John

Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part One

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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)

 

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 now, while Jesus was sitting on the 1 Mount of Olives, 2 opposite of the temple , the disciples 3 Peter, James, John and Andrew approached Him and now asked Him in private, saying  “4 Teacher, tell us, when then will 5 these things happen, and what will be the sign when these things are about to happen? And what will be the 6 sign when all of  these things are going to be completed? And what is the sign of 7 Your arrival and the 8 end of the age?” And answering, Jesus began to say to them, “9 See to it , lest anyone deceives you, 10 lest you be deceived.  For many will come in My 11 name saying, ’I am the 12 Christ ’ and ‘the time is drawn near’ and they will deceive many. Do not go after them. You will begin then to hear of wars and reports of wars. When, then, you hear of wars and reports of wars and 13 disorder , “See, do not be disturbed, do not be terrified. It is necessary for these things to happen first, “14 but not yet , not immediately is the end.

Then He was saying to them, ““15 For nation will rise up against nation , and kingdom against kingdom. Also, there will be “16 great earthquakes throughout places and among places there will be 17 famines and 18 pestilences; 19 terrorizing sights also, and there will be 20 great signs from heaven .  These are the beginning of 21 birth pains .

22 But be on your guard; before all these things happen, they will lay their hands on you. At that time, they will deliver you to persecution, they will deliver you to 23 councils, prisons and the synagogues , leading you away to kings and leaders, on account of My name. You will be beaten, and will stand before leaders and kings because of Me, for a testimony to them. 24 It will result in a testimony for you.

But first, to all the 25 nations , it is necessary to 26 proclaim the gospel . And whenever they might lead you away, delivering you up, 27 do not be anxious beforehand about what you should say, but speak whatever is given to you in that hour; for you are not the one speaking but the 28 Holy Spirit . Set, therefore, in your 29 minds not to prepare beforehand to 30 premeditate a defense . For I will give you 31 speech and wisdom, which all those opposing you will not be able to stand against nor speak against.

At that time, many will 32 stumble, and they will betray one another and will 33 hate each other. And many 34 false prophets will raise up and will lead astray many. And because 35 lawlessness is to multiply, the 36 love of many will grow cold.  Brother will betray brother to death, and a father, his child; and children will rise up against parents, and will put them to death. And you will be hated by all the nations on account of My name.  And no, 37 not a hair on your head will perish.  But the one 38 having endured to the end will be saved. By your endurance, you will gain your 39 souls. 40 And there will be be proclaimed this gospel of the kingdom in all the earth for a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will arrive.

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “Jesus’s Olivet Discourse: Part Two”, click here.

 

NOTES

 

1  Mount of Olives: The Mount of Olives is mentioned many times in the Bible, making it a significant landmark that people visit today. Zechariah 14:4 says that in the future, the Lord will stand upon Mount Olive. King David walked up the Mount in sorrow as he departed Jerusalem to run from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30). Also, Jesus’s last moments of freedom before the cross were spent in the Garden of Gethsemane, located at the base of Mount Olive (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46). To read the Splice about Jesus’s night in the Garden of Gethsemane, click here. (BACK)

2  opposite the temple: By the wording in Mark 13:3, it would seem that Jesus was sitting in direct view of the temple. The Greek word used for opposite is katenanti and it means “Before/in the presence of/directly opposite”. It was no coincidence that Jesus is montaged with the temple in Mark’s account; God is not arbitrary. Perhaps Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, was contemplating the Old Covenant (see Hebrews 8-9) . Perhaps Jesus, the ‘once and for all sacrifice’ was considering the building of Atonement, and it’s imperfect and repeated sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1-18). God is the perfect poet. All of this is surmising, however, because the Bible makes no mention of what Jesus was thinking about. (BACK)

3 Peter, James, John and Andrew: Certain evangelists like to call Peter, James and John “Jesus’s inner circle” with the proof being the order in which the names of the disciples are listed in Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16 and because Peter, James and John were present for the Transfiguration and were separated out in the Garden of Gethsemane. The order of disciples’ names in Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19 and Luke 6:14-16 may have much to do with their leadership after Jesus’s ministry, because the gospels were written some time after Jesus’s resurrection. There is nothing in the Bible stating that Jesus had an ‘inner circle’ (click here and then go to NOTE 3). We must be careful not to make the Bible say things it doesn’t say. (BACK)

4 Teacher: The Greek word used for teacher in Luke 21:7 is didaskalos and it means “teacher/master”. It is fascinating that the disciples decided to use this word. In using didaskalos, the disciples are acknowledging Jesus’s mastery of Scripture and theology. As a side note, no human being or angel or demon can predict the end of this age nor the Parousia of Jesus Christ. Only God the Father has the answer to that (Matthew 24:36). (BACK)

5 these things: Jesus had just finished telling His disciples that someday the temple would be destroyed (Matthew 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6). Before the group’s arrival to the Mount of Olives, Jesus and the disciples had been in the temple. While in the temple, Jesus had some exchanges with the Sadducees, scribes, Pharisees/Pharisaic disciples/spies, and there were some Herodians in attendance, for good measure. Also that day, He taught the large crowds, who enjoyed listening to His teaching (and, no doubt, enjoyed the entertainment of seeing the religious leaders mentioned above get their “noses out of joint” by Jesus’s answers to them). Jesus also observed the rich and poor alike offering their money to the temple treasury and then listened to the disciples extol the temple’s exquisite architecture and assorted accoutrements. Jesus’s answer to the admiration of the temple’s beauty was with a simple message: some day the temple would be destroyed. See Matthew 22:16-24:2; Mark 12:13-13:2; Luke 20:21-21:6. (BACK)

6 sign: The Greek word used for sign in all three Gospel accounts (Matthew 24:3; Mark 13:4; Luke 21:7) is sémeion and it means “miracle/sign/wonder/token”.  (BACK)

7 Your arrival: The term used in Matthew 24:3 for Jesus’s return to earth a second time is the Greek word parousia and it means “to be present; arrival”. When the New Testament speaks of Jesus’s return to earth at the end of our age (as described in Revelation 19:11-16), parousia is the word used.  (BACK)

8 end of the age: The disciples are asking “when will this current world order end?” The Greek word used for age in Matthew 24:3 is aión and it means “a cycle of time”. It can also mean “eternity/forever”. We know that aión is used here to express an era of time with a definite ending because of the usage of the word sunteleia, meaning “consummation/ ending/complete” right before it. The end of the age that the disciples are referring to is the era we live in right at this very moment. (BACK)

9 See to it: Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8. Some English translations say “take heed” or “watch”. The Greek word used in all three gospel accounts for see is blepó. This word can also be translated as “behold”. Blepó means to “perceive, see, understand”, not only with your physical eyes, but it applies to mental or spiritual perception as well. (BACK)

