God

Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part Three

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice Series “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse”

Matthew 24:3-25:46 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 24:3)

Mark 13:3-37 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 13:3)

Luke 21:7-36 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 21:7)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part Two”, click here.

 

Revelation 19:16
And He has a name written on His robe
and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

 

THE SPLICE

 

And 1 He, (Jesus) told them a 2parable, : “Look at the fig tree and all of the trees. Now, learn this parable from the fig tree: When the 3 fig tree’s branch becomes tender and brings forth its leaves, you see for yourselves that 4 summer is near. So when you see 5 all of these things happen, know that He is near and at the door; the 6 kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you that 7 this generation will not have passed away until all of these things have happened. 8 Heaven and earth will pass away , but My words will never pass away. But concerning that day 9 and/or the hour no one knows not even the 10 angels 11 of the heavens/in heaven nor the Son, but the Father only. Just as things were in the 12 days of Noah, so will be the arrival of the Son of Man. Just like they were in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until that day 13Noah entered into the ark. And they didn’t understand until the flood came and took everything away; so it will be also with the arrival of the Son of Man. At that time there will be two in the field: 14one is taken and one is left. Two will be 15grinding at the mill: one is taken and one is left. Therefore look and 16keep watch because you don’t know when the time is; you don’t know on which day your Lord comes.

But understand this: If the master of the house had known at 17what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. Because of this you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect. It is like a man going on a 18journey who left his house, having given to each of his 19slaves authority over each one’s own work, and commanded the 20doorkeeper that he keep watch. Who then is the 21faithful and wise slave whom the master has appointed to be in charge of his household to give the others their food at the proper time? 22blessed is that slave whose master finds him doing so when the master returns. 23truly I tell you, [the master] will put [that faithful slave] in charge of all his possessions. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the master of the house will return—24whether in the evening, at midnight, when the rooster crows, or in the morning. Otherwise, he may arrive suddenly and find you sleeping. If, however, the 25wicked slave says in his heart, ‘My master delays [in returning]’ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and then to 26eat and drink with drunkards, the 27master of that slave will arrive on a day [the slave] does not expect and at an hour [the slave] does not know of. Then [the master] will 28cut [the slave] to pieces and will place [that slave’s] portion with the 29hypocrites where there will be 30weeping and gnashing of teeth. But 31watch yourselves, or your 32hearts will be 33weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the 34worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a 35snare. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. Now keep watch at all times, 36praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are 37about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man. And what I now say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!

 

 

NOTES

 

1 He: Jesus has just told the disciples about His Parousia at the end of the age and about the mourning experienced by those left upon the earth (the un-redeemed) while they witness His glorious return (also see Revelation 1:7). Jesus has also told the disciples about the joyful gathering that all of God’s redeemed people look forward to at His return. Jesus tells us that this gathering of His people happens at the end of the tribulation (Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27). Many people refer to this gathering of the elect as ‘the rapture’. Jesus and Paul refer to the anticipated event (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:52) as ‘gathering‘ or ‘gathering together’ in Matthew 24:31 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Paul uses the term harpazó which means “catch, seize, snatch”. Harpazó brings together the idea that the gathering/rapture is a taking by force that is also abrupt or sudden. Paul also warns that this harpazó will not happen until the Antichrist has had his time (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). The events of the Antichrist’s rule has been prophesied in Daniel 11 and Revelation 13. (BACK)

2 parable: The Greek word used for the English word parable is parabole and it means “a comparison or allegory”. Parables are stories that are meant to teach a lesson about morality or truth. Why did Jesus use them (Matthew 13:10)? Matthew 13:13-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; John 12:40 says that Jesus used parables to fulfill the prophesy given in Isaiah 6:9-10. To read some of Jesus’s other parables, see Matthew 18:23-35; 20:1-16;  22:1-14; Mark 4:2-34; 12:1-12; Luke 5:36-39; 10:30-37; 12:16-21; 13:6-9; 15:3–16:31; 18:1-14; 19:11-27. (BACK)

3 fig tree…tender: Fig trees are mentioned a number of times in the Bible. Adam and Eve made some ‘bottoms’ by sewing the leaves of figs together in Genesis 3:7. Each man having his own fig tree (and grapevine) was linked with safety and prosperity in 1 Kings 4:25.  Jesus uses the fig tree to teach a parable in Luke 13:6-9. Fig trees have no leaves in winter and the soft/tender shoots start growing in spring when all the winter rains are finished. Some information on Israeli fig trees can be seen here, here or here. (BACK)

4 summer: We are assured in Psalm 74:17 that God has made both summer and winter. In Genesis 8:22 God promised that as long as the earth remains, summer and winter will always continue (along with planting time, harvest time, heat, cold, day and night). Summer in ancient Israel was the time of harvest and abundance (Proverbs 10:5). And here, while Jesus is using summer as the symbolized season of His Parousia and the hope of His elect, this also means that this symbolized summer is the season of dread for those who do not belong to Christ. Another time summer is thought of with a negative theme is in Psalm 32:4, when sin is compared to draining vitality away as with the heat of summer. (BACK)

5 all of these things: Jesus had just explained “all of these things” that would happen in Matthew 24:5-29; Mark 13:6-25; Luke 21:8-28. A quick rundown: wars, rumors of wars, nations against nations, kingdoms against kingdoms, false Christs and false prophets along with their fake signs and wonders, famines, plagues, earthquakes, terrors and great signs from heaven, a terrible and great tribulation that has never been seen before nor will ever be seen again. For the elect specifically there will be persecution, hate, arrest, prison, delivery to the courts, flogging in synagogues, and murder; people will fall away from the faith, betray each other and hate each other (non-elect who were ‘in the faith’ betraying those whom they congregated with). Family members will betray each other and have each other put to death. Also, we can expect increased lawlessness (God’s laws, specifically), love  growing cold (towards God), the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, armies surrounding Jerusalem, Gentiles trampling Jerusalem underfoot, a great and hurried exodus from Judea, supernatural darkening of the sun and moon, the stars falling from the view of our sky, dismay among the nations, perplexity, men fainting from fear, and the powers of the heavens shaken. (BACK)

