2023 Dec: Revelation

The Revelation given to and recorded by John is a very rich record, but it is not unique. Rather, this seems to be one person’s record of an experience that is common with prophets. Based on the records we have, it was shared by Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, David, and Zechariah (and probably many others); by the brother of Jared, Lehi, and Nephi; by Abraham and Moses, and by Joseph Smith. What IS unique about John’s Revelation is that he was commanded both to WRITE the vision AND to PUBLISH it immediately, while many others were to “seal it up,” to be revealed at a later date when people would be more receptive.

 

A Chiastic framework for the Plan of Salvation, tied to Revelation

Introduction: 

Ch 1: John’s Prophetic Call

Ch 2-3: Direct messages to 7 congregations: warnings of vulnerabilities; promises of rewards for overcoming.

Celestial:  Ch 4-5:  Pre-earth life in the Celestial Kingdom:  it has existed eternally; represented by the throne room (presence of God – see Ch 1).  The Council in Heaven is ch 5.  

Terrestial glory:  Eden:  learning mortality, God’s laws, etc. Ends with the Fall.

Telestial glory:  Seals 1-4 (Ch 6:1-8) cover Enoch, Noah (the Flood), Abraham, Moses/Egypt, David;  the Babylonian captivity and their return

Perdition:  between Seal 4 and 5: Jesus descends below all things – He comes to earth, blesses and teaches, works out the Atonement (in Gethsemane and on Calvary), and descends into Hell in order to break the bands of death. (1 Peter 3:19, Eph 4:9, D&C 88:6. 122:8.) In Christian tradition this is called The Harrowing of Hell. (Wikipedia) This is not recorded in the Revelation to John, but can be found in 1 Ne 11:31-33.

Telestial glory: 

Seal 5 (Ch 6:9-11) covers the early Christian martyrs (see 1 Ne 11:34-35), the apostasy; the rise of Babylon (aka the Great and Abominable Church – see 1 Ne 11:35),  

Seal 6 (Ch 7 (preview) and 14-15) covers the Restoration.

Seal 7a Ch 8-13, 16-19) This is OUR day! The destruction of the wicked prior to the Millenium: Beasts (ch 13): worldly kingdoms based on secret combinations & force (coercion, war), Plagues (ch 16), Babylon (ch 17-18): the Great and Abominable Church (corrupted religion and economics) (1 Ne 11:36). 

Terrestrial Glory:  Seal 7b (ch 20) is the Millennium – Satan bound; Zion = a return to Paradise & Sabbath rest.

Celestial glory (Ch 21-22) The earth attains celestial glory; final judgment determines who will dwell where.  (see D&C 76:30-113, 88:17-35)

Based on this class by Rebecca Stay (I recommend ALL her classes – check the channel):

For more on Babylon vs Zion, see my Two Cities post from early last year.

I taught Revelation in two lessons, and prepared handouts. Here are the links:
Part 1: God has a Plan (Ch 1-13)
Part 2: God’s team defeats Satan’s team (ch 14-22)

The Revelation of Jesus Christ to His Apostle John is no longer a huge mystery – rather, it is a treasure, testifying of the love of God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son, for US, and Their Plan for OUR Salvation and Exaltation. 

2023 June The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

This was the main topic of our Sunday School discussion today (4 Jun 2023). It was based on Matt 26, Mark 14 & John 13; Luke 22 also tells of this event.

The importance of this ordinance can be discerned by looking at how universally it has been taught and practiced, as well as in the time Jesus took during his last week to teach and administer it. This ordinance is found in the 3 synoptic Gospels, as well as in the early Christian Church (1 Cor 11:23-30, Heb 9:11-28), the Book of Mormon (3 Ne 18:1-12, 27-32) and the Restored Church (see Doctrine and Covenants sections 20, 21…). There are even traces in the Old Testament (Gen 14:18, Ex 24:8-11), which suggests that it was practiced anciently and restored by Jesus. The early Church understood that it was to be administered selectively:

“In the Gospel according to John, it says “Unless a man is born again of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” [John 3:5] … Also in the same place: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you will not have life in you.” [John 6:53] Yet, it is of little use to be baptized and to receive the Eucharist, unless one profits by them both in deeds and works.” (Cyprian, c 250 AD, 5:542)

This ordinance (sacrament) represented two main things:
First, it was a time for Remembrance of Jesus Christ – His Atonement, His teachings, and His promises. Also of our covenants with Him.

Justin Martyr (c 160 AD) testified: “[The Eucharist] refers to the bread which Christ gave us to eat, in remembrance of His being made flesh for the sake of His believers, for whom also He suffered. And it refers to the cup which He gave us to drink, in remembrance of His own blood, with giving of thanks.” (1:234)

Second, it contained a Prophecy of a coming day, when Jesus would again partake of this supper with the faithful believers (Matt 26:29, Mark 14:25, Luke 22:15-18). This promise has been reiterated in the latter-day Restoration (D&C 27:5-14).

The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is largely a new version of the Passover (see Ex 12:14-17, 1 Cor 5:7-8), which both memorialized the deliverance of the house of Israel from bondage in Egypt and prophesied of the eventual coming of Jesus Christ, who would be the last and infinite Lamb slain to deliver Israel from the bondage of sin and death (Is 53, Mosiah 3:5-18).

