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God Creates the Universe

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Scripture Used in the Writing of “God Creates the Universe”

Genesis 1:1-2:4 (Hebrew Text analysis beginning with Genesis 1:1)

See this document for a list of additional supporting Scripture used.

 

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

 

Colossians 1:15-17
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

1 In the beginning God created the 2 heavens and the earth. Now the earth was 3 formless and void, and darkness was over the 4 surface of the deep. And the 5 Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” 6 and there was light. And 7 God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And 8 there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

And God said, “Let there be an 9 expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from 10 the waters above. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into 11 one place, so that the 12 dry land may appear.” And it was so. 13 God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was 14 good. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so. 15 The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to distinguish between the day and the night, and let them be signs to mark the seasons and days and years. And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so. God made 16 two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the  night. And He made the stars as well. God set these lights in the expanse of the sky 17 to shine upon the earth, to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” So God created the 18 great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters teemed according to their kinds, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God 19 blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the sea, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And then there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “20 Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth 21 according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “22 Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, 23 to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; 24 male and female He created them. God blessed them and said to them, “25 Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food. And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—26 I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day 27 He rested from all His work. Then God 28 blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

 

NOTES

 

1 In the beginning: Genesis 1:1. This is the very beginning of the Bible, as well as the universe. The Hebrew word for In the beginning is reshith and it means “first, beginning, time, order”. In order to have a beginning, you must have time. God exists both inside and outside of time and space. However, this universe only exists within time. Time, therefore, is the first thing mentioned in the creation account, but this is not proof that time was created at the same time as space and the earth. It’s important to understand that we have no idea how much “time” passed between the creation of space and the earth in Genesis 1:1 and the action that takes place in Genesis 1:2-5, where we have the creation of days and nights for the tracking of time. Because of this, we cannot accurately say how old the earth is or how old the universe is. It could be that the earth is 4 billion years old. It could be that the earth is 6000 years old. It could be that the earth and our universe are two ages at once, because they have existed within the tracking of days, months and years and have existed outside of those constraints. (Back)

 

2 heavens and the earth: The heavens in Hebrew (shamayim) is understood to have three parts to it: our sky, outer space and God’s heaven where He resides. God’s heaven has always been in existence— the heavens mentioned during creation would be the other two. (Back)

 

3 formless and void, and darkness: The Hebrew word used for formless is tohu and it means “formlessness, emptiness, worthless, desolation”. The Hebrew word used for void is bohu and it means “void, waste, empty”. The Hebrew word used for darkness is choshek and it means “darkness”, both literally and metaphorically. From these definitions we can know that the earth was a desolate wasteland that was completely dark. (Back)

 

4 surface of the deep: We know that the surface of the earth was water and that solid land was under the water because of Genesis 1:2, 6, 7, 9, 10 and Psalm 104:5-9. The Hebrew word used for deep in Genesis 1:2 is tehom and it means “abyss, depths”. From this definition we can understand the the water on the face of the earth was a deep, vast (and dark) sea. It’s possible that the waters were also chaotic at the time, because the word tehom is from a Hebrew word, huwm (or hum), and it means “to roar, to agitate”. (Back)

 

5 Spirit of God was hovering: The Greek word used in Genesis 1:2 for hovering is rachaph and means “hover, relax”. It can also mean “flutter”. The word itself gives the idea that the Holy Spirit was gently and calmly floating over the face of the earth’s water, which was not only vast, deep and dark but also (probably) chaotic, see Note 4. It is a fascinating juxtaposition: the light and calm of God against a dark and restless sea.  (Back)

 

6 and there was light: This light is apart from God’s glory; it is a natural light, instead of His supernatural light. In the New Jerusalem, there will be no need for the sun or the moon (natural light), because God’s supernatural light that emits from His glory will be the lumination for His city. See Revelation 21:23-25. (Back)

 

7 God saw that the light was good: The Hebrew word used for saw in Genesis 1:4 is raah and it means “see, perceive, to behold, approve”. It is a wide-reaching term, with literal and metaphorical uses.  It’s important to understand that God did not need to experiment with His creation and discover that it was good by seeing it with His eyes. The interpretation that we can apply to God “seeing” His creation as good is as a declaration. He was and still is the ultimate Witness to the goodness of what He has made. This makes the eventual fall into sin (Genesis 3) even more tragic (if that’s possible), due to the fact that His creation is now marred by sin and waits to be set free from the corruption of it (see Romans 8:19-23). (Back)

 

8 there was evening, and there was morning:  Today, we think of night as the close of the day, but God created the emergence into morning as the end of a day. This also makes morning the beginning of a new day.  (Back)

 

9 expanse: The Hebrew word for expanse used in Genesis 1:6 is towb and it means “expanse, firmament, arch of the sky”. There may have been those in the ancient world that thought that the earth was flat, but those with a true understanding of the Hebrew or the Greek in the Septuagint for Genesis 1:6 understood, at the very least, that this word mean that the sky had some degree of curvature. (Back)

 

10 the waters above: This water above the earth’s sky has some mysterious aspects. We don’t know if the water above the sky was above the exosphere or somewhere in between the layers of the atmosphere.  We don’t know how much water was separated from the earth and established above the sky. Many Bible scholars hold to the idea that the water above the sky was significant enough to create a dome of water surrounding the earth and that it was this dome of water that was used to flood the earth in Genesis 7:10-12. The language used in these verses does not specifically say that there was a dome of water above the earth used to flood it. However, the words used to describe the water, especially in Genesis 7:11 with the usage of the word tehom (the waters mentioned in Genesis 1:2), does strongly support the idea. (Back)

 

11 one place: If you look at the geography of the earth on a map or topographical application, it is easily seen that the land in its current pieces used to fit together, back in the day. We don’t know how or when the land separated into the pieces we have today, but it could have been because of the flood (Genesis 7) or maybe it happened when God scattered people around the earth in Genesis 11:8. The Bible is silent on the subject. (Back)

 

12 dry land may appear: Psalm 104:6-9 tells us that before this command of God’s, the mountains had been covered with the primordial water, and when God told the waters to gather into one place, the mountains rose up and the valleys sank. Because of verse 9, we know that the land of earth will never be overtaken by the water, nor will the water be overtaken by the land because God has set the boundaries. This is comforting, when thinking about our melting ice caps and glaciers, the rising sea levels, and the hurricanes that seem to be getting worse. But God has promised not to destroy the earth by water ever again (Genesis 9:11-16). The next time (and last time) God destroys the earth, it will be by fire (Isaiah 66:15-16; 2 Peter 3:5-13). (Back)

 

13 God called: When God names or “calls” something, He is proclaiming its name, with purpose. The Hebrew word used for called throughout Genesis 1 is qara and it means “to call, proclaim, to read, to name”. (Back)

 

14 good: The Hebrew word used for good throughout Genesis 1 is towb. It means “good” but it also means “beautiful, pleasing” and is associated with the goodness of God Himself, which is perfect goodness. Just like many overused or under-defined words in the English language, the word good lacks the color and depth needed for the declaration of God’s creation. (Back)

 

15 The earth produced vegetation: The growing of vegetation didn’t happen right away according to Genesis 2:5, but some time after its creation. Irrigation was accomplished by a mist or vapor that rose from the ground, before rain was introduced, see Genesis 2:6. (Back)

 

16 two great lights: The deliverance of sunlight from the sun in the day and the reflection of the same from the moon at night (also see Psalm 136:7-9). The Hebrew word used for great in Genesis 1:16 is gadol and this word has a range of application. It can mean great in magnitude, extent, number, intensity, age, and importance.  We can certainly apply the greatness of these lights to mean that they are great, in all the  application of the word, to us here on earth. (Back)

 

17 to shine upon the earth: Jeremiah 31:35 amplifies this statement. (Back)

 

18 great sea creatures: The Hebrew word used for sea creatures in Genesis 1:21 is tannin and it means “dragon, serpent, monster (both land and sea)”. Tannin has a very similar meaning to Livyathan, or Leviathan, which is used in Isaiah 27:1. The words do not originate from the same root, though. It is possible that tannin’s usage here is to be applied to whales, but we don’t know for sure. (Back)

 

19 blessed: The Hebrew word used for blessed in Genesis 1:22 and 28 is barak and it means “bless, kneel”. When God blesses someone, He pours His favor, love, protection and prosperity on them. (Back)

 

20 Let the earth bring forth: God spoke the land animals into existence, just like the fish and birds, but it seems that land animals emerged from the earth. The Hebrew word yatsa is used in Genesis 1:24, meaning “to bring forth, out of, to go out”. The earth’s dust is used in creating people, as explained in Genesis 2:7 and 3:19.(Back)