6 kingdom of God: What do we know about the kingdom of God? There are several Bible verses that tell us about the kingdom of God, but here are some highlights: it will crush any human kingdoms, even those considered strong (Daniel 2:44); it cannot be destroyed and is designed to last forever (Daniel 7:14) it will be inherited by God’s elect (Daniel 7:18, 27; Matthew 5:10; Hebrews 12:28) and has been prepared for the elect since the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34); it will belong to Jesus (Daniel 7:14; Isaiah 9:6-7); it cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28); the elect should be praying for its arrival (Matthew 6:10); it is a place of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). Also, there is no way we can possibly understand it or try to imagine it at this time (1 Corinthians 2:9). Jesus uses two tiny parables to tell us about what the kingdom of God is like in Luke 13:18-21. (BACK)

7 this generation will not have passed away: From Matthew 24:34 and Mark 13:30. The Greek word used for the English word generation is genea and it means “generation”. Genea is not just a measure of what year or decade a person was born in. Genea also refers to the background, heritage, race or common link of the people referred to. The Greek word used for pass away is parerchomai and it means “pass away, to pass by, come to an end”. There have been a few interpretations for the meaning of this statement. We know for sure that Jesus does not mean that the people living at the exact same time as His statement was made will live to see the things described in Matthew 24:5-29; Mark 13:6-25; Luke 21:8-28 for Jesus has not come back yet! Therefore, Jesus is not referring to the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D, as many have claimed. Jesus probably means that the Jewish people will not pass out of existence as a race before His return and/or He means that people at that time will be alive during the Great Tribulation and that those alive will not all die off before His return.  Both of these things we know to be true because of the redeemed people of Israel in Revelation 7:1-8 and because there are unredeemed people mourning when they see Christ’s return (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27). (BACK)

8 Heaven and earth will pass away: From Matthew 24:35 and Mark 13:31. The Greek word used for the English word heaven is ouranos and it means “heaven, sky” and refers both to the sky we can see and the place where God’s throne is located (Isaiah 66:1; Matthew 5:34) and where He resides. Peter tells us that the current heaven and earth are being reserved for the day of judgment in 2 Peter 3:7. In 2 Peter 3:10-13, Peter reminds us that while heaven and earth will pass way in, we are waiting for a new heaven and earth. Revelation 21:1–22:5 tells us about the new heaven and earth that will be put in place of what we have now. (BACK)

9 and/or the hour: Matthew 24:36 says “and” (kai); Mark 13:32 says “or” (é). (BACK)

10 angels: It is important to understand that angels are not equal with God (Revelation 22:8-9). And, although much is made of Michael and Gabriel in contemporary Christianity, Michael is only mentioned by name 5 times in the Bible (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7) and Gabriel is mentioned only in conjunction with the visitation to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20), the visitation to Mary (Luke 1:26-38) and the visions of Daniel (Daniel 8:16-26; 9:21-27). It is important to note that no other angel (except the fallen one called Satan) is mentioned in the Bible by name. What do we know about angels? They are often specified as male and looking human (Daniel 8:15; Mark 16:5 in conjunction with Matthew 28:2-5 and Luke 24:4-5, 23). Sometimes their sex is not really specified, as in Acts 5:19. No matter, for we know that angels are not procreating beings, so their sex doesn’t seem to matter (Matthew 22:30). We know that angels in their angelic form are a little higher than us in our human form, for Jesus was made a “little lower” than the angels when He was born as a fleshly being (Hebrews 2:9). We also know angels are more powerful than humans because of 2 Peter 2:11. Angels ministered to Christ at least twice while He was on earth (Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43). We know that angels are sent by God to watch over those who belong to God (Psalm 91:11), to clarify messages for God’s people (Daniel 9:22; Acts 1:11), to bring messages of import (Luke 1:11-38); to fight against evil (Revelation 12:7-9) and even to strengthen and minister to those belonging to God (Daniel 10:18; Hebrews 1:14). It seems that the elect may ‘have’ angels because of Matthew 18:10 and Acts 12:15. In both of these verses, the word angel (aggelos) has the word autos alongside it, marking some sort of identification with the human self and/or in participation in some capacity. These verses along with Psalm 91:11 is surely where the idea of guardian angels developed from. Matthew 22:30 and Acts 12:15 are probably why it is thought that the elect will have similar attributes as angels in heaven and this is surely the case, although we cannot know exactly what that means. Regardless of what it means, it is more important to understand that God is the font of all revelation, provision, protection, safety and security however He chooses to bestow it (Psalm 23). (BACK)

11 of the heavens/in heaven: Matthew 24:36 says “(of) the heavens” and Mark 13:32 says “in heaven”. (BACK)

12 days of Noah: Only Matthew mentions Jesus’s comparison to the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37-39). Noah’s (selected) history is told in Genesis 6-9. (BACK)

13 Noah entered into the ark: Noah and his adventure on the ark is one of the most popular histories recounted from the Old Testament, especially for children. The Bible tells us a few things about God’s ark. The ark was made of gopher wood . Some believe gopher wood is cypress, some believe it to be cedar, but we don’t know for sure. Also, the ark was 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high or approximately 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high (cubit = approx. 18 inches).The ark was also covered inside and out with pitch and it had rooms built into it. There was a singular window approximately 18 inches from the top of the ark. There was a door in the side of the ark and the ark had 3 levels (Genesis 6:14-16). People and animals were vegetarian at this time, so Noah was instructed to bring the foods that were edible for both his family and the animals (Genesis 1:29-30; 6:21). People and possibly animals (the Bible doesn’t specifically say) did not become carnivores until after the flood (Genesis 9:2-4). Everything about this event is miraculous. I love how God closed the door of the ark Himself, demonstrating love and care in securing His people from the floods about to happen (Genesis 7:16).  (BACK)

14 one is taken and one is left: From Matthew 24:40-41. There are some who teach that this particular passage speaks of the gathering of the unbelievers. It is possible, but then the words used don’t make sense. The Greek word used for the English word taken is paralambanó and it means “to take, receive, to take with”. It has an underlining feel of receiving something to oneself or of being alongside someone/joined along with someone. This most certainly cannot apply to the unbelieving person because they have no participation with Christ and nowhere in the Bible does it say Jesus is alongside or joined with unbelievers. The Greek word used for the English word left is aphiémi and it means “leave, send away, abandon”. It also means “forgiven” with the idea of leaving sin behind or abandoning sin. Forgiven people will aphiémi sin by the power of God and God will not aphiémi His forgiven people! It is helpful, though, to read the parables of Jesus explaining the difference between wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43) and His parable regarding the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-50). Both of these parables do talk about the angels gathering up the unbelieving to throw them into the furnace of fire (Matthew 13:42, 50) and in Matthew 24:38-39, Jesus is speaking about unbelievers. But because of the words used in Matthew 24:40-41 we can logically assume Jesus is speaking of gathering His people, not the unbelievers. (BACK)