Historical trivia

Early Christians were often misunderstood by their pagan neighbors: they heard Believers talk of eating flesh and drinking blood, and didn’t realize that it was a symbolic ritual. So rumors started that those followers of The Way were cannibals! (Unbelievers also thought their gatherings were incestuous orgies, because they called each other “brother” and “sister,” and they had gatherings they called “love feasts.”) This made the persecution of the early believers worse.

Resources

Lili Anderson podcast 3.22 https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/choosing-glory/322-matt-26-mark-14-john-13-UtXQ04-edCN/ (transcript not yet available at https://lilianderson.com/category/choosing-glory-podcast/)

Jennifer Roach explores how various Christian denominations observe this rite in her podcast / video / blog post for this week: https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/blog/2023/05/29/come-follow-me-with-fair-faithful-answers-to-new-testament-questions-matthew-26-mark-14-john-13#more-38678

2023 April: The Great Commandment – Who is my Neighbor?

Early in His ministry, Jesus taught:

43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt 5:43-48)

Later on, He taught in greater detail:

“35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” which refers to Lev 19:18 & 34)

One of His hearers got the message (Mark 12:28-34), while others “missed the mark.” Jesus then shared a story to explain what He meant. We know this as “the Good Samaritan.” (Luke 10:25-37)

There are three primary ways these teachings of Jesus are often misinterpreted.

Obedience

The first, which has become very common in our day, is to take Jesus’ statement that “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt 22:40) and dismiss all His other commandments (in both Old and New Testaments). This is not in harmony with a belief in the Bible as the Word of God, for throughout both Old AND New Testaments, man is called to OBEY God’s commandments – all of which are for our best good.

OTOH, Jesus Himself took the Pharisees to task as hypocrites for putting obedience to the most minute commandments ahead of love of God and neighbor. (Matt 23:23) And even worse was their pattern of putting their traditions, which were originally intended to HELP people keep the commandments, as obstacles to obedience.

The connection between LOVE of God and DOING what He wants us to was still the norm in the Primitive Church, as seen in the teachings of the Ante-Nicene fathers:

• “Fear works abstinence from what is evil. But love exhorts to the doing of good, by building up to the point of spontaneity.” (Clement of Alexandria (c 195) 2:546)
  
• “Our religion commands us to love even our enemies, and to pray for those who persecute us… For everyone loves those who love them. It is unique to Christians to love those who hate them.” (Tertullian (c 212) 3:105)
  
• “What else is the preservation of humanity than to love a man because he is a man and the same as ourselves?” (Lactantius (c. 304-315) 7:174, see also 2:426)

This attitude taken to the extreme is found in “Universalism” (all will be saved, regardless of their faith or actions) and “Predestinationism” (only a very few will be saved, regardless of their choices, actions, faith or desires).

Priorities

A second distortion is reversing the priority of these two commandments, putting love of neighbor AHEAD of love of God. This generally leads to a form of idolatry, in which the neighbor becomes your god. (see Oaks, “Two Great Commandments“) This “heresy” is spreading like wildfire, as those who have no interest in God or godliness are corrupting the meanings of the key words. Love means to seek the wellbeing of another, NOT simply to make them comfortable. For example, a loving parent will not allow their young child to run into the street, even if it takes physically restraining them – which is VERY uncomfortable.

Unity or Division?

In our day most Christian denominations would agree that Jesus’ admonition to “love your neighbor as yourself” refers to all mankind, regardless of race/ethnicity/residence, gender, etc. Yet historically, this has not always been the case.

For much of human history, the prevailing attitude was “love US and hate THEM.” In primitive times, this may have been necessary for survival. But as societies expanded, it shifted from a self-defense tool to a means of exploitation. It grew in power and became a justification of slavery, inquisitions, witch hunts, displacements, and other wickedness. It was not uncommon for invaders to demand conversion to their chosen faith, and to persecute or exterminate those who refused.

Hitler woke us up to this horror when he implemented the “final solution” – we call it the Holocaust (historically a whole burnt offering; now destruction or slaughter on mass scale), Jews call it Shoah (catastrophe).

This third distortion was on its way to becoming extinct in many spheres as the spirit of freedom spread around the world, but then politics brought it back with a vengeance. About a decade ago I attended a presentation on how to make a difference by engaging in politics. It explained the importance of emphasizing differences in order to give people clearer choices. Now we have a world so divided by philosophies, politics, religion, etc. that many consider it impossible to have a civil conversation about anything with someone who doesn’t agree with them 100%.

Unity is so important, and division so threatening, that it has become a major theme of General Conference talks. A search of General Conference talks since 2020 yields 17 dealing with this issue.

May we all do our part to spread love and promote unity in all we do.

This discussion is based in part on The Jewish Annotated New Testament essay “The Concept of Neighbor in Jewish and Christian Ethics” (p. 645-)

see also “Love Misunderstood.“

20223 April Jesus taught in Parables

Jesus consistently taught in parables, as did many of the Prophets.

Why?

