Glad Tidings
John 3:16 ESV “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life
Volume 1 6, Issue 2
March/April 2012
Glad Tidings March/April 2012
Something To Consider ...................... p. 3
Glad Tidings
by Vince Finnegan Seek Yahweh: Jewish Tradition ............ p. 4
is published six times per year by
by John Cortright
Living Hope International Ministries
Pray To God The Father,
458 Old Niskayuna Road,
Not To Jesus His Son ............................ p. 6
Latham, New York 12110 USA
by Blake Cortright
Office
518.785.8888
Raising Boys To Become Men .............. p.8
Fax
518.785.1990
info@LHIM.org
by Mary Ann Yaconis
Website www.LHIM.org
Speaking In Tongues.............................p.10 by Vince Finnegan The Good Samaritan: Jesus’ Challenge To Us Today.............. p.12
Glad Tidings is mailed free to anyone who requests it. Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
by Sean Finnegan
Mark these important dates on your calendar!! Women’s Advance April 20th - 22nd Silver Bay
Teen Camp July 29th - August 3rd Silver Bay
Family Camp July 1st - 7th Silver Bay
Royal Family Reunion August 24th-26th Living Hope Community Church
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SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
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he struggles of life do not diminish as time moves on. If anything, they seem to increase. However, we still can enjoy a life of love, joy, and peace because Yahweh is our Father and Jesus is our Lord. The spirit of truth and the Word of God aid us as we walk in newness of life. We also have the awesome privilege of prayer knowing our Father will help. Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Prayer is the manifestation of humility, and humility is our only proper attitude. The humble one acknowledges he is not sufficient of himself, but his sufficiency is of God (Luke 18:9-14). A reverential mind-set is essential with all prayer. God is worthy of our profound adoring, awe, and respect (Deuteronomy 10:17; I Chronicles 29:10-13; Psalm 145:1-3, 8-14). When we pray, we do so to God in the name of Jesus Christ (John 14:13 and 14; 15:16; 16:23 and 24). We do not pray to Jesus. We cannot be certain that God will answer our every request when we pray because sometimes we ask for things that are not available or profitable. Nevertheless, we can have great confidence He will hear and answer the prayers that are written in the Scriptures, the things He encourages us to ask for (1 John 5:14 and 15). The following biblical prayers are offered for your consideration. God’s knowledge and wisdom Understanding His Word Forgiveness Strength and love Discernment Patience and long suffering Holy living Ministry of reconciliation For the saints Spiritual elders Those in bonds Civil authority
Ephesians 1:16-23 Psalm 119 Psalm 51; Matthew 6:9-13 Ephesians 3:14-21 Philippians 1:9-11 Colossians 1:9-12 1Thessalonians 3:12 and 13 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Ephesians 6:18-20 Romans 8:26 and 27 Ephesians 6:18-20 Hebrews 13:3; Matthew 25:34-40 1Timothy 2:1-8
God bless you,
Vince 3
Seek Yahweh: Jewish Tradition
2T
imothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
The Scriptures are inspired by God. Our doctrine, which holds the principles upon which we base our faith, should come from Scripture. Through the years, men have added many traditions in Christian and Jewish practice, which are not necessarily biblical. Sometimes these traditions do not impair right practice and actually may enhance one’s relationship with God. However, many times, these traditions can put unnecessary bondage on a person of faith and, in some instances, actually contradict the commandment of God. Jesus had this issue with the religious leaders of his day and time. Matthew 15:1-3, 8-9 Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread." And He answered and said to them, "Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
By John Cortright
`THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. `BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.`” The Jewish sect of the Pharisees held to traditions that were in contradiction to the commandment of God. This same sect of rabbinical Pharisees continued after the time of Jesus and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Moreover, it is from this sect that modern rabbinical Judaism developed. These oral traditions were written down in the Mishnah and the Talmud, hundreds of years after the time of Christ. By 500 AD, one tradition that developed, and is still entrenched in Jewish thought today, is regarding the name of God. Today, Jews will not write or say God’s name, according to its Hebrew letters – hwhy (YHWH). Rather, they say the words “Adonay” or “Ha Shem” (the name). However, no commandment from the Torah (the first five books of Moses) or any of the other Hebrew Scriptures prohibit a person from speaking or writing God’s name, hwhy (YHWH). Three biblical texts are used to try and support not using or not saying God’s name. They are Exodus 20:7, Leviticus 24:16, and Amos 6:10.
