:11-15)
The moral and spiritual chaos of this period is reflected in the last sentence of the Book of Judges: “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 21:25) The stage is therefore set for the people to demand a unifying king in the next book, 1 Samuel. (Note: some Books in the Bible are divided into two separate Books, so that there is a “First book of Samuel” designated 1 Samuel, and a “Second Book of Samuel” designated 2 Samuel.)
Next: Saul and David.
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The Promised Land
After Moses died, his assistant Joshua was given the task of bringing the Israelites across the Jordan River and into Canaan, the Promised Land. The only problem being that there were Canaanites already living there who didn’t want to leave. (Joshua 1:1,10)
Joshua thus had to lead these nomadic former slaves into battle against various well-trained armies, and based upon his success we can conclude that he must have been a charismatic and shrewd warrior. Of course, it was helpful that God was with Joshua, and performed miracles along the way. (Joshua 1:5-7)
They first came to the major city of Jericho, and when Joshua’s spies sneaked in to reconnoiter, a prostitute named Rahab bravely hid them from the king’s soldiers in exchange for a promise that they would spare her family from the coming carnage. (Joshua 2:4,12) It was a fortunate promise; Rahab was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth. Boaz and Ruth became the great-grandparents of King David.
As God instructed, Joshua and his army marched around Jericho’s fortified walls, blowing trumpets for seven days, and carrying the Ark of the Covenant—a chest made of acacia wood and lined with gold, containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments. (Joshua 6:6) On the seventh day—as the song says—the walls came a’tumbling down. (Joshua 6:15)
The Israelites then fought an army mustered by several Canaanite kingdoms, and once again God assisted them in battle, creating a hailstorm on one occasion and on another causing the sun to stop in the sky so that there would be enough daylight to succeed. (Joshua 10:12) If you are familiar with the Joshua Tree of the Mohave Desert, it is so named because its branches seem to imitate a man lifting his arms in supplication to God.
After most of Canaan was conquered, Joshua divided the land between the Twelve Tribes and lived to a ripe old age. (Joshua 13:1) Joshua is believed to have been buried at a Samarian site that is today known as Kifl Haris, where a mausoleum stands in his honor.
Fun fact: Jesus was probably named after Joshua. “Jesus” is actually the Greek translation of “Yeshua” (remember, the New Testament was originally written in Greek). Yeshua is Aramaic for Joshua, and was the name that Jesus was probably known by.
Next time: Rule by Judges
All previous posts are archived at https://t.co/lcOBHFriKZ
#BasicBible # BibleStudy
When you are curious, but not enough to join a Bible study. . .
Moses the Lawgiver
It is easy to focus on the miracles and the escape across the Red Sea, but there was much more to come, in the life of Moses. The Israelites had been slaves for over 400 years, and they were now called-upon to survive in the Desert of Shur, located in the northwestern part of the Sinai Peninsula. It was a far cry from the “land of milk and honey” they’d been promised, and food and water were in short supply. When the people grumbled that they were better off as slaves, Moses turned to God to provide drinkable water and manna from heaven. (Ex. 16:12)
In the third month, they came to Mount Sinai and God called Moses up the mountain, where he remained for forty days and nights to receive God’s law—the Ten Commandments, inscribed on tablets of stone. They are: (1) You shall have no other Gods before me (2) You shall not make an idol or graven image (3) You shall not use God’s name in vain (4) You shall remember the Sabbath Day, and keep it holy (5) Honor your father and mother (6) You shall not kill (7) You shall not commit adultery (8) You shall not steal (9) You shall not bear false witness (10) You shall not covet anything that belongs to someone else, including their spouse. (Ex. 20)
As you can see, the first four Commandments address your relationship with God, and the last six address your relationship with people. Different religions interpret these Commandments differently; for example, in some religions the Sabbath is observed very strictly—no non-religious activities allowed—while for many Christian denominations the Fourth Commandment’s only requirement is attendance at Church.
Many scholars believe that the Second Commandment is the reason we don’t see any sort of depiction of Jesus for about 300 years after His death—no graven images. The Sixth Commandment—you shall not kill—has been a cause for confusion, in that the very next chapter of Exodus has Moses listing those times when it is acceptable to put a criminal to death. (Ex. 21:14-17)
In any event, while Moses was busy getting the law straight from God, the Israelites became impatient and decided to make an idol—a golden calf figure—and throw a big party celebrating their new god. You can only imagine Moses’ frustration, when he came down the mountain to witness this; in a fit of rage he threw the tablets down and broke them. (Ex.32:15) After about three thousand troublemakers were slain, he ascended the mountain again to get another set of tablets. (Ex.32:25; 34:1)
Moses led the Israelites through the desert for forty years, but he died just before they finally reached the Promised Land. According to the Bible, God himself buried Moses, and no one knows the exact location of his burial. (Deut. 31:5-6)
The next three Books of the Bible—Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—set forth the detailed laws that Moses decreed for his people, as well as his speeches later in life to a new generation that hadn’t witnessed the earlier miracles. His story alone constitutes about one-seventh of the entire Bible.
Next: The Promised Land, and a whole new set of troubles.
All previous posts are archived at https://t.co/lcOBHFrQAx
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