It was a familiar genre, both from prophets of the past and the ongoing Jewish culture. In Judaism, parables are mashal and interpretation of Scripture is midrash. (“Midrash and Parable” essay by David Stern in Jewish Annotated New Testament.)

They were easy to remember – even if you didn’t understand them.

Their meanings were understood “line upon line” (Is 28:10) as people were willing to receive it and as their life experience and circumstances changed. It was like time-release medication — the beneficial influence could continue over an extended time.

I think this is what Isaiah was talking about in Is 6:9-10:
“9 ¶ And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”
Of course, God WANTS to heal and bless His people – just as soon as they are willing to allow it.

What IS a parable?

From Wikipedia:

“A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, whereas parables have human characters.^[1] A parable is a type of metaphorical analogy.^[2]“

“

A parable is a short tale that illustrates a universal truth; it is a simple narrative. It sketches a setting, describes an action, and shows the results. It may sometimes be distinguished from similar narrative types, such as the allegory and the apologue.^[10]

A parable often involves a character who faces a moral dilemma or one who makes a bad decision and then suffers the unintended consequences. Although the meaning of a parable is often not explicitly stated, it is not intended to be hidden or secret but to be quite straightforward and obvious.^[11]

The defining characteristic of the parable is the presence of a subtext suggesting how a person should behave or what he should believe. Aside from providing guidance and suggestions for proper conduct in one’s life, parables frequently use metaphorical language which allows people to more easily discuss difficult or complex ideas. Parables express an abstract argument by means of using a concrete narrative which is easily understood.

The allegory is a more general narrative type; it also employs metaphor. Like the parable, the allegory makes a single, unambiguous point. An allegory may have multiple noncontradictory interpretations and may also have implications that are ambiguous or hard to interpret. As H.W. Fowler put it, the object of both parable and allegory “is to enlighten the hearer by submitting to him a case in which he has apparently no direct concern, and upon which therefore a disinterested judgment may be elicited from him, …”^[10] The parable is more condensed than the allegory: it rests upon a single principle and a single moral, and it is intended that the reader or listener shall conclude that the moral applies equally well to his own concerns.”

How to understand them

Joseph Smith’s “rule of interpretation” as he applied it to the parables in Luke 15:

“I have a key by which I understand the Scriptures. I enquire what was the question which drew out the answer or caused Jesus to utter the parable. It is not national, it does not refer to Abraham, Israel, or the Gentiles, in a national capacity as some supposed. To ascertain its meaning, we must dig up the root, and ascertain what it was that drew the saying out of Jesus.

While Jesus was teaching the people, all the publicans and sinners drew near to hear him, and the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying “this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.” This is the key word which unlocks the parable of the Prodigal Son. It was given to answer the murmurings and questionings of the Saducees and Pharisees who were querying, finding fault, and saying, how is it that this man as great as he pretends to be, eats with Publicans and Sinners; Jesus was not to put it so, but he could have found something to illustrate his subject if he had designed it for a nation or nations; but he did not, it was for men in an individual capacity, and all straining on this point is a bubble. “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them”

And he spake this parable unto them, “what man of you having a hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends, and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me: for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you ​that​ likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.​ The hundred sheep represent one hundred Saducees and Pharisees, as though Jesus had said, “If you Saducees and Pharisees are in the Sheepfold, I have no mission for you, I am sent to look up Sheep that are lost, and when I have found them​ I will back them​ up and make joy in heaven.” This represents hunting after a few individuals or one poor publican, which the Pharisees and Saducees despised.

He also gave them the parable of the Woman and her ten pieces of Silver and how she lost one, and searching diligently found it again, which gave more joy among the friends and neighbors than the nine which were not lost. like I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one Sinner that repenteth more than over ninety and nine just persons that are so righteous, they will be dam’d anyhow, you cannot save them. [12 lines blank]356 [HC 5:261-2] [p. 1459] Accessed through the Joseph Smith Papers project.

By looking at the antecedent, we get a clue as to why the parable was given. Often afterwards the meaning is explained.

Some resources on Parables (from a simple Google search):

Podcasts on this topic:

Decoding the Parables

Wikipedia

The Jesus Film Project

A Complete List of Jesus’ Parables in the New Testament Includes links to many other resources

What Do Jesus’ Parables Mean? by R C Sproul; free Kindle book

Parables of Jesus: A Guide to Parables in the Bible, What They Are and Why Jesus Used Them
blog post by Stephen Spiewak

2023 March: Signs and Miracles

Jesus performed miracles (healings, casting out devils, raising the dead; stilling the storm / walking on water, multiplying food, …) throughout His mortal ministry.

Why? There are several reasons.

• One reason was to demonstrate that He was indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.
  • He had power beyond ordinary mortals, but which God possessed and shared with His Prophets, including healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out devils, controlling the elements.
  • He fulfilled many prophecies – though not all, since some would not be fulfilled until His Second Coming. (Mal 4:2, Matt 8:17)
  • His power to heal served as an evidence of His power to forgive sins. (Mark 2:5-12)
• Given that His nature was Love, He would want to alleviate suffering whenever and wherever He could. He was teaching His followers to do the same, so that they could become like Him.