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD [YHWH] your God in vain…. Leviticus 24:16 Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD [YHWH] shall surely be put to death;…. Amos 6:10b Then he will answer, "Keep quiet. For the name of the LORD [YHWH] is not to be mentioned." In the case of Exodus 6:10, the meaning is understood right in the verse – “You will not take the name of the LORD [YHWH] in vain.” This is one of the Ten Commandments. This is not a verse about speaking or writing the name, but rather it is about using the name of God inappropriately. The word “vain” means “emptiness,” “nothingness,” or “for no good purpose.” The people of God are not to use the name of YHWH with no purpose nor use it in a demeaning, unholy, disrespectful way. To use the name of God in cursing would certainly fall into this category as well. The name of God, YHWH, should be used with respect and reverence. However, to remove His name completely, never to speak His name, and to restrict the use of God’s name for any reason are not (Continued on page 5)
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improperly, inappropriately, at the wrong occasion, or using it in a demeaning way. To take the name of YHWH in vain or to blaspheme the name of YHWH is far different than writing, translating, or saying the name of YHWH. However, several verses do indicate God wanted His name to be made known. There are countless verses about declaring, singing, and praising the name of YHWH. Yet, in Judaism today, the name is considered too holy to be uttered; therefore, mentioning the name is restricted. How did this happen?
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indicated in this third commandment. That tradition is not part of the written Torah, but rather came into practice at a much later time in history.
Today, Jews will not write or say God’s name,...hwhy (YHWH).
...However, no commandment...prohibit a person from speaking or writing God’s name, hwhy (YHWH).
The context of Leviticus 24:16 starts in verse 10 and records an event in which one Israelite, who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father, got into a struggle with another man of Israel. During this strife, the son blasphemed and cursed the name. Moses then sought guidance from God. God instructed Moses to have this son stoned to death. Then verse 16 states anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord (YHWH) is to be put to death. The meaning of the Hebrew word “blaspheme” means to curse. Clearly, this man broke the third commandment by taking the name of God in vain. Again, this is not a command to restrict speaking or writing the name of God universally, but rather it was dealing with a specific incident in which God’s name was used inappropriately. Interestingly, the Greek Septuagint renders this verse as “he who names the name of the Lord, let him die the death.” This seems quite different from “blaspheming” the name. Perhaps such a translation in the Greek Old Testament influenced later rabbinical traditions about uttering the name. However, even in the Septuagint, the context from verse 11 clearly shows this instance of using the name involved cursing.
Finally, the context of Amos 6:10 is a prophetic story about two men who have come to bury the bones of relatives who had been burned in a house and apparently were punished by YHWH. When they go to bury these bones, they are told not to mention the name of YHWH. According to Anderson and Freedman, this phrase probably refers to normal funeral rites, which include invoking YHWH’s blessing on the dead. This normal procedure should not be used in this instance. God had judged His people, and it would be inappropriate to mourn after the usual custom.1 Also, Sean McDonough points out in his book, YHWH at Patmos, that “Amos 6:10 is not introduced in later Judaism as a ‘proof-text’ for supporting the prohibition against saying the name.”2 The Old Testament has more than 6,000 uses of YHWH, and these are the only three texts utilized to give reasons where using the name would be banned. Yet, these verses are not about not using, writing, or saying the name of YHWH; rather, they are about using the name of YHWH 5
A study of Judaism in early New Testament times reveal that the name YHWH was still being written and still used at the time Christ. There are indications that certain practices, restrictions, and surrogates for YHWH had started to make their way into usage in the First Century but not the wholesale removal as is in today’s Jewish culture. These will be explored in future articles. Today, in Jewish tradition, the name of God is not written or spoken. Is the practice a comm.andment from God, or rather is it a tradition derived from the dictates of men? May each of us seek the LORD God and find Him as we seek Him with all our heart and soul.
1 F.I. Anderson and D.N. Freedman, Amos, AB (New York: Doubleday, 1989), pp 572-4.
2
McDonough, Sean, YHWH at Patmos, (by J.C.B Mohr, P.O. Box 2040, D-72010 Tubingen, Printed in Germany, 1999) p.65.
pray.” Jesus said, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be Your name”/ (Luke 11:2). An unfortunate side effect of praying to Jesus instead of to his Father is the shift in focus from glorifying God to glorifying His Son. Jesus always pleased his Father. He said, “He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him” (John 8:29). “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me to accomplish His work” (John 4:34). Jesus focused on giving glory to God his Father.