10 lest: Matthew 24:4; Mark 13:5; Luke 21:8. The Greek word used for lest is mé and it means “not, never, lest”. It negates a verb. For example if the verb is mislead or planaó, using mé with planaó now means, in essence, “don’t mislead”. (BACK)

11 name: Matthew 24:5; Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8. The Greek word for name is onoma and it means “name”. Names were synonymous with a person’s character in Israel, and therefore names were chosen with the utmost of care to meaning. Doing anything in someone else’s name means in their character, in align with their reputation and with their authority. Some examples of names and their meanings in the Bible would be Ichabod (1 Samuel 4:19-22), Moses (Exodus 2:10), and Jesus (Matthew 1:21). (BACK)

12 Christ: The Greek word used for Christ in Matthew 24:5 is Christos and it means “Christ/Messiah/Anointed One”. Because the word Christ is a descriptor, the proper understanding of Jesus’s name would be: Jesus the Christ or Jesus the Messiah. Surnames did not really exist for the Hebrew people, at least not in the way we understand them. However, people were identified through many measures, such as by their region (Simon of Cyrene in Mark 15:21), notoriety (Simon the Zealot in Acts 1:13) and even by parentage (examples also present in Acts 1:13). When using parentage as an identifier, people were identified by their father’s name, such as “Simon, son of John” (John 1:42). People who knew Jesus while He was growing up, probably identified Him as “Jesus, son of Joseph” (see Matthew 13:55 where Nazarenes identify Jesus as “the carpenter’s son”). But Peter (eventually) knew better (Matthew 16:16), as do we. (BACK)

13 disorder: From Luke 21:9. The Greek word used for disorder is akatastasia and it means “disorder/tumult/upheaval”. It is important to understand that although the word disorder in English sounds mild, this word akatastasia is not. Akatastasia refers to anarchy, revolutions and instability in society/moral norms. (BACK)

14 but not yet, not immediately: All three accounts have this statement to some extent (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9). It means that the wars, rumors of wars and the disorder is not when the age is finished. (BACK)

15 For nation will rise up against nation: We get a mention of this time of war (delivered by the rider on the red horse) in Revelation, after Jesus breaks the second seal of the book that only He can open (see Revelation 6:3-4). (BACK)

16 great earthquakes: We have experienced earthquakes throughout the ages. So far, the greatest earthquake (in intensity) that we have seen occurred in Chile on May 22, 1960. Will these earthquakes that Jesus is referring to be larger in intensity than the 9.5 earthquake in Chile or does the word great used in Luke 21:11 refer to the quantity of earthquakes? The Greek word used for great is megas, and it has a broad definition; it can refer to great in number or great in intensity. There are some great earthquakes mentioned in Revelation 6:12, 11:13, 16:18. These earthquakes are great in intensity. (BACK)

17 famines:  Revelation 6:5-6 has been interpreted as the blueprint for a famine: around a quart of wheat for a denarius and three quarts of barley for a denarius.  A denarius is the fair, agreed-upon wage for vineyard laborers working 12 hours (and for those working 1 hour, speaking to the generosity of God) in Matthew 20:2. Most historians agree that the worst famine in history (so far) was the Great Chinese Famine (roughly 1959-1961) due to (in large part) the Great Leap Forward and the policies associated with it.

There is a second part to Revelation 6:6 that says oil and wine should not be injured by the rider and his black horse. Note that the verse doesn’t say that the olives/olive trees nor the grapes/grapevines should remain unharmed. The refined and processed products, oil and wine, are to be kept safe. In today’s world, olive oil and wine are products that people with money-to-spare will purchase. If you have a super-tight budget these days you can get vegetable oil for much cheaper than olive oil. If you go to the food pantry, they are not giving out olive oil or wine. It could be, as some believe, God is allowing for some provisions since oil and wine were daily necessities back in Jesus’s day. However, oil and wine cannot make anything on their own and to make a basic foodstuff like bread in Revelation 6:6’s era you must have a day’s wages to buy the wheat or barley (which could be eaten on its own in a pinch) to mix with the oil! (BACK)

18 pestilences: Luke 21:11 alone mentions the disease. The Greek word used for pestilence is loimos and it means “pestilence/plague”.  The disease mentioned by Jesus seems to be the natural progression of wars and famines. It must be understood that this word loimos means that the disease will be severe, as the purpose of this bout of disease is to deliver divine judgment, ordained by God. Death, who is the rider on the ashen horse in Revelation 6:8, along with Hades, shall be fulfilling his name through: disease, war, famine, and wild beasts. One quarter of the earth’s population is to die. If these judgments were to be brought by God today, at the time of this writing, that would mean approximately 2.05 billion people would die by severe disease, starving to death, war with its bombs and guns, and being torn apart by/poisoned by/infected by wild animals. (BACK)

19 terrorizing sights: Mentioned in Luke 21:11 alone. If we think about Note 18 above, it is easy to imagine the terrorizing sights to be viewed. The Greek word used for terrorizing is phobétron and it means “terrible sight/cause of fear”. The book of Revelation has recordings of some pretty terrorizing sights to be seen, see Revelation 6:12-15; 8:7-12; 9:3-10; 11:8-13; 16:1-21. (BACK)

20 great signs from heaven: From Luke 21:11  .  The Greek word for signs is sémeion and it means “sign/miracle”. Jesus is speaking about miraculous signs, not natural objects such as the Hale-Bopp comet. The book of Revelation tells of these great signs from heaven in Revelation 6:12-14. (BACK)

21 birth pains: Both Matthew and Mark tell us that when all these things mentioned (wars, rumors of wars, chaos, famine, earthquakes, plagues, terrorizing sights, miraculous signs from heaven) happen, they are just the beginning of the pain and suffering. The Greek word used for birth pains is ódin and it means “birth pain/agony/sorrow”. The suffering of human beings during the aforementioned events will be tremendous, but alas, it is only the beginning of the affliction. (BACK)

22 But be on your guard: The warning comes from Mark 13:9. The Greek sentence actually reads as βλέπετε δὲ ὑμεῖς ἑαυτούς which transliterally means: “Perceive but you to yourselves”. The Greek word used for perceive is blepó and is the word that is often translated into English as “behold”. Blepó means “see” or “perceive” or in other words: take notice and understand. I chose to use the Berean Standard Bible’s translation of “be on your guard” and replaced their usage of the word “so” with “but”  because “but” is more closely related to the original word used. I have used BSB’s entire phrase “be on your guard” because it expresses the intent of the passage and is easy to understand. (BACK)