 

21 according to its kind: God made each species in its own kind and therefore one species cannot evolve from another. (Back)

 

22 Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: This statement tells us that God is more than one Person, due to the usage of plurals in the first-person identifiers of “Us” and “Our” in Genesis 1:26. To be made in God’s image is not to be made in a physical likeness of God, because He is spiritual and invisible (John 4:24; Colossians 1:15) and we are physical and visible. To be made in God’s image is not to know right from wrong because of Genesis 2:17. To be made in the likeness of God is to have His characteristics and attributes (in a limited capacity), such as love, forgiveness and kindness. It means to have the abilities that we have, such as creating. It also means to have the eternality of a soul— just as God is eternal (eternally past and future, see 2 Timothy 1:9 for a reference to the past), so are we. It is a comfort to know that even though our human body must die, we do live on, and will even have a new type of body someday (1 Corinthians 15:40-49; Philippians 3:20-21). Some Scripture that states the eternality of God and of those who love Him is found Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 40:28;  John 3:16, 36; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; 1 Peter 5:10. Those who hate God are also eternal: Matthew 25:41-46; 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Revelation 14:9-11, 21:8. (Back)

 

23 to rule over: It is repulsive and disgraceful to use this verse as some excuse for disregarding the pain and suffering of animals or to defend the mistreatment of animals with “It’s just an animal”. Animals are a part of God’s creation and therefore were created “good” and should have consideration just on that point alone, as should all of creation. Speaking of the rest of creation, there are some pastors saying that it’s ok to pollute the earth because God will destroy it anyway.  This pompous statement is like saying that because your best friend will some day throw out her favorite dress when it becomes unwearable, you are allowed to destroy it now! Yes, there is coming the day when God will destroy  the current heaven and earth (Revelation 21:1), but He didn’t give any human the permission to destroy it in His place. God has given us the example on how to rule (Psalm 86:15), so choose to rule all of creation with kindness, compassion, dignity and gentleness, just as God rules over you. Proverbs 12:10. (Back)

 

24 male and female He created them: There are only two genders or sexes, as Genesis 1:27 tells us. There are some who feel that they are something different then male or female, but the facts are you are born either male or either female. There is a rare condition called hermaphroditism that does exist, but it is considered an anomaly by the medical field, not a gender assignment. (Back)

 

25 Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth: Genesis 1:28. It is important to understand that this is a blessing, as stated directly in Genesis 1:28. There are those who use this verse, as well as Genesis 38:9-10 as reasons for not using birth control. There is nothing in this blessing from God or in Genesis 38:9-10 or anywhere in the Bible forbidding a married couple from controlling their family size or even from choosing to remain childless. Genesis 38:9-10 was aimed at one specific person who was being spiteful, derelict in duty to his brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-10; Matthew 22:24), and was disobedient to his father. This is what God found displeasing. On a related note, it is stated in Psalm 127:3-5 that children are a blessing from the Lord. (Back)

 

26 I have given every green plant for food: All living things started out as vegetarians. Meat-eating didn’t begin until after the flood (Genesis 9:2-4). Eating as vegetarians continued even after the fall of man into sin, but it seems people were using animals in some capacity, such as for sacrifice to God (Genesis 4:2-4). They also possibly used the hides for clothing, tent-making, etc. God had demonstrated to Adam and Eve that the skins could be used for clothing in Genesis 3:21—the fig leaves probably didn’t hold up so well (Genesis 3:7). (Back)

 

27 He rested from all His work: The Hebrew word used for rest in Genesis 2:2 is shabath and it means “desist, cease, rest”. It can also mean “celebrate”, as in celebrating the Sabbath. God rested, not because He was tired (Isaiah 40:28), although Exodus 31:17 does state that God was “refreshed” during this seventh day. God rested because He was done with creation, and He wanted the day of rest to become the Sabbath which all of Israel was supposed to observe with rest, as well. It was so important to observe this day of rest, that it was included in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). The Sabbath was used as a sign of sanctification  between God and Israel (Exodus 31:12-17; Ezekiel 20:12). The Sabbath is supposed to be celebrated in an assembly (Leviticus 23:3), and dedicated to God, not one’s own pleasures (Isaiah 58:13). Jesus does remind us that we aren’t to be ridiculous in enforcing this day off (Mark 2:23-3:5). It is within ourselves where we prove our dedication to God, not in outward show that everyone else can see (1 Samuel 16:7; Jeremiah 17:10; Matthew 23:27). (Back)

 

28 blessed the seventh day and sanctified it: The seventh day is Saturday. To sanctify means to make it a holy day, a “set apart” day. If the Sabbath is on Saturday, why does the current church gather on Sundays? There is nothing Biblical about holding church services on Sundays, other than the fact that Jesus was resurrected on Sunday (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). There is one mention of Luke and some other Christians meeting with Paul on the first day of the week (Sunday) and eating together. At that gathering, Paul taught all night, see Acts 20:7-12.  Some use 1 Corinthians 16:2 as the reason, but it doesn’t say anything about having “church”, just that each person was supposed to save (not give) their money each Sunday so Paul doesn’t have to arrange a collection when he visits them. Others also use Revelation 1:10 which is baffling, because there is no mention of John being with others and having “church”, and he doesn’t specify which day, Saturday or Sunday, is the Lord’s day. Regardless of when you dedicate a day to God, it is important that the dedication is true and not just some outward show, like the Pharisees (Matthew 23:27). (Back)

The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part Three

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Conception and Birth of Christ”

 

Matthew 1:18-25 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 1:18)

Luke 1:26-56 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 1:26)

Luke 2:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 2:1)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Conception and Birth of Jesus: Part Two”, click here.

 

Galatians 4:4-5
4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive our adoption as sons.

 

THE SPLICE

Now in those days 1 a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a 2 census should be taken of the 3 whole empire. This was the first census to take place while 4 Quirinius was governing in Syria. And everyone went to his own town to register. So 5 Joseph also went up from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called 6 Bethlehem, since he was from the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was 7 pledged to him in marriage and was 8 expecting a child.

9 While they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for her Child to be born. And 10 she gave birth to her firstborn Son. Joseph called His name Jesus. Mary wrapped Him in 11swaddling cloths and laid Him in a 12 manger, because there was 13 no room for them in the inn.

And there were 14 shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Just then 15 an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for 16 all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying a manger.

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a 17great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

When the angels had left them and 18 gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger. After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him. And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds 20 returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.

 

NOTES

 

1 a decree went out: Caesar Augustus sent out more than one decree for taking censuses during his time as emperor of Rome, and we don’t know about each and every one. Unfortunately, this decree mentioned in Luke 2:1 does not give us the information needed to pinpoint Jesus’s birthday. Caesar Augustus was a prolific and pivotal figure in ancient Rome. You can read about him here. (Back)

2 census: The Greek word used in Luke 2:1 for census is apographé and means “enrollment or registration”. It can be extended to imply “taxation” and often does, but it didn’t always mean this. (Back)

 

3 whole empire: Meaning the Roman Empire, which existed from 27 BC to 476 AD (before that, it the Roman Republic). The Roman Empire stretched beyond Rome. It included parts of Europe, Asia and Africa as well. Your local library probably holds a wealth of books that expand on the Roman Empire, if you are interested. (Back)

 

4 Quirinius was governor of Syria: This information is taken from Luke 2:2. There has been a lot of argument on whether or not Quirinius was governor of Syria two different times in his life. The facts are not exhaustive on Quirinius, therefore this possibility must be taken into account. We have no idea who was governor of Syria between 4BC and 1 AD. This is where the idea that Quirinius could have been governor twice, along with the tombstone inscription information. It should also be taken into account that in Luke 2:2, the Greek word used for  first, which is prótos is also translated as the word “before”. Just because our English translators chose to use the word first doesn’t mean they should have. (Back)

 

5 Joseph: Joseph is a bit of a mystery, as he isn’t mentioned directly throughout Jesus’s ministry. Here is what we know: His father’s name was Jacob (Matthew 1:16) and he was descended from King David through Solomon (Matthew 1:6). He was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55) and had his own children with Mary, after Jesus’s birth (Matthew 1:25; Matthew 13:55-56; Mark 6:3). We know that he was a righteous man, meaning justified by God and he was considerate of Mary, where others might not have been (Matthew 1:19). We know that God included Joseph in on plans regarding Jesus and entrusted him with Jesus’s care (Matthew 1:20-25; 2:13-15; 2:19-23). Also, he was still alive when Jesus was twelve (Luke 2:41-51). Some might say that because of the present tense of is (in Greek: eimi) in Matthew 13:55, that Joseph was still alive for at least part of Jesus’s ministry, but we can’t be sure. It is highly probable that Joseph was dead by the time of Jesus’s death on the cross, because Jesus gives John the disciple the responsibility for caring for Mary, from that time on (John 19:26-27). (Back)