Pray to God the Father, Not to Jesus His Son By Blake Cortright
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rayer is central to the Christian faith; yet, human traditions have clouded the biblical understanding of prayer. Christians are exhorted to “pray without ceasing”/ (I Thessalonians 5:17, English Standard Version) and to pray “at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). However, to whom are the children of God to pray? In my experience, I have found more and more people praying to Jesus and less people praying to the Father. Was this the teaching of our Lord? It is difficult to pinpoint a time in history when a doctrine of praying to Jesus, rather than the Father, began. This practice emerged over the years. Yet today, praying to Jesus is commonplace in mainstream Christianity. Phrases including “God-Jesus,” “Father-Jesus,” and other extra-biblical terminology have found their way into the prayers of modern day Christians. In Luke 11:1, the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to
Jesus is praised in modern churches more often than the Father. While Scripture clearly teaches us that Jesus, the lamb, is worthy of praise (Revelation 5:12), it also is clear that we are to do all things to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31). Jesus reflects the glory of God, but the Father’s glory is greater than the Son’s. Misunderstanding this causes a misplacement of whom to glorify. A friend of mine told me, “I pray to Jesus when I need compassion and not a scolding from my Father.” This thought process comes from the cultural understanding of Jesus as a loving, caring Lord and of his Father as a wrathful, “Old Testament” God. Yet, in Exodus 34, the attributes of 6
Yahweh, the Father, are listed − He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin”/ (Exodus 34:6-7). The Father is very compassionate. He loved the world so much that He sacrificed His only Son for the sins of the world (John 3:16). In the famous “Lord’s prayer,” Jesus provides not a vain repetitious prayer (Matthew 6:7), but rather a breakdown of the essence of prayer. “Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:9-13). In the opening line, Jesus acknowledges that he is addressing his Father, and then he makes mention of the holiness of God’s name, Yahweh. “Hallowed be Your name.” This prayer suggests that we are to pray to the Father. Our prayers should glorify Him. Those who pray to Jesus do so, leaning upon a few verses. The verse “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do” (John 14:13) is used to suggest that we ought to pray to Jesus. Also, the verse “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to (Continued on page 7)
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the Father except through me’” (John 14:6) has been used to support praying to Jesus, because no one can come before the Father except through the Son. People who pray to Jesus, however, often use extra-biblical terminology when praying to him. They attribute to Jesus titles which belong to the Father: “Father God Jesus,” “Everlasting Jesus,” “Jesus Almighty,” and so forth. God, the Father, is referred to as everlasting and almighty, but Jesus is not. Acts 7:59 and Revelation 22:20 are used as arguments for praying to Jesus. “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’ ” (Acts 7:59). “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). The belief is that in both of these instances, followers of Christ are praying to the Son instead of to the Father. However, there is a difference between these verses and prayers recorded in Scripture, such as Ephesians 3:14-21. In Acts, it says of Stephen, “but he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’ ” (Acts 7:55-56). This is the only record where Jesus is
seen “standing at the right hand of God.” Stephen called out to his Savior whom he saw at the throne of God. He was not praying; rather, he was calling to the one he saw. In Revelation 22, John follows a similar pattern. He addresses the one to whom he is speaking. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches”/ (Revelation 22:16). This verse establishes that Jesus, through the angel, is the speaker in this section. “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). In this verse, John is not praying, but rather he is responding to the speaker. Jesus taught his disciples “Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). All that Jesus did in his earthly ministry, and all that he now does, is to the glory of his Father, God. Paul wrote, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Timothy 2:5). This verse makes plain the relationship between Father and Son and clearly shows Jesus’ place in our prayers. He mediates between the Father and our unholy selves. Jesus is the only way to the Father. No unholy human can come to the Father but through Jesus who is seated at God’s right hand. In prayer, Paul always addressed the Father. “For this 7
reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth is named...to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen”/ (Ephesians 3:14-21). In his letter to the church at Colossi, Paul writes, “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,” (Colossians 1:3). The prayers found in the Epistles of Paul are all addressed to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Didache shows that praying to the Father continued into the second century church. This ancient document of Church history describes the proper way to pray during a communion known as Eucharist. “Now concerning the Eucharist, give thanks as follows, ‘We give you thanks, our Father, for the holy vine of David your servant, which you have made known to us through Jesus, your servant; to you be the glory forever’” (Lightfoot and Harmer (Continued on page 9)
Raising Boys To Become Men By Mary Ann Yaconis
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ur home has had a new resident for the past year. He is a two-year old, 80 plus pound, black LabShepherd mix. My relationship is much different with this dog than one that we owned years ago. When our boys were young, we had an 11 pound Bichon Frise that was a sweet, happy dog that I did not discipline − because I wanted her to “love me.” Instead, she ruled me.
Today, after taking our new dog out for a run in the back yard, I marveled at how I was not afraid to discipline the dog even when he tried to jump at me to play (that means a running cross-body block at chest level). I was able to stop him and make him lie down to show who was alpha dog and not to jump at “Grandma.” A flash from the past reminded me that I could not tell my small dog to stop anything. I wondered what in me has made the difference. Why am I able to be master over this big dog with teeth the size of my fingers and not the little dog with a pink scarf and bows at the ears?
would let her lie on the clean clothes in the laundry basket, and then I would have to rewash them because I couldn’t tell her “no” because she was so cute. Today, I am able to stop our big dog from getting on furniture, to tell him to go to his bed when we eat, stop running around, to come, sit, and lay down. The dog likes me, and he obeys. It feels good.
