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There are some amazing new discoveries concerning the gospels, which have been developed over the last half-century. These discoveries are changing the current understandings of some of our sacred texts.

For instance, as David Bivin points out in his book Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, the belief that Jesus taught in Aramaic has been seriously challenged, which helps us to understand some of the long misunderstood Hebraic idioms within the gospels. Going back in time to retrieve the meaning of many of these idioms, such as “a good eye,” which means “to be generous,” as apposed to *”an evil eye,” meaning “stingy,” will change the way we teach.

As scholars and archeologists dig deeper and deeper into the cultural setting of first century Jerusalem, there will be more discovers that will have a great influence on our current philosophies to literally transform our current theology from a Greek-based message to a more Hebraic style of reflection and interpretation.

For example, understanding that a *”prayer closet” is actually a tah-lit, which is a “small tent” or “prayer shawl,” which was laid over the shoulders, and then pulled up to cover the face (closing the door), rather than an actual room, makes an impact on the message. No longer will we tell people that they should “go home” and pray in private, knowing that first century Jews carried their “closet” with them everywhere they went. This also gives us insight concerning “tent makers” to mean that they were very likely “prayer shawl makers.”

I believe that going back into the history of first century Palestine will help the church to develop a clearer message and erase centuries of misunderstandings, such as when Jesus said to a “would-be” disciple who wanted to bury his father first, *”Let the dead bury the dead.” This statement is in reference to the “second-burial” system of that time, when the Hellenized Jews were influenced by Gnosticism. These Jews would bury the loved one and one year later dig up the body and place the bones in an ossuary. They believed that the one year between burials was a time of redemption when the “sinful” flesh was removed, thereby doing away with the sin so that the body could now be buried sinless with its ancestors.

Jesus words to this “would-be” disciple were actually to say, “Hog-wash! Your father has been dead for a year. Let’s go!”

These historical finds will have great impacts on the teachings of the church.

Though it is not popular or comfortable to approach the discrepancies of our theological frameworks, we must do so for the sake of truth. I believe that the impact made by delving into the historical facts of first century Palestine will give us a more “believable” message for the masses. As long as we rely on intellect (Western mindset), rather than the practical, useful, wisdom of the Eastern mind, we will continue to perpetuate a “spiritual only” gospel.

The Trinity is a very interesting issue for the church and one that we have a very difficult time articulating, without reverting to the “some things aren’t meant for us to understand” explanation. It is also interesting that only Matthew and Luke mention it. Paul is silent on the subject, as are the rest of the New Covenant writers, and the Old Testament never mentions it, unless the LXX (Greek Version of the Old Testament) is used when speaking of “the virgin will conseive and bear a son,” instead of the original Hebrew version which says, “a young woman will be with child (Isaiah 7:14).”

I have noticed, as I’m sure many have, that our beliefs are deemed more important than our actions. In other words, if I stay home and do nothing to imitate Christ, but believe in the fundamental doctrines of the church, I am safe to call myself a “child of God.” But, if I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, et cetera, yet believe that YHWH is God, Jesus is His “favored and chosen” son (among all of His children) and Messiah, and that the Holy Spirit is Yahweh’s power and sovereignty in the world, rather than believing that God is one and three, then I am a “child of Satan.”

It is possible, as some scholars have argued, that the influence of Greek thought on the Scriptures and our theology has allowed for redactors of the texts to place anti-Semitisms and angelology throughout. As more and more research is done, and as more and more study of first century Jewish culture is calculated, we are learning that the influence of Greek thought has done more to damage the message of God, than it has to preserve a people of God.

For me (I don’t push this on others), I have chosen to use less and less of the Westernized commentaries and stick with texts that are more Hebraic for the very reason that there are far too many misunderstood texts when Hebraic idioms, parables, et cetera are interpreted in the Greek or even English contexts. “The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it” is incredibly silly, considering the completely different worldview of a very Jewish Jesus who spoke to a very Jewish people in a very Jewish time. To ignore the difference between Western thought and Eastern thought is to do harm to the message that Jesus taught.

I have great respect for all of those who worked hard to understand the Words of the Scriptures without the last half-century of discoveries, but should we allow the respect for 1700 years of hard work to outweigh the discoveries of of the last 50?

In His dust,
Johnny

Growing up in the 70’s was interesting. Marijuana, whiskey, and beer were common around my house. And my favorite record was “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC. I would play that album over and over, pretending to be Angus Young rocking out on the solos.

