spirit

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

God Creates the Universe

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

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

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

 

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

NOTES

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part Three

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

THE SPLICE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

NOTES

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part Two

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

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

THE SPLICE

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

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

 

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

 

NOTES

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

The Conception and Birth of Christ: Part One

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

English translation used: Berean Standard Bible

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

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

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

 

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

 

THE SPLICE

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

NOTES

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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)

Temptation of Jesus: 40 Days in the Desert

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Scripture Used to Create the Splice “40 Days in the Desert”

Matthew 4:1-11 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 4:1)

Mark 1:12-13 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 1:12)

Luke 4:1-13 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 4:1)

 

Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

 

THE SPLICE

Jesus, 1 abounding in the Holy Spirit, 2 returned from the Jordan and immediately the Spirit 3 impelled Him to go out into the 4 wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And He was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days and nights, being tempted by 5 Satan. And in those forty days and nights, He was with 6 wild beasts. Also, while in the wilderness, He had eaten nothing and after Jesus had 7 fasted for the forty days and nights, He became hungry.

And the tempter, the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread; tell this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘8 MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’” And the devil 9 took Him to the holy city Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; for it is written, ‘10 HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’ and, ‘11 ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” And Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written and it is said, ‘12 YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

Again, the devil took Him up to a very high mountain and showed Him all the 13 kingdoms of the world and their glory in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “14 I will give You all this domain and its glory; all these things will I give You; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore if You worship before me, if You fall down and worship me, it shall all be Yours.” Then Jesus answered him, “Go Satan! For it is written, ‘15 YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an 16 opportune time and 17 behold, angels went to Jesus and began to 18 minister to Him and were ministering to Him.

 

NOTES

1 abounding in the Holy Spirit: The Greek word used here for abounding or full is plérés and means to be “completely occupied with or completely full, to be completely covered”. (Back)

 

2 returned from the Jordan: Jesus had just finished His baptism with John the Baptist. To read about the Baptism of Jesus, see Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:32-34 for John’s testimony concerning the event. To read the Splice about the baptism of Jesus, click here. (Back)

 

3 impelled: See Mark 1:12. The Greek word used for impelled in Mark 1:12 is ekballo which means “to drive out” or “throw out” or “cast out”. (Back)

 

4 wilderness: The Greek word used for wilderness is erémos and means “solitary” or “desolate”. (Back)

 

5 Satan: the name Satan means “adversary”. (Back)

 

6 wild beasts: I looked up what animals live in the Palestinian desert/Judean desert and although I’m sure there have been changes over the past 2000 years, it gives an idea of what could have been living there at the time, including the Syrian brown bear which is now, sadly, extinct in Israel. (Back)

 

7 fasted for the forty days and nights: We know that Jesus fasted from food, but it is unknown if He was drinking water, as the Bible doesn’t talk about that specifically. Moses fasted 40 days from both water and food while he was in the presence of God, writing the Ten Commandments. We should consider these fasts as supernatural miracles, and therefore no one should be attempting to fast from food and water for 40 days in today’s era. (Back)

 

8 MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE: Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. (Back)

 

9 took: The Greek word used for took in Matthew 4:5, 8 is paralambanó and it means “to take” but with a strong interpersonal and active connotation. Also see the Greek word lambanó. Luke uses a different word in Luke 4:5, 9. The word he uses is agó and it means “to lead”. (Back)

 

10 HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS: Satan is referencing Psalm 91:11. (Back)

 

11 ON their HANDS THEY WILL: A reference to Psalm 91:12. (Back)

 

12 YOU SHALL NOT PUT: Deuteronomy 6:16. (Back)

 

13 kingdoms of the world: The Greek word for world used here is oikoumené and means the “inhabited world”. (Back)

 