23 councils, prisons and the synagogues:  From Mark 13:9 and Luke 21:12. The Greek word used for councils in Mark 13:9 is sunedrion and it means “council/assembly” but the word was specifically used for the Sanhedrin. Prisons and synagogues are mentioned in Luke 21:12. Prison  was just a holding place before trial or before execution. Synagogues  were the local places of worship and community for the Jews. There have been fascinating archaeological finds in recent years regarding the ancient synagogues of Israel.  As far as the councils, prisons and synagogues go, this wasn’t the first time that the disciples heard about the troubles that they would face in following Jesus (see Matthew 10:16-25). (BACK)

24 It will result in a testimony: We see in Acts where arrest and accusation before the rulers resulted in testimony for the 12 apostles, such as in Acts 4:1-12 and Acts 5:17-32. We even see some disciples of Jesus who were not of the 12 have the same opportunity, such as Stephen (Acts 6:8-7:60) and Paul (Acts 16:19-33). Paul also reports that his circumstances resulted in progress for the testimony of the gospel (Philippians 1:12-14). (BACK)

25 nations: From Mark 13:10 (also used in Matthew 24:14). The Greek word used for nations is ethnos meaning “nation/Gentile/heathen”. It particularly applies to non-Jews. (BACK)

26 proclaim the gospel: From Mark 13:10. The Greek word for proclaim is kérussó and it means “proclaim/preach/herald”, with an emphasis on the preacher’s conviction that the message they bring is truth. The Greek word for gospel is euaggelion and it means “gospel/good news”. This mandate of preaching to the nations will occur in Revelation 14:6-7. Even so, has the good news regarding Jesus Christ been preached (with conviction) to all the non-Jewish nations, as of today? It seems so. Even countries that have a low Christian population still have some sort of population that believes (at least nominally) in Jesus as the Messiah, meaning they’ve had the gospel preached to them.  (BACK)

27 do not be anxious beforehand: Anxiety/worry has a connection to fear. Usually (it seems) fear acts as the bus ride to anxiety. There are many places in the Bible which tell us not to be anxious; for Jesus’s teaching on anxiety see Matthew 6:25-34. If you can trust Christ to save you from the pits of hell (John 3:16), you can trust Him with every other aspect of your life (Proverbs 3:5). He does not stop caring about you (1 Peter 5:7), He does not stop providing for you (Philippians 4:19), He does not stop interceding for you (Hebrews 7:25). (BACK)

28 Holy Spirit: From Mark 13:11 and also told to the disciples earlier in Jesus’s ministry in Luke 12:12. The Greek word used for Holy is hagios and it means “holy/sacred/set apart”. The Greek word used for Spirit is pneuma and it means “spirit/breath/wind”. There are a few English translations that substitute the word ghost for spirit. This is not correct and inappropriate at best! The Holy Spirit should never be referred to as a ghost. The Greek word used for ghost is phantasma, meaning “ghost/apparition”. Although we sometimes, in the English language, use the words ghost or spirit interchangeably, this cannot be the case for the Holy Spirit; using the word ghost in place of spirit for the Holy Spirit borders on blasphemous. (BACK)

29 minds: From Luke 21:14. The Greek word for minds is kardia and it means “heart/mind”. It’s literal sense refers to the physical heart that beats in the chest and pumps blood throughout the body. In kardia’s figurative sense, it refers to the emotional seat of the person: their feelings. But it must be understood that feelings begin in the brain, the thought center, and are not separated from intellect, as Jesus points out in Matthew 9:4, using “thinking” and “hearts” together. It seems that we have become a society that separates reasoning from feelings and encourages “following your heart” without thinking things through first! The Bible never advocates this kind of emotional volatility and instability. (BACK)

30 premeditate a defense:  From Luke 21:14. The Greek word for premeditate is promeletaó and it means “premeditate/rehearse/prepare beforehand”. The Greek word for defense is apologeomai and it means “defend oneself/to make a plea”.  Jesus gives this piece of information to His disciples earlier in His ministry as well, in Luke 12:11. 1 Peter 3:15 says to always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you about your faith. There is a difference between defending your faith in general and defending yourself in court. In Luke 12:11 and Luke 21:14, Jesus is preparing His disciples for the horrors of arrest and for standing before the courts in order to receive the terrifying consequences for their faith in Him. Jesus didn’t mean that the disciples shouldn’t know what God’s word means or that they shouldn’t have an answer to questions such as why Jesus is God. Jesus means that He, through the Holy Spirit, will give the disciples the exact words to use. These court testimonies will be the undeniable witness of His sovereignty and truth, so that anyone listening in on these extreme testimonial opportunities (in a court of law) will not be able to refute those words. (BACK)

31 speech and wisdom: From Luke 21:15. The Greek word for speech is stoma and it means “mouth”. The Greek word for wisdom is sophia and it means “wisdom”. Wisdom isn’t just a gathering of information or facts. Wisdom includes the insight and discernment to correctly apply the information to produce the desired outcome. Wisdom is not used in a negative scenario, e.g. we never say that a thief had the wisdom to navigate a bank heist (except, possibly, for sarcasm’s sake)! (BACK)

32 stumble: Matthew 24:10. The Greek word used for stumble is skandalizó and it means “stumble/entrap/ensnare” and means, in its figurative sense, to cause to sin. (BACK)

33 hate: Matthew 24:10; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17. The Greek word used for hate is miseó and it means “to detest/hate/love less”. Hatred can be righteous and it can be a sin. Hatred of sin/wickedness is an example of righteous hate (Psalm 97:10). Hatred against people, on the other hand, is a sin (Leviticus 19:17-18; 1 John 3:15). (BACK)

34 false prophets: From Matthew 24:11. The Greek word for false prophet is pseudoprophétés and it means “false prophet” or an untrue diviner of truth, propelled by self and not by God. Who is a false prophet? Anyone who preaches anything other than what is in the Bible. This includes the twisting of Scripture, omitting/adding to Scripture or giving one’s own interpretation of  Scripture. This can be a famous person or someone you know personally. Be cautious of anyone who tells you that they have “a word from God” for you. If God has anything to say to you, He’ll say to you personally and He’ll say it through the Bible or possibly, through your own prayer time with Him in the form of conviction (and it will line up with the Bible!). (BACK)

