The Fields Are Already Ripe for Harvest

from Google Images

While Jesus was still speaking with the Samaritan woman, the disciples returned from the city with supplies of food for the group’s journey to Galilee (John 4:27; cp. 4:1-8). They were astonished that, not only did Jesus speak with a woman in the street, but he also spoke with this woman, a Samaritan (cp. John 4:9), because, as a rule, no Rabbi spoke publicly with women, not even close relatives. Nevertheless, none of Jesus’ disciples either questioned him, as to why he spoke with her, or inquired of her what she desired of him. Instead, after the woman left to return to the city (John 4:28-30), the disciples tried to get Jesus to eat something for the journey. Because, as was mentioned earlier, they left Judea hurriedly for Galilee and didn’t stop to even purchase supplies for their journey (cp. John 4:1, 3-6, 8), and Jesus was very weary (cp. 4:6). Nevertheless, as we see here, the Kingdom of God is not physical food and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Spirit (Romans 14:17), which Jesus says was his very satisfying spiritual meal (John 4:31), even more than his necessary food (cp. Job 23:11-12).

 

The Great Commission Is Fulfilled

from Google Images

It seems evident, once the other Gospel narratives are taken into consideration, that several weeks had passed between the day of Jesus’ resurrection (Mark 16:14) and the time of his commissioning his Apostles (Mark 16:15-18; Matthew 28:16-17; John 21:1-14; cp. Acts 1:1-3). If all one read was Mark’s narrative, one may get the idea that Jesus commissioned his disciples on the day of his resurrection, but this isn’t so. First of all, after one’s worldview has been proved wrong, a period of adjustment must occur. One doesn’t simply jump from one belief to an opposing one without some contemplation and rearranging of one’s understanding of truth. Paul took three years from the time he persecuted believers and had a vision of the resurrected Christ to the time he began proving Jesus was the Messiah and sought to be received by the Apostles (Galatians 1:17-18). Even Peter had second thoughts after his worldview had been shattered by seeing the resurrected Christ. He was so distraught over not understanding the truth that he decided to return to his fishing business and not preach the Gospel. It took Jesus to convince him to do otherwise (John 21:3, 15-19).

 

The Anointing in Bethany

from Google Images

Many Biblical scholars presume Mark’s mention of Jesus’ dinner at the home of Simon the leper is out of place. The reason being that John’s mention of the dinner Martha had made for Jesus (see John 12:1-3) is very similar to that mentioned by both Matthew and Mark (Matthew 26:6-7; Mark 14:3). Luke doesn’t record either of these events but does record a similar dinner held in Jesus honor much earlier in his public ministry at the home of Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36-50). So, we have two dinners where Jesus’ feet were anointed, one with tears (Luke) and the other with expensive ointment; and we have to accounts of a dinner where Jesus’ head was anointed with expensive ointment. While it seems clear to any unbiased reader that the accounts in Luke and John are different events, are Matthew’s and Mark’s dinner the same as that of John?

 

Persecution and Trouble Are Inevitable!

from Google Images

Jesus told his disciples they needed to prepare themselves for coming persecution, telling them they would be delivered to the councils and beaten in the synagogues (Mark 13:9). The councils were the local courts, called sanhedrins, and they were held in local synagogues throughout the land. A sanhedrin was composed of three or twenty-three members, populated by the Jewish leaders within each town.[1] The chief court of the Jews was THE Sanhedrin at Jerusalem, and it functioned as the Jews’ supreme court. It was made up of Sadducees, Pharisees and other Jewish leaders who were considered Jewish nobility. The court system in Jerusalem consisted of 3 twenty-three member courts,[2] and, when these three courts met together as one court, it functioned as the supreme court of the land. THE Sanhedrin was presided over by the officiating high priest, called its president or nasi (prince – see Numbers 11:16),[3] and it was this judicial body that condemned Jesus to die (Luke 22:66-71), and probably Stephen (Acts 7:1).

