In the final chapter of the Book of Job, the Lord addresses his rebuke to the friends, especially Eliphaz, the wisest of the three. They had defended the oral tradition that had come down to them from generation to generation. This tradition was held by the ancients and incorporated what they believed about God (cp. Job 8:8-9). However, no thought was given to the idea that such a tradition had become corrupted over the centuries (cp. Romans 1:18-25). They held that God is just, and he judges men, according to their deeds, and during their lifetime spent on earth. “What a man sows is what he reaps” (cp. Galatians 6:7) was a doctrine, which they held to absolutely and without question, even when Job proved the doctrine was obviously in error. Yet, not only wouldn’t they admit error, but they used a false doctrine to accuse Job of wickedness. Read the rest of this entry »
Job continues his reply to Eliphaz, describing three types of wicked men. First, he mentions those who are often not considered wicked, but they oppress the people. Secondly, he describes those who live in fear over the evil deeds the wicked do, and, finally, he describes those who are so wicked that they need no cover for their crimes, because they are so strong that the legitimate authorities in society find it difficult to challenge them, and even they live in fear of them. Job’s case against the friends seems to become stronger and stronger, yet they still hold him to be wicked, which is the problem of religious folk, even today, vis-à-vis those who believe in doctrines they are unable to prove. They cling to false doctrine, even when such things are proved to be totally wrong, and as they cling to these unprovable traditions, they call it faith. However, what good is your faith, if it is founded upon something that is proved wrong? Read the rest of this entry »
Job speaks out in irony to his friends. Eliphaz had begun a second round of debate, so Job says: “Yes, come once more, all of you; restate your argument, if you please. Nevertheless, I shall not find a wise man among you!” (Job 17:10). Folks who are bent on defending a false premise are doomed to repeat the errors they’ve already made . It doesn’t take a genius or a prophet to understand that two errors would never add up to the truth, so let the games begin. Say what you will, but it will all be in vain. Although Job may be ready to hear his friends state their cases once more, and although he would discern whether or not they succeeded in offering him any wise counsel or any words of comfort, he wasn’t holding out much hope for such an eventuality. Read the rest of this entry »
In our previous study, we ended with Job’s cry for a Mediator, who would plead his case before both men and God (Job 16:21-22). He continues in that context in this study as well, saying that the time he has left to spend in the land of the living is very short, for he is at death’s door (Job 16:22; 17:1). Job was deeply troubled over how his friends had abandoned him, for they had used the words of an enemy to accuse him of wicked deeds. The friends weren’t specific about what they perceived Job must have done to warrant the wrath of God, but this didn’t seem to hinder them from accusing Job of evil works. So, just as Job was betrayed by his friends, so Jesus would be betrayed by one of his friends. Moreover, just as Job had those who falsely accused him of wicked deeds, so our Savior was made to face false witnesses who accused him of deeds worthy of death. Finally, just as Job was unreasonably perceived to have been smitten by God, so, indeed, was Jesus (cp. Isaiah 53:4). Read the rest of this entry »
Although I may add to this subject later, this will be my final study of this series at this time. Because of men’s attitudes and self-serving traditions, women have been abased, abused, forced into prostitution, abandoned with their children to fend for themselves and generally kept from satisfying their hopes of personal reward and life’s fulfillment. Yet, no matter how we interpret the two creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2, there is absolutely no foundation for a hierarchy built into the male/female relationship. Therefore, God couldn’t have invented patriarchy or complementarianism, which is believed by so many modern Christians to be divinely established from the beginning of creation. Even if we hold to the position that Genesis 1:27 shows God created the man and the woman on the sixth day, something which I take issue with in previous studies, there is no evidence of a hierarchy between the man and the woman (husband and wife). Therefore, patriarchy must have come after the Fall and is an invention of man! Read the rest of this entry »
This study concludes my study of Matthew’s women. There are five. Four, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and ‘her who had been the wife of Urias’ or Bathsheba, are found in Matthew 1:3-6. Bathsheba is the only unnamed woman of the four, which may indicate that Bathsheba was a name given her by the author of 2Samuel 2 and 1Kings 1, in the same sense that Simon, son of Jonah, was called Peter (Matthew 16:17; cp John 1:42) by Jesus and Joseph was called Barnabas by the Apostles (Acts 4:36). The name Bathsheba means daughter of the oath. These four women were gentiles, and each lived either before David reign or during it. Thus, including these women tarnishes the royal ancestry, foreigners, cursed women, prostitutes, adultery and murder, the proverbial skeletons in the royal closet! Yet, the story that these women bring to God’s people show them to be redeemers, in a time when men failed in their faith and responsibilities. Read the rest of this entry »
The fact is, the modern Christian doctrine about an orderly household, whether patriarchal or complementarian, is really based upon the Greco/Roman culture and not the word of God. In Roman society the male was the ruler of the household. Consequently, Paul really gets a bad rap from modern women, especially, because they believe the New Covenant text actually says what the loudest modern speakers/teachers say it does (at least those heard in American Christian culture). However, we need to ask, if our understanding of Paul’s writings, as that is applied to women, is correct. That’s the real question. If modern Christianity’s understanding of Paul is incorrect, then its doctrine about male leadership and the woman’s obligation to submit to male authority is not only wrong, it is an evil doctrine that is committed both to the destruction of male/female relationships, and to the destruction of the Gospel message that Jesus has set us all at liberty (cp. Galatians 3:28; 5:1). Read the rest of this entry »