15 grinding at the mill: Until fairly recently, people ground wheat for bread by using millstones. Large mills used a bottom stone and a top millstone, grinding the wheat between the two stones. Animals were used to operate the grinding mechanism. There were also smaller grinding mills which were left to women to operate; it was heavy work and took hours every day. Bread has arguably been the most important food source throughout human history, even being used as currency during certain time periods. Mills were so important that God commanded that no millstone, upper or lower, could be taken as a pledge (Deuteronomy 24:6). For a quick read on Roman mills, click here. Here is how wheat is made into flour today. (BACK)

16 keep watch: The Greek word used for the English phrase keep watch is grégoreó and it means “stay awake, be alert, keep watch”. This is an active-guarding watch not a passive-nonchalant sort of watch. Paul also speaks of alertness in Ephesians 6:18 after providing the full armor of God, which an alert (elect) person should be clothed in: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes that are the preparation of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17). After the elect have put on their armor of God, they should persevere and pray (Ephesians 6:18).  (BACK)

17 what time of the night: In Jesus’s time, people did not have clocks. They told time by the position of the sun or moon and they estimated their time. During the night time guards had watches that were divided up into four time frames:  the first watch (6pm-9pm), the second watch (9pm-12am), the third watch (12am-3am) and the fourth watch (3am -6am). (BACK)

18 journey: Journeys were long, arduous and dangerous back in Jesus’s day. People would be gone for many days, months and even years. If you were very wealthy, you might have a wagon/carriage you could ride in and had more wagons (or servants/slaves) that could carry your provisions. But those who weren’t wealthy had to walk and carry their own provisions. Some of the dangers for travelers included (not in any particular order): robbers, wild animals, bad/extreme weather, bad roads/dangerous footing over precarious pathways, counting on a spring/well for water and finding it had dried up. (BACK)

19 slaves: From Mark 13:34. The Greek word used for the English word slave is doulos and it means “slave, bond-slave”. Many English translations use the word servant in place of slave probably because of the images prompted by the word slave: the horrendous abduction and selling of people especially surrounding the trans-Atlantic slave trade (also see Exodus 21:16). The word servant also presents images: persons who have choices, voices, get paid, can leave if they don’t like the job and they are free to marry, have children, stay single and child-free, etc. This idea of a servant doesn’t fit what the Bible means by doulos . Doulos, whether you translate the word as ‘bond-servant’ or ‘bond-slave”, the word really focuses on the relationship between master and slave. The doulos/slave has no rights, no voice of their own and no will of their own. They are subject to the whims and abuses of a master without recourse or redress. They are dependent on their master for food, clothing, shelter and medical care. In short, the doulos is not a free person. True elect in God are bond-slaves/doúloi of Christ (Luke 1:38; Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 1 Peter 2:16; 2 Peter 1:1), having been purchased/redeemed with His blood at the cross (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Corinthians 7:22-23; Titus 2:14). Unlike the usual human master, our Master cares deeply for us (Matthew 10:29-30; 1 Peter 5:7), loves us (1 John 4:9-10), will hear our petitions and give us peace (Philippians 4:6-7) and provides all things for us (Matthew 6:30-33). We can trust Him for everything even when we don’t understand the ‘how’ (Proverbs 3:5-6). See Jesus’s own example to us as doulos (Philippians 2:5-8) and His statement on how the greatest will be bond-slaves of all (Mark 9:34-35). To read about God’s allowance of slavery in the Bible, click here. (BACK)

20 doorkeeper: A doorkeeper’s/gatekeeper’s job description was simple: they watched the doors/gates, allowing people in or keeping people out. In the rich man’s house this was the job of a slave and gaining access to the rich man depended very much on the keeper of the door (see Peter’s struggle with a doorkeeper in John 18:16-17). Being the doorkeeper wasn’t a very glamorous job and it had some risks involved: if you denied someone access, there was always the possibility that they would hurt you in order to get in. The Old Testament talks about the doorkeepers to the temple in 1 Chronicles 9:17-27. (BACK)

21 faithful and wise: From Matthew 24:45. The Greek word used for the English word faithful is pistos and it means “faithful, trustworthy”. This is the faith that is gifted to the elect when called by God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith of this kind is not a superficial faith; pistos faith is trust, not just belief. It isn’t enough to just ‘believe’ that God exists (James 2:19). The pistos faith from God enables you to trust Him to save you; you don’t doubt Him or the saving blood of Christ. This faith enables you to embody Proverbs 3:5-6. Do you trust God to do what He says He will do? This kind of faith will lead to obedience to do the work that God has set for you to do (James 2:18, 20-26), even if it means that you die in the process. This kind of faith is saving faith. The Greek word used for the English word wise is phronimos and it means “wise”. Phronimos is the wisdom that acts on its intellect and knowledge. Phronimos is not a passive understanding, it is active in its employment. It is important to understand that wisdom begins by fearing God (Proverbs 9:10). (BACK)

22 blessed:  From Matthew 24:46. The Greek word used for the English word blessed is makarios and it means “blessed, happy”. To be blessed is to be in favor with God and filled with joy because of this favored relationship with God. This blessed joy is not because there are circumstances to be joyful about, but because God graciously has favored and bestowed joy. (BACK)

23 truly: The Greek word used for the English word truly is amén and it means “amen, truly, verily”. Amén is a word used to express undeniable confidence in what is being said. Amén says that there is no doubt, no discrepancy, no reservation in the information provided. Sometimes the Bible records that Jesus said amén twice before making His statement (see John 3:3). Using the word twice is a vehement underscore for Jesus’s words which is interesting because amén is already an emphatic word in itself.  It is best to understand that Jesus’s usage of amén rests in His own authority to declare ‘true and sure’ His statements. Jesus is called ‘The Amen’ in Revelation 3:14 meaning He is the living guarantee of God’s word. (BACK)

24 whether in the evening: From Mark 13:35. Here, Jesus names all four watches of the night (see Note 17 regarding the watches of the night). It is important to note that Jesus does not name a daytime watch for His return. One might argue that there are no daytime watches, and therefore Jesus did not use them in His analogy, but this is not true; guards were on duty ‘guarding’ and ‘watching’ during the daytime, too! It is probable that no daytime watches were used in Jesus’s analogies due to the continuous theme in poetic figure throughout Scripture that daytime is the time of joy and spiritual awakening, reconciliation and salvation (see Romans 13:11-12; Revelation 22:5). (BACK)