The Church hated that song, and asked people to break the record, if he or she owned it. The assumption was that the writer and the band were glorifying the desire to go to hell. But that wasn’t actually the meaning of the song.

The words of the song are the expression of the ironic life of a rock star — leaving family, eating junk food, living in a bus with a bunch of smelly guys. And remember, in the 70’s there were no cell phones, video game systems, or iPods. “Highway to Hell” was the verbal expression of what it meant to leave loved ones and comforts for the pursuit of the excitement of the Rock Star life.

Although we may easily refer to particular sins as placing us on a literal highway to hell, there is one sin that is so sinister, so private, and so unrecognized by the perpetrator that many of us are on the highway to hell and don’t even know it. And, like the meaning of the song, most of us commit the sin, because it gives us a feeling of acceptance from our peers.

Jesus speaks of that sin in Luke 16:19-31.

The rich man in this story has everything he wants. He feasts every day, when most Jews of his time only feast at the 7 feasts of Israel. Lazarus would have been satisfied to eat what fell from the table, and be treated like one of the dogs that were licking his wounds.

In a culture where sharing and welcoming aliens and strangers into your home was common and instructed by God, the rich man built a fence to keep Lazarus and everyone else from getting close to him. The rich man went to great measures to separate himself from the world around him.

Both men died eventually; the rich man went to Hades, and Lazarus is at Abraham’s side.

Hades is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Sh’ol. It is the only word used in the Old Testament that is translated into the English word “hell.” And it means grave, pit, dead, and sleep.

Abraham’s side is an ancient Hebrew figure of speech that represented a great feast with all of God’s people.

In life, the rich man saw Lazarus as beneath him, and at the most, he saw Lazarus as a servant or a slave. This is important to remember when we look at the story that Jesus tells.

In this story, Jesus is not giving us a practical picture of what heaven and hell look like. Instead there is a much more important message; it is a message of how to stay away from the Highway to Hell.

In life, the rich man built a fence to separate himself from others. In death, the rich man was separated from all of God’s people by a large chasm, one that was impossible to cross. That which he wanted in life, he received in death—eternal separation. But there is another thing that is very important to understand. Notice that the rich man tells Abraham to have Lazarus give him a drop of water and then the rich man wanted Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his family. Both of those requests were the demands of a master upon his servant. Even in death, the rich man saw Lazarus as his servant who would cool his tongue and fetch his family.

Jesus’ message about thinking of others as less than yourself is clear—“Don’t do it!” It is a dangerous sin that puts you on the Highway to Hell. When your racist views and prejudices are supported by others, they thrive and give birth to hate. Jesus tells us that no one is more important than another, and no one, because of skin tone, financial standing, or place of birth is to be unwelcome to those who call themselves followers of Jesus.

In His dust,
Johnny

I agree that the idea of the afterlife is a wonderful encouragement, especially during the difficult times of life, and most definitely when we come to the end of life.

As most of us are aware, Paul was very effective at Westernizing the Gospel, and the Pharisees (like Paul) were believers in the afterlife. Jesus’ teaching was always very Eastern and Jewish. In fact, when he was approached by Gentiles for healing someone they loved, he did not do it right away, but only after they insisted (displayed chutzpah, which is translated, faith). Jesus, as Dr. David Bivin, Dr. Brad Young, Dr. Ron Moseley, and others do a fine job of proving, was most closely aligned with the views of the Pharisees, and also taught about a literal afterlife.

Even so, “eternal life” was heard in Jesus and Paul’s day as “living life like the Eternal (God)” or to live in holiness, doing the will of God as directed by God’s Word. So, although we refer to eternal life as the act of living forever, we miss something, when we don’t understand that “eternal” was a direct reference to God. In other words, eternal life could also be translated “god-like life” or living as God would have one live.

Of course, we do receive eternal life, but as most Christians believe, only when we live a “god-like life.”

“Eternal Life” is one Hebrew idiom that has been severely shredded by the Western theological knife. The very reason a Jew would accept and imitate the yoke or scriptural interpretation of a particular rabbi was because he believed that by doing so he would be able to “inherit eternal life.”

Inheriting eternal life is a Hebrew idiom for “living life in the will of God.” This meant that those who followed Jesus believed that if they obeyed his teachings and imitated his ways of living out God’s will, they would gain the ability to “live their lives in the will of God” (inherit eternal life) because they believed that Jesus’ interpretations of the commands of God in the Torah were the perfect interpretations.