After Pilate thought to use pity as a tool to gain popular support for his effort to release Jesus and put down the chief priests’ demand for his execution, which was rapidly formulating into an insurrection, the Jewish authorities expressed no appearance of conceding, but cried out all the more: “Crucify him!” and apparently the people echoed their demands, but why? How could the very same folks who praised Jesus and eagerly embraced him as their Messiah only a few days prior to this, suddenly remove their support in favor of Jesus’ enemies? Read the rest of this entry »
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It was winter in Jerusalem in 30 AD, and Jesus arrived to celebrate the Feast of Dedication. Today, it is called Hanukkah. John’s record picks up events that are about fifteen months later than Jesus’ visit to Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles of 29 AD (chapter 7 through John 10:21). The account begins with Jesus in the Temple (John 10:22-23). Read the rest of this entry »
In the past few chapters, it has become evident that the Jewish authorities not only opposed Christ, but they kept the common folk from trusting in him as well. In fact, elsewhere, Jesus even claimed as much: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in” (Matthew 23:13). Whenever the people, or even one of their own number, began to trust Jesus,(doubt was planted in their hearts by the Jewish authorities who opposed Jesus (John 7:12; 25-27, 32, 40-43, 51-52). Read the rest of this entry »
It was Carl Sagan who popularized an idea that was formulated hundreds of years ago, probably in an effort to refute the claims of Christianity by scientists who also happened to be atheists. Sagan wrote: “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence!” in his book: Cosmos: A Personal Voyage (1980). This is certainly a ‘high sounding’ claim, and one to which a number of folks, with whom I’ve discussed my faith, held to in an effort to detract from the witnesses, whose testimony is found in the Gospel narratives. Nevertheless, such ‘high sounding’ claims are nothing more than elitists’ bias formulated against the claims of the common man. Read the rest of this entry »
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Mark tells us that there was darkness over the whole land for three hours, from the sixth to the ninth hours or from noon until 3 PM, as we reckon time today (Mark 15:33). Each of the Synoptics testify of the land being dark for three hours (Matthew 27:45; Luke 23:44), and it was predicted by the prophets that the sun would be darkened at noon (Amos 8:9-10; cp. Isaiah 50:3). When the Lord judged Egypt, just before he first took his people out of the land of bondage, he darkened the land for three days (Exodus 10:21-23). Paul likened the Law and Jerusalem to being in bondage (Galatians 4:24-25). Darkness is an allegory for the lack of spiritual knowledge, and we who know the truth have been delivered from the power of darkness and made partakers of the light of Jesus’ Kingdom (Colossians 1:12-14), and to teach the truth is to lead the blind into the light (Romans 2:19). Nevertheless, just as the Lord confronted the darkness of his day, so must we wrestle with those who have a stake in keeping folks in the bondage of darkness in our day (Ephesians 6:12). Read the rest of this entry »
After Pilate released Barabbas, the murderous felon, he handed Jesus, whom he knew to be innocent, over to his men, professional military men, to the end that he would be crucified. Nevertheless, before that would occur these men would mock Jesus (Mark 15:15-16). They were professionals, and they knew how to cause their enemy to look and feel small and weak. To be mocked, then, is to receive no honor, no respect or comfort. It means all one’s closest associates had deserted him to face this hour alone. And, all the high-sounding loyalty of: “Though I should die with you, yet I will not deny knowing you…” (Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:31; cp. Matthew 26:72, 74; Mark 14:71; Luke 22:60-61) is but an echo of boisterous dinner talk, which, truth be told, has no place in reality. The professionals really know how to make one’s life appear meaningless. Read the rest of this entry »
How much did Pilate know about Jesus? Well, according to Luke’s narrative, he didn’t know Jesus was from Galilee (Luke 23:7), and when he realized he was a subject of Herod Antipas, he used Jesus as his pawn to heal the breach that had occurred between himself and Herod, when Pilate slew so many Galileans at the Passover a year prior (Luke 13:1) without consulting with him. Rome wasn’t always familiar with how local laws affected Rome (cp. Acts 13-27). It was unfriendly of Pilate to slay so many Galileans without consulting with Herod, but it was friendly to consult him about Jesus, and in doing so, Pilate healed the breach between himself and Herod (Luke 23:12). Read the rest of this entry »
Mark records that no one had the courage to publicly ask Jesus any questions after this series of inquiries (Mark 12:34), but while Matthew essentially says the same thing, he places the remark after Jesus questioned his opponents (cp. Matthew 22:46). What occurred was the reigning authorities, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, had sought to either discredit Jesus in the eyes of the people or to so trap him in his words that would cause the governor to arrest him for provoking the people to rebel against Rome. Not only did their efforts fail, but Jesus emerged from the contest even more powerful with the public than before his enemies approached him (cp. Matthew 22:33). Read the rest of this entry »
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