 

6 Bethlehem: Bethlehem is prophesied to be the birthplace of Jesus in Micah 5:2-5. The name Bethlehem means “house/place of bread” in Greek/Hebrew. Every year at Christmas time, current day Bethlehem has all sorts of festivities and celebrations.  It is important to remember, however, that no matter what any tourist agency tells you, we don’t know when Jesus was born and we don’t know the exact spot of His birth. (Back)

 

7 pledged to him in marriage: When people became engaged in ancient Israel, they were as good as married and would require a legal divorce to separate. However, they were not married yet, and therefore not living together. To read about the betrothal and marriage practices of ancient Israel, click here. (Back)

 

8 expecting a child: It is popular to depict Mary as 9 months pregnant for this journey to Bethlehem. In truth, we have no idea how far along she was in the pregnancy when they started on their trip. Mary and Joseph could have left for Bethlehem anytime between Mary’s third month of pregnancy, when Mary returned from Elizabeth’s house (Luke 1:56), up to the week of the birth of Jesus. Current day Bethlehem and Nazareth are around 90 miles apart, but this does not take into account the common traveling routes of the era or if the Biblical Bethlehem and Nazareth are in the exact same places. But roughly, if Joseph and Mary walked 20 miles a day (the normal amount of walking for travel at that time), the trip took them between 3-5 days. It is highly doubtful that Joseph and Mary walked by themselves. They were probably amongst a caravan of people, as it would have been imprudent in those days to travel alone. See Luke 2:43-45 for an example of the caravan (Greek word: sunodia) idea, also including Mary and Joseph with their relatives and friends. (Back)

 

9 While they were there in Bethlehem: We do not know how long Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem before Jesus was born. We do not know how long they stayed in Bethlehem after His birth. It’s important to establish what we don’t know as well as what we do know, because there has been much legend and folklore that has developed around Jesus and Christmas. It’s not wrong to celebrate the birth of Christ, but it is important to recognize that it wasn’t given the same attention in the Bible that His death and resurrection was given. All four gospels talk about Jesus’s death and resurrection. Only Luke and Matthew talk about His birth. We know exactly when to commemorate Jesus’s death and celebrate His resurrection. We have no indication as to when Jesus was born. And, although we can celebrate the birth of Jesus as the happy time when the Savior was born into the world to begin His work in the Salvation plan, the date of December 25 can’t be insisted on as a fact around Jesus’s birth. Celebrate His birth how you choose to, when you choose to, if you choose to. (Back)

 

10 she gave birth to her firstborn Son: There has been much speculation as to when Jesus was born. The two biggest clues we are given are in Matthew 2:1 , Luke 1:5 and then in Matthew 2:22. Using Matthew 2:22’s mentioning of Archelaus as the son of Herod and Herod’s death (the death also recorded in Matthew 2:19), we can confirm that the Herod that was king when Jesus was born was Herod the Great. Herod the Great’s date of death is in question, usually thought to have been either in 4 BC or 1 BC. We might look to Luke’s information, in Luke 2:1-2, and take into consideration the date of the census ordered by Caesar Augustus and also when Quirinius governed in Syria. However, that information also can’t be verified, see Notes 1 and 4. There is only one conclusion that we can arrive at: we do not know the day, the month, nor the year of Christ’s birth. (Back)

 

11 swaddling cloths: The practice of wrapping babies in swaddling cloths had a long tradition in Israel, also being mentioned in Ezekiel 16:4. To learn more about modern day swaddling practices, see this YouTube video or read this article. (Back)

 

12 manger: A manger is a feeding trough for cattle. This is why people associate Jesus’s birth with a stable. However, the Bible never mentions a stable.  There is lore on where the manger was located, but we have no confirmation on the location of it or on the structure it was housed in. In current day Bethlehem, the Church of the Nativity has a “traditional” location for Jesus’s birth place. The church is several centuries old and has an interesting history. (Back)

 

13 no room for them in the inn: This information is from Luke 2:7. The Greek word for inn used here is kataluma and means “a lodging place” but doesn’t necessarily mean a “hotel” type dwelling, because that is a different word. Because of the way the Greek sentence reads, we can be sure that at the very least, Mary and Joseph were not given the customary room for lodging, and had to submit to less-than-desirable accommodation, probably in the courtyard with the animals (the most common place where domestic stock was kept) belonging to the host family. (Back)

 

14 shepherds residing in the fields nearby: Shepherds watched the flocks in their care at night because of the threat of wild animals and thieves (see 1 Samuel 17:34-37 for David’s account of protecting a flock). Shepherds were sometimes hired people, and usually not particularly rich or educated. Many times, the shepherds of a family were the younger children, like in David’s case (1 Samuel 16:11-13). It is in keeping with God’s amazing plan to reveal Himself to the not-so-valued in society instead of the “wise” persons of the world (Matthew 11:25). (Back)

 

15 an angel of the Lord stood before them: On Christmas cards, we usually see the angel depicted in the sky above the shepherds, but the Bible doesn’t say the angel is in the sky. The Greek text reads “And an angel of the LORD stood by them”. The Greek word used for stood in Luke 2:9 is ephistémi and it means “to set upon, stand upon, to be present”.  We can only be sure that the angel was presented to the shepherds. (Back)

 

16 all the people: The Greek used here for people is the word laos. This word is important because it is particular in that it means “God’s chosen people”. This wording should be understood in alignment with Matthew 22:14; John 6:44; Romans 8:28-29; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 2:9-10, just as examples. (Back)

 

17 great multitude of the heavenly host: The Greek text for Luke 2:13 reads “And suddenly there came with the angel a multitude of host”. The Greek word for host used in this verse is stratia and it means “an army”. Here, it applies to the troops of heaven: the angels. It can also apply to any celestial body such as stars or constellations. (Back)

 

18 gone into heaven: The Greek text in Luke 2:15 says “And it came to pass, as were departing from them into the heaven, the angels, the shepherds were saying…”. The Greek word used for heaven is ouranos and it means the sky/the stars that we can see, as well as the invisible heaven that is God’s abode. It is possible that the angels went up into the sky (like Jesus did in Acts 1:9-11) in order to be taken to God’s heaven. We don’t have a clear indication on what is involved with  “departing into the heaven” and how it takes place. As a side note, the new Jerusalem comes down from heaven to the new earth in Revelation 21:1-2. (Back)

 

19 But Mary treasured up…: The Greek word used for treasured up in Luke 2:19 is suntéreó and it means to “keep close to, to remember, to preserve”. (Back)

 

20 returned, glorifying and praising God: We don’t know exactly where the shepherds “returned” to, but it is most likely that they went back to their flocks in the fields. (Back)

The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part Two

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Conception and Birth of Christ”

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

Matthew 1:18-25 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 1:18)

Luke 1:26-56 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 1:26)

Luke 2:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 2:1)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Conception and Birth of Jesus: Part One”, click here.

 

Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

 

THE SPLICE

In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the 1 hill country of Judah, where she entered the home of 2 Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby 3 leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was 4 filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord’s word to her will be fulfilled.”

Then 5 Mary said:
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me. Holy is His name. His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who are 6 proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble. He has 7 filled the hungry with good things, but has 8 sent the rich away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful, as He promised to 9 our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.”
10 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

 

Want to keep reading? To read the Splice “The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part Three”, click here.