Alma 7:11-13 teaches that he TOOK UPON HIM “the pains and the sicknesses of his people,” “death,” “their infirmities,” and “the sins of his people,” in order that “the word might be fulfilled,” “that he may know … how to succor his people,” and “that he might blot out their transgressions.” As He went about among the people, He often touched those whom the Law labeled unclean. Haggai 2:11-13 illustrates how uncleanness is contagious and holiness is not. Yet the uncleanness of His People was not able to make Him unclean. Rather, all their uncleanness, pain, affliction, infirmities, sins and even death itself are “swallowed up” in His love and power. (see Is 25:8, 1 Cor 15:54; Mosiah 15:8-9, 6:7-8, Alma 31:38, Mormon 7:5-6; “The Great Divorce” by C S Lewis; “Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also” by Bowen, Oct 2012; “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” Maxwell, Oct 1995; “The Ssavior’s Touch as a Symbol of the Atonement”)

Casting Out Devils

Repeatedly we see devils obey (see James 2:19) – because they have KNOWN Him since the pre-existence – yet He generally tells them to be silent, because He wants people to be able to CHOOSE faith. The account in Luke 8:26-37 was different – it was Jesus and His faithful disciples in a Gentile land, apparently with no other witnesses, so the devils were permitted to speak.

Jesus Himself refers to others working these miracles in Matt 12:27 & Luke 11:19, in which he asks His interrogators, “by whom do your children” cast out devils?

When John told Him about others, who were NOT disciples of Jesus, casting out devils in His name, He instructed “Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.” (Mark 9:39)

“Thy faith hath made thee whole.”

Nearly every healing and exorcism He performed was at the request of the afflicted person or their loved ones. I believe this is because even the Son of God could (or would) not heal those who had no faith. That is why he performed few if any miracles in His home town. (see Mormon 9:15-21) It is also why healing miracles have been performed by people of strong faith throughout time, regardless of whether they held priesthood authority or followed any specific protocol – FAITH is the critical ingredient.

Gentiles

As a rule, His miracles were for the House of Israel – and those were often performed in large, public settings – among “the multitude.” Yet on a few occasions He did privately perform miracles for Gentile individuals – a Roman centurion (Matt 8), a Syrophenician Greek woman (Mark 7), and the deamon-possessed Gadarene man (Mark 5, Matt 8, Luke 8). The first two came to Jesus and begged for healing, and were commended for faith exceeding that in Israel; the Gadarene demoniac became an evangelist after his healing – he was sent to tell everyone what had happened.

I find it especially significant that in the 2nd and 3rd case, it appears that His ONLY reason to make the trip to that Gentile place was for the purpose of this healing! In the case of the Greek woman, it would have taken several days each way.

Resources:

“Accepting the Lord’s Will and Timing” by David A Bednar

“Has the Day of Miracles Ceased?” by Donald L Hallstrom

2023 weeks 8 & 9 the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7 + Luke 6)

(This will be short, since I am still limited to my left hand.)

This short portion of the New Testament is the very key to the Gospel (teachings) of Jesus. I suspect that He taught this same message whenever and wherever He found a receptive audience. He spent His life showing what this kind of life looks like. The rest of the New Testament gives us a glimpse into the lives and struggles of early believers as they tried to conform their lives to His teachings and example.

These teachings call believers to a life that flips many cultural norms and expectations “upside down.” (There are many books and sermons available that address this subject.) Yet to faithful Jews, this should not be surprising, since in its day the Law of Moses did pretty much the same thing. Why? Because The Adversary is always trying to get Natural Man to flip God’s Good Order. (See last year’s post on the Two Cities )

God’s objective is always the same – “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48, compare with Ex 19:5-6)

This Message is so important that the Lord delivered it to His people at the Bountiful temple after His Resurrection (3 Ne 12-14), as well as a similar message through King Benjamin at the Zarahemla temple (Mosiah 2-6).

2023 Feb week 6 part 1: Matt 4, Luke 4 The Temptation

This is a very curious event, as we have it in most English Bibles. Why would Jesus go seeking out temptation? One of the first “commandments” He gave during His ministry was “Follow me.” Peter taught that Jesus “went about doing good.” (Acts 10:38) And Peter told us to “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (1 Thes 5:22) Deliberately seeking out evil would NOT be something He would want us to do, so it would not be something HE would do.

Fortunately for us in our day, Joseph Smith has explained this apparent contradiction: “Then Jesus was led up of the Spirit, into the wilderness, to be with God.” (JST Matt 4:1) Now THAT makes sense – after being baptized, He was prepared to be taught more fully about His Mission and Ministry. Not only that, He would be following the example of Moses, another forerunner, who spent several “40 day” periods on Sinai communing with and being taught by God. (Exodus 24:18, 34:27-38) After Moses’ second long interview with the Lord, a change was wrought and his face shone so brightly that it frightened the people – because they recognized it as a sign of godly power. (Ex 34:29-35) The Bible records multiple occasions when Moses spent time in God’s presence, and came away shining.