14 I will give You: Satan is a liar (John 8:44). He doesn’t have the authority to give the dominion or the glory of the kingdoms or of the world away. In totality, it isn’t his; it belonged to God then and it belongs to God now and that includes the governments, the land and all of the people. Jesus is God and therefore already had these things. Reference Psalm 24:1; Matthew 28:18; John 1:1, John 3:35; John 14:10-11; John 17:1-2; Romans 13:1, Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:2. What Satan has dominion over is the ability to wreak havoc on human beings, to lure them into sin, get them to serve him, and to rule over the demons. What has been given to him, by God, is the power over the evilness and vileness of the world (see Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:26; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12) . Also, Jesus doesn’t need the world’s faded, imperfect and temporal glory. He has His own exalted, perfect and eternal glory (Daniel 7:13-14; Revelation 5; 7:9-12; 19:1). See Exodus 33:18-23 and 34:5-7; 29-35 to read more about God’s glory. (Back)

 

15 YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD: Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 both make this command clear. (Back)

 

16 opportune time: There were lots of opportune times during Jesus’s ministry that the devil could have been around, but two times in particular come to mind. There was the time Peter told Jesus that He would never be killed in Jerusalem in Matthew 16:23. We can assume here that Satan has influenced Peter’s words by what Jesus says. Another time would be when Satan enters Judas to begin the crucifixion process (see  John 13:2 and John 13:27). (Back)

 

17 behold: The Greek word for behold is horaó and it means “to see” or “look”. Behold is a bit of an old-fashioned word for modern English speakers, but it is equivalent to saying “look here/see here” or “understand”. (Back)

 

18 minister: The Greek word for minister is diakoneó and it means “to serve” in general. But it also means to “wait at table”. I think the angels did serve Jesus in general, but it is possible that they also brought Him food. (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)

The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Two

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Scripture Used to Create “The Resurrection of Jesus” Splice Series

Matthew 28:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 28:1)

Mark 16:1-20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 16:1)

Luke 24:1-53 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 24:1)

John 20 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 20:1)

John 21 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 21:1)

Acts 1:1-14 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Acts 1:1)

 

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

 

1 Peter 1:2o-21
20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21 who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

 

THE SPLICE

And two of Jesus’s followers, one who was named Cleopas, were walking 1 that very day to a village named Emmaus, in the country, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. And they were talking with each other about 2 all these things which had taken place. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached in a different form and 3 began traveling with them. But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him. And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. The one 4 named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had seen a  5 vision of angels who said that He was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.” And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” Then beginning with 6 Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures. And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther.  But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and 7 returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and  those who were with them, saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to 8 Simon.” They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread. But the eleven were doubting and didn’t believe them.

At some point here, Thomas has to leave, because he is not here for Jesus’s first appearance to the disciples. It was evening on that day, the first day of the week, while Cleopas and the other traveler were telling these things. The doors were shut where the disciples were, 9 for fear of the Jews. Jesus Himself stood in their midst, while they were reclining at the table and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing  10 a spirit. And He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, for it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw it was the Lord. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”  They gave Him a piece of broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “11 Receive the Holy Spirit. 12 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” He said to them,  “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them,  “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

But  13 Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, 14 appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written 15 in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

 

 

Want to continue reading? To read “The Resurrection of Jesus: Part Three”, click here.

 

 

NOTES

1 that very day: Sunday, the day of the resurrection.(Back)

2 all these things: The trial, crucifixion, the earthquake and tearing of the temple veil,  the burial, and the reports of the women saying that Jesus was now gone from the tomb: the whole town was buzzing with these phenomenal events because Jesus had been very widely known (see Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:45, Luke 7:17, 21; John 4:39, 45). He had even been welcomed into the city of Jerusalem with fanfare, just a week earlier (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-18). Other than the illegal arrest and trials by the Sanhedrin in the dead of night, the rest of the events of the past several days were quite public (see Matthew 26:47-28:15; Mark 14:43-16:13; Luke 22:47-24:12; John 18:1-20:18.(Back)

3 began traveling with them: Traveling opened you up to dangerous conditions, due to criminals, animals and even the weather.  Walking in groups made it more likely you would make it to your destination. (Back)

4 named Cleopas: The name Cleopas or Kleopas in Greek means “glory, honor”.  We never learn the second traveler’s name.  (Back)

5 vision of angels: The Greek word for vision used in Luke 24:23 is optasia which means “a supernatural visitation or appearance”. It does not mean a dream or hallucination. The Greek word for angel, used throughout the entire New Testament is aggelos which means “angel, messenger”. The word aggelos can be used to mean a human messenger from God, but in Luke 24:23, it is used with the word optasia. These angels are supernatural messengers and not human messengers. (Back)