 

NOTES

 

1 hill country of Judah: The hill country of Judah contained a refuge city called Kiriath-arba, a.k.a. Hebron. Refuge cities were for “anyone who kills another unintentionally or accidentally”. A person who was an unintentional killer had this place in Hebron, and 5 other refuge cities, to run to. The person was then kept safe (until their trial before the assembly) from avengers of the dead person. It is unknown which town John the Baptist’s parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth, lived in, but these 6 refuge cities, as well as 42 other cities amongst the tribes, belonged to the Levites (Levites did not have their own tribal land in Israel but lived scattered throughout the other tribes); Zacharias was a Levite. See Numbers 35:6-28; Deuteronomy 4:41-43; 10:8-9; 18:1-8; 19:1-10; Joshua 20 and 21; Luke 1:5. (Back)

 

2 Zacharias and Elizabeth: You can read about Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke 1:5-25; 57-80. (Back)

 

3 leaped in her womb: From Luke 1:41. The Greek word used here for leaped is skirtaó and it means to “leap for joy”. (Back)

 

4 filled with the Holy Spirit: Being filled with the Holy Spirit is something that all true believers in God and in His Christ have (Romans 8:9). Having the Helper (some English translations say Advocate), as Jesus calls Him in John 14:16, enables the person to actually believe the truths of God, as the Spirit teaches them (John 14:26; 16:13). He enables the believer to follow the truth and Laws of God (Ezekiel 36:26-27), which is completely against human nature (Galatians 5:17-25). He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment through the believer (John 16:7-11), as displayed in Acts several times (Acts 2; Acts 9:17-28 as examples), speaking with boldness (Acts 4:31) about the things of God, and it even enables one to accept an unjust death on behalf of Christ (Acts 7:54-60). In short, being filled with the Holy Spirit is a gift of God to the believer (Acts 2:38) , and enables the person to do the things God wants them to do. The fruit of this gift of the Holy Spirit is described in Galatians 5:22-23. (Back)

 

5 Mary said: This beautiful declaration of the awesomeness of God brings to mind Hannah’s prayer to God after the birth of her son, Samuel, in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. (Back)

 

6 proud in the thoughts of their hearts: Pride is a sin and not of God. See Psalm 10:2-4; Proverbs 8:13; 21:4; 1 Peter 5:5; 1 John 2:16. (Back)

 

7 filled the hungry with good things: That is, righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Jesus is the fulfillment of this, see John 6:31-35. (Back)

 

8 sent the rich away empty: Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to be saved (Matthew 19:21-24; Mark 10:21-25). This is because the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:6-11). Evil is not of God (Psalm 107:1, Isaiah 5:20; 2 Timothy 4:18). In Luke 12:15-21 Jesus warns about accumulating worldly wealth and ignoring the wealth of God. (Back)

 

9 our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever: This promise was made over the prophesy of another miracle baby, Isaac, in Genesis 17:7-22. (Back)

 

10 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months: The Bible says that Mary went to Elizabeth, in a hurry (Luke 1:39), in the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (Luke 1:36); therefore, it seems that Mary stayed to help her out (Elizabeth was elderly, see Luke 1:7) for those last three months and probably left after Elizabeth had given birth. The Bible doesn’t state that Mary helped with the birth of John, so it’s conjecture. But what we do know is that Mary did stay for three months (Luke 1:56). That means Mary, who would now be 3 months pregnant when she went home to Nazareth, did not hide herself from her neighbors during the most showy parts of her pregnancy. The Bible doesn’t mention if Mary was bombarded with rumors and gossip, though. (Back)

The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part One

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “The Conception and Birth of Christ”

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

Matthew 1:18-25 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 1:18)

Luke 1:26-56 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 1:26)

Luke 2:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 2:1)

 

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.

 

THE SPLICE

This is how the birth of 1 Jesus Christ came about:

In the 2 sixth month, God sent 3 the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin  4 pledged in marriage to a man named 5 Joseph, who was of the house of 6 David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. The angel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will 7 give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. 8His kingdom will never end!”  “How can this be, ” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Look, even 9 Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month.  For no word from God will ever fail.” “I am 10the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.

Now before Mary and Joseph were married, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because 11 Joseph her husband was 12 a righteous man and was unwilling to 13 disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly. But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him 14 in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name 15 Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

16 “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and embraced Mary as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son.

 

Want to keep reading? To read the Splice “The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part Two”, click here.

 

NOTES

 

1 Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ means Jesus the Christ, because Christ is a title and not a surname. Christos is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah. (Back)

 

2 sixth month: The sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy; she was miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist (see Luke 1:8-25). (Back)

 

3 the angel Gabriel: This is not the first time Gabriel has been sent by God to give messages to human beings. He was also sent to Daniel (Daniel 8:15-27; Daniel 9:20-27) and Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father (Luke 1:11-20). Gabriel‘s name is a combination of the Hebrew word El (“God”) and the Hebrew word geber (man) and means “man of God”. (Back)

 

4 pledged in marriage: When people became engaged in ancient Israel, they were as good as married and would require a legal divorce to separate. However, they were not married yet, and therefore not living together. To read about the betrothal and marriage practices of ancient Israel, click here. (Back)

 

5 Joseph: We don’t know much about Joseph. We know his father’s name was Jacob (Matthew 1:16). We know he was an obedient man of God (Matthew 1:19, 20, 21, 25, 39), at least when obedience involved Jesus. We know he was a descendant of David through the line of Solomon (Matthew 1:7), we know he was still alive when Jesus was twelve (Luke 2:41-42), and we know he was a carpenter by trade (Matthew 13:55). We know he had children of his own with Mary (Matthew 12:46-47, 13:55, Mark 3:31-32, John 7:3-5). And, we might assume that Joseph passed on his carpentry knowledge to Jesus (Jesus was a carpenter before His ministry, see Mark 6:3), but we can’t know that for sure. If Joseph died early on, one of his relatives or a family friend could have taught Jesus carpentry, or at least finished the education that Joseph had started. (Back)

 

6 David: King David. The name David, probably comes from the Hebrew word dod or dowd and means “well-beloved”. David’s history is recorded in Ruth 4:16-22; 1 Samuel 16:1 – 31:13; all of 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1:1-2:11; 1 Chronicles 10:14 – 29:30. David was also the author of many of the Psalms in the Bible, the most recognizable being Psalm 23. (Back)

 

7 give Him the throne of His father David: See 2 Samuel 7:8-17  (and Isaiah 9:7 ) for this promise of God. (Back)

 

8 His kingdom will never end!: 2 Samuel 7:13, 16 specifically mentions this part of God’s promise to David. See Revelation 21:1-22:5 to understand this everlasting kingdom (as best as we humanly can, 1 Corinthians 2:9-11). (Back)

 

9 Elizabeth your relative: The name Elizabeth in Hebrew means “God is an oath”. You can read about Zacharias and Elizabeth in Luke 1:5-25, 39-80. (Back)

 

10 the Lord’s servant: The Greek word used here for the word servant is doulé and it means “female slave”. (Back)

 

11 Joseph her husband: See Note 4 regarding the marriage practices back then. (Back)

 

12 a righteous man: Righteousness isn’t something that a person accomplishes by themselves, for instance, by being a good person. The Bible says that no one is righteous on their own (Romans 3:10). Any righteousness that is attributed to a person is by God’s grace in granting them the God-given faith to receive it (Romans 1:17) ; it is the faith in Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Peter 2:24). It is Jesus’s righteousness that is used in the place of the person’s sinful nature (1 Corinthians 1:30). (Back)

 

13 disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly: Deuteronomy 22:13-30 explains penalties for pre-marital or adulterous relations. Deuteronomy 24:1-4 gives the laws of divorce. Jesus makes clear in Matthew 5:32 that the indecency mentioned as grounds for divorce in Deuteronomy means sexual immorality. The Greek word used for sexual immorality is porneia and it applies to any sexual relations outside of marriage. (Back)

 

14 in a dream: The Greek word used in Matthew 1:20 for the word dream is onar and it means “a dream during sleep”. It wasn’t a vision like what many of the prophets experienced (such as Obadiah) or a visitation like what Mary experienced. Joseph’s information from God is delivered to him in dreams only, by an unidentified angel of the Lord (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19). The magi are also warned in a dream not to return to Herod after seeing Jesus (Matthew 2:12). (Back)

 

15 Jesus: The name Jesus is Iésous in Greek and Yehoshua in Hebrew. It means “Yahweh is salvation”. (Back)

 

16 Behold, the virgin will be with child: From Isaiah 7:14. (Back)

Jesus Walks on Water

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Walks on Water”

Matthew 14:22-33 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 14:22)

Mark 6:45-52 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 6:45)

John 6:15-21 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with John 6:15)

Psalm 25:4
Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.

THE SPLICE

The disciples were collecting the fragments of food left over from the 1 feeding of the 5,000 men, plus the women and children.  And those who had witnessed this miracle of feeding so many people from five barley loaves and two fish, said, “This is truly 2 the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew back up to the mountain by Himself alone. Now when it was later in the evening, Jesus 3 made His disciples go down to the sea, get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to 4 Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. Now while Jesus was sending the crowds away, and after the disciples had gotten into the boat, they started to cross the sea towards 5 Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

After bidding the crowd farewell, 6 Jesus had sent the crowd away. He left for the mountain and went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and He was there alone on the land and the boat was in the middle of the sea, a long distance from the land. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing and the wind was contrary and against them, so the boat was battered by the waves. 7 Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars and at about the 8 fourth watch of the night, when they had rowed about 9 three or four miles, Jesus came to them, walking out on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened/terrified because when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that 10 it was a ghost, and they cried out in fear, saying, “It is a ghost!”. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”  Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the wind, Peter became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” The disciples were willing to receive Jesus into the boat when they realized it was Him and when Peter and Jesus got into the boat, the wind stopped and all those in the boat and the boat were immediately 11 at the land to which they were going. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 12 “You are certainly God’s Son!”  They were utterly astonished by this, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their 13 heart was hardened.