The eschatological reward and punishment system was not as important to Jewish people as it is to us Westerners today. In other words, first century Jews were not as concerned with the “afterlife” nearly as much as they were concerned with the “active” life of being a child of God who lived God’s will correctly in the world.

It is not easy for those of us who grew up in the Western world where everything either ends with reward or punishment/ payoff or pay-up to imagine doing something because we should do it and it pleases God. I would even suggest that if it was somehow proven that there was not an afterlife reward for Christians that many who claim to be Christians would choose another religion.

I would challenge all Christians to imaging for just one day doing God’s will without even considering a reward in the afterlife. Actually, pretend for one day that you are either going to live according to God’s will or not and either way there is no heaven or hell in the end. This is the attitude of the first century Jewish world with regard to obedience to the will and ways of God.

We use the reward and punishment system because it works for most situations to which we are required to get people to do what we want. But what if people did their jobs simply because they were able to do them and the jobs needed to be done? What if there was no pay or loss of pay whether I did my job or not? Would I still do my job or be a life-long couch potato? And how would this impact those in supervisory positions? Would they be more likely to express words of appreciation and encouragement like God or would they use tactics of threats and fear like most religions?

God’s word was always a sweet tasting gift to first century Jews, which allowed them the privilege of obeying God simply because it pleased Him, not because they were mortally afraid of losing their jobs or lives. God’s word was written to encourage His people to follow His will, not to scare them into obedience.

Paul tells us that we are to do everything we do as if we are doing it for God (Col. 3:23). God doesn’t say do everything we do as if we will be paid for it. We do God’s will for the sole purpose of bringing His Kingdom into the world wherever we are present as His children.

Eternal life is the opportunity to please God by doing His will in the world, not the opportunity to live forever, though that may very well be part of the package. But even if our death brought nothing but the end of life, we should do the will of God and do it gladly.

In His dust,

Johnny

In Luke 19:9-10, Jesus says something that we cannot understand unless we have at least a minimal knowledge of Hebrew and the seven exegetical teaching techniques used by first-century Jewish rabbis.

Not only would Jesus have used a play on words at times, but he would also have used the technique known today as remez. A remez is a clue or a hint at a passage of scripture without actually reciting the passage.

As Westerners, we want people to just come out and say what they mean. We even have a phrase that we use—“Say what you mean and mean what you say.” We also say, “Don’t beat around the bush.” But rabbis would always beat around the bush. And if you don’t have a deep and thorough knowledge of the text (God’s Word) you will miss the message entirely.

First, Jesus uses a word play. Jesus says to Zacchaeus, “Today salvation has come to this house…” In Hebrew the word for salvation is yeshu’ ah (God’s salvation). Jesus is playing on the words “God’s salvation” when he says in Hebrew, “Today yeshu’ ah [which sounds like Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua] is coming to your house.” Then he says, “For the son of man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” “Son of Man” is a Hebrew way of saying, “this man” or “I.”

When all the Jews in the crowd and Zacchaeus heard Jesus say that he has come to seek and save the lost, they heard the remez that Jesus used. And what they heard was the 34th chapter of Ezekiel which records the words of God saying, “Because my shepherds have scattered my sheep and have abused them and put them in harms way, I WILL COME AND BE THE SHEPHERD, AND I WILL SEEK AND SAVE MY LOST SHEEP” (My paraphrase).

What this means is that when they heard Jesus say, “I came to seek and to save what was lost,” they heard Jesus say, “’I am God!’ And I have come just as I promised through my prophet, Ezekiel, to bring my sheep out of the trees and the fields and to rescue them from the wild animals and the dangers of the world.”

Often we hear commentators and others say that Jesus never claimed to be God. That seems to be true until we understand the technique of remez that Jesus often used. Zacchaeus and the other Jews on that day heard Jesus say it loud and clear.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Is America a Christian nation? Should we call it a Christian nation?

Jesus’ message was clear. The “key” or “theme” of his message was “The Kingdom of God.” The Kingdom of God is the people of God doing the will of God on earth, making the world a better place to live. If I go into a room, a store, a house, a country, I either bring with me the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of hell. God’s Kingdom is brought with me when I obey the teachings of Christ whose words are literally God’s words. Hell’s kingdom is brought with me when I don’t obey Christ’s words to heal, help, serve, feed, et cetera.