35 lawlessness: The Greek word for lawlessness is anomia and it means “lawlessness/iniquity/transgression”. In Matthew 24:12, this idea portrays not just breaking a secular law here and there, but the complete disregard of God’s moral Law as having authority over one’s existence at all. While this may include breaking the laws set by secular government, God’s moral Law is exponentially more expansive (think of what is a sin to God vs. what is a law in society), because His Laws include the attitudes/intentions behind the Law-breaking, which secular law rarely ever does. Even when a secular law does take into account “intent”, such as with murder, still, it’s not illegal to think about murdering someone, by society’s rule book. With God, thinking of murdering people is a sin: it is against His moral Law to even hate someone (see Matthew 5:21-22; 1 John 3:15). God looks within the person, into their thoughts/heart and that is where Law-breaking begins (see 1 Samuel 16:7; Matthew 15:18-20). (BACK)

36 love: From Matthew 24:12. The Greek word used in Matthew 24:12 for love is agapé and it means “love”. The whole Law of God is summed up in this kind of love (Matthew 22:36-40; 7:12 fits nicely along with this). This kind of love originates from God. Agapé love manifests in believers through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22), first towards God and also, for others (see Matthew 22:36-40; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 4:7-21). Click here to understand how to love, agapé style! (BACK)

37 not a hair on your head will perish: Jesus had just got done telling the disciples that some of them were going to be put to death (Luke 21:16), so He is not speaking of physical harm or physical perishing. Plus, we know for sure that at least James and Peter died as martyrs (Acts 12:2; John 21:18-19). Therefore, Jesus is talking about eternal perishing, the death that is both to body and to soul (Matthew 10:28). This eternal perishing is what Revelation calls the “second death” (Revelation 20:6; 21:8). We know that we all deserve this second death (reading all these together: Romans 3:10, 11, 23, 6:23). However, those trusting in Jesus for their salvation from this second death, live eternally with Christ (John 3:15-18). Our trust for salvation in Christ is a gift from God and not something we can conjure up on our own (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is important to understand that “belief” in Jesus is not enough (James 2:19). The faith and trust gifted by God is exponentially larger than just “belief” and comes with an undeniable pledge from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22) that leaves you in complete security about your salvation (John 10:28-29; Romans 8:28-39). (BACK)

38 having endured to the end will be saved: From Matthew 24:13 and Mark 13:13, and echoed in James 1:12. The Greek word for endure is hupomenó and it means “to persevere/steadfast/endure”. This kind of endurance doesn’t just grit its teeth and wait for everything to be over while wallowing in misery or even in a silent resignation. This kind of endurance is hope-filled and even voluntary. The one having endured to the end does not perform this feat on his or her own. It is through the work of God that a person can endure endless hardships, prison, beatings, etc. for the name of Jesus (See Acts 16:23-25 for example). Why does God allow this kind of suffering to produce endurance? Romans 5:3-5 gives its explanation. So does James 1:2-4. We can see that this kind of endurance is actually tied to our faith, which is God-gifted (Ephesians 2:8-9).  (BACK)

39 souls: From Luke 21:19. The Greek word used for soul is psuché and it means “soul/breath/inner being”. Psuché refers to the living and breathing person, attributing thoughts, emotions, and desires. Psuché can also mean the soul of the person that lives on after death (see Revelation 6:9) and can even be applied to living animals, as far as the fact that they are living (Revelation 8:9). Psuché is not the same as the Greek word pneuma, which means spirit. Pneuma is the immortal spirit of a person and is even used of the Holy Spirit. Pneuma is not used of living, breathing people, and is never applied to animals. Psuché also differs from the Greek word zóé. Zóé, which means “life” can be applied to plants, animals or people, regardless of sentience. Zóé is used in John 3:16, but with the qualifier word eternal (aiónios). It is interesting to note that in  1 Thessalonians 5:23 and Hebrews 4:12, spirit, soul and body (poetically, joints and marrows in Hebrews 4:12) are used to describe the complete person. (BACK)

40 And there will be…: From Matthew 24:14. Revelation tells us about these events. In Revelation 14:6-7 we learn about the angel who preaches the gospel to all the nations and tribes of the earth, and ‘the end’ is described in Revelation 15:1-20:3. (BACK)

 

English Bible translation used: Berean Standard Bible

Jesus and the Demon-Possessed Men of the Gadarenes

by

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 Walks on Water

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

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

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

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

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

THE SPLICE

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

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

An Old Boat

NOTES

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant”

Matthew 8:5-13 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 8:5)

Luke 7:1-10 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 7:1)

 

2 Corinthians 5:7
for we walk by faith, not by sight

 

THE SPLICE

When He had completed all 1 His discourse in the hearing of the people, He went to 2 Capernaum. And a 3 centurion’s 4 slave, who was 5 highly regarded by the centurion, was 6 sick and about to die. The centurion 7 heard about Jesus, and when Jesus entered Capernaum, the centurion came to Jesus by sending some 8 Jewish elders to Him. The centurion was imploring Him to come and 9 save the life of his 10 slave, saying, 11“Lord, my 12 servant is lying 13 paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” The Jewish elders, earnestly implored Him on the centurion’s behalf, saying 14“He is worthy for You to grant this to him;  for he loves our nation and it was he who built us our synagogue.” Jesus said to the centurion through the Jewish elders, “I will come and 15 heal him.” Now Jesus started on His way with the Jewish elders; and when He was not far from the house, the 16 centurion sent friends to meet Jesus and said to Jesus through these friends he had sent to Him, “Lord do not trouble Yourself further, for 17 I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You, but 18 just say the word, and my servant will be 19 healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my 20 slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, 21 He marveled at the centurion and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “Truly I say to you I have not found such great 22 faith with anyone in Israel/not even in Israel have I found such great faith. I say to you that many will come from 23 east and west, and 24 recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the 25 sons of the kingdom will be 26 cast out into the 27 outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion’s friends as a message for the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have 28 believed.” And the servant was healed that very moment. When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in 29 good health.

 

NOTES

1 His discourse: Jesus had just finished giving the Sermon on the Mount, which included the Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7; Luke 6:20-49). He had also healed people, including a man with leprosy (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-15).  To read the Splice about the man with leprosy, click here. (Back)

 

2 Capernaum: Capernaum was Jesus’s base of operations. He had moved there from His hometown of Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry. Peter had a house in Capernaum, which seems to have been a suburb of or a part of Bethsaida. Peter’s brother Andrew also lived at Peter’s house. It could be logically assumed that James and John (the sons of Zebedee), who were fishing partners of Peter’s and Andrew’s, had their homes in Capernaum as well, but the Bible doesn’t mention where James or John lived. We do know that Jesus didn’t have a home of His own. See Matthew 4:13, 18-21, 8:20; Mark 1:16-19, 21-29, 2:1;  Luke 5:10,  9:58, John 1:44. (Back)

 

3 centurion: A centurion was a Roman army captain in charge of one hundred soldier subordinates. (Back)

 