An Old Boat

NOTES

1  feeding of the 5,000: Many Bible scholars have estimated that the crowd was more like 15,000 people, because the women and children weren’t included in the count, according to Matthew 14:21. To read about the feeding of the 5,000 men, see Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:33-44, Luke 9:12-17, John 6:1-14. To read the Splice about the feeding of the 5,000, click here. (Back)

2  the Prophet: In reference to Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18 and it is reinforced that the Prophet is the Christ in Acts 3:20-23. The Prophet is mentioned in Deuteronomy 18 because the Israelites are prohibited from participating in spiritism, such as using mediums, witchcraft, necromancy, spellcasting, divination, etc. and God promises a Prophet (and other prophets) that would speak to them, for Him. Today’s popular pastimes, such as using talking boards or tarot cards, are included in the prohibition of spiritism.  Believers in Christ should be waiting on God for answers (who doesn’t lie, see Hebrews 6:18), not demons (their leader is the father of all lies, see John 8:44). See Deuteronomy 18:9-22 for the information concerning spiritism and the announcement of the Prophet, and see Acts 16:16-18 about the slave-girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination. See Exodus 22:18 where God commands that those who practice sorcery (witchcraft) in Israel should be put to death. (Back)

3  made His disciples…: The Greek word used for made in Matthew 14:22 and Mark 6:45 is anagkazó and means “to force or compel” and has a flavor of urgency along with the command. (Back)

4  Bethsaida: Where historical Bethsaida was actually located is up for debate, but we can estimate it’s location to the NE shores of the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida was the hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Phillip (John 1:44). It is a possibility that James and John were from Bethsaida, because James and John were fishing partners with Peter and Andrew (see Matthew 4:18-22 and Luke 5:10), but John does not mention himself or his brother in 1:44. He also doesn’t mention his own personal recruitment (nor his brother’s) into Jesus’s ministry in his Gospel. Although Jesus is sending them to the town of Bethsaida (Mark 6:45), they are already in a secluded spot (Matthew 14:13, Mark 6:32) associated with the town (Luke 9:10). Also, they are actually heading towards Capernaum once they are on the sea of Galilee (John 6:17), possibly because of the strong winds and inability to control the boat. Capernaum and Bethsaida are not that far apart, as best as we can judge two thousand years later. Unfortunately, Bethsaida no longer exists as a town, nor does Capernaum. However, there is a bus stop named Bethsaida Junction, along Israel’s Highway 87, about 4 1/2 miles northeast of the Capernaum ruins. (Back)

5  Capernaum: Capernaum is Jesus’s home base. He moved from Nazareth to Capernaum at the beginning of His ministry (Matthew 4:13). Peter and Andrew have a house there (Mark 1:21, 29) and it’s possible that Jesus recruited Matthew from Capernaum because of Matthew 9:1, 9 and  Mark 2:1, 14. Capernaum has been the site of extensive excavations and digs since the 1800’s, and there is a memorial built over what is supposed to be Peter’s house and some churches that were built there in the 4th and 5th centuries. The memorial has a partial glass floor so you can see the remains of these ancient ruins. Capernaum itself is now owned by the Franciscans and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchy of Jerusalem. (Back)

6  Jesus had sent the crowd away: The Greek text for Matthew 14:23 says “And having dismissed the crowds”. The Greek word for dismissed is apoluó and means “let go, send away, divorce”.  (Back)

7  Jesus saw the disciples: See Mark 6:48. Understanding that the disciples are already far away from the land (Matthew 14:24; Mark 6:47) and it’s dark (John 6:17), this must be a miraculous sighting, using His power as God to see these details, where human eyes could not. The Greek word used here for see is horaó and can be used metaphorically or literally.  (Back)

8  fourth watch: The fourth watch, the last watch of the night, was between 3am and 6am. Roman guard duties were divided into four watches throughout the night. The first watch was from 6pm to 9pm, the second watch from 9pm to 12am, the third watch 12am to 3am, and then the fourth. (Back)

9  three or four miles: The Greek text for John 6:19 says “stadia twenty-five or thirty”. A stadia is a Greek measurement of distance and where we get our word “stadium” from. A stadia is about 1/8 of a mile or the distance of a Greek race course. (Back)

10  it was a ghost: This is not proof that ghosts exist. It is possible that due to their fear, the disciples were grasping at legend or superstition to explain the unexplainable. For those who belong to God, there is no possibility of ghostliness, as 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 gives us the clue that once our souls are absent from the body, we are together with the Lord. For those who reject God’s grace, we can only look at Jesus’s parable about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) which says that Lazarus was taken by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (a place of comfort) and the rich man to Hades (hell). The parable doesn’t say “there is no such thing as ghosts” but it certainly does give the footing to say so. Ghosts or not, we know that God controls all things (Ephesians 1:11) for His purposes, even the demons (Job 1:6, 12, 2:6), and therefore it is God who should be feared, not ghosts (Matthew 10:28). (Back)

11  at the land: Matthew 14:34 says that they landed at Gennesaret, a town about 2-1/2 miles to the Southwest of Capernaum. This was an instantaneous landing at Gennesaret (John 6:21), and therefore a miracle, as the disciples had rowed out 3 or 4 miles out to sea when Jesus approached the boat (John 6:19).  They were ultimately going to be heading out to Bethsaida, as Mark 6:45 says, and they do finally get there in Mark 8:22. But as we are told in Mark 6:53-55 as well as Matthew 14:35-36, Jesus made this side trip and healed many people while He was there. (Back)

12  You are certainly God’s Son: The disciples had seen lots of miracles (Matthew 11:4-5, 20-21) performed by Jesus before He walked on water and facilitated an instant landing of their boat. The wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), healings (much of Matthew 9, Mark 5:21-42, Luke 7:1-10, John 5:1-9) casting demons out of people (Matthew 8:28-33, Mark 5:1-20) and they had JUST seen (and participated in) an NBA stadium’s worth of people (approximately) fed from 5 loaves and 2 fish (see Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:12-17; John 6:1-15). (Back)

13  heart was hardened: From Mark 6:52. The Greek word used for heart is kardia and means “the heart; mind, character, inner self”. The Greek word used for hardened is póroó and means “harden, petrify, callous”. The words together give the meaning that the collective minds of the disciples were unperceiving or dull to the miracle that they had witnessed in the feeding of the 5,000 men. (Back)

Jesus Feeds the 5000

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Feeds the 5000”

Matthew 14:13-21 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 14:13)

Mark 6:30-44 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 6:30)

Luke 9:10-17 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 9:10)

John 6:1-13 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 6:1)

 

Exodus 16:13-15
13 So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

 

THE SPLICE

1 When the apostles returned and had gathered together with Jesus, they gave an account to Him and reported to Him of all that they had taught and all they had done. Jesus had also heard about what had been done to 2 John the Baptist. Now there had been many people coming and going, and the disciples were tired and did not even have time to eat. Because of John’s murder and because the disciples needed time for rest and food, Jesus said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” Taking the disciples with Him, He withdrew from there and they went away in a boat to a secluded place by themselves, to a city called 3 Bethsaida, on the other side of the Sea of Galilee 4(also called Tiberias). And when the large crowds of those that Jesus and the disciples had been healing, heard of this and were aware that Jesus and the disciples were going to leave and when the crowd saw them going, (many recognized them by sight) they ran there together, following Him on foot from all surrounding cities and the crowds got there ahead of Jesus and the disciples. They followed Him because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were 5 sick. When Jesus arrived, He went ashore and He saw the large crowd, and 6 He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.  And Jesus went up onto the mountain and they were following; and 7 He welcomed them, and began to teach them many things, speaking to them about the kingdom of God and healing their sick, curing those who needed healing. 8 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

The day was ending and it was already quite late into the evening. Jesus, lifting up His eyes, could see that this large crowd was approaching Him. His twelve disciples went to Him and said, “9 This is a desolate place/we are in a desolate place and the hour is already quite late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and 10 find lodging as well as 11 buy themselves something to eat/buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”  Jesus said directly to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test Philip, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred 12 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” And the other disciples said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And Jesus said to the disciples, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” The disciple Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “This 13 little boy here has five 14 barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” And the other disciples agreed with Andrew by saying, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” Now there was much grass in the place. And ordering and commanding the people to sit down on the green grass, Jesus said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each.” The crowds sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties, directed by the disciples. Then Jesus told the disciples, “Bring them (the fish and loaves) here to Me.” Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking to heaven, He blessed the food and gave thanks, and breaking the loaves and dividing up the two fish, He distributed the food to the crowds by giving the food to the disciples, and the disciples delivered the food to the crowd. And Jesus kept giving food to the disciples to set before the people. Everyone ate as much as they wanted. They all ate and were satisfied. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So the disciples gathered the broken pieces, and filled twelve 15 baskets full with fragments from the five barley loaves and the fish which were left over by those who had eaten; all that was left over was picked up. There were about 16five thousand men who ate the loaves and fish, besides women and children . Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly 17 the Prophet who is come into the world.”