The culture of the Israelites was that the mother raised the son until he was weaned. That meant that he was able to care for himself and was usually anywhere from 6 to 10 years of age. As an example, we turn to Hannah who was the mother of the prophet Samuel. After much earnest prayer, Yahweh blessed Hanna with her first son. I Samuel 1:20, 24 It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD.” Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh, although the child was young.
“Our purpose as parents is to raise sons that will flourish with God,….”
Everything boiled down to one thing – the need for love. I needed the little dog to love me, and I thought giving in to everything she wanted would make her want to be nice to me. Misty never did bite me, but she was not obedient. For example, I
With our small dog, my husband was the one who could call for her to come in the house from the yard, and she would make a beeline for the house. In contrast, I had to go out and get her. At times, I would want to be indulgent with our boys, but my husband would put me in check and not let me “over mother” them. For this, I am very thankful. Mothers mistakenly may tend to want to keep their children from all of life’s hurts and need their love to fill a place inside that is not the child’s to fill. A strong, godly husband tempers this natural desire in a mother to over -mother, especially with sons. 8
She taught, trained, and nurtured him until he was able to go work for the prophet Eli. This meant he could take care of himself and Eli as well as manage the duties at the tabernacle. Not much is said about how Hannah raised him, but obviously from his life, we see that Samuel had a deep love and respect for Yahweh, was able to get up early, put in a full day and possibly night of work, and obey Eli’s and God’s instructions. (Continued on page 9)
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Incredibly, at such a young age and throughout his life, he was able to stand apart from the evil that was happening in the tabernacle and in Israel. Can you imagine raising a son today that would be able to care for himself and someone else by age 7 – and not get caught up in doing bad things because his classmates are doing them? It boggles the mind. In the culture of the Israelites, they were generally married at middle teen years and caring for their extended families. What our culture today has become is an enabling culture, steered by well meaning parents, that is stealing from our male children the ability to function as godly men. Not all, but a large share of the trouble lies at the feet of mothers who won’t treat their sons as men and emo(Continued from page 7)
Pray to God the Father, Not to Jesus His Son Continued...
259-61). The prayer continues for several lines with this pattern of glorifying God the Father and thanking Him for Jesus the Christ. Thus, we see that the early church believed they should to pray to the Father, not the Son.
tionally let them go at an early age and of fathers who do not make the time or have the capacity to teach maleness to their sons. For a father, this means teaching and training his son and making sure that his wife is not coddling their son too long. I Samuel 1:26-28 She said, “Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. “For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. “So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there. Hannah also knew that her son was not hers but God’s. Her purpose continues, “it follows that prayer should be addressed to the Son and not to the Father, or to both, or to the Father alone. Anyone...would agree that the first possibility...is completely absurd, and would have to be maintained against the obvious facts. And if we prayed to both, then it is obvious that we should offer our requests in the plural...the very expressions betray the absurdity of this alternative, nor can anyone find in Scripture prayers addressed in the plural. Consequently, the remaining possibility is that we should pray only to the God and Father of all”/ (112-13). Origen believed Jesus was God, but still he held the belief that the followers of Christ should pray to the Father, not to the Son.
The third century Christian scholar and martyr Origen taught that Christians ought not pray to the Son, but rather that they should pray to the Father. He wrote, “Now if we are to take prayer in its most exact sense, perhaps we should not pray to anyone begotten, not even to Christ Himself, but only to the God and Father of all, to whom even our Savior Himself prayed... and to whom He taught Modern day Christians should chalus to pray” (Greer 112). His argument lenge the traditions of praying to Jesus and praising him more than his 9
was to train him to love God and be obedient to Him – and let him go to do a man’s work. What is the difference in me now with our new dog? The difference between my actions now and how they were years ago comes from understanding that the dog isn’t mine to give me what I need. My needs are met by Yahweh. My healthy relationship with this dog comes from doing my part in making him obey and teaching him how to be a good dog. Extrapolating this out to myself as a young mother, my husband tempered me, and we raised boys to become men. Our purpose as parents is to raise sons that will flourish with God, possibly raise a Yahweh fearing family, and teach and train others to do the same. A godly son gives his mother honor. Her blessing comes as he takes his place as a man who loves God. Father, a thing he never taught. We should follow the teaching of the one whom we call our Lord. He taught us to pray to the Father. He did everything to God’s glory. He always did his Father’s will. So too we, if we call ourselves followers of Christ, should pray to the Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus the Christ. The Apostolic Fathers Second Edition. Trans. J. B. Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer. Grand Rapids, Baker Book House, 1992. Print. English Standard Version. [Wheaton]: Crossway, 2011. EsvBible.org. Web. Sept. 2011. Origen: An Exhortation to Martyrdom, Prayer and Selected Works. Trans. Rowan A. Greer. New York: Paulist Press, 1979. Print.