4 slave: The slave belongs to a Roman, and not a Jew. It seems this Roman may be a Jewish proselyte of sorts, but the Bible doesn’t state that. God allowed slavery for the Israel of Old Testament times. It is important to understand the distinction of OT Israel only, and to understand that the Bible is not talking about the world of today; it isn’t even talking about the Romans and their slavery practices way back then. Today, slavery is a difficult topic to talk about because of the ugly and wrong justifications that were used by Europeans to kidnap people from Africa and sell them as property, which the Bible makes NO allowance for (Exodus 21:16). To get a basic understanding about what the Bible says about slavery for the Israelites of old, see Leviticus 25:35-55. (Back)

 

5 highly regarded: The Greek text says “valued highly” and the Greek word used in Luke 7:2 is entimos and it means “held precious, honored, honorable in rank”. (Back)

 

6 sick and about to die: The Greek word used for “sick” in Luke 7:2 is kakós and means “badly, grievously or diseased”. (Back)

 

7 heard about Jesus: It must be remembered that EVERYONE was hearing about Jesus, the Man who was preaching with authority about the kingdom of God and about repentance, healing people’s bodies of horrible ailments, and casting out demons (an unimaginable torture) and the crowds were amazed by it. Jesus was causing quite a stir in Israel. See Matthew 4:17, 23-25, 7:28-29, 8:16, 17, 28-33 for a sample of these events. (Back)

 

8 Jewish elders: The Sanhedrin (see Greek word presbuteros). The Sanhedrin was the group with all the power in Israel—under the authority of the Romans, that is. The Sanhedrin was headed up by the High Priest (Annas and Caiaphas at the time of Jesus’s ministry, see Matthew 26:57, Luke 3:2, John 18:13), and was comprised of scribes and the Pharisees, among others. The Sanhedrin will later be the group responsible (along with some input from the Herodians, see Mark 3:6 and Matthew 22:15-16) for demanding Jesus’s crucifixion, after an illegal arrest in the dark, and a fake trial with phony witnesses. See Matthew 26:3-5; 47-68, 27:11-26; Mark 14:1, 10-11, 43-65; 15:1-20; Luke 22:4-5, 47-53, 66-71; 23:1-25; John 11:47-57; John 18 and 19. Here’s a fair explanation about the Sanhedrin from Wikipedia and one from Britannica.com. (Back)

 

9 save the life: The Greek word used for save in Luke 7:3 is diasózó and means to “escape safely, perfectly whole” or “to save all the way across”. (Back)

 

10 slave: Luke 7:2, 3, 10 tells us that this person is an actual slave, a person owned by another person. The Greek word for slave used in the Luke verses is doulos and means “slave”. Many Bible translations like to use the word “bondservant” or simply “servant” and that is true, it does mean “servant/bondservant”. However, the English word servant gives the feeling of a person free to make their own choices or able to quit the job, if they don’t like the pay or the boss. The truth is, a bondservant/doulos, is a bondslave. A bondslave has no rights, no personal ownership or freedoms; a bondslave has no legal personhood. (Back)

 

11 Lord: The Greek word used for Lord in Matthew 8:6 is kurios and means “lord, master, sir” and gives the implication that the person being called “lord” is the owner of or master over the person using the word kurios. When you call Jesus “Lord”, you are saying He is the absolute owner of you, over any other authority including your own free will, just like the centurion was saying here. (Back)

 

12 servant: The centurion never calls the person that he owns (that is also dying) a “doulos” (slave). He uses a different word, pais, which means “a child, boy, youth” and implies a youthful slave, possibly still in training. We can tell from this word, which the centurion uses several times, that this slave is probably a child. Just to be clear, Luke never uses the word pais himself, even though he quotes the centurion as using it; Luke always refers to the ill person as “doulos”. Matthew does use the word pais apart from the centurion, in Matthew 8:13. Matthew does not use the word “doulos” in describing this ill person at all. (Back)

 

13 paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented: It is very difficult to watch someone that you love suffer in agony, even more so when that person is a child. The Greek word used in Matthew 8:6 for fearfully is deinós and means “vehemently, terribly, grievously”. The Greek word used in Matthew 8:6 for the word tormented is basanizó and means “to torture.” We don’t know what illness this young person had, but whatever it was it left him paralyzed, tormented and about to die. (Back)

 

14 He is worthy: It sounds like these Jewish elders felt like they had to qualify the Gentile centurion’s request, and this was because most Jews, especially religious Jews, didn’t like to associate with Gentiles. It’s actually surprising that these Sanhedrin members affiliated with this Roman guy at all. While it is true that Jesus was preaching to and healing the Israelites exclusively (He didn’t go to Rome or China to preach/heal, see Matthew 15:24), He clearly helped non-Jews as well, as this event shows, as does the story of the Canaanite woman (see Matthew 15:21-28). Jesus also tells the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37, after a lawyer asked Jesus to define who he should consider as a neighbor. (Back)

 

15 heal him: The Greek word for heal used in Matthew 8:7 is therapeuó and means to cure or heal, like a doctor’s healing. (Back)

 

16 centurion sent friends: Although the Bible does not mention it, we can safely assume that at least one of the Jewish elders (or a servant of one of the elders or of the centurion) ran back ahead of the others to let the centurion know that Jesus was on the way, going to this centurion’s house. How else would the centurion have known that Jesus would be on His way? The centurion’s knowledge is born from a natural event: someone told him! There is not one shred of evidence or Biblical back-up to state that this was some sort of a supernatural event, with the centurion displaying a “second sight” gift. (Back)

 

17 I am not worthy: The centurion is not alone, because none of us are worthy of Christ. The reason why we are not worthy of God is because of our sin and our sinful nature (Romans 3:9-20, 23). Our sin and sinful nature is something we can never hope to fix for ourselves, it is something only Jesus can fix (Romans 3:24-26; Ephesians 1:5-7, 2:1-9) . Realizing this and admitting it is a preliminary step towards salvation. (Back)

 

18 just say the word: One of the powers of God is the ability to simply speak things into existence, including wellness. See Genesis 1 for the most popularly known example of God’s usage of this ability. (Back)

 

19 healed: The centurion uses a different word for healed, than the word that Jesus used in Matthew 8:7. In both Matthew 8:8 and Luke 7:7, the centurion uses the Greek word iaomai, which means “to heal”, but it also does have spiritual implications. Perhaps the centurion was not asking so much for a physical healing but a spiritual healing for the child, since he was dying. Maybe the centurion was asking for both types of healing. We are all in need of spiritual healing (Romans 3:23), which is what salvation really is (Isaiah 53:5). (Back)

 