 

Sketches of bread and fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES

 

1 When the apostles returned: Jesus had sent the Twelve out in pairs to cast demons out of people, to heal people of disease, to tell folks to repent and to proclaim the kingdom of God. See Matthew 10:1-8; Mark 6:7-13, Luke 9:1-6. There is a difference between the words apostle and disciple in the Greek, although many people use them interchangeably in English. It is important to understand that a person could be both at the same time. Mark demonstrates this in Mark 6:30 when the Twelve return from the mission they had been sent on by Jesus, and then in Mark 6:35, when the Twelve are back to being learners. (Back)

 

2 John the Baptist: Son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. John and Elizabeth are relatives of Jesus’s, because Elizabeth is a relative of Mary’s (Luke 1:36). John the Baptist had just been beheaded by Herod (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29). To read about John the Baptist, see Matthew 3, 11:2-14,  Mark 1:1-9; Luke 1:5-25, 41, 57-80; 3:1-22; 7:18-33; John 1:6-36, 3:22-36. (Back)

 

3 Bethsaida: Today, the area where Bethsaida stood is completely desolate. The word “Bethsaida” is now only applied to a bus stop at a junction on Highway 87 in Israeli Golan Heights. (Back)

 

4 Tiberias: It is John (John 6:1) who wants to make sure his readers understand that the Sea of Galilee is also called Tiberias. It’s possible that at the time of John’s writing (later half of the 1st century), many people called the Sea of Galilee by the Tiberias moniker. John also mentions the Sea of Galilee as the “Sea of Tiberias” in John 21:1. He mentions the town of Tiberias, which is located at the southwestern side of the Sea of Galilee, in John 6:23. It should be noted that Luke 5:1 calls the Sea of Galilee “the lake of Gennesaret”. Gennesaret was a town on the northwestern side of the Sea of Galilee, approximately 2.5 miles from Capernaum. (Back)

 

5 sick: Jesus spent quite a bit of time healing the sick. See Matthew 4:24, 8:1-3; Mark 6:55-56; Luke 13:11-13; John 5:5-9 for a few examples. The reason why He healed the sick is explained in Matthew 8:17 and Isaiah 53:4. (Back)

 

6 He felt compassion for them: From Mark 6:34. If you have to sum up the ministry of Jesus in just a few words, this is the verse I would use. (Back)

 

7 He welcomed them: From Luke 9:11. Luke uses the Greek word apodechomai which means “to gladly accept, gladly welcome, to embrace, to entertain with hospitality”. (Back)

 

8 Now the Passover: From John 6:4. Since it is near the Passover, there were many people traveling about, making their way to Jerusalem for the celebration.  (Back)

 

9 This is a desolate place/we are in a desolate place: Matthew 14:15 and Mark 6:35 say “this is a desolate place” and Luke 9:12 says “for we are in a desolate place”. (Back)

 

10 find lodging: Luke 9:12 mentions that the people need lodging as well as food. I think that some or all of these people camped out on the green and grassy (Mark 6:39, John 6:10) mountain side, because of John 6:22, but we don’t really hear about the lodging situation and how it was solved. We do know that Jesus had dismissed the crowd, sending them away (away from Himself, but not necessarily the mountain’s side or its base), and He went up onto the mountain alone (See Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-47). Since it was near the Passover (John 6:4), we know from John 18:18 that it can get cold at night around Passover-time. If they did indeed camp out on the mountain’s side, we can only assume that people built fires or it was a comfortable spring evening, whether by miracle or nature, keeping people warm through the night. We do know that there was a strong wind over the Sea of Galilee between 3am and 6am, at any rate (Matthew 14:24, 30; Mark 6:48; John 6:18). (Back)

 

11 buy themselves something to eat: From Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:36; Luke 9:12. Everyone is in Bethsaida, in a desolate part of it, but it has some surrounding villages (Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:35; Luke 9:10, 12). Capernaum is also a couple of miles away (John 6:16-19). There were no large, “big-box” stores back then or any type of grocery store, to be sure. Also, people didn’t have an abundance of food in a pantry like people might have today, therefore going up to a house and asking to buy their food may not work out. This miracle seems to not only display the power of Jesus, but it also fills an immediate need. Who else could feed that many people at a time? (Back)

 

12 denarii: In Matthew 20:2, one denarius was agreed to as the day’s wages. We don’t know if this was a generous wage or a common wage, but from Matthew 20:13 it seems that this was the generally accepted wage for the day for a laborer in a vineyard. To read about the history of the denarius, click here. Some other mentions of the denarius in Scripture include Matthew 18:28; Mark 12:15; Luke 7:41; Revelation 6:6. (Back)

 

13 little boy: From John 6:9. We don’t know who this little boy is or if he is traveling with the disciples. We know that there were two boats that the disciples and Jesus had been traveling in (John 6:22-24), and it is possible that this boy could have been tucked in there with them. It would seem strange if Jesus is commanding the disciples “you feed” the crowd and to see how much food they have, but then use a stranger’s food, even if a child. This food (in my view) has to belong to the disciples and Jesus collectively, and by extension, the child belongs with them, too.  For the Greek on John 6:9, click here. (Back)

 

14 five barley loaves and two fish: Barley was considered  low quality for bread. Hulled barley seems to have at least some nutritional value though, all things being equal 2000 years later. Fish was preserved by salting way back then, and its preservation in this way enabled people to carry it around with them on long journeys. See this article for an interesting look at ancient fish preservation. (Back)

 

15 baskets: The Greek word, used in all of the accounts, for the word “basket” is kophinos which is a “hand-basket” or a basket that the Jews used specifically for carrying around their food. It could be large, it could be small; size seems subjective so we don’t know how much it held. It was probably made of wicker. (Back)

 

16 five thousand men: There are many current day estimates saying that approximately 15,000-20,000 people are on the mountainside, since only the men were counted (Matthew 14:21; Mark 6:44; Luke 9:14). We do not know the actual number of people fed through Jesus’s miracle. (Back)

 

17 the Prophet: John 6:14 tells us that people were proclaiming Jesus as the Prophet due to this miracle. The Prophet was promised by God to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. (Back)

The Transfiguration of Jesus and Leaving the Mountain

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Scripture Used in Creating “The Transfiguration of Jesus and Leaving the Mountain”

Matthew 17:1-13 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 17:1)

Mark 9:2-13 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 9:2)

Luke 9:28-36 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 9:28)

2 Peter 1:16-18
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”—18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

THE SPLICE

1 Six to eight days later 2 after these sayings, 3 Jesus took along with Him, 4 Peter, James and John (James’s brother), and led them up on a 5 high mountain by themselves. Jesus had gone up on the mountain to pray. While they were on the mountain and while Jesus was praying, 6 Peter, James and John had been overcome with sleep. But when they were 7fully awake from their sleep, and saw that while Jesus was continuing His prayer, He was 8 transfigured before them. In His glory, the appearance of His face became 9different, 10 shining like the sun. His garments became 11white as light, exceedingly white as no launderer on earth can whiten them, and His clothes were also 12 radiant and 13gleaming. And 14 behold, two men were standing with Him, talking with Him. The two men were 15 Moses and 16 Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking with Him regarding 17 His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

As Moses and Elijah were leaving Jesus, Peter said to Jesus, “18 Lord/Master/Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make three 19tabernacles; I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”. 20 Peter had not realized what he was saying, for he did not know what to 21 answer because the three disciples had become terrified. While Peter was still speaking, a 22bright cloud formed, and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they were enveloped, entering in the cloud. And, behold, a voice came out of the cloud, and said, 23“This is My beloved Son, My Chosen One with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down on the ground and were terrified. After the voice had spoken, 24Jesus went to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”  And lifting up their eyes, all at once they looked around, and they saw no one with them any more, except Jesus Himself alone. 25 The next day, as they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, giving them orders, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the 26 Son of Man has risen from the dead.” They seized upon that statement, 27 discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant. And they asked Him, “Why is it then that the scribes say that 28 Elijah must come first?” And He answered and said to them, “Elijah does come first;29 Elijah is coming and will restore all things; yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed already come, and they did not recognized him, but 30 did to him whatever they wished 31just as it is written of him. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about 32 John the Baptist. And Peter, James and John kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.