Speaking In Tongues
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he gift of holy spirit has with it many manifestations that are available to assist every believer in his or her walk with God and service to man. The epistle of 1 Corinthians mentions nine of these manifestations. The translators of the English Bibles did not acknowledge a difference of words used in the Greek manuscripts that are important to our understanding about speaking in tongues. The distinction of words draws our attention and warrants examination. Note the Greek words used in the parenthesis.
1Corinthians 12:8-10 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the spirit, and to another [allos] the word of knowledge according to the same spirit; to another [heteros] faith by the same spirit, and to another [allos] gifts of healing by the one spirit, and to another [allos] the effecting of miracles, and to another [allos] prophecy, and to another [allos] the distinguishing of spirits, to another [heteros] various kinds of tongues, and to another [allos] the interpretation of tongues. Speaking in tongues and faith are set off from the other seven. Why? First, we will see what all nine have in common. The one gift of holy spirit is common to
every believer; therefore, all manifestations are from the same spirit. Free will or selfdetermination is required to manifest each. The spirit and all of its manifestations enable disciples to engage in loving service to their fellowman. The manifestations enable us to serve under the empowerment and direction of our Lord. The two have some differences from the other seven. Proper circumstances must exist in order to manifest the seven. For example, to prophesy, there must be others present to hear; to heal, there must be a sick person; to discern spirits, a demonized person is needed. Thus, these requirements limit the utilization of these manifestations. Faith and tongues are unlimited because only God and the believer need to be involved. We can exercise tongues and faith any time we will to do so; whereas, this is not necessarily so with the other manifestations of the spirit. The most significant difference is that faith and tongues are specifically purposed to glorify God. Romans 4:20 and 21(KJV) He [Abraham] staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; God And being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform.
By Vince Finnegan
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Abraham was not a priest or a king; he did not write any of the books in the Bible; he did not prophesy about the future; he did not build a city or lead a people; yet, of all men, he is the only one called a friend of God. He is considered to be the father of faith, the father of all those who believe. His primary accomplishment was he pleased and glorified God by his faith. Our faith always glorifies and pleases God. Speaking in tongues is very similar to faith in that it also glorifies and pleases God. When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she asked a very important question. She said "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." The remarkable response Jesus gave is recorded in John 4:21-24. Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. (Continued on page 11)
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“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." As Jesus so often did, he foretold what would take place when the spirit of truth arrived. Once Jesus ascended into heaven and sent forth the spirit, the worship of God radically changed. The spirit within provides the ability to worship God in spirit and truth. Speaking in tongues is one means to worship God in spirit, not the only way, but a very significant way. On the day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2:11, when the spirit was first given, all the Apostles spoke in tongues. Those who were there listening to them stated — “We hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God,” or as the King James says, “We hear them speak the wonderful works of God.” In Acts 10, when the Jews with Peter heard Cornelius and the others speak in tongues, they said the tongues were “exalting God” and in the KJV “magnifying God.” Speaking in
tongues are God inspired words that glorify God! Understanding is added in Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries. When we speak in tongues, we do so to God and not to men. The person who speaks does not understand what he
is saying, but God does understand as the utterance is inspired by the spirit of God. Speaking in tongues is prayer that blesses God. It is prayer that gives thanks well. 1 Corinthians 14:14-17 For if I pray in a tongue, tongue my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What is the outcome then? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise if you bless in 11
the spirit only, how will the one who fills the place of the ungifted say the "Amen" at your giving of thanks, thanks since he does not know what you are saying? For you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not edified. Here is a summary of what we have just read: speaking in tongues and faith are different from the other manifestations in that both are something just between you and God. Speaking in tongues is inspired utterance which speaks about the mighty deeds of God, His wonderful works. It exalts and magnifies God. Prayer that blesses God and gives thanks well is also included. Whenever someone uses their words to speak well of God, to bless Him or offer prayers of thanks, God is glorified and pleased. Many times our words fail to prolifically communicate the praise, glory, and thanks we desire to offer to our loving heavenly Father. Speaking in tongues assists us greatly in our weakness by providing another means to glorify our God. The greatest thing we can ever do, as our father Abraham did, is to glorify and please God. If there was no other reason save to glorify and please God, speaking in tongues is something every believer should desire to do.