20 slave: The centurion does indeed use the Greek word for slave here, doulos meaning “slave”, when referring to the example slave he uses in his explanation to Jesus. He does not use this word when referring to the young, sick person whom he holds in high regard, even though Luke made it clear that this dying child is a slave in Luke 7:2-3. (Back)

 

21 He marveled: Jesus didn’t stand awe-struck by human beings very often. The Greek word used in Matthew 8:10 and Luke 7:9 for marveled is thaumazó and means “to wonder, marvel” and can also mean to “admire”. The only other time I can find that Jesus “marveled” at people would be in Mark 6:6, which also uses the Greek word thaumazó . In this scene, Jesus is amazed at the lack of faith in Nazareth. He still healed a few sick people, even though the town was offended by Him (see Mark 6:1-6). (Back)

 

22 faith: Faith in Jesus is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). It is granted to all of the elect of God (Romans 12:3), and it is through this faith that makes us children of God (Galatians 3:26-29). The Greek word for faith is pistis and means “faith, belief, trust, confidence; fidelity, faithfulness”. For examples on what this kind of faith can enable a person to see, experience and believe (where otherwise they wouldn’t), see Hebrews 11. (Back)

 

23 east and west: From Matthew 8:11. The Greek phrasing used here for “east and west” is anatolōn kai dysmōn and means “rising (of the sun) and setting (of the sun)” and therefore, east and west. (Back)

 

24 recline: Reclining to eat is almost an absurdity for modern diners. It involved leaning back, propped up on an arm, feet away from the table. Here’s a good explanation on eating in ancient Roman times. (Back)

 

25 sons of the kingdom: Jesus is speaking of the Jews, in a general sense. Jesus is underlining that faith is the requirement for salvation, faith in Him specifically, and not faith in one’s lineage. All people, whether Jew or Gentile are called to Christ individually, not as a nation or creed. Each person is responsible for their own reactions to God’s calling (Galatians 6:5, Philippians 2:12). See Galatians 3 to expand a little on Jesus’s statement. (Back)

 

26 cast out: The Greek word used for cast out in Matthew 8:12 is ekballo and means to “banish, cast out, expel, throw”. It has the feeling of driving someone out and away, with an aura of contempt. (Back)

 

27 outer darkness: The outer darkness is hell. It is the most extreme of all darkness, because the light of God, both physical light and moral light, does not shine there. See Matthew 22:13, 25:30, 2 Peter 2:4 for examples on the darkness representing hell. (Back)

 

28 believed: It is important to understand that “just as you believed” is not a call to positive thinking. The centurion’s faith was pistis faith, the God-gifted faith, and not a human-conjured faith. (Back)

 

29 good health: Matthew 8:13 says that the servant was healed that very moment. Luke 7:10 says the child was found in good health. Matthew uses the Greek word iaomai, which gives the healing from Jesus the supernatural credit it deserves, and Luke uses the Greek word hugiainó which tells us the slave was found totally healthy, sound and whole. (Back)

Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane

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Scripture Used in Creating the Splice “Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane”

Matthew 26:36-46 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:36)

Mark 14:32-42 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:32)

Luke 22:40-46 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:40)

 

Need to catch up first? To read the Splice Series about The Last Supper, beginning with Part One, click here.

 

Psalm 142:1
I cry aloud with my voice to the LORD; I make supplication with my voice to the LORD.

 

THE SPLICE

When He and the disciples arrived at 1 Gethsemane, He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and 2 pray/until I have prayed, and you pray that you may not enter into temptation”.  And taking with Him Peter, James, and John (James and John, the sons of Zebedee), He withdrew to Gethsemane from the rest of His disciples at about 3 a stone’s throw distance. 4 Jesus began to be grieved, very distressed and troubled. He said to Peter, James and John, “My soul is deeply grieved, 5 to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond Peter, James, and John, and 6 knelt down/fell to the ground/fell on His face and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by; He fell on His face and prayed, saying, “Abba! My Father! All things are possible for You; if You are willing, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; remove this cup from Me; yet not 7 what I will/as I will; not My will, but Your will be done.”   When He was finished praying, 8 He approached the disciples and found them sleeping and Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; 9 the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”

He went away again a second time and prayed, saying the same words as the first time, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” When He went back, He again found the disciples sleeping; their eyes were very heavy. 10 Jesus must have asked them to account for their behavior, because they did not know what to answer Him. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in 11 agony He was 12 praying very fervently; and 13 His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground. When He rose from prayer, He went to the disciples and found them sleeping again, specifically from 14 sorrow and He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And then perceiving (whether by sight or spirit) that the betrayer, Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, and his 15 Sanhedrin-appointed gang 16 were approaching, He then said, “It is enough; Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”

 

“Garden in the Morning”

 

Want to continue reading? To read the Splice “The Betrayal and Illegal Arrest of Jesus”, click here.

 

NOTES

1 Gethsemane: There are still olive trees located in the Garden of Gethsemane. Do an internet search on “how old are the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane” and you’ll get some fun reads on the remaining trees. Sadly, none have survived (it seems) from when Jesus walked the earth.(Back)

 

2 pray/until I have prayed: Matthew 26:36 says “and pray” and Mark 14:32 says “until I have prayed”.(Back)

 

3 a stone’s throw distance: Meaning, a short distance away. Could the other disciples still see Jesus, Peter, John and James? Since the distance was rather abbreviated, I am uncertain as to why Jesus took P, J & J with Him. He even left P, J & J off to a distance from Himself, albeit a small distance. See Matthew 26:36-39, Mark 14:32-35, Luke 22:41. (Back)

 

4 Jesus began to be grieved and very distressed and troubled: It is easy to pass over these words, glassy eyed, while we read them and say, “Yep: grieved, distressed, troubled.” The levels of grief, distress and trouble experienced by Jesus were beyond anything we have suffered in our own lives. It’s a great reminder for us on how much Jesus took upon Himself to save us. (Back)

 

5 to the point of death: It is easy to think of this as hyperbole, because it sounds like the sort of hyperbole we might use today, as in, “I could just die” when of course, we wouldn’t. Jesus is not using hyperbole here. There were times, however, Jesus did use exaggerated comparisons as relatable teaching tools, such as in Matthew 7:3. (Back)

 

6 knelt down/fell to the ground/fell on His face: Matthew 26:39 says “fell on His face”, Mark 14:35 says “fell to the ground”, and Luke 22:41 says “knelt down”.(Back)

 

7 what I will/as I will: Mark 14:36 says “what I will” and Matthew 26:39 says “as I will”.(Back)

 