25 wicked: From Matthew 24:48. The Greek word used for the English word wicked is kakos and it means “evil, wicked, bad”. This would be a morally corrupt, rotten-on-the-inside sort of slave. It is important to understand that wickedness is really a personal affront towards God who is holy and expects holy behavior from His people (1 Peter 1:15-16). (BACK)

26 eat and drink with drunkards: Eating and drinking in itself is not evil. It is the attitude we have when we eat and drink (1 Corinthians 10:31) and who we are keeping company with that matters. The good slave (i.e. the elect and beloved of God) would never seek out anyone immoral for intimate companionship nor would he be drinking to the point of drunkenness. With the beating of his fellow slaves and hanging out with drunks/getting drunk, this wicked slave continues to prove his moral corruption and therefore confirming that he is not the good slave (i.e. the elect and beloved of God). See Jesus’s commentary on how to know who belongs to God in Matthew 7:15-20, which is expanded on in James 2:14-26 . The verses in Matthew 7 are particularly about prophets, but can be applied to anyone claiming to be from God. (BACK)

27 master: The Greek word used for the English word master is kurios meaning “lord, owner, master”. There is no doubt as to what the word  means: the owner of a human being with absolute authority over that person. Jesus is often addressed with this title of kurios (Matthew 8:2; John 20:28, Romans 6:23). The Bible tells us to confess that Jesus is kurios with the promise that if we do (along with believing God raised Him from the dead) that we shall be saved (Romans 10:9). Jesus tells us that not everyone who calls him kurios will enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21). Why? I think Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7:21 (see John 6:40 alongside Matthew 7:21) explain it perfectly together: a true doulos of Jesus will do what He says, if Jesus is truly Kurios. We also know that every knee will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord, but that does not mean they do so willingly or with that saving faith as described in Note 21. (see Philippians 2:9-11). (BACK)

28 cut [the slave] to pieces: Matthew 24:51. The Greek word used for the English word cut is dichotomeó and it means “to cut into two, divide”. This word also refers to being flogged severely. In today’s world we do not (normally) witness such violent executions such as dichotomeó and therefore in reading about this slave’s punishment today we don’t really have a picture of the violence inflicted upon him embedded in our mental image. However, in Jesus’s day people would have been exposed to executions such as dichotomeó (or stauroó): Jesus’s listeners would have experienced real-life illustrations of this slave’s execution. (BACK)

29 hypocrites: Matthew 24:51. The Greek word used for the English word hypocrite is hupokrités and it means “hypocrite”. This word was originally used to describe a performer or actor who wears a mask. It was then adapted to describe a person who pretends to ‘being good’ or religious conviction. (BACK)

30 weeping and gnashing of teeth: Matthew 24:51. It is important to understand what weeping and gnashing mean. The Greek word used for the English word weeping is klauthmos and means “lamentation”. This kind of weeping stems from grief so deep that it is audibly/visually experienced by those who witness it…and witnesses cannot help but be moved by it. It is not simple crying, it is anguish. Anguish is inconsolable and it is raw. The Greek word used for the English word gnashing is brugmos and it means “gnashing”. Gnashing of teeth in hell is due to rabid rage and mortified misery. This rage in hell is twofold: it is aimed at God for the punishment and at the self who disregarded God in the first place. When Jesus says that those in hell will experience weeping and gnashing of teeth, He describes the inconsolable anguish, rage and misery that those persons experience in the ‘outer darkness’. Hell isn’t meant to be gentle: it is meant to be an eternal torturous punishment of the worst kind; it is the worst nightmare of all nightmares that has not the benefit of waking up to discover it was just a dream. (BACK)

31 watch yourselves: The Greek word used in Luke 21:34 for the English word watch is prosechó and it means to “give heed, pay attention, be cautious”. The word prosechó gives the sense that we should be guarding ourselves with diligent, purposeful and constant caution. (BACK)

32 hearts: From Luke 21:34. The Greek word used for the English word heart is kardia and it means “heart”. In the Bible the usage of the word kardia means the place inside the person: the thoughts, emotions and intellect. This “inside the person” would be in the mind where all decisions, thoughts, emotions and intellect/reasoning stem from. Although we, in the modern day era, seem to separate intellect, reasoning and thoughts from emotions, this is not the case in the Bible. Intellect, reasoning, thought and emotions all originate and take shape in one place: the mind. (BACK)

33 weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness: The Greek word used for the English phrase weighed down is bareó and it means “burden”.  Bareó conveys the sense of being crushed down with a great heaviness, whether literally or figuratively used. The Greek word used for the English word dissipation is kraipalé and it properly means a headache from drunkenness. The word extends to the excessive debauchery that goes along with the drunkenness. The Greek word for the English word drunkenness is methé and it means “intoxication, drunkenness”. It must be understood that drinking wine (or any alcoholic drink) in itself is not a sin (Psalm 104:15; Ecclesiastes 9:7; Isaiah 25:6; 1 Timothy 5:23) but the excess of drunkenness and clouding of the mind with intoxication is a sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:18). This would extend to any drug usage. If any substance clouds your mind and judgment or renders you intoxicated/out of control, it is a sin. There are many who might say they can use certain drugs and still keep a clear head. As long as one is keeping in mind Romans 13:1-3; 14; 1 Corinthians 8 and 9 and also 1 Peter 2:13-14, that is between them and God. When in doubt, consider 1 Corinthians 10:23 and remember it is never a sin to abstain and to exercise self-control (see Galatians 5:22-23). (BACK)

34 worries of life: From Luke 21:34. Earlier, in Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke 12:22-31, Jesus had mentioned that worry was not a useful mental exercise. Jesus had also mentioned before that the ‘worries of life’ is one of the things that drags a person from God and His word (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19; Luke 8:14). Other Bible verses that tell us not to worry: Proverbs 12:25; Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7.(BACK)

35 snare: Some English versions of the Bible include the word ‘snare’ in Luke 21:34 and some include the word in Luke 21:35. It is important to remember that the chapters and verse numbers in the Bible were not in the original writings—they were added in much later on. This is also true for any cross-references, maps, notes, background information pages, title pages, prefaces, explanations, concordances, content pages, forewords, copyright information, indices, introductions, histories (those not found in the actual Scriptures), record-keeping pages such as Marriages or Deaths, presentation pages, charts, how-to’s, ‘features’, tabs, essays, theological theses, etc. It is helpful (sometimes) that these things are included, but they are not God’s Word and therefore should not be equated to God’s Word. (BACK)