We are to establish the Kingdom of God on earth as Jesus directed. With this as the case, to call ourselves a Christian nation is probably not accurate. Even so-called “Christians” bring a lot of hell with them everywhere they go. Maybe you’re not aware of the factions, racism, and judgmental attitudes that exist among some Christians.

If a Christian nation is a nation where the Kingdom of Christ is spread, then we cannot, with a clear conscience, call ourselves a Christian nation. A nation with Christians would be a more accurate statement.

I’m not so sure that Jesus wanted us to create a Christian nation. After all, it was after the death of Constantine, when all other religions except for Christianity were declared illegal, that a nation of Christians who were persecuted became a nation of Christian persecutors.

To be honest, I am not as interested in being a Christian nation as much as I am interested in being a nation that accepts Christians who are free to enter and invite others to enter the Kingdom of God. The Jewish people have understood this philosophy throughout the millennia, as they are a nation no matter how scattered they are and regardless of the country in which they live.

A Christian nation is a nation without borders. The Kingdom of God is the only true Christian nation.

In His dust,
Johnny

Century after century, people have questioned whether it is more holy to remain single or get married. Many followers of Christ, clergy and otherwise, have chosen to live a life of celibacy in order to please God with their complete dedication to him.

In the rabbinic count of biblical commands, the very first command is “Be fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 1:28). As a command, the act of marriage would be considered the desire of God for his children.

So, why didn’t Jesus obey this command?

Throughout the last two millennia, it has been believed by a majority of Christians that Jesus’ decision to remain unmarried (which is assumed, because the Gospels do not mention that he was married) should be modeled by those who desire to give themselves fully to God.

What if there is a much more practical reason for Jesus’ decision to remain single?

Jewish disciples would finish their studies at or about age thirty, when they would begin their own teaching ministries as sages. The responsibility of a first-century rabbi required many years of travel, which would require a husband to spend long periods of time far away from his wife and children. Due to such frequent absences, many of these rabbis would not marry until late in their thirties or even into their forties.

Jesus’ singleness has caused some to judge those who are married as less devoted to God than those who remain single. Is that judgement justified or affirmed by Scripture?

It is possible that Jesus never intended for any of us to remain single as a way of proving our devotion to God. It is also possible that Jesus’ decision to remain single was not a decision at all, but an outcome of his death at an early age. As Dr. David Bivin has succinctly stated, “He (Jesus) was still relatively young when he was crucified, and his death may have come before he would have had a chance to marry” (New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus, page 68).

In His dust,
Johnny

Where did all the good attitudes go?

For two days I have tried to take my son to get his hair cut. Yesterday our schedule was tight and we had about an hour to spend on getting his hair cut. We went into the barber shop where there were two barbers and two people getting their mops chopped. We walked in, they asked for my son’s name and told us to have a seat. Twenty minutes later, one of the barbers finished, cleaned her equipment, swept around the chair, and then disappeared into the back of the store. She never even looked at us.

We left.

Today, we thought we’d try again, so we went to another hair cutting establishment. My twelve-year-old who stands about five and a half feet tall was placed on a booster seat, covered in a kiddy apron that barely covered his shirt, and when the barber was finished, he stood up with hair all over him, which was not even brushed off his neck or shirt.

I have a suggestion: “If you don’t like your job, quit and get another one, or quit the passive aggressive whining and at least smile.”

It seems to me that too many people feel no need to be kind. The friendly cashier, the talkative barber, and the caring doctors are all but a fond memory in far too many business establishments.

Even if you don’t believe in God, believing as Richard Dawkins does that science has freed us from believing in a creator, you have to admit that treating others as you would expect to be treated is pretty good advice. At least eight ancient religions, including Confucianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Taoism, have a form of the “Golden Rule” within their perspective holy writings.

What harm would it do to have a good attitude even if you have a job you don’t like? With a good attitude, you might have a chance of receiving a better job offer from a customer, but with a bad attitude, all employers are just glad to know that you are some other employer’s problem.

“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you… (Matthew 7:12a) NIV.

In His dust,
Johnny

Jesus wore two articles of clothing, a halluq (ha-luke) and a talit (ta-leet). The talit is an undergarment. It is usually made of linen and covers the body all the way to the middle of the shin. The talit is a prayer shawl, also known as a prayer closet. The talit is worn over the halluq, and is pulled up over the head during prayer. On the corners of the talit are 4 tassels called tzitziyot (tzitzit - singular). The Jews continue to wear these tassels because of the command to wear them in Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 22:12.

The English word that is translated “hem” is a translation of the Greek word “krespedon” which means “a tassel of twisted wool.”