To get a better idea what was talked about, we can go to the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price. There we see that “Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain” (1:1), God introduced Himself (1:3), told Moses he was His son (1:4), told him he had “a work” to do (1:6), and showed him “the workmanship of mine hands; but not all…” (1:4-8) When his first interview with God ended, Moses was left without strength. (v 9-11) At that point Satan came to tempt him, but Moses refused to worship him – because he had seen the God of glory. (v 12-22) After this Moses prayed and again beheld God’s glory and His work among the children of men on this earth. (v 24 thru the end of the Book) Moses 1:39 gives us God’s mission statement: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” For this purpose He has created “worlds without number.” (1:33)

It is quite likely that Jesus’ experience with His Father during the 40 days in the wilderness was similar to Moses’ experience. I believe it is probable that Jesus also received all the other ordinances of godliness that are required to be performed in mortality, either for one’s self or by proxy. He had just been baptized by John (to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15), but John did not have power to do any more, because the rest require Melchezidek Priesthood. (see Acts 19:1-6) This would include Confirmation and the Gift of the Holy Ghost, as well as the ordinances now performed in Temples. In our dispensation, as in the past, we endeavor to provide these ordinances to all missionaries before they commence their missions – would it not be as important for the Messiah to receive ALL these ordinances before performing HIS critical mission? (see Luke 24:49; D&C 38:31-33, 45:15-16, 95:8-9, 105:5-12, 110:1-10)

There is precedent for temple ordinances being performed outside of temples when legitimate temples are not available. Anciently, God’s people from Adam to the Patriarchs performed Sacrifices at altars wherever they lived. Under Moses, this ordinance was moved to the Tabernacle (a tent temple). In our dispensation as well, ordinances were performed outside of temples while temples were being built.

The Temptations

We learn of these in Matthew and Luke. The temptations are the same, but the order differs. I will follow the order of Matthew, but will highlight many elements of Luke’s account that differ from Matthew’s. One common thread is “IF thou be the Son of God…” Both Jesus and Satan know who He is, yet Satan tries repeatedly to undermine His confidence in His identity. (He had done the same thing to Moses – see 1:12)

The First Temptation: Hunger. Jesus had not eaten in so long, it would be easy to plant a fear of starvation. And He DID have power to make (or at least multiply) bread. Yet He would not use His power for His own comfort or profit. Rather, He let “the tempter” know that there was more to life than food.

The Second Temptation: Acceptance (from the world) and “proof” (of God’s promised protection). If He cast himself down as Satan proposed, it would be a dramatic proof of His identity – yet He was careful to avoid proof. (We will see repeated instance where he commands evil spirits to keep quiet rather than declare His identity!) He knew that His Father WOULD protect Him if necessary, but He also knew that it was not appropriate to intentionally put Himself in danger – until His mission required it.

The Third Temptation: I find this one the most interesting. Satan offers Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory, if He will but worship him. The irony is inescapable: the Destroyer is promising the Creator power and glory. In Luke’s account (4:6), the devil declares that the power and glory of the kingdoms of the world are “delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I will give it.” Satan is “the father of lies” (2 Ne. 2:18, 9:9), but he always mixes his lies with half-truths. I’m inclined to read this as a half-truth: he does have power in this world – not power that was GIVEN to him by God, but power he has TAKEN. (See my post on the Two Cities, and the latest BYU Forum, “Covenant vs Consumer Education.”) At His Second Coming Jesus will reclaim the power that Satan has stolen.

At the same time, exchanging His divine birthright (the Kingdom of Heaven for eternity) for power during mortality would be a very poor trade. It reminds me of the threatening epistle from Giddianhi (leader of the Gadianton Robbers) to Lachoneus (leader of the Nephites), demanding that they “yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us—not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance.” (3 Ne 3:7) The truth of the matter is that the Gadianton Robbers HAD NO SUBSTANCE – they survived on plunder stolen from the Nephites. If the Nephites should join them, they would have no substance to plunder!

Another lie is revealed to us in Alma 11:21-25: Satan would not have kept his promise — he never does!

note to readers: I managed to break my right wrist this morning, so it could be a while before I can type well enough to post again.

2023 week 4: John 1: The Word (Logos)

The writings of John the Apostle (aka the Evangelist) are often viewed as very deep and hard to understand fully. Compared to the other evangelists (writers of Gospels), John’s record shows a much higher “Christology” – focus on Jesus Christ as divine – while the others were more focused on proving that he really lived, suffered, died, and was resurrected. Both of these perspectives are important – in order to perform His divine mission for OUR Salvation, Jesus needed to be both human (and thus able to experience temptation, suffering, pain and death like we do) and divine (the actual Son of God).

THE WORD = LOGOS = Light

Many think they are heavily influenced by Greek philosophy – especially this first chapter. It is true that the book was written in Greek, for a Greek-speaking audience, but the philosophy behind it is very Jewish. So what is Logos to the Jews?

Greek Logos (G3056) reflects the Hebrew concepts of Word (Dabar H1697) and Wisdom (Hakma H2451).