36 praying: The Greek word used for the English word pray is deomai and it means “to beseech, beg, pray”. This word deomai has weight to it: it is not prayer in general (see proseuchomai and euchomai). Deomai contains urgency or begging in the requests placed before God. In general, prayer is to be conducted continuously with devotion, humility, praise, truth, thanksgiving and trust/faith in God (2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 145:2; Mark 11:24; Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). People often wonder why their prayers are not answered. The first thing to understand is that God is not obligated to hear anyone’s prayers or to answer for Himself (see Job 38:1-42:6) . After that, it must be understood that all prayer must be in accordance with God’s will, within the name (character/reputation) of Jesus, while abiding (continuing with, existing in permanent unison) in Jesus and not actively/continuously participating and harboring in sin (John 14:13-15; 15:7; James 4:3; 1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 5:14-15). To read more on prayer see Matthew 6:5-13; Luke 18:1-14; Romans 8:26 in hand with Ephesians 6:18. (BACK)

37 about to happen: What is about to happen is described in Matthew 24:5-26; Mark 13:6-22; Luke 21:8-24; also see Revelation 6 and 13. (BACK)

 

 

English Bible translation used: Berean Standard Bible

 

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)

Setting the Scene for the Genealogy of Jesus

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The Biblical account of Jesus’s ancestral history is given to us in Matthew and Luke only. Although the Bible isn’t exactly clear on the lineages, there has been much said over the years about accrediting one account of the genealogy to Joseph’s family line and one account to Mary’s family line. If we are going to assume this idea, we can safely pin Matthew’s account on Joseph’s family lineage and Luke’s account on Mary’s family lineage. The reason why I would say that Matthew has given us Joseph’s family line is because of Matthew 1:16:

“Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.”

Throughout Matthew’s account, he uses the Greek word gennaó where ever you see the English word father or fathered. Gennaó means “to beget” when applied to males and “to bring forth” when applied females. The word can be used metaphorically, but there is no logic to that here, when gennaó is used literally throughout the other 15 verses of Matthew’s account. Matthew is straight up telling his readers that Jacob is Joseph’s biological father.

Now look at Luke’s account of the genealogy, particularly Luke 3:23:

“When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,”

Mary is not mentioned, as women didn’t seem to count (they weren’t included when counting the feeding of the 5,000 or the 4,000, see  Matthew 14:21), but we could assume that Eli is actually Mary’s father. The original Greek Septuagint doesn’t say that Eli “begat” Joseph. The Greek word used in Luke for the English word son is huios and it can mean a biological son, an adopted son, a descendant, a subject of a king, or a figurative son (one regarded as a son, but not actually a son). The application of the word is broad. It is important to remember that women didn’t count when recording lineage back then. And, Luke never lists any women in the lineage, just the men.

Another thing to consider is why, if Joseph is not Jesus’s biological family member, bring up Joseph’s lineage at all? We can safely assume that Jesus was adopted by Joseph, whether a full legal adoption or a casual familial-accepted adoption, and adoption came with all the benefits that natural children had, including inheritance. Most importantly, it seems God saw Joseph as a surrogate/adoptive father for Jesus, because of the way He instructed and included Joseph in the information concerning the conception, birth, protection, and the continued care of Jesus (see Matthew 1:18-25, 2:13-23; Luke 2:4, 5, 16, 33, 39-52).

There is proof of some sort of adoption to be considered within Luke 2:41-48 and from Luke 3:23. In these verses, Luke gives us the account of Jesus, at the age of twelve, as He was left behind in Jerusalem after the Passover. Luke uses the two words “parents” and “father” within these verses and Mary herself refers to Joseph as Jesus’s “father” in Luke 2:48. And in Luke 3:23, the Greek word enomizeto is used for the English phrase was supposed.  It is a form of the Greek word nomizó which means “to hold by custom or by law”. Therefore, to call Jesus the adopted son of Joseph would make sense.

No matter how we view Matthew’s account or Luke’s account of Jesus’s genealogy, the real importance is that Jesus is God’s Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; 2 Peter 1:17) and His work on the cross is the reason why He was born in the first place (Matthew 20:28).

Jesus and the Demon-Possessed Men of the Gadarenes

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus and the Demon-Possessed Men of the Gadarenes”

Matthew 8:28-34 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 8:28)

Mark 5:1-20  (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 5:1)

Luke 8:26-39 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 8:26)

 

Revelation 12:7-9
7 Then a war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But the dragon was not strong enough, and no longer was any place found in heaven for him and his angels. 9 And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

 

THE SPLICE 

Then Jesus and the people with Him sailed to the 1 other side of the sea, to the countryside of the 2 Gerasenes/the region of the Gadarenes, which is opposite the region of Galilee. When Jesus got to the other side, into the region of the Gadarenes, and when He got out of the boat and went onto the land, immediately 3 two men who were 4 demon-possessed met Him because 5 at least one of the men had seen Jesus from far-off. 6 At least one of the men was from the surrounding city.

The two men were coming out of the tombs, because 7 at least one of them had not been living in a house, but had been living among the tombs. Both of these men were so extremely violent, that no one could pass by that way. For at least one of the men, no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain. This is because even though he had often been bound with 8 shackles and chains, and kept under guard, the demon had seized him many times, so he would break his bonds. The chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and the demon would drive him into the wilderness/the desolate desert and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Also, for at least one of the men, he had not put on any clothing for a long time, and constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.

When the men met Jesus, they ran up and at least one of the men 9 bowed down before Him. And both of the men cried out (under the power of the demons), saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come to torment us 10 before the time?” More specifically, one of the men, shouting with a loud voice said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You, I beg You, by God, do not torment me!” The demon was saying this because Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the men, saying to at least one of the men, 11 “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” Jesus was asking the demon in at least one of the men, 12“What is your name?” And the demon said to Him, “My name is 13 Legion; for we are many”; because for at least one of the men, 14 many demons had entered him.