The Good Samaritan: Jesus’ Challenge to Us Today By Sean Finnegan
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ountless hospitals across the nation bear the name “Good Samaritan,” all a tribute to Jesus’ masterful parable about the injured traveler. So ubiquitous is this story that it has become a cliché to call someone who helps another “a good Samaritan.” Yet, as with so many sayings of Jesus, the more popular it became, the more it was domesticated and dulled so that it no longer presents a challenge to us. Like cereal left sitting in milk too long, the good Samaritan today communicates the soggy, tepid truth that we should occasionally help the needy if it is not too much trouble. Furthermore, the command of Jesus to love ones’ neighbor as oneself remains divorced from the story, as if the two were unrelated. We forget that Jesus’ little story is intended to illustrate and set a standard for how his followers neighbor others. In what follows, we will make our way through the parable, paying careful attention to the historical context in order to recalibrate our senses and learn how best to live this out today. The passage opens with an expert in the Law of Moses putting Jesus—
the up and coming rabbi—to the test. Although we cannot be sure how innocent or malicious the lawyer was, we know that he already knew the answer to the question he asked Jesus, or at least he thought he did. He pops the question, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Rather than answering him outright, Jesus replies with his own query, “What has been written in the Law? How do you read it?” (v26). This put the scribe on the spot: if he wanted to defend his expert knowledge of the Scriptures, he needed to answer, but by answering he loses his opportunity to hear Jesus’ reply. In the end, he decided to respond by quoting part of the Shema, the core creed of Judaism (Deuteronomy 6:45), “You will love the Lord your God from your whole heart and in your whole soul and in your whole strength and in your whole mind.” Then he added a well-known text from Leviticus 19:18, “and your neighbor as yourself” (v27). Recognizing the validity of the man’s answer, Jesus said, “You answered correctly; do this and you will live” (v28). Ironically, rather than checking out Jesus’ orthodoxy and biblical knowledge, the reverse happened—Jesus ended up testing the lawyer and approving his answer. I imagine the lawyer was a bit bewildered and frustrated by the sudden turn of events. Luke reports that the man’s next question was motivated by a desire to justify himself. He had stood up and gone toe to toe with the new teacher, and he probably felt embarrassed before his peers who were listening. Now another question formed in his mind, one likely influenced by his vast experience in exegeting Scripture and contemplating the practical application of Torah to daily life. He 12
asked, “And who neighbor?” (v29).
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In order to understand why he asked this clarifying follow-up question, we need to turn to the book of Leviticus. Gaining some context proves helpful: Leviticus 19:17-18 `You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. `You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. The “love your neighbor as yourself” commandment was construed ethnically—one must love his fellow Israelite. The chapter begins with Moses speaking to “all the congregation of the people of Israel” and telling them to be holy as God is. Throughout Leviticus, it is clear that God intends Israel to remain separate from the other nations, especially her immediate neighbors. Thus, the lawyer posing this question to Jesus is capitalizing on a genuine ambiguity in the text—one that no doubt puzzled the theologians of his day. The minimalist answer saw the neighbor as a fellow Torah-observant Jew, whereas the maximalist sought to extend love to everyone. Where would Jesus fall on this question? Would he grasp the complexity of the issue? Would he provide a half-way satisfying answer easily rebutted by a trained scribe? Jesus decided not to answer directly; instead, he told a story to illustrate his point. (Continued on page 13)
The Good Samaritan: Jesus’ Challenge to Us Today Continued... (Continued from page 12)
Jesus begins, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among bandits, who after both stripping and beating him departed, leaving him half dead” (Luke 10:30). Bandits were a real problem in the ancient world. Often, when making long journeys, people traveled together in a caravan for protection. This man was alone, and he was traveling a treacherous road infamous for the dangers it posed. It was a rocky and winding desert road that began in Jerusalem at 2,600 feet above sea level and descended to Jericho at 825 feet below sea level in a mere seventeen miles. Furthermore, caves lined many parts of the road which provided robbers with ideal hideouts to plunder unsuspecting passersby. This unfortunate man was outnumbered and taken for all he had, even his clothing. In a world without cell phones or ambulances, his fate wholly depended on a chance encounter with someone who was willing to help. All of this would have been familiar to Jesus’ hearers, and they may have even anticipated the next line. Jesus continued, “And by chance a priest went down on that way” (v31). The priest is an ideal candidate for a man to show compassion and do what is right in the eyes of God. Priests were professional worship facilitators who offered sacrifices in the inner courtyard of the temple precinct. They were mediators, and Jesus’ audience likely expected this man to intercede for the wounded in God’s name. Yet, Jesus inverts his role