“It suggests Wisdom. For Alexandrian Jewish philosopher, Philo, God’s Logos was the first fruit of creation. … The Wisdom of Ben Sira identifies Wisdom with the divine commandment, that is, the Torah… (Gen. Rab…. declares that God consulted the Torah as a blueprint before creating the world). See also the use of memra (“word”) in the Aramaic Targums to Genesis.” “With God” – “I [Wisdom] was there… I was beside him [the Lord].” Jewish Annotated New Testament (For more on this, I recommend the excellent essay on “Logos” in the Jewish Annotated New Testament. I did a lot of highlighting, which will be viewable after I finish reading – hoping by the end of the year.)

The very first few verses (1-5) reflect Genesis 1-4 in the account of the Creation. In Genesis God speaks and light comes into existence; He divides it from the darkness. In John, “all things were made by him.” He is the source of life (Greek Zoe G2222) and light (Greek Phos G5457).

Light can overpower darkness; darkness cannot “comprehend” light. (Greek  καταλαμβάνω katalambánō, kat-al-am-ban’-o (G2638, from G2596 and G2983):  to take eagerly, i.e. seize, possess, etc. (literally or figuratively):—apprehend, attain, come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, (over-)take.) This tells us that Light is more powerful than darkness.

For more on Light, I recommend “The Spiritual Physics of Light” and Doctrine and Covenants section 93.

Without light, we are blind – a major theme of the Bible, often signifying unbelief or apostasy.

As he speaks of the world, he uses the Greek word Kosmos (G2889).

SONS OF GOD

v 10-14: He was rejected by many, including those who were (supposed to be) the Chosen Covenant People. But those who recognized and received Him became the sons (and daughters) of God.

Verse 13 teaches that becoming a child of God requires being born OF God (as an individual of faith) rather than being a mortal inheritance. This does require a Covenant – but you have to make and keep it yourself. (see my blog post on Covenants; also Hebrews 11, Mosiah chapters 2-5)

Verse 14 tells that He condescended to take on flesh, that He might “camp out” (Greek Skenoo G4637, reflecting Hebrew Mishkan H4908, tabernacle) among us for a time, so that we might dwell with Him and our Father for eternity. This is …“A paradoxical formulation, since “flesh” are perishable and “logos” is an eternal divine quality….This point marks the “incarnation,” the Word becoming flesh. The idea that a divine being can simultaneously be human is often seen as a major dividing line between Judaism and Christianity. Jews in the biblical and Second Temple periods, however, believed supernatural beings, such as angels, could take human form… The boundaries between human and divine were then understood as more porous and less absolute.” Jewish Annotated New Testament

John Lightfood explains the glory men beheld: “This glory in this place imports the same thing as worthy. We saw his glory as what was worthy or became the only-begotten Son of God. He did not glister in any worldly pomp or grandeur according to what the Jewish nation fondly dreamed their Messiah would do; but he was decked with the glory, holiness, grace, truth, and the power of miracles.”

One of the big questions of Christianity was how a divine being could dwell in the flesh. One early sect claimed that it was just an illusion – that a god could not possibly inhabit a physical body. Others had different explanations. The Restoration provides what I consider the best explanation: That WE are of the same “species” as God (Genesis 1:26-27 says “in our likeness and image.”), only not at the same level of development as our Father. Jesus, being the Only Begotten of the Father and without sin, progressed much faster than any fully mortal being could do, but eventually and with the guidance of His Spirit, we can eventually become LIKE them, so that we can enjoy their society.

JOHN’S TESTIMOINY

Verses 15-36 give us the testimony of John the Baptist, NOT John the Evangelist. (See Luke 1 and Doctrine and Covenants section 93)

John the Baptist taught his followers that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” The Jewish Annotated New Testament gives us these definitions:

• Grace = “God’s loving presence (Heb “hesed,” Steadfast love) and
• Truth = faithfulness (Heb “‘emet,” truth that does not yield).

Priests and Levites

Then the Priests and Levites — the leaders most closely associated with Temple ritual including ritual purification” (Jewish Annotated New Testament) — came from Jerusalem to question his authority. It was their responsibility to keep the doctrines and practices pure. These “learned men,” leaders of the Jews, don’t know what to make of John. He is acting and sounding like a Prophet, but ..

“The Masters of Traditions were wont to say that “the spirit of prophecy departed from Israel after the death of Zechariah and Malachi.” So that we do not find they expected any prophet till the days of the Messiah; nor indeed that any, in that interim of time, did pretend to that character. They believed that at the coming of the Messiah the prophets were to rise again.” (John Lightfoot Commentary)

So according to their expectations, IF John is a Prophet, then it signals the coming of the Messiah – which it does!

The Joseph Smith Translation provides greater clarity on some of these verses.

Jesus Calls Disciples

After His baptism, Jesus called the first of His disciples from among the disciples of John: Andrew, who then invited his brother Simon, to whom Jesus gave the name Peter. Next Philip, who invited his friend Nathanael. Jesus told Nathanael that he would see the same vision as Jacob at Luz (which he renamed Bethel). This is in John 1:51 -with Jesus as the Ladder Jacob saw in Gen 28:12. (see https://youtu.be/AyHb7B6mqtQ; also hymn #100, Nearer, My God, to Thee. 4-part recording of verse 1 by my son Stephen.)

One important theme of the whole Book of John is how the ministry and Atonement of Jesus Christ allow us to draw close to our Father. Russel T Osguthorpe addresses this in his podcast on John 1.