The demon calling himself Legion began to implore Jesus earnestly 15 not to send them out of the country and all of the demons were imploring Him not to command them to go away 16 into the abyss. Now there was a large herd of swine feeding at an unspecified distance from them, yet nearby, on the mountain. The demons implored Him, saying, 17 “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 18 Jesus gave them permission and He said to them, “Go.” And the demons came out of both of the men, the unclean spirits entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, 19 about two thousand swine; and they perished by drowning in the water of the sea.

When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and 20 reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs, in the city and out in the country. And behold, the whole city came out and all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district, to meet Jesus and to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and observed at least one of the men who had been demon-possessed sitting down, at the feet of Jesus, clothed and 21 in his right mind, the very man who had been possessed by the “legion”. And the people who had come out 22 became frightened. Those who had seen what had happened described to the crowd of people how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well and all about the swine. When the people saw how it had been because of Jesus that the man had become well, they implored Him to leave them and their region, for they were gripped with great fear.

As Jesus was getting into the boat to leave, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And Jesus did not let him, but He said to him while sending him away, 23 “Go home to your people, return to your house and report/describe to them what great things the Lord God has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”

And the formerly demon-possessed man went away and proclaiming throughout the whole city and in Decapolis, what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed. And then Jesus got into the boat and 24 returned.

Gertie the Pig’s Portrait

 

NOTES

1 other side of the sea: The Sea of Galilee, because Luke 8:26 tells us they are opposite of the region of Galilee.  (Back)

 

2 Gerasenes/the region of the Gadarenes: The region was probably known by both names, depending on the people/culture. “The Gerasenes” takes its name from a city of Decapolis called Gerasa, and “The Gadarenes” takes its name from another city of Decapolis called Gadara. The main point is that both names for the region take their names from cities of Decapolis.  (Back)

 

3 two men: Matthew tells us that there were two men, while Mark and Luke mention only one of the men. This might be because the one man mentioned in Mark and Luke becomes a true follower of Jesus, as is evidenced in the man’s staying with Jesus (Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35), his wanting to accompany Jesus in His ministry (Mark 5:18), and his subsequent evangelizing afterwards (Mark 5:20; Luke 8:39). The Bible doesn’t really say why only one of the men is mentioned in Mark and Luke, so we can only guess. (Back)

 

4 who were demon-possessed: Who can be possessed by demons? Anyone who isn’t filled with the Holy Spirit. Not even Satan himself could occupy a true bond-servant of God because he would have to overthrow the Holy Spirit in order to do so. See 1 John 4:4.   (Back)

 

5 at least one of the men had seen Jesus from far-off: We do not know how far away Jesus was when the man/demon spotted Him. However, the Greek word used for distance in Mark 5:6 is makrothen and it means “from afar, far off, far away, a (long) distance”. It is most probable that the boats being used were ordinary fishing boats (more than likely belonging to one of the fishermen amongst the disciples). Back then, fishing boats were very plain, and didn’t have identifying tags or cute names etched to the stern or side to single them out. It would have been impossible for the demon-possessed man to know who was in the boat, in his natural state as a human being. Click here to see what a boat from Jesus’s time would have looked like.  (Back)

 

6 At least one of the men was from the surrounding city: We don’t know exactly which city was closest to the spot where Jesus and His crew landed. It is Luke who says that one of the men is “from the city” after mentioning that Jesus had sailed to the country/region of the Gerasenes, across from Galilee (Luke 8:26-27).  (Back)

 

7 at least one of them: Matthew does not give much information about the two demon-possessed men, therefore most of the information known about the human condition of the demon-possessed men is from Mark and Luke, but they only mention the one man. It is possible that Mark was writing of one man and Luke the other, but we don’t know this for sure. It is very probable that both men had been living in the tombs. We can assume that whatever was said about the one man was true for the other man as well, as long as it is remembered that the Bible isn’t exactly clear on the matter.  (Back)

 

8 shackles and chains: During the Roman Empire era, shackles and chains were made from iron. For an example of what shackles may have looked like for these demon-possessed men, click here.  (Back)

 

9 bowed down before Him: I have heard a pastor say in his sermon for a radio program that the demon-possessed man bowed out of mockery. This is not true. The demon bowed out of fear, since the demons were thinking that they would either be banished from the region or tossed into the abyss. Also see James 2:19, where in describing demons’ general reaction to God, the Greek word used for shudder is phrissó and means “tremble, to shiver in fear, shudder (in fear)”.  (Back)

 

10 before the time: The demons are well aware of what their future holds (see Revelation 20). What they feared was an early start to the torment, or perhaps something akin to the punishment meted out to some of their fellow demons who stepped out of bounds (Jude 1:6-7).  (Back)

 

11 “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”: We know from the Bible that demon-possessions can be violent, as evidenced by this story, as well as by Luke 9:38-42. There are many dramatic movies and reality TV shows depicting demon-possessions, hauntings and exorcisms for entertainment purposes. In truth, we don’t know how often demon-possession happens or if it even happens anymore at all. We don’t  have an abundance of information from the Bible on the subject of demon possession. But we do know that, in the Bible, attempting to remove demons from someone can be ineffective (Matthew 17:14-20) or even dangerous (Acts 19:1-16) to perform, if one is not in complete dependence on Christ to cast demons away. (Back)

 

12 “What is your name?”: Jesus was not asking the demon its name because He didn’t know it; He asked the name so that the witnesses watching what was happening to these men knew that many demons had been involved in the possession. It is also possible that the response from the demon was for the benefit of the two demon-possessed men, so that they would know who it was (and how numerous they were) that tortured them. Demons don’t have to obey humans, or give them information, so it is possible that these terrorized souls had only a partial understanding of what was happening to them.  (Back)

 

13 Legion: Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30 tell us the group name that the demons are collectively labeled with. Legión is a Greek word which refers to the ancient Roman army and its organization of infantry divisions. A legión contained at least 6,000 infantry, not counting the cavalry that was included.  (Back)

 

14 many demons had entered him: Jesus explains at least one way someone might get possessed by multiple demons in Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26. The thing that we must remember is we really don’t know that much about it. God has chosen to keep the Bible vague on the subject, perhaps for our own peace of mind. (Back)

 

15 not to send them out of the country:  Why would the demons want to stay in that region? It’s not clear from the accounts that we are reading, but Jesus does say in Matthew 12:43 that when a demon leaves a person, it wanders through waterless places, seeking rest but not finding it. It is possible that the demons had a comfortable situation here in this region, with plenty of people to infest and lots of sin to participate in, and therefore they didn’t suffer from the wandering described by Jesus. We just don’t know, but using our limited understanding of demons, this is a logical assumption.   (Back)