 

NOTES

1 Six to eight days later: Matthew and Mark tell us it was six days, and Luke says it was about or around eight days. Most Biblical scholars agree that Matthew and Mark did not count the “half days”: the day of the discussion, or the day of the transfiguration itself. Luke did count those partial days in his time-figuring, and he was approximating by using the Greek word hósei, which means “nearly or about” when the word is placed before numbers.  Although I’ve seen that some scholars state that the use of half-days or not is due to cultural influence, I have not found any proof for culture playing a part in the counting of the days. I cite how the Jewish Gospel writers (Matthew, John and probably Mark), and especially Jesus Himself, describe Jesus’s three days in the grave, which include the partial days of Friday and Sunday. See Matthew 16:21, 17:22-23; 20:17-19; Mark 8:31,10:32-34; Luke 24:21; John 2:19-22.  (Back)

 

2 after these sayings: Jesus had been speaking to His disciples about the fact that He would have to suffer and die at the hands of the Jewish elders and He also mentioned the cost that the disciples would have to pay if they would follow Him. He then said that there were those who would not experience death without seeing Him in His kingdom or (also translated as) His royal power/splendor. See Matthew 16:21-28; Mark 8:31-9:1; Luke 9:22-27. (Back)

 

3 Jesus took along with Him: Peter, James and John are touted by many as “the inner circle” of Jesus, but the Bible never states that.  James, John and Peter are noted as “pillars” in Galatians 2:9, but this is not during their time with Jesus. During their time with Jesus, the Bible does say that Peter was the rock on which Christ would build His church (Matthew 16:18) and that He had given James and John a nickname together: Boanerges, see Mark 3:17. James and John also asked for special privileges/placement above everyone else, along with their mom’s request for the same preferment for them (Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41). Peter and John are also the ones who prepared the last Passover for Jesus, see Luke 22:8. Jesus could have isolated other disciples to accompany Him on different occasions or to do special jobs for Him, but we just don’t know about because it isn’t recorded in the Bible. It is important to understand that not everything that Jesus did or said is recorded in the Bible, see John 21:25. The only two incidents where P, J & J collectively are mentioned with Jesus by themselves, are here at the transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:37; Mark 14:33) on the night that Jesus was betrayed. It also says that P, J, & J along with Andrew questioned Jesus on the Mount of Olives regarding the end of the current world order, ushering in the Parousia of Christ, see Mark 13:3. (Back)

 

4 Peter, James and John: James and John are the sons of Zebedee and former fishing partners of Peter and Peter’s brother Andrew, see Matthew 4:18-21; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:10. It is possible that Peter, Andrew, James and John were cousins. There is no Biblical or secular testimony to this idea, but the fact that they were partners in the fishing trade lend to the possibility of a family connection through their fathers, Zebedee and John (Peter’s and Andrew’s father was named John, see John 1:42), although it is equally possible that Zebedee and the mother of Peter and Andrew were somehow related. I found this article informative, as it describes ancient fishing practices around the Sea of Galilee; it also touches on the idea of relatives working together, as a guild of sorts, in order to sustain themselves economically. (Back)

 

5 high mountain: We know that Jesus and the disciples were somewhere between Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27) and the region of Galilee (Matthew 17:22; Mark 9:30). Caesarea Philippi and Capernaum, as a straight shot (not using the current road system) are roughly 25 miles apart. There are several mountains that exist between all of Galilee and Caesarea Philippi, even today, so we don’t know which mountain they were visiting. (Back)

 

6 Peter, James and John had been overcome with sleep: These three are overcome with sleep again in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus is praying about His upcoming work on the cross, see Matthew 26:37-45; Mark 14:33-41. Luke also mentions the disciples sleeping in the Garden of Gethsemane, but not P, J & J specifically, see Luke 22:45-46. John does not mention the transfiguration at all in his Gospel, and he barely mentions the Garden of Gethsemane in John 18:1.  John, therefore, never mentions that he was one of the three who couldn’t stay awake for these events. (Back)

 

7 fully awake: The Greek transliteral says having awoken fully. The Greek word used for having awoken fully in Luke 9:32 is diagrégoreó and means “thoroughly awake”. Luke makes sure that since he mentioned that the disciples were asleep, we understand they weren’t dreaming, they were “thoroughly awake”. Matthew and Mark don’t mention the sleeping. (Back)

 

8 transfigured: The Greek word used for transfigured in Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2 is metamorphoó and means “to transform”. It is where we get the English word metamorphosis from. Luke doesn’t use the word at all in his account of the event. (Back)

 

9 different: The Greek word used here in Luke 9:29 for different is heteros and has a distinct meaning in “other”. It underlines that the other is “another of a different kind” and not “another of the same kind”. (Back)

 

10 shining like the sun: This description is reminiscent of when Moses saw the back of God’s glory and his face was shining. To read about this event, see Exodus 33:18-23; 34:5-9; 29-35(Back)

 

11 white as light: This description of “white” and/or “light” is also used in Scripture for angels, sometimes. See Matthew 28:2-3, Mark 16:5, Luke 24:4, John 20:12, Acts 1:10. There are other times where the description of the angel’s clothing is not mentioned at all, such as in Genesis 19:1, 32:1 or Luke 1:11. In Daniel 3:25, the angel is said to have an appearance like “a son of the gods”. In Luke 2:9, it says that an angel before the shepherds stood there with the glory of the Lord shining around them.  (Back)

 

12 radiant: Mark 9:3 uses the Greek word stilbó meaning “shining, glisten, flash, radiant”.(Back)

 

13 gleaming: Luke 9:29 uses the Greek word exastraptó meaning “flash like lightning, gleam like lightning, radiant”. Some translators also use the English word “dazzling” for the interpretation. (Back)

 

14 behold: The English word behold is old-fashioned, perhaps even silly sounding, to modern readers. The Greek word for behold is horaó and means “to see, look, perceive” and is often used metaphorically. When I read the word “behold”, I like to equate it to someone emphasizing their speech  with “Look” as in “Look, I told you not to max out your credit cards!” or even sometimes “wow!” depending on the sentence. (Back)

 

15 Moses: God gave Moses His Law on Mount Sinai, after leading Israel out of Egypt (see Exodus 19-20). The Law of God is given to us to show us we can’t be good enough nor can we keep the Law perfectly, as God requires, which is why we need a Savior, who is Jesus (see John 1:17, Romans 2-3). To read about Moses and his amazing experiences, see Exodus-Deuteronomy, which also includes the laws that God gave to Moses and the Israelites to follow. To specifically read about the Ten Commandments, see Exodus 20:1-17. (Back)

 

16 Elijah: Elijah was a prophet of Israel who performed miracles and delivered the word of God to others, such as in 2 Chronicles 21:12-15. He is most remembered for his proof to Israel that Yahweh is God and Baal is not (1 Kings 18:19-40), turning the people back to God. To read about Elijah see 1 Kings 17-19, 21:17-29; 2 Kings 1:1-2:12. (Back)

 

17 His departure: His death on the cross. The Greek word used in Luke 9:31 for the English word departure is exodos and means “a departure or exodus” and also has the figurative meaning of “death”. To read about the Crucifixion of Jesus, see Matthew 27:33-56; Mark 15:22-41; Luke 23:33-49; John 19:16-30. To read the Splice about the Crucifixion, click here. (Back)

 

18 Lord/Master/Rabbi: Matthew 17:4 says Peter called Jesus “Lord”, Mark 9:5 says he called Jesus “Rabbi” and Luke 9:33 says he called Jesus “Master”. All three of these titles carry the meaning of “master”. Peter could have used any one of the words, or even all three, during the course of his speech.(Back)

See the Greek words: kurios (lord); rhabbi (rabbi); epistates (master)

 

19 tabernacles: The Greek word used for tabernacle is skéné and means “a tent, dwelling, abode”. Tabernacles were portable and made of cloth or skins and tree boughs. (Back)

 

20 Peter had not realize: The Greek word used in Luke 9:33 for realize is eidó and means “aware, consider, perceive”. Mark 9:6 tells us that Peter wasn’t aware of his words because the 3 disciples were terrified. (Back)

 