8 He approached the disciples: Luke 22:45 leaves me wondering if all of the disciples had fallen asleep, due to heavy eyes of sorrow? Jesus particularly speaks to Peter during the first discovery of sleep (Matthew 26:40 and Mark 14:37), but isn’t it possible that the other disciples were close enough to P, J & J and Jesus for them to hear Him? The Bible doesn’t specify that only P, J & J are the ones sleeping, although by the way Mark worded 14:32-38, we might assume with confidence that it was P, J & J at the center of the sleeping situation. John does not mention the prayers in the garden at all, Luke does not mention that P, J & J were separated out from the other disciples or that there were 3 prayer-times/3 discoveries of sleep by Jesus. Only Mark and Matthew mention the sleeping disciples and the 3 separate prayer times. See Matthew 26:37-45 and Mark 14:33-41. (Back)

 

9 “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”:  says Jesus, succinctly. Paul expands on this struggle in Romans 7:15-25. (Back)

10 Jesus must have asked them to account for their behavior: See Matthew 26:43-44 and Mark 14:40 for the only mentions concerning the second discovery of sleep. Although Mark 14:40 tells us that the disciples did not know what to answer Him, we don’t know exactly what was asked. (Back)

 

11 agony: The Greek word used for agony in Luke 22:44 is agónia and it means “great fear, terror, agony”. It also means “a contest”, due to the anxiety experienced before competition. (Back)

 

12 praying very fervently: From Luke 22:44. The  Greek word used for fervently is ektenesteron and it means “more intently, more earnestly”. (Back)

 

13 His sweat became like drops of blood: This information comes from Luke 22:44. Sweating blood is a medical condition called hematidrosis. This condition is extremely rare and there are very few actual cases. The Greek word used for like in Luke 22:44 doesn’t mean “one of the same things” such as a Fuji apple and a Granny Smith apple are the same or “like” in that they are both apples. The word used in Luke 22:44 is hósei. This Greek word is more akin to “about” or “as if”, and therefore it is not a comparison of exacts, but more like an estimation. We don’t know if Jesus actually sweated drops of blood, just that His sweat became like drops of blood. The Bible states, that in any case, Jesus was under great distress. (Back)

 

14 sorrow: John 16:6 tells us that Jesus mentions their sorrow. They are filled with sorrow because of the things Jesus was telling them at the Last Supper. To read what Jesus said to them at the Last Supper, see Matthew 26:20-35; Mark 14:17-31; Luke 22:14-38; John 13:2-17:26. John gives us the most information on what Jesus said that night. (Back)

 

15 Sanhedrin-appointed gang: See Matthew 26:47; Mark 14:43; Luke 22:52; John 18:3 for the description of this rough crowd comprised of the elders, chief priests, Roman guards, Pharisees, officers of the temple, scribes and Judas, armed with torches, lanterns, clubs and swords for arresting one Man. (Back)

 

16 were approaching: See Matthew 26:45-55, Mark 14:41-46, Luke 22:46-55; John 18:3-12 to read about Jesus’s last few minutes of freedom and the transition to His unjust and illegal arrest in the night, that led to those farcical trials (Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:66-71, John 18:12-24) and ultimately, to His wrongful death (Matthew 27:11-54; Mark 15:1-39; Luke 23:1-48; John 18:28-19:30). God uses these flagrant injustices, not only with Jesus, but many of His servants in the Bible, to complete His purposes. The Book of Acts records many details of injustice and wrongful persecution that leads God’s people to the places they need to be or to start events that unfold like dominos. We can even be sure today that injustice is used by God to complete His purpose, as God remains unchanged and the same (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). (Back)

The Baptism of Jesus

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “The Baptism of Jesus”

Matthew 3:13-17 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 3:13)

Mark 1:9-12 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 1:9)

Luke 3:21-22 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 3:21)

John 1:32-34 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 1:32)

Mark 1:8
I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

THE SPLICE

All the 1 people were coming to John to be baptized. Jesus arrived from 2 Nazareth in Galilee at the 3 Jordan River. He was coming to 4 John to be baptized by him, too. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be 5 baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answering, said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to 6 fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted Him.

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and while 7 He was praying, the heavens were opened and Jesus saw the heavens opening, and both Jesus and John saw the Holy Spirit of God in the bodily form of a dove and it was descending down, alighting upon Jesus. And a voice out of the heavens addressed Jesus and said, “8 You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” And the voice also testified to John and said, “ This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” Immediately the 9 Spirit impelled Jesus to go out into the wilderness. Some time later, John testified publicly about Jesus’s baptism and His Sonship, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a 10 dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon who you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

NOTES

1  people were coming to John to be baptized: The people participating in the baptism included Pharisees, Sadducees, soldiers, tax collectors and others. To read about John’s baptism ministry, see Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-20; John 1:6-8; 15, 19-37; 3:22-36. (Back)

 

2 Nazareth in Galilee: The town of Nazareth isn’t even mentioned in the Old Testament. It seems it might have had a less-than-elegant reputation due to Nathanael’s reaction to it when Philip tells him about Jesus (John 1:45-46).  Jesus wasn’t born in Nazareth (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4), but it is where His mother Mary and adoptive father Joseph were from (Luke 1:26; 2:4) and where they raised Him at (Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39; 51). It seems Jesus even practiced carpentry there (Mark 6:3). Jesus left Nazareth and moved His base of operations to Capernaum at the very beginning of His ministry (Matthew 4:12-16). He returned to Nazareth to teach in the synagogue, but His hometown people were offended by Him and tried to kill Him for telling them the truth (Matthew 13:53-58, Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:14-30). Because of Nazareth’s disbelief in His Messiahship, Jesus performed no miracles there, except for healing a few of the sick people (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5). (Back)

 

3 Jordan River: The Jordan River is a tiny river (approximately 220 miles long) in comparison to other historic and well-known rivers, such as the Mississippi (2,300 miles), the Nile (4,130 miles) or the Ganges (1,560 miles). Every year, thousands of people make the pilgrimage to be baptized in the Jordan, the most popular spot being the “Bethany Beyond The Jordan” site, but reviews of the tours are mixed at best. However, just about any tour group in the Holy Land will take you there for the whole baptism experience, prices varying. You must wear a baptismal gown for your baptism in the Jordan River, and if you don’t bring your own, you have to rent one that is provided by the site. Bring your own baptizer (a new meaning to BYOB) because they don’t have someone at the site to perform the baptism for you. Keep in mind that no matter what any tourist group or attraction says, we do not know the precise spots where Jesus was born, baptized, where the upper room was where He spent His last Passover, the exact path He walked to Golgotha, or where He was buried at. We also don’t know when Jesus was born: day, month, or year. Click here to read more about the Jordan River, at Britannica.com. (Back)

 