2023 NT week 3: Matt 2, Luke 2

Luke 2 gives us the familiar Nativity stories of their move to Bethlehem, the Shepherds, and a nutshell of Jesus’ childhood, while Matt 2 tells us of the Wise Men from the East, Herod’s edict, and their move back to Nazareth. We will look at them in chronological order. Pay special attention to the many witnesses of His divinity and mission!

The move to Bethlehem

It was not a census as we know it, but a requirement that all people should be “enrolled” or registered in their home towns. This was the NORM in Europe for almost 2 millenia – it was eliminated only recently in Norway. This is how they made sure the poor people couldn’t leave their masters and find a better life elsewhere. It made it easier for the government to raise taxes and armies.

Jeff Chadwick, interviewed on The Scripture Are Real, proposed that Joseph took Mary their ON PURPOSE, so that her son would be born in Bethlehem, as the Prophets foretold. A benefit of the move was that it took Mary away from HER tiny home town of Nazareth (population perhaps 200), where everyone knew she was pregnant before she was married. When they arrived in Bethlehem, none but the closest family would have known this embarrassing fact. It is possible that Joseph was already living in Bethlehem, since that is HIS familial home. Marriages then were arranged, so they might not even have met before the betrothal – and perhaps not even then. Mary had family living not far from Bethlehem – Zacharias and Elizabeth lived in “the hill country of Judea,” and they might have been involved in the marriage arrangements. If so, Mary might have had a chance to meet Joseph while she was there with Elizabeth.

The Birth

Given Joseph’s ties with Bethlehem and the size of the community, Mary would NOT have given birth alone – she surely would have been attended by other experienced women. Because the “messiness” of childbirth makes those involved ritually impure (and thus ineligible to visit or serve in the Temple), it would be kept apart from the normal living spaces, in a place where ritual impurity wouldn’t be an issue. This would be a particular issue if the birth took place at the time pilgrims and priests were gathering for the Passover.

“Swaddling clothes” would have been common, not a sign that they were in abject poverty. Even today, wise mothers swaddle their new babies, because it makes the babies more comfortable. As for the “manger,” it would have been a large STONE with a depression formed in the top to hold water so the animals could drink. (see The Stone Manger by Jeffrey Chadwick, or the podcast interview mentioned above)

The Shepherds

There were shepherds nearby, keeping watch at night. This is noteworthy in three respects, as we learn from Jewish sources referenced in this article ant other sources:

1. Why were they near Bethlehem? The only sheep kept near Bethlehem were those intended for Temple sacrifice. All others were kept “in the wilderness.” As Temple sacrifices, they had to be firstborn and perfect. It would have been the shepherds’ job to keep track of which ones were firstborn, and to protect them from injury so that they were suitable as sacrifices. Because this job was so important and sacred, the shepherds might well have been priests or Levites – or at least of those lineages.
   
2. Why were they in the fields at night? The norm for the time was for the shepherd to lead the sheep to the sheepfold before night, and then to sleep across the doorway to prevent anything from getting in or out. The only exception would have been during the lambing season (spring), when the new lambs were born. To move them daily in and out of town, and to crowd them together at night would have interfered with the birth of the new lambs.
   
   (For more about the sheepfold and the door thereof, see John 10 and related articles and commentaries, including One Fold and One Shepherd, The Sheepfold parables, I Am the Gate of the Sheepfold.)
   https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/nt/luke/2?lang=eng&id=p21#p21
3. S Kent Brown says this: “At first glance, the scene pictured in Luke 2:8 seems unusual: “Shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Why? Because usually an older child or young teenager in the family stays with the sheep through the night rather than an adult (see 1 Sam. 16:11 and 17:15, where the Hebrew text reads that young David “watches over his father’s sheep”). Even today, children of Middle Eastern shepherds mind the sheep through the night, whereas the adults spend nights out of doors only during the birthing period or during a crisis. Luke’s description features adult shepherds who are with the sheep. Therefore, the nighttime scene points to the lambing season, the springtime. In fact, the Greek expression that is translated “keeping watch over their flock by night” reads literally, “guarding watches of the night over their flock.” Because ancient Jewish people divided the nighttime hours into three watches, the language implies the shepherds are with their flock all night. Ewes are basically helpless when giving birth. So the shepherds stay with them to see that the newborn lambs are dried off and kept warm during that first cold night. One of the important benefits of Luke’s notation is that it suggests the general time of Jesus’ birth: the spring of the year.” Source: S. Kent Brown, “Why were the shepherds in the field at night when the angel came?,” BYU New Testament Commentary (December 15, 2013).
   
   These shepherds could have been young teens – the age of Bar Mitzvah was 12-13 (https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/bar-bat-mitzvah), and God seems to like working with young people.   (Mary, David, Nephi, Joseph Smith…).   They only needed to have attained “Bar Mitzvah” status to be considered “adults” and legal witnesses.  

After following the Angel’s direction and visiting Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus (and bearing witness of the Lamb of God), the Shepherds “made known abroad” what they had heard and seen. (Luke 2:15-20) If these shepherds were young teens, they would be in their 40s when the Savior’s ministry occurred – and we would hope they were watching for Him. (This idea is the theme of one of my favorite Christmas songs: Shine for Me Again, Star of Bethlehem.)