21 answer: Mark 9:6 tells us that Peter didn’t know what to answer. The Greek word used in Mark 9:6 for answer is apokrinomai and means “to take up the conversation, answer, reply”. It is possible that here is where Jesus told them that the two men were Elijah and Moses, and Peter simply did not know how to answer to that so he came up with the tabernacle idea. Luke 9:33 tells us that Elijah and Moses were in the process of leaving when Peter said this about the tabernacles. It is possible that Peter was trying to get them to stay, but the Bible is not exactly clear on this. It could have been that Peter didn’t realize the weight of what he was asking when asking them to stay or it could mean that Peter was so confused and terrified that he didn’t realize what words he was “babbling on” with, as if he was just trying to say something, anything, in response. (Back)

 

22 bright cloud: Matthew 17:5 tells us that the cloud was bright. The Greek word used for bright is phóteinos and means “bright, full of light”. This miraculous cloud was luminous, giving off a shining light. (Back)

 

23 This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased: 2 Peter 1:17-18 also mentions this event. God is also well-pleased with Jesus during His baptism. To read about the baptism of Jesus see Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22. John the Baptist’s witness to the event is recorded in John 1:32-34, although he does not specifically mention that he baptized Jesus. To read the Splice about Jesus’s baptism, click here. (Back)

 

24 Jesus went to them…Jesus Himself alone: This is a beautiful picture of what Christianity actually is. There are no other reassurances, no other eyes, no other love, no other comfort that you need except in Jesus alone. (Back)

 

25 The next day: We are told that Jesus, Peter, James and John come down from the mountain the next day in Luke 9:37. (Back)

 

26 Son of Man: Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man” several times (for examples see Matthew 8:20; 9:6). He uses this sobriquet for Himself in reference to Daniel 7:13-14. (Back)

 

27 discussing with one another: Note that they didn’t ask Jesus what “rising from the dead” meant. Asking Jesus would have been more useful than just discussing it amongst themselves. (Back)

 

28 Elijah must come first: (See Malachi 4:5) Malachi 4 is the last chapter of the Old Testament. It speaks of the great and terrible day of the Lord which is the time that the book of Revelation reveals as the tribulation. To read about the tribulation that is to come, as well as the hope that is to come for the believers and followers of Christ, see Revelation 4-21. (Back)

 

29 Elijah is coming: Malachi 4:5 applies to John the Baptist and, I believe, the future witness in Revelation 11. I believe it does apply to the future witness, as well as John the Baptist, because Malachi 4:5 refers to the “great and terrible day of the Lord” which most Biblical scholars agree to be the Second Parousia of Jesus. Also, Jesus’s wording that “Elijah is coming…Elijah has already come” is indicative of two separate events. John the Baptist made ready the way for Christ’s First Parousia and at least one of the future witnesses (there are two – it is possible they are both considered to be Elijah, or “in the spirit of” Elijah) makes ready the way for the Second Parousia of Christ. It is important to understand that “Elijah” does not mean that the actual prophet Elijah was re-incarnated as John the Baptist nor are the future witnesses reincarnations of him, but rather that the message of Elijah, the power of Elijah and the spirit of Elijah’s ministry was brought back through John and the future person/people. See Luke 1:17 where the angel tells Zacharias (John’s father) that John is in the power and spirit of Elijah and see John 1:21 where John the Baptist stresses that he is not a re-incarnated Elijah. (Back)

 

30 did to him: Herod put John the Baptist in jail and had him beheaded, see Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:9. (Back)

 

31 just as it is written of him: I’m not sure what this statement refers to. If it is in reference to Isaiah 40:3, there is no mention of anything being “done” to him. If it is in reference to what we understand now from the Gospels regarding John the Baptist’s death (see Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:9), it hadn’t been written yet. John was dead by this time of the transfiguration, so perhaps there had been things written about him that were in circulation amongst the population. If there were current day writings about him, it’s possible that those records would be used to create the accounts of John’s death in the Gospels, but we don’t know this for sure. (Back)

 

32 John the Baptist: You can read about John the Baptist’s story/mentions of him in Matthew 3:1-17, 11:1-19, 14:1-13; Mark 1:1-9, 6:14-29; Luke 1:5-24, 41, 44,3:1-20, 7:18-34, 9:7-9; John 1:6-8, 19-37, 5:33-36. (Back)

The Last Supper: Part Six

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Scripture Used to Create “The Last Supper” Splice Series

Matthew 26:17-36 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:17)

Mark 14:12-32 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:12)

Luke 22:7-39(Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:7)

John 13:1-18:1 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 13:1)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “The Last Supper: Part Five”, click here.

 

Isaiah 65:18
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing and her people for gladness.

 

THE SPLICE

 

Some of His disciples then said to one another, “What is this thing He is telling us, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me’; and, ‘because I go to the Father’?  So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? 1 We do not know what He is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wished to question Him, and He said to them, “Are you deliberating together about this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you will not see Me, and again a little while, and you will see Me’? 2 Truly, truly, I say to you, that 3 you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but 4 your grief will be turned into joy. Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and 5 no one will take your joy away away from you. 6 In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in 7 My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” His disciples said, “Lo, now You are speaking plainly and are not using a figure of speech. Now we know that You know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be 8 scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet 9 I am not alone because the Father is with Me. You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 10 I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK SHALL BE SCATTERED.’ But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” 11 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, yet I will not; I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice  “The Last Supper: Part Seven”, click here.

NOTES

 

1  We do not know what He is talking about:  The disciples are referring to what Jesus had said in John 16:16. Jesus had told the disciples (and others) a couple of times that He was going to die and rise again (see Matthew 17:9, 12, 22-23; Mark 9:31; Luke 9:44, John 7:33-34; 10:15-18) and He even tells them how He will die in John 12:32-33. In Mark 9:32 and Luke 9:45 we are told that the disciples didn’t understand the previous statements of death because the meaning was concealed from them and they were afraid to ask about it. Things will become a little clearer to the disciples by John 16:29, but it is doubtful they have a complete understanding. (BACK)

2  Truly, truly, I say to you: The Greek word for truly is amén and it means “verily, truly, amen”. It’s meant to express “so be it”. This phrasing is important, because in using the word amén, a person is placing emphasis on the truth of their statement or they are nodding in agreement with a statement that is called truth. Jesus uses amén twice, almost like an “extra strength” amén, proclaiming the truth of His words. (BACK)

3 You will weep and lament: See Mark 16:10. (BACK)

4 your grief will be turned into joy: See John 20:20. There is also the future joy, as described in Revelation 21:1-22:5. (BACK)

5 no one will take your joy away: John 16:22. The Greek word used for joy is chara and it means “joy, gladness”. This kind of joy is not fleeting happiness, which is a changing emotion. Joy is bigger than happiness and is sustained by the Holy Spirit as a fruit of the Spirit (see Romans 14:17 and  Galatians 5:22). Joy does not depend on any emotions or your situation in the world. It is the kind of joy that allowed Paul and Silas sing praises to God while imprisoned, even after being beaten with rods (see Acts 16:22-25).  (BACK)

6 In that day you will not question Me about anything: John 16:23. The Greek word used for question is erótaó and it means “ask, request”. It means to present a request, whether humbly or otherwise.  (BACK)

7  My Name: It is important to understand that a person’s name in Jesus’s era was unseparated from their character. Therefore, going to the Father in Jesus’s name means in His will, see 1 John 5:14. Whatever your prayers are about, thankfulness should be the crowning attitude (Philippians 4:6).  (BACK)

8 scattered, each to his own home: This scattering takes place in Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50). Since they are in Jerusalem, we can assume that the disciples scatter to the place/s they are staying at in/around Jerusalem, not all the way back to Capernaum, as would be the situation in Peter’s and Andrew’s cases (see Matthew 8:5, 14; Mark 1:21, 29; Luke 4:31, 38). Regardless of where they are scattered to, they are all together again, at least for a partial amount of time, by Sunday (Luke 24:33).  (BACK)

9 I am not alone: Just like Jesus, we can say that we never alone when we belong to God. Psalm 34:4-7 and Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 are striking reminders of His protection and deliverance in times of trouble. We can take comfort in knowing that when He allows us to go through difficulties, He will sustain us. See 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 for Paul’s declaration on the sufficiency of God’s grace. (BACK)

10 I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD: Jesus is referencing Zechariah 13:7 (BACK)

11 But Peter said: See Matthew 26:30-35; Mark 14:26-31. This is the return to the conversation Jesus and Peter had earlier as described in John 13:36-38 and Luke 22: 31-34. We know that Matthew/Mark and Luke/John are describing two different conversations because in Matthew 26:30 and Mark 14:26 it is stated that Jesus and the disciples have already left for the Mount of Olives. Luke and John describe the conversation they are giving the account for as taking place before leaving the upper room. Jesus and the disciples are described as leaving the upper room for Luke in Luke 22:39 and for John in John 14:31. (BACK)