6 Moses and with all the prophets: See Luke 24:27, 44. Jesus is referring to quite a lengthy list of prophesies. Please see the document Messianic Mentions for the NASB references for Messianic prophesies in the Law/Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms. (Back)

7 returned to Jerusalem: It was almost dark or possibly dark by then and Jerusalem was 7 miles away (Luke 24:13)! If it was dangerous to travel during the day, it was even more so in the dark. (Back)

8 Simon: From what Luke writes concerning what Cleopas says to Jesus in Luke 24:21-24, we know that Cleopas and his pal already knew that Jesus was missing from the tomb. By the way the sentences are written in Luke 24:22, and in Luke 24:24,we know that these travelers were there with the disciples when the women returned from the tomb with the report of it being empty. This means that the travelers must have left the group after that event, and also after others had run down to the tomb and then returned. However, they must have left to go to Emmaus before Peter and John returned from the tomb, since it is Peter’s report that they are being given. The Bible doesn’t give us this much information, though, so it is conjecture using logic.  (Back)

9 for fear of the Jews: At first, the Jewish leaders were ex-communicating people (John 9:22) affiliated with Jesus. Ex-communication meant loss business-wise, socially, and religiously. The leaders had turned up the heat with the resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:10). We start reading about people who follow Jesus being arrested and/or murdered in the book of Acts. For examples, see Acts 4:1-3, 5:18, 7:54-60 and 12:1-3.    (Back)

10 a spirit: The Greek word used for spirit in Luke 24:37, 39 is pneuma which means “wind, spirit, breath”. It is actually the same word used for Spirit when referring to the Holy Spirit in the Greek New Testament. There are some English Bible translations that use the word ghost for Luke 24:37, 39 but the original Greek doesn’t say ghost. Compare to Matthew 14:26 where the Greek text uses the word ghost. The Greek word used for ghost is phantasma which means “an apparition, ghost, an appearance of a ghost, or a phantom”. As a side note, the Holy Spirit should never be referred to as a ghost; it borders on blasphemous, when you look at the difference between pneuma and phantasma.    (Back)

11 Receive the Holy Spirit: This gift was fully manifested during Pentecost. To read about Jesus’s promise concerning the Holy Spirit, see John 14:16-18, 16:5-15, 20:22. See Acts 2:1-13 to read about the day of Pentecost. (Back)

 12 If you forgive: Not one human being has the ability to actually forgive sins on God’s behalf. Only Jesus can do that (there are many verses state this truth, but for a sample see Matthew 9:1-6). This statement from John 20:23 is to be viewed in accompaniment with Matthew 18 and specifically verse 18. Read all of Matthew 18, taking out any non-canonical writing and additions (all those headings, references, notes, verse numbers, etc. which were added much later in our Bibles by non-canonical writers). This way, you can see how the writing of Matthew flows with this subject. (Back)

13 Thomas: “Didymus” and “Thomas” both mean “twin”. It is very possible that Thomas did have a twin, but we can’t be sure. Names were very important in ancient Israel, though. Names were considered inseparable from the person’s character, and therefore names were chosen very carefully. It is most certain Thomas said many things over his years with Jesus, but he is most remembered for being a doubter (John 20:24-29). Legend says that Thomas’s ministry (after Jesus ascended into Heaven) took him to China and India to preach the Gospel and that he died by spear in India. Of course, the Bible says none of this, and the proof for these legends is mostly hearsay. Still, even in current times, many Catholic Indians consider Thomas to be the “patron saint” of India. The place where he was said to have been martyred is a hill area called Parangimalai, in Chennai, and there is a shrine dedicated to him there. Thomas has only two other speaking parts in the Bible: John 11:16, and John 14:5. (Back)

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14 appearing to them: Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:6, that after appearing to Peter, Jesus appeared to more than 500 other believers at one time. To see Paul’s list on who saw Jesus after His resurrection, see 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. (Back)

 

15 in this book: The book of John. See John 20:30. (Back)

 

The Last Supper: Part Five

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Scripture Used to Create “The Last Supper” Splice Series