saying, “And seeing him he passed by on the other side” (v31). No reason is given for the priest’s callused negligence. We are left guessing what he must have told himself to soothe his conscience and justify his blatant disregard for a wounded stranger. Perhaps he was in a hurry—maybe even to do something for God. Did he fear contamination from touching a dead body? Was he worried that the robbers might still be around? Did he think the man was faking it to set up an ambush? We simply don’t know; all we are told is that he passed by on the other side. Next, the Levite arrives on the scene: “And likewise a Levite going down to the place and seeing him passed by on the other side” (v32). Like priests, Levites too were servants of God, but they were not permitted to do as much as the priests and were more like assistants. Still, Levites were revered, and so this man’s flagrant lack of care for his fellow traveler would have shocked the hearers. Enter the Samaritan: “And a Samaritan journeying came upon him” (v33). By the time of Jesus, deep-seated animosity had brewed between Jews and Samaritans for centuries, sometimes erupting in outright violence. They were sworn enemies who avoided one another, each regarding the other as heretical. The Samaritans only accepted the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, as inspired. They believed the monarchy was a mistake and David’s beloved city along with Solomon’s ornate temple was illegitimate. They clung to mount Gerizim, the lofty peak where Moses commanded the 13
blessings to be pronounced once the Israelites entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 11:29; 27:12; Joshua 8:33). Later, they built a temple there and worshipped on Mt. Gerizim instead of Jerusalem (John 4:20). A little more than a century before Christ (128 B.C.), the priest-king John Hyrcanus conquered Samaria for Judah and destroyed their temple in the process. By the first century, Herod the Great’s impressive renovations to the Jerusalem temple stirred disdain among the Samaritans whose own temple lay in ruins atop what they regarded as the true holy place. Samaria lay between Judah and Galilee, so when Galilean Jews made pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem, they had to either go through Samaria or walk the long way around it. Most Jews chose to travel the extra distance to avoid the despised Samaritans. In one incident, Jesus went through Samaria on his way to attend a festival at the temple. He sent ahead messengers to make arrangements for him in a Samaritan village. They refused to receive him “because his face was set toward Jerusalem” (Luke 9:53). Jesus’ disciples asked, “Lord, do you wish that we call fire to come down out of heaven and consume them?” (v54). Jesus rebuked them, and they resumed their journey. The Jews likewise despised the Samaritans, calling them Cutheans (whose blood was not really Israelite in origin but Gentile from Cuthah in Persian).1 They libeled them as turncoats who vacillated between identifying as Jews or Gentiles (Continued on page 14)
The Good Samaritan: Jesus’ Challenge to Us Today Continued... (Continued from page 13)
depending on who was asking.2 In the Samaritan town of Sychar, Jesus surprised a woman at Jacob’s well by asking her for a drink of water. John helpfully explains with the editorial note, “For Jews do not use anything in common with Samaritans” (John 4:9). Even just asking for a sip of water from her drinking vessel was crossing the line. So much did the Jews despise the Samaritans that they considered eating with them the same as eating the flesh of a pig and any contact with a Samaritan female as contaminating as touching a menstruating woman.3 Given this complicated and spiteful history, Jews hearing a story about a Samaritan would naturally expect him to do something wicked. At best, he might pass by on the other side like his two forerunners; at worst, he would take advantage of the wounded man and finish the job the bandits only halfway completed. Again Jesus violates expectation by inverting the role of the Samaritan. He narrates, “And a Samaritan journeying came upon him and seeing him felt compassion, and approaching he bound his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. Having put him upon his own animal, he brought him to an inn and cared for him. And when he was departing on the next day, he gave the inn keeper two denarii and said, ‘Take care of him, and what more you may spend I will pay you when I return’”/ (Luke 10:33-35). Not only does the Samaritan feel compassion, but
immediately jumps in and does everything he possibly can to help. He pours oil on his wounds to soothe them, disinfects them with wine, and then binds him with his own fabric (perhaps torn from his turban or tunic). Putting him on his own animal likely meant the Samaritan would have to walk the rest of the way. Upon arriving at the inn, he does not drop the man off, leaving him at the mercy of the inn keeper, but spends the night caring for him. He gives the keeper two days’
wages, which according to Darrell Bock, would have provided lodging for up to twenty-four days.4 Even at today’s minimum wage, this would amount to over a hundred dollars. And what is more, he is willing to pay any further expenses accrued for the stranger’s recovery. The Samaritan does not merely assuage his own guilt by doing the minimum to insure the half-dead man’s blood would not be on his head, he does everything possible to meet the man’s needs genuinely and competently regardless of the inconvenience or the cost. M.L. King Jr. was right to note that rather than asking, 14