 

16 into the abyss: Our understanding of the abyss comes from several places in the Bible, but Jesus Himself sums it up succinctly in Matthew 8:12. There are demons already occupying the abyss, due to their obstinate refusal to stay in their proper place of authority (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6-7). We can safely assume that the “legion” of demons believe that they also will be cast into the abyss because they are traversing outside of the domain allowed to them by God; otherwise they wouldn’t logically be afraid of it.  Tempting humans (Ephesians 6:11-12), terrorizing humans (when allowed by God, 1 Samuel 16:14-23) and even harassing them with horrible disease and horrid events does seem to be allowed (again, when issued by God), as shown in the book of Job and in 2 Corinthians 12:7.  To be clear, we should never assume that someone has an illness or disease or that bad things are happening in a person’s life because demons are causing the problems. For a few references on hell/the abyss see Isaiah 30:33, Matthew 25:41, Revelation 19:20, 20:1-3; 7, 10.  (Back)

 

17 “Send us into the swine…”: Why would the demons ask to go into the swine? Jesus Himself tells us that when demons have no person to house themselves in, they are wandering with no rest (Matthew 12:43). And, although the Bible doesn’t specify this, I believe that Jesus would not allow the demons to simply go and infest someone else. The swine must have been the next best thing to possess, albeit, the least desirable thing, as animals don’t participate in sin; sin is a human activity as well as demonic activity (see 1 John 3:8). It is my belief that demons, although their first priority is to try to drag any and all humans from God (2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 Peter 5:8), revel in sin, terrorizing human beings, and mocking God’s order.  (Back)

 

18 Jesus gave them permission: The Bible gives no indication as to why Jesus gave the demons permission to possess the pigs. The only thing that we can be sure of is that Jesus allowed the death of the pigs for a reason. God is not arbitrary; He always has a reason, although we may never know what the reasons are, see Romans 11:33-36.  (Back)

 

19 about two thousand swine: There is a “legion” of demons possessing the men, which would logically indicate that the number of demons participating in the infestation would be at least 6,000. However, the demons could be using the word “legion” figuratively to mean “many”, as the spokesdemon mentioned in Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30. This number of 2,000 swine does not give us an exact indication of the number of demons, as each pig could be infested with multiple possessions, just like the men. It does tell us that there were at least 2,000 demons, though. The terror that these men must have suffered while under possession is unimaginable.  (Back)

 

20 reported everything: We don’t know how long the herdsmen were gone while they were reporting everything in the city and the country. It could have been a few hours or a few days. We can be relatively certain that at least a few people who heard these fantastic reports spread the news, too, but the Bible makes no mention of that.  (Back)

 

21 in his right mind:  The Greek word used in Luke 8:35 for this English phrase is sóphroneó, and it means “of sound mind”.  (Back)

 

22 became frightened: This fear reaction to Jesus’s power calls to mind the reaction of the disciples, when Jesus calmed the sea, right before this event (Mark 4:41). The power of God is frightening and amazing and nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17).  (Back)

 

23 “Go home to your people…”: The people we love are the first mission field that we all have. God may add things for us to do later on, but our beginning task is to take our newly changed minds, our brand new beginning in life with Jesus and to tell those we know and love how He has had mercy on us and the great things He has done for us. But we can’t stop there. We must also show them the changes that have taken place by living a quiet and godly life (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). This is also how we will be able to identify other true followers of Christ, by the fruit of godliness in their lives (Matthew 7:16-20). Note that these things are a continuous showing of proof, the habit of our lives, not just a “one and done” thing.  (Back)

 

24 returned: We know from Matthew 9:1, Jesus returned to Capernaum.  (Back)

Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law and As the Sun Set That Night

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law and As the Sun Set That Night”

Matthew 8:14-17 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 8:14)

Mark 1:29-34 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 1:29)

Luke 4:38-41 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 4:38)

 

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

 

THE SPLICE

Then Jesus got up and 1 left the synagogue. And immediately after 2 they came out of the synagogue, they went into the house of Simon Peter and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick, suffering with a high fever. When Jesus entered into Simon’s home, immediately 3 they spoke to Jesus about her and they asked Him to help her. Jesus saw Simon Peter’s mother-in-law 4 lying sick in bed with the fever. Jesus went to her, and 5 standing over her, He 6 rebuked the fever and taking her by the hand, He raised her up, and the fever left her. And she got up immediately and 7 waited on Jesus and the others. When evening came, while the sun was setting and after the sun had set, the 8 whole city had gathered at the door. All those who had friends or loved ones who were 9 sick with various diseases, brought the sick to Him; they brought to Him all who were ill and many of those who were  10 demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were ill by laying His hands on each one of them.  Demons were coming out of the possessed people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. And all of this took place to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “11 HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

 

A Flower for My Mom

 

NOTES

1 left the synagogue: Both Mark and Luke tell us that just before this event with Peter’s mother-in-law, Jesus and at least Peter, Andrew, James and John had been in the Capernaum synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday), where Jesus amazed the people there with His teaching. There was also a possessed man there in the synagogue, whom Jesus cleansed of the evil spirit. See Mark 1:21-27 and Luke 4:31-37. (Back)

 

2 they: Jesus and the disciples that were with Him. (Back)

 

3 they spoke to Jesus about her: We don’t know who “they” are; the Bible doesn’t specify. We will have to guess. My guess is that it was relatives and possibly servants in the household who had been caring for the lady, while Jesus and the disciples were at the synagogue. (Back)

 

4 lying sick in bed: For the common family, a bed could be anything from just the person’s cloak or possibly a straw mat or a thin mattress stuffed with wool or cotton. These beds were portable and were placed on the floor for sleep at night and rolled away during the day. Privacy in homes back then was non-existent and everyone slept in the same room. I found this page, which gives a nice description about ancient Israeli houses. (Back)

 

5 standing over her: People slept on the floor. See note #4. (Back)

 

6 rebuked the fever: The Greek word used for rebuked in Luke 4:39 is epitimaó and means “rebuke, charge, admonish, censure, to tax upon” and sometimes means “to honor”, but it certainly doesn’t mean “honor” here. (Back)

 

7 waited on Jesus: The Greek word used for waited is diakoneó and means “to minister, to serve”. It is used to describe someone serving others in general, providing for their general needs of life, but was particularly used to describe someone waiting on others at the table. The English word deacon is rooted in this word. To read about the qualifications needed for serving God as a pastor or deacon of a congregation, even in our current age, see 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Titus 1:5-9 and 1 Peter 5:1-3.  (Back)