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

Romans 12:9
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

 

THE SPLICE

1 You did not choose Me but I chose you,and appointed you that you would go and 2 bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in 3 My Name He may give to you. 4 This I command you that you love one another.  If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world,5 the world would love its own but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you,6 ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they7 persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but 8 now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did,  they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law,9 THEY HATED ME WITHOUT CAUSE. When the 10 Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. They will make you11 outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is12 offering service to God.  These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, “Where are You going?” But because I have said these things to you,13 sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the14 Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 15 concerning sin 16 because they do not 17 believe in Me; and 18 concerning righteousness , because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the 19 ruler of this world has been judged. I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 20 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. A little while, and 21 you will no longer see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me.”

 

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

 

NOTES

 

1 You did not choose Me but I chose you:  This is true for all of us who belong to God, not just the Twelve. God chose us, long before the world was even created. (see Ephesians 1:4) (BACK)

2 bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain: We were made to do good works for God (Ephesians 2:10). These good works run in accordance with the fruit that we are to bear, as described in Galatians 5:22-23.  In contrast, the things of the world or of the flesh are described in Galatians 5:19-21. It is in our nature to do the worldly things described in Galatians 5:19-21 (see Romans 1:29-31 for more worldly attitudes). When we become the adopted sons of God, it is the things of the Spirit that we strive to do, and by the grace of God, we actually do them (at least in some capacity). It is important to understand that because we are still under the curse (recorded in Genesis 3), we fight within ourselves NOT to be slaves to the things of the world, and yet, we fail (see Paul’s comments on this struggle in Romans 7:21-23). With Christ, we are not under the Law for these sins, but if you are a true, faithful doulos of Christ, it should be bothering you if you do them, just like Paul’s lament in Romans 7:24. See Romans 8 for more on on our deliverance and victory in Jesus.(BACK)

3 My Name: It is important to understand that asking anything of the Father in the name of Jesus means within the character and will of God (1 John 5:14). If you are a slave of Jesus (Romans 6:22), you do have the inheritance of Christ (Colossians 3:24), as you are now an adopted son (“son” is a general term, there is no male or female within the spiritual realm, Galatians 3:28) of God (Ephesians 1:5). But it is apparent and logical that both sons and slaves have no power over the Father or Owner of them (John 13:16). After all, it is He who saved us, not the other way around (Titus 3:5). (BACK)

4 This I command you: This commandment was also given way back in Leviticus 19:18. What does it mean to love? Jesus said that there was no greater love than to lay down one’s life for their friends in John 15:13. God loved us so much, He gave His own Son to reconcile sinners to Himself (John 3:16). We can definitely gather that love is sacrificial and unselfish. To understand more about love, see 1 Corinthians 13. Also, see the analysis, All About Love, for explanation on 1 Corinthians 13.(BACK)

5 the world would love its own: See Romans 1:21-32. This portion of Romans sounds very familiar even in today’s world, especially if you really think about what is given general approval in society. None of the ungodly behaviors mentioned in Romans 1:21-31 should be the practice of those claiming to belong to Christ.(BACK)

6 ‘A slave is not greater than his master’: John 15:20. Jesus had mentioned this to the disciples earlier that night in John 13:16, but He had also said something very similar earlier in His ministry, as recorded in Matthew 10:24.(BACK)

7 persecuted Me: The persecution began when Jesus was just a baby, with Herod’s slaughter of all boys under the age of two, as described in Matthew 2:16. We don’t get any reports of persecution until Jesus’s ministry, which He began when He was around 30 years old (Luke 3:23). Throughout His ministry, persecution was from the people in the synagogues (Luke 4:28-30), the religious leaders, (John 8:48, 52, 10:31, 11:47-53) and even people in His own family (John 7:3-5) and supposed friends (John 13:2). The disciples were also probably harassed along side with Him, if you judge by the these comments in John 9:27-28; 11:16; 12:10. The harassment and persecution would get worse for the apostles (as well as any follower of Jesus’s) after Jesus’s resurrection, as told throughout Acts. Here are some specific spots were you can read about the apostles’ persecution and the persecution of other followers as well: Acts 4:1-21; 5:17-44; 6:8-14; 7:54-8:3; 9:1; 11:19; 12:1-6; 16:22-24; 25:1-26:32. For believers today who refuse to back down from what is truth in God’s word, the persecution is mostly kept to name-calling and “canceling”. However, the persecution is expected to increase in time, see Revelation 6:9-11; 20:4.(BACK)