The Jews of Jesus’ day believed that the tzitziyot (tassels) that were tied to the corners of the prayer shawl of the Messiah had healing powers. They believed this because of Malachi 4:2, which says, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.” The “sun of righteousness” is a Hebrew figure-of-speech or idiom, which means ”the Messiah,” and the word “wings” is the Hebrew word kanaph (kanaphim – plural), which is the same word that is used to when referring to the edge of a prayer shawl.

The woman with the issue of blood was considered to be unclean (see Mark 5). She had spent years alone, because she was not aloud to touch anyone. She was lonely, she was desperate, she was knowledgeable about the Scriptures, and she recognized the Messiah when he came. This woman would not have touched just any rabbi, because touching a rabbi as a ceremonially unclean person would have gotten her into trouble with the Temple authorities. But she believed that this Jesus was not just any rabbi. She truly believed that he was the one of which Malachi spoke. She believed it so much that she was willing to walk out into the middle of a Jewish crowd and touch the tassels on Jesus’ talit.

No matter how sinful we are, we can rush through the most religious, righteous crowd, touch the Messiah, and be healed.

Forever learning,
Johnny

When Jesus called his talmidim (Matthew 4:18-22; 9:9-13), they were all working; making a living in the family trade. Jesus went to their places of work and said, “Come, follow me.” The Bible tells us that they immediately quit what they were doing and began to follow Jesus. Why would they quit their jobs to follow him? It wasn’t because he was the Messiah; they didn’t even know he was the Messiah until after his resurrection.

The 1st-Century Galilean educational system was such that most boys and girls began school at age five. This first level of education was called Beth Sefer, and the children finished by age 12. The focus of Beth Sefer was the first five books of the Bible. After finishing Beth Sefer, many of the boys and all girls would go home to help with the home and learn the family trade. The boys who were exceptionally gifted in Torah learning would have the opportunity and be encouraged to attend Beth Midrash. These boys would be taught the writings and prophets of the Bible, as well as begin learning the Oral Torah and how to interpret and make personal applications of the text.

By age 16, those who finished Beth Midrash went home to learn the family trade, all except for those truly gifted students who would then begin to seek out a Shmikahed rabbi, whom they would live with and learn from until they were able to accept the role of sage at age 30.

Once the student decided upon a particular rabbi, he would approach that rabbi and ask him, “Can I be like you?” The interpretation of this very Jewish question for us would be, “Can I follow you and learn to teach and live just as you teach and live?”

Of course, a rabbi would be very humbled by such a request, and the rabbi would then thank the boy for his compliment of believing that this rabbi is worth learning to be like. Then the rabbi would test the boy for a while, listening and watching for the boy’s ability to learn the deeper meanings of God’s Word and his ability to apply them practically and through teaching.

After a time of testing, the rabbi would give the boy one of two answers:
1. Yes. I believe that you can be like me. Come and follow me. The boy would then move out of the house of his parents and literally begin to live with the rabbi. He would study the rabbi, learning to imitate everything from the way the rabbi speaks to the way he walks, eats, and prays. The talmid does not simply want to know what the rabbi knows; he wants to be what the rabbi is.
2. The rabbi could also give the young person another answer. No. You cannot be like me. You are truly a godly young man who loves God and is skilled in God’s Word, but you do not have what it takes to imitate me. Go home and learn the trade of your family, and live your life as a godly fisherman, tentmaker, brick mason, carpenter, farmer, etc.

Jesus’ talmidim immediately quit their jobs to follow him, because that is what any young Jewish male would have done, if he were blessed to have a rabbi call him. To be a talmid and ultimately a rabbi was the most sought after role that any Jewish boy could hope for. The dream of being a rabbi was comparable to the modern day desire to be a rock star or a fighter pilot. Most Galilean teenage boys could only dream of this happening to them. Because the disciples that Jesus called were working, it is safe to assume that they were not good enough to follow a rabbi. They had obviously either not made it far enough beyond Beth Sefer (1st Century, Jewish Elementary school) or they had been told, “You don’t have what it takes to be like me.”

Jesus went to the not-good-enough’s, and said, “I believe you can be like me.” Even James and John’s father, Zebedee, would have been kicking them out of the boat. He would even have jumped out of that boat himself, yelling all the way, “My boys are going to be rabbis!” My boys are going to be rabbis!”

It is truly amazing that God would call people like you and me to lead His Kingdom.