 

Jesus’ Warning: Beware of Deception!

from Google Images

What we call the Olivet Prophecy begins with four of Jesus’ disciples, coming to him in private to ask about his foretelling of the destruction of the Temple (Matthew 23:38; Mark 13:3). They wanted to know when such a shocking thing would occur, and in what context could he possibly come as Messiah to save the nation, if both the nation and its Temple were already destroyed? Jesus began his reply to his disciples with: “Take heed lest any man deceive you!” (Mark 13:5). Notice that he didn’t begin by saying ‘Well, first the Gospel must be spread throughout the world!’ (cp. Mark 13:10) or “Are you kidding? I haven’t a clue as to the actual day these things will occur. I just know they’re going to happen’ (cp. Mark 13:32). No! Jesus began by warning his closest disciples of the possibility of deception, not the deception of new believers as some would have us believe. Remember, Jesus was speaking with four of the Twelve, and he is warning them of possible deception, and if he warned the Twelve, his warning wasn’t a mere statement for new or weak, ignorant believers.

 

Jesus and Little Children

from Google Images

It seems Jesus had left Judea and was now in Galilee, because both Mark 10:1 and 17 have Jesus traveling to Jerusalem. Therefore, if Jesus was teaching his disciples about divorce (Mark 10:10-12), he needs to be back in Galilee after verse-12, and before verse-17. We aren’t told specifically, but it makes sense, at least to me, that the incident concerning the blessing of the children occurred where Jesus lived and was known quite well. The text says that they, perhaps mothers or nursemaids, brought the children to Jesus in order for him to touch or lay his hands upon them, but Jesus’ disciples rebuked them. Mark says they rebuked “those who brought them” (Mark 10:13), but both Matthew and Luke and some of the oldest manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel have only “them” leaving out the reference to those who brought the children. So, were the little ones walking or running to Jesus, and the Apostles rebuked them, or was it those who brought them who were rebuked? The fact that Jesus took them into his arms (Mark 10:16) implies his reaching down to them and their coming to him. The verb is G1723 and is used elsewhere only at Mark 9:36. There Jesus had taken a child and set it in the midst of his disciples, and afterwards he took him in his arms (G1723).

 

Why Would Jesus Walk on Water?

from Google Images

Immediately following the miracle of feeding the 5000, the people rose up to take Jesus be force and make him King (John 6:14-15), but, when Jesus became aware of it, he sent his disciples away, while he sent the multitude away (Mark 6:45). How he did so, isn’t clear in the text, but he did go up a mountain to pray (Mark 6:46; cp. John 6:15). The context of dispersing the multitude seems to be that Jesus secretly departed to the mountain, which put the whole mass of people in confusion, which agrees with John’s narrative. The day following (John 6:22) would have been just after sunset, not after sunrise. In other words, the people suddenly realized neither Jesus nor the Apostles were with them, but they knew Jesus didn’t go with the Apostles, so they sailed off to Capernaum, looking for him (John 6:22, 24).

 

Jude, the Brother of James

from Google Images

I was once told: “one of the characteristics of a scholar seems to be a love for questions and the absolute abhorrence for answers.” With all due respect, that is probably an overstatement and, perhaps, a somewhat biased observation. That said, Jude was considered one of the disputed books of the Bible. Reasons offered include its quoting the Jewish apocryphal book, Enoch, its brevity, its mention of the apostles (verse-17), as though they were no longer living, and its apparent similarity to Peter’s second epistle! I don’t wish to sound over simplistic, but perhaps I am. Nevertheless, why **must** Jude be non-canonical for any of these reasons? Moreover, are the reasons offered accurate? For example, is Jude implying the Apostles are no longer alive? How should the verse be understood, if the author of the epistle is, in fact, one of the Apostles? If I quoted a kind of truism from a work of fiction, would that mean what I am writing couldn’t be non-fiction? I believe men are often prone to nitpick, and sometimes this includes the scholars.

 

The Success of the Mystery of Iniquity

from Google Images

Why should we believe that the Thessalonian believers should have known better than to become confused over the Day of the Lord? Why might some of them have even trusted that one of the false Messiahs who had arisen in Judea was, in reality, Jesus who had returned to throw off the Roman yoke? In reality, the believers at Thessalonica became troubled and confused over the coming of Christ, not because they were ignorant (2Thessalonians 2:5), but because they simply didn’t give credence to Paul’s warning about the status of folks once they embrace Christ as their Savior. Paul warned them of both the coming of persecution and the coming of false prophets, both of which tend to draw the believer away from Christ.