8 now they have no excuse:Their sin is disbelief in Christ. Some actually attributed His miracles to Satan (Matthew 12:22-24; Mark 3:22). Even at the most basic level, no one has any excuse for their disbelief in God, because He has given us enough to know that He exists, see Romans 1:18-20.(BACK)

9 THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE: Jesus is referencing Psalm 35:19 and Psalm 69:4. (BACK)

10 Helper comes: The Helper is the Holy Spirit. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is as follows (this list is not exhaustive): to convict people of their sin and to show them what righteousness means (John 16:8). For those who heed the conviction of their sin, He regenerates us for our justification by Jesus (Titus 3:5-7). He guides believers in all truth (John 16:13). He enables us and causes us to live in obedience to God’s moral laws (Ezekiel 36:27). He gives us our spiritual life (John 6:63; 2 Corinthians 3:6) and dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:19). He helps us in our weakness, and intercedes on our behalf (Romans 8:26-27). To sum it up, the Holy Spirit, Who investigates all things (even God, see 1 Corinthians 2:10)  is the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, truth and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2; 1 John 5:6). (BACK)

11 outcasts from the synagogue: The synagogue was the place where everyone in a town gathered. Inside the synagogue, the Jews conducted religious teaching as well as the worship of God, but they also conducted public court appearances and other general town assemblies there. Outcasting a person from the synagogue was condemning them to total pariah-hood from daily and normal Jewish life. To read about some recent archaeological excavations that surfaced some ancient synagogues in Israel, click here.(BACK)

12 offering service to God: An example of such an erroneous demonstration can be found in Saul (a.k.a Paul, see Acts 13:9) at the martyring of Stephen and afterwards of other followers of Christ (Acts 7:58-8:3, 9:1-2).  Paul eventually changes his ways (Acts 9:3-30), and does end up on the receiving end of the same persecution that he meted out to others, as pronounced by Jesus in Acts 9:16. We don’t know exactly how Paul died, but many hold to the tradition that he was martyred by Nero after the fire in Rome (a fire that was blamed on Christians). To read about some of the persecution experienced by Paul after his conversion, see Acts 9:20-29; 13:50; 16:19-24. Paul gives us a description of his sufferings for Christ in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. We also know Paul wrote, at the very least, these books from prison: Ephesians (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1; 6:20), Philippians (Philippians 1:7, 13, 14, 17), Colossians (Colossians 4:18), 2 Timothy (2 Timothy 1:8, 16, 2:9),  and Philemon (Philemon 1:1, 9, 13).(BACK)

13 sorrow has filled your heart: The sorrow of the disciples seems to last through the night.  The verses of Matthew 26:43 and Mark 14:40 say that in Gethsemane, the disciples’ eyes were very heavy and they were falling asleep. It is in Luke 22:45 where we learn that the sleepiness is due to sorrow. Their sorrow was caused by many things. Jesus has told  the disciples that He will be leaving and the disciples cannot come with Him (John 13:33, 36). Earlier that night, they were told by Jesus that one of them would be betraying Him. Peter is even told that he will be tested by Satan and due to this testing, Peter will deny his friendship (as well as his discipleship) with Jesus that very night. If that weren’t enough, each and every disciple will “fall away”, deserting Him while He is taken under arrest. See Matthew 26:21, 22, 31-35; Mark 14:18-20, 27-31; Luke 22:21-23, 31-34; John 13:21-22, 37-38; 16:32). The disciples have also been told that they will be hated and persecuted (John 15:18-25), but they’ve been experiencing all sorts of hate and persecution already, see Note 7.  Jesus has been forthcoming about His own feelings at the impending betrayal of Judas (John 13:21) and the grief He feels about the subsequent sacrifice that will follow (Matthew 26:37-39; Mark 14:33-36; Luke 22:41-44). For the disciples, all of these things would certainly lend itself to feeling sorrow throughout the entire evening, even before all of the horrors unfold on the next day.(BACK)