4 John to be baptized by him: John the Baptist, Jesus’s relative, born to Mary’s relative (probably of the cousin variety), Elizabeth and her husband, Zacharias. You canr ead about John’s baptismal ministry in  Matthew 3:1-12; Mark 1:1-8; Luke 3:1-20; John 1:6-8; 15, 19-37; 3:22-36, John’s questions and Jesus’s discussion about him in Matthew 11:2-19; Luke 7:18-34; John 5:32-36 and his martyrdom in Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29. You can read about Elizabeth’s and Zacharias’s story (and John’s birth) in Luke 1:5-25; 57-80. (Back)

 

5 baptized by You: John does not mean by using water, just as he is using water, but by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). (Back)

 

6 fulfill all righteousness: Jesus bore the punishment for our sins in our place; He became sin on our behalf, although He had no sin at all (2 Corinthians 5:21).  John’s baptismal ministry was ordained by God (John 1:6) to be a witness about Jesus (John 1:7-8, 32-34) and also to urge people to repent for their sins (Matthew 3:6; Mark 1:4). Water baptism is a symbol of and public demonstration of repentance and death to the old self (Romans 6:2-11) and the washing away one’s sins, but it is only the washing and renewing of the Holy Spirit, in Jesus (Titus 3:5-7), by His blood, that can actually remove the sins (1 John 1:7-9). To have sin means to have eternal death and to have sinlessness in Christ means eternal life (Romans 6:23). In summary, Jesus’s symbolic water baptism was in keeping with the will of God the Father (because God declared He was pleased with Jesus’s baptism, see Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), just as His crucifixion was God’s will for the payment of sin (Isaiah 53:4-12). (Back)

 

7 He was praying: We see many of examples of when Jesus prayed (Mark 14:32-39 and John 17, for example) and He instructs us on how to pray as well (Matthew 6:5-13). There is even the promise that the Holy Spirit will intercede on our behalf because we don’t know how we should pray (Romans 8:26-27). Our prayers should be filled with thanksgiving to God (Philippians 4:6), constant (1 Thessalonians 5:17 , Romans 12:12), in complete faith (Mark 11:24), righteous by God’s standards and according to His will (James 5:16 , John 15:7), bringing all things to Him (Philippians 4:6, Ephesians 6:18 ), as well as petitioning for others (1 Thessalonians 5:25). This is not exhaustive direction on how to pray.  (Back)

 

8 You are My beloved Son: God gives a very similar statement when Jesus is transfigured on the mountain (see Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). To read about this event in the Bible, see Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36. To read the Splice about the transfiguration, click here (Back)

 

9  Spirit impelled Jesus to go out into the wilderness: Jesus spends 40 days and nights out in the wilderness, fasting. The primary reason for this was to be tempted by the devil. To read about the temptation of Jesus, see Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:1-13 and to read the Splice about the temptation of Jesus, click here. (Back)

 

10 dove out of heaven: As a sign for John the Baptist (see John 1:33). But we can also consider the Holy Spirit descending as a dove upon Jesus as a declaration of Jesus’s innocence of any sin. Jesus Himself uses the imagery of doves and innocence in Matthew 10:16. (Back)

Jesus Feeds the 5000

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

THE SPLICE

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

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

 

Sketches of bread and fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

NOTES

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

The Transfiguration of Jesus and Leaving the Mountain

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

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

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

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

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

THE SPLICE

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

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

 

NOTES

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

Judas: The Son of Perdition

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Jesus calls Judas Iscariot “the son of destruction/perdition” in John 17:12. John uses the Greek word apóleia, which means “destruction, loss”. 

We learn in Matthew 27:3 that Judas was remorseful about or regretted his betrayal of Jesus, and he even returned the 30 pieces of silver paid to him for his part in Jesus’s condemnation. Why didn’t this save him? The Greek word used for regret in Matthew 27:3 is metamelomai, meaning “repent, regret, changed mind (for the different/good option)”. Although salvation begins with repentance, it requires more than feeling regret or what we might call ‘worldly sorrow’ (see 2 Corinthians 7:10). Unfortunately, Judas stopped at feeling bad and thinking he should have made a better choice; he chose ‘worldly sorrow’. There is a different word used for the kind of repentance that is leads to salvation or life (Acts 11:18). The Greek word used for repent is metanoeó and it means to “repent” but this repentance includes feeling remorse, thinking differently about your sin, turning from the sin and turning to God for salvation from your sin.

The repentance that leads to salvation is the work of God (2 Timothy 2:25), more specifically the Holy Spirit, which He accomplishes through conviction of sin (John 16:8). With this repentance, the saving faith that is a gift from God (see Ephesians 2:8-9) is granted. This God-gifted faith, which is also called trust, allows you to have complete trust in Jesus, as Savior from the sin that you repent of (John 6:40; Romans 10:9-11 ; Galatians 2:20). When you have this faith, you receive the seal or pledge of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30) there is no doubt in you, for you know you are a child of God (John 1:12) and destined to eternal life (Revelation 21-22).

Nothing in the Bible says that Judas turned towards God and had any faith at all in Christ as the Messiah. Here’s another clue into the situation: Judas was trying to fix his sin himself by giving back the money, as atonement. This is an excellent object lesson: we cannot fix our own sin. We cannot atone enough for breaking the laws of God. Only Jesus can fix that kind of mess. See Matthew 27:3-10 and Acts 1:18-19 for Judas’s fate in the aftermath of his betrayal of Christ. 

 

What the Steps Towards Salvation Looks Like

– You agree with God that you are not good and not one single thing about you is right. You hate your rottenness and your sins and you are honest about it. You stop making excuses or justifying yourself.

– You realize that you need Jesus to make you right by forgiving your sins, removing your sins from you, and reconciling you with God. You trust Jesus to make this atonement on your behalf and you turn away from a life of sin and of relying on your own judgment and will, and now you take up God’s ways, will, and life through Jesus.

– Not only do you trust Jesus for this atonement, but you are also grateful, you love Him more than yourself, more than anyone or anything in your life, even more than that old identity that you clung to, and you rejoice in shedding the ugly, old ways/sins you participated in before.

– The new you is at peace and filled with joy in God’s love, in His law and ways. You can trust Him, you trust in His promises and His Word, in every and all situations in your life.

Please note this does not mean your life is perfect (Matthew 6:34), that you are wealthy (James 2:1-6) you are happy all the time (the book of Job; John 11:35; 2 Corinthians 11:23-27; 12:7-10 ), or that you will never sin again (Romans 7:14-25). This also doesn’t mean Jesus fixed everything about you that you don’t like about yourself or wiped away all of your hurtful memories/made bad things that happened in the past not hurt anymore. Those experiences, memories, and hurts help to shape us, making us the person we are: this is how God uses us! God uses those bad things to make us useful for His purposes (see Genesis 50:20).