“If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” like the priest and the Levite, the Samaritan said to himself, “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”5 Next Jesus asks, “Who of these three appears to you to be a neighbor to the one who fell among bandits?” (v36). The man responded, “The one who had compassion on him” (v36). And Jesus said to him, “Go and you do likewise” (v36). Needless to say, the lawyer did not pose any more questions. Jesus had just defined what a neighbor meant in living color. One’s neighbor is not merely the person next door or even one’s fellow countryman, but one’s neighbor is the one who is nearby, even if he or she is a sworn enemy. Samaritans hated Jews, and yet this Samaritan neighbored his enemy. To do this was risky and cost him time and money, but he did it anyhow, and as a result, twenty centuries later, Good Samaritan hospitals abound across the land. The funny thing is there was no good Samaritan. He was merely an oral fiction Jesus used to teach something about loving others. Yet, even if the original good Samaritan was fiction, countless imitators (wooed by God’s outrageous love and committed to obeying the Son of God) have arisen throughout the centuries to love in even hazardous situations. For example in A.D. 250, a pandemic broke out across the Roman Empire infecting thousands, perhaps even millions. Thousands died daily afflicted with horrible symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, burning eyes, loss of limbs, loss (Continued on page 15)
Jesus said to the lawyer, “Go and you do likewise.” Even so, “doing likewise” may cost us great pain, financial hardship, and even our own lives. Many times those we reach out to will lack gratitude, and sometimes they may even hate us for trying to help. We may get sued for trying to aid someone who has been in a car accident, but we cannot, we will not, for these reasons pass by on the other side. For if we do, Jesus is not our Lord; he is just a nice, dead religious figure whose likeness is fit for gluing to our dashboard or hanging from our rearview mirror, but who presents no challenge to us today.
(Continued from page 14)
of hearing, and loss of sight.6 Pontius, a deacon in the congregation at Carthage, noted how the city was littered with “no longer bodies, but the carcasses of many.”7 The stench of death must have been unbearable as the plague ravaged house after house. Dionysius, the pastor of the congregation at Alexandria, relates the following description: They pushed away those with the first signs of the disease and fled from their dearest. They even threw them half dead into the roads and treated unburied corpses like refuse in hopes of avoiding the plague of death, which, for all their efforts, was difficult to escape.8 But even if fear and panic shot through the hearts of the people, not knowing who would be next, the Christians, in contrast, responded quite differently. Rather than ditching their loved ones, they bravely cared for their own, making sure the sick had the necessary provisions and sanitation to get better. Of course, nursing someone sick of a communicable disease in the ancient world was extremely risky. Dionysius goes on to tell us how severe it was: They would also take up the bodies of the saints, close their eyes, shut their mouths, and carry them on their shoulders. They would embrace them, wash and dress them in burial clothes, and soon receive the same services themselves.9
Undaunted by death and without putting their own well-being first, they reached out to the dying pagans all around them as well. Christian leaders urged their flocks to extend love to even their enemies. Then afterwards he [Cyprian] subjoined, that there was nothing wonderful in our cherishing our own people only with the needed attentions of love, but that he might become perfect who would do something more than the publican or the heathen, who, overcoming evil with good, and practicing a clemency which was like the divine clemency, loved even his enemies, who would pray for the salvation of those that persecute him, as the Lord admonishes and exhorts.10 At great personal risk, they reached out to the infected pagans and nursed them back to health or else guaranteed they died without lacking care or company. Although Christians died in great numbers, their fellow brothers and sisters regarded them fortunate to have given their lives on behalf of others. They were even considered martyrs! It turns out that this pestilence coincided with one of the greatest periods of growth for third century Christianity. I can imagine just how eager an unbeliever would be to hear the gospel after being abandoned by his own family and nursed back to health by courageous, loving Christ-followers.
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1
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 9.14.3 (288)
2
ibid., 9.14.3 (291).
3
Babylonian Talmud, Seder Zera’im, Shebi’ith 8.10; Babylonian Talmud, Seder Tohoroth, Niddah 4 (31b)
4
Darrell L. Bock, Luke, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Baker 1996), 1031. 5
Martin Luther King, Jr: “I've Been to the Mountaintop,” delivered April 3, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee.
6
Cyprian, Treatise 7: On the Mortality 14
7
Pontius, The Life and Passion of Cyprian 9, trans. Ernest Wallis, ed. Alexander Roberts & James Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson 2004), 270. 8
Quoted by Eusebius, Church History 7.22.7, trans. Paul L. Maier, Eusebius: The Church History (Grand Rapids: Kregel 2007), 240. 9
Eusebius, 7.22.9
10
Pontius, 9
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KEEP ON PRAYING Luke 18:1 Luke 21:36 Romans 12:12
Men ought always to pray and not to faint Keep on the alert at all times, praying Rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer Ephesians 6:18 Pray at all times in the spirit‌ with all perseverance Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it 1 Thessalonians 4:17 Pray without ceasing