 

There Was War in Heaven

from Google Images

Keeping in mind my previous studies on Revelation 12, showing that the Lord had originally named the stars in their constellations in the sky (Psalm 147:4; Job 9:9), there was war in heaven and the conductors of that war were the dragon and Michael, the Archangel. In the context of the theme of the battle between the dragon and the Strong Man in the heavenly constellations, this would be Satan versus Christ. Now, Christ is not an angelic being, but he does rule the angels of heaven, and that is all the prefix, arch, in archangel means. Jesus is God (John 1-3, 14) and not an angel (Hebrews 1:5-8, 13), but he is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, who bears the name YHWH (Genesis 22:11-12, 15-18; 28:12-22 compare with 31:11-13; 48:15-16). He is the Messenger (Angel) of the Covenant in Malachi 3:1, and this is Jesus.

 

Wanabee Prophets and the Apostles

from Google Images

Literally, John tells us that when the seventh angel was “about to sound”[1] the mystery of God would be finished, just as the Lord had claimed through his servants, the prophets. So, these things will be fulfilled just before the sounding of the seventh trumpet, according to John. Now, there are several mysteries of God, such as the mystery of godliness (1Timothy 3:16, the mystery of blindness of the Jews (Romans 11:25), the mystery of the faith (1Timothy 3:9), the mystery of iniquity (2Thessalonians 2:7) etc., but all were preached through the Gospel. These mysteries and therefore the goal of the Gospel would be completed by the time the seventh angel was ready to sound his trumpet.

 

The Importance of Context

from Google Images

Perhaps the saddest or most tragic outcome of misplacing the time of the writing of the Book of Revelation is that, in so doing, men must then misrepresent this book by inventing a new theme for it. Afterward, a new theme requires more inventive and more elaborate explanations of the text. Each time men invent a meaning or an interpretation for God’s word, which the Scriptures don’t support, we add to the traditions of men, which in turn make the word of God of no effect upon the hearts of men (cf. Mark 7:13). In so doing, men accomplish the exact opposite of the intention of God’s word, which is to bring the wisdom or plans of men to no effect through the Gospel (Psalm 33:10). Simply put, men are unable to accomplish the will of God through their own wisdom (1Corinthians 1:17; 2:1, 4-5, 13), and neither are men able expect God to verify or establish what they mistakenly say about this book.

 

What Were the Signs of the End?

from Google Images

A few days before he was crucified Jesus predicted the complete destruction of the Temple, obviously, the city as well. Part of the city wall was composed of stones that built up part of the Temple complex. Jesus’ disciples were absolutely astonished over his prediction. It was not something they had expected would occur in their lifetimes, let alone ever. When Jesus arrived on Mount Olivet, four of his Apostles took him aside to ask him privately when these things would be, and what would be the sign of his coming and the end of the age (i.e. the Mosaic Covenant). The other Apostles probably remained with other disciples, so that Jesus could be questioned privately about his astonishing remarks.

 

The Destruction of the Temple

from Google Images

The Olivet Discourse was given to the Apostles from Mount Olivet just before Jesus’ crucifixion. Just prior to that discourse, Jesus had a very unfriendly confrontation with the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23, and, while he was leaving the Temple compound, he mentioned that the House or the Temple would be a desolation (Matthew 23:37-38). This, of course, astonished the Apostles, and they began to point to the great stones used to build up both the tower and the Temple buildings (Matthew 24:1), but Jesus simply told them once more that not one of those great stones would remain on top of another without having been cast down (Matthew 24:2).

 

Jesus’ Ascension and the Holy Spirit

The text says that Jesus led his disciples as far as Bethany (Luke 24:50), but this location is really on the Mount of Olives. Just as Jerusalem’s suburbs included the Mount of Olives, so Bethany’s suburbs also extended to that mountain (Numbers 35:5; cf. Acts 1:12).[1] From here Jesus promised he would send the ‘promise of the Father’ to them (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4), and Luke tells us that the ‘promise of the Father’ is the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5). Earlier, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as ‘another Comforter’, who would be with and remain with his followers and teach them what they needed to know about Jesus (John 14:16, 26). Peter interpreted ‘the promise of the Father’ to be the phenomenon that occurred to the 120 in the upper room and so affected them on that Pentecost day (Acts 2:33).