14 Helper: John 16:7. The Greek word used for Helper is paraklétos and it means “Advocate, Counselor, Comforter, Helper”. The word can be used in a general sense or a legal sense. Generally, it means someone who gives support, encouragement, or assistance to another. It even applies to someone who intercedes for another. Legally, it means an advocate. The word paraklétos has the feeling of personal involvement and understanding on the part of the helper.   (BACK)

15 concerning sin: John 16:9. The Greek phrasing of John 16:9 transliterally says “about sin, truly, because/since they not have faith/trust in Me”. The Greek word used for sin is hamartia which means “missing the mark, sin, guilt”.  Sin is the leaving off from God’s ways and choosing to pursue your own ways. The Greek word for truly is men and it means “truly, indeed” and is used as an emphasis for the next clause in the sentence. The Greek word for faith (or trust) is pisteuó and it means “to believe, faith, trust, reliance upon”.  This kind of belief has strong personal connection and persuasion; it isn’t a casual or shallow knowledge. Because of the way this sentence is structured, we can understand that the sin Jesus is speaking about is rejecting God-given faith and trust in Jesus. Rejecting faith in Christ is the sin that equals eternal death (John 3:16). All the other sins will be forgiven, except for the one where the Holy Spirit is blasphemed (Matthew 12:31-32). This is because the Holy Spirit is the Guide of all truth (John 16:13) and the Witness of Christ (Acts 5:32), and blasphemy would be rejection of the truth. All who belong to Christ have the Holy Spirit and He is the One that lets you know in that proof-positive way that you belong to God (Romans 8:9, 16; Ephesians 1:13-14). Also see Note 17. (BACK)

16 because: John 16:9. The Greek word for because is hoti and it means “that, since, for, because”. It might be more clear for some readers to insert “since” instead of  “because” when reading John 16:9-11. (BACK)

17 believe Me: Not having that trust and faith in Christ is the one sin that cannot be forgiven (see Note 15). If one chooses to keep to the side of sin, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin in Christ (Hebrews 10:26-27). This is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. His testimony regarding Jesus and regarding sin is irrefutable (see Matthew 16:15-17 and then see 1 Corinthians 2:10-13 which cites it is through the Spirit that God imparts wisdom and knowledge of Him). However, you have to be empowered by God to repent and have this faith in the Holy Spirit’s testimony (John 6:44; Acts 11:18; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 2:25). (BACK)

18 concerning righteousness: John 16:10. The Greek word for righteousness is dikaiosuné and it means “just/justified or right”. A believer’s “rightness” is not their own righteousness that they have conjured up themselves or earned in any way. A saved person’s  righteousness has been granted to them through Jesus (Romans 3:21-28).(BACK)

19 ruler of this world: The ruler of this world is Satan (1 John 5:19). Satan means “adversary”. Here are some basic things we know about the devil: we know there is a battle in heaven, (Revelation 12:7-9). We know that by the beginning of the human race, Satan was on earth, because he was mobile in the body of a serpent, spreading lies with murderous intent (Genesis 3:1-5; John 8:44). We know that on at least two occasions, when holy angels presented themselves to God, he showed up as well (Job 1:6, 2:1). We know he is always looking for someone to destroy (1 Peter 5:8) and using his minions of humans, he will try to destroy those who belong to God, even though that cannot happen (Matthew 24:24; Romans 8:29-39). Still, he doesn’t mind trying, and will even pretend to be a believer and give all the outward appearances of one (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). We also know his destruction is imminent (Revelation 20:10). In order to stand against all of Satan’s temptations and deception, we have two defenses: we are to submit to God, standing firm in our faith and resist Satan (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9) and we are to stand in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17).(BACK)

20 All things that the Father has are Mine: Jesus mentions in Matthew 11:27 that God has handed all things over to Him. This is probably because all things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).(BACK)

21 You will no longer see Me…see Me: Of course, the disciples did not see Jesus while He was in the grave. After Jesus’s resurrection, He appeared to them and talked with them for 40 days. See Acts 1:3.(BACK)