 

8 whole city: Capernaum. Some have estimated a city population of 1200 or so during Jesus’s time there. There have been some interesting archaeological digs concerning Capernaum. (Back)

 

9 sick with various diseases: The Greek word used for sick is kakós and means “badly” and explains the miserable condition of the person who is experiencing illness. The Greek word used for various is poikilos and means “many colored”, giving us an idea of the diversity of the illnesses. The Greek word used for diseases is nosos and means “disease, sickness”. HELPS Word-studies says that the word nosos refers to (usually) chronic, incurable diseases. Although Jesus did just cure Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever, which was not necessarily life-threatening or life-altering, He was also curing people of illnesses that would not typically “cure” over time by using the sick person’s immune system. (Back)

 

10 demon-possessed: The topic of demon possession is a source of entertainment for some and ridicule for others. We really don’t know that much about it, as the Bible doesn’t give much information on demon-possession’s “how, what, when, where or why”. Too much of what is cited as facts about the subject is legend and lore, brewed by superstition and served with garnish by popular culture. Jesus Himself tells us that to remove a demon, prayer is required as well as faith (faith provided by God, not human-conjured faith), and is done by the Spirit of God, see Matthew 12:28, 17:19-21, and Mark 9:29. For information on the behavior of a demon looking to possess someone, see Matthew 12:43-45. For examples on what demons do to people when they possess them, see Matthew 8:28, Mark 5:2-20, and Acts 19:13-16. (Back)

 

11 HE HIMSELF: This quote is from Isaiah 53:4. The English translations of Isaiah 53:4  usually looking something like this: “Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried;”. This is correct word usage, but the Hebrew word used for grief in Isaiah 53:4 is choli and means “disease, grief, sickness”. And the Hebrew word used for sorrows is makob and means “pain, grief, sorrow”, and allows usage for mental or physical pain, grief or sorrow. The Hebrew word used for bore is nasa and means to “take away, lift, carry”. (Back)

Jesus Calms the Storm on the Sea of Galilee

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Calms the Storm on the Sea of Galilee”

Matthew 8:23-27 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Matthew 8:23)

Mark 4:35-41 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Mark 4:35)

Luke 8:22-25 (Greek Text Analysis beginning with Luke 8:22)

 

Psalm 107:29
He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

 

THE SPLICE

1 On that day, now, during one of the days when Jesus had been teaching, when evening came, 2 Jesus got into the boat, and His disciples, following Him, got into the boat as well, and He said to them, 3 “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out, leaving the crowd, and they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and 4 other boats were with Him.  But as they were sailing along, Jesus fell asleep and He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And behold, there arose a great storm on 5 the sea; a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and the waves were breaking over the boat, covering the boat with waves, so that the  boat was already filling up with water. They began to be 6 swamped and to be in danger. The disciples came to Jesus, and woke Him up and 7 said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? Save us, Lord; Master, Master, we are perishing!” He said to them, 8 “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the surging waves of the sea, saying “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down, and the waves stopped, and it became perfectly calm. And He said to the disciples, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith? Where is your faith?” And the disciples were very much afraid/fearful, as well as amazed, and were saying to one another, “Who then is this, what kind of a man is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

 

 

 

NOTES

1 On that day: Due to the nature of the English language, we would consider this phrase (as used in Mark 4:35), “On that day” to mean “on the day of the events that were just being discussed”. This Greek sentence simply means that “on the day of the sailing”.  It is most probable that Jesus was teaching the crowds and using the parables in Mark 4 (and possibly those in Luke 8) over several days’ time, there on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. See Mark 4:1-34 and Luke 8:4-18. (Back)

 

2 Jesus got into the boat: Matthew 8:18 tells us that Jesus ordered the departure to the other side of the Sea of Galilee due to the crowd that was surrounding Him, most likely due to its size (see Matthew 4:25, 8:1; Mark 4:1, 5:21, 24; Luke 8:4). Before He got into the boat and left, a scribe in the audience expressed a desire to go with Him and one of His disciples said that he wished to stay behind. To see Jesus’s answers to both of these people, see Matthew 8:19-22. (Back)

 

3 “Let us go over…”: Jesus and His disciples were sailing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, but we are unsure of His departure point. The departure point could be Capernaum or Bethsaida due to Matthew 8:14-17 and Matthew 9:1. It is likely that they had been traveling all along the coast of the sea (see Mark 4:1). Because of Matthew 8:28 and Mark 5:1, we do know that they are traveling to the region of the Gadarenes/Gerasenes. Luke is a little clearer on the location, as he states that they sailed to the country(side) of the Gerasenes, opposite of the region of Galilee (Luke 8:26). The land mass was probably known as both the Gadarenes region and  the Gerasenes region, just like how today different people/cultures refer to the same places using different names. (Back)

 

4 other boats: We are not told who is in the other boats, but it makes sense that there were many people with Jesus and the Twelve, including women and (probably) children (see Matthew 18:2, 27:55; John 6:9). Luke 10:1 says that there were at least 72 disciples walking with Jesus at one point, although most of them fall away (see John 6:66) . (Back)

 

5 the sea: The Sea of Galilee. It is also known as the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1), as well as the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1). For some interesting facts about the Sea of Galilee, click here. And click here to read about the fascinating find of a 2,000 year old boat at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee, during an archaeological excavation in 1986. You can find the boat mentioned on page 6 of the newsletter.  (Back)

 

6 swamped: Many English Bible translations use the word swamped for Luke 8:23. The Greek word used here is sumpléroó which means “to fill up completely or to complete; fulfill; accomplish”. (Back)

 

7 said to Him:  The disciples were probably panicking and yelling, especially over the sound of the stormy gales of wind. The Greek word used for said in Matthew 8:25, Mark 4:38 and Luke 8:24 is the generic word legó, meaning “to say”. This word only indicates that speech is in progress, and does not provide an emotional state for the speaker. (Back)

 

8 “Why are you afraid…”: We never need to fear, not even death, when we have been called by God to be His own and He has given us that God-gifted faith in Christ. God promises that He works all things for the good of those who belong to Him and love Him (Romans 8:28). Please understand that God is most concerned with the good that affects our eternal state, and not necessarily the comfort of our temporal abode on this earth (see the horrors inflicted on Paul and others throughout the book of Acts). (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)