The Rites of the Law: Circumcision (Luke 2:21) & Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-39)

In Matthew 3:15, Jesus petitions John for baptism “to fulfill all righteousness,” even though he was without sin and thus not in need of repentance. In that He was following the example of His earthly parents, who were careful to observe the Law as it was understood in their day by having their son circumcised at 8 days old (Luke 2:21) and presented offerings in the temple once Mary had been purified (probably by immersion in a mikveh) 40 days after giving birth. (Luke 2:22-24, Lev 12)

We now move to Matthew’s account in chapter 2:

The Wise Men

We know very little about these visitors, other than that they came “from the East” after having seen His star and recognizing its significance. The only prophecy we have in the record of Judah (the Tanakh or Old Testament) is found in Numbers 24:17, where Balaam the Moabite prophet says “there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” It is possible that there were other prophecies of this event in the records of Joseph/Ephraim/Israel (the northern 10 tribes). We don’t know how far east they were, but they clearly had records of prophecies of the coming of the Messiah. They may have been of the 10 “lost” tribes scattered by the Assyrians, or Judahites who were taken to Babylon and remained in Persia after the regime change.

They probably did not arrive for at least 40 days, since Jesus was presented in the temple at age 40 days BEFORE they arrived. And they would have arrived by the time he was 18 months old in order for John to have also fallen under the death sentence.

Their gifts were of great monetary value, being precious spices from afar, and thus may have provided the means for their flight to Egypt. (Frankincense & myrrh come from Arabia and northern Africa, but were traded all over the “world.”) They may also have been given because of their symbolic significance: gold for royalty, frankincense for priesthood (representing prayers) and myrrh for death. Also, all three were associated with proper Temple worship. (Some articles: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, More to F. and M. Than Meets the Eye, Why G, F & M?, What did Jesus do with (them)?)

Egypt

After the Wise Men (magi) left for home, Joseph was awakened by the angel and told to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt, to escape King Herod’s paranoid decree for the deaths of all children in Bethlehem below the age of two. Some scholars claim that this didn’t happen, because it is not recorded in historical records, but others admit that it would have been a relatively minor event, and was in keeping with Herod’s recorded behavior at the end of his life. (There was a saying that it was better to be Herod’s dog than his son, because he killed his sons if they threatened his power.)

When they got to Egypt, they would have found many communities of Jews well established there – it would not have been hard for them to hide there. Jer 44:1 mentions communities at Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph and Pathros. In Ptolmaic times many settled around Alexandria (Josephus claims about 120,000 captives were taken there, and they were assigned to two of the 5 districts to keep them separate); in the 3rd century BC they spread out to surrounding areas. It was these Alexandrian Jews who translated the Tanakh to Greek, giving us the Septuagint – the Scripture that Jesus and His Apostles and disciples would have known and used. (History of Jews in Egypt; see also History of Jews in Alexandria)

They were influential enough to have built a temple at Elephantine!

They were called back to Israel after Herod’s death (various sources place this between 5 BC and 1 AD, with 4 BC as most likely). It is primarily Herod’s death that is used to date Jesus’ birth; some also point to lunar eclipses. Scholars seem to think that Herod’s death happened shortly after the “slaughter of the innocents.”

Nazareth

On their return, they were apparently planning to return to Bethlehem (Joseph’s hometown), but learning that Herod had bequeathed Judah to his son Archelaus, decided to go instead to Nazareth (Mary’s hometown).

Why did they need to go to Nazareth?

1. to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1-10 – He is to be called The Branch, and Nazareth means branch.
2. Nazareth is Mary’s home town, so they would have kin there.
3. Herod’s son Antipas was given Galilee (and Perea), which he ruled for 42 years – through the life of Jesus and beyond. He would be responsible for the death of John the Baptist, but declined to judge Jesus. His older brother Archelaus was given Judea, Idumea and Samaria, and their brother Phillip received several neighboring provinces. Antipas was a builder (which would have provided demand for Joseph’s skill as a craftsman), and was more sensitive to Jewish tradition than his brothers.

back to Luke:

Jesus’ First Passover as an “adult” in his community (41-50)

When Jesus was 12 years old (perhaps just as He was turning 13, if He was born in the spring), His parents took Him with them for their annual pilgrimage to the Temple for Passover — as commanded in the Law. They would have traveled with a caravan of friends and family members for safety. After the Feast, after a day’s journey toward home, His parents discovered that He was NOT in the company. They returned to Jerusalem and searched for Him. I’m sure they looked first with local family, but didn’t find Him until they returned to the Temple – where He was “sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.” Everyone was “astonished at his understanding and answers.” When questioned, He was surprised they didn’t know “that I must be about my Father’s business?” Now that He was an “adult,” He was anxious to begin His service, but His time wasn’t yet – He needed to wait. Even after He was baptized at age 30, He realized that “mine hour is not yet come.” (John 2:4)

RESOURCES

My posts on this topic from 2019 – you’ll notice I’ve learned some new things:
Luke 2
Matt 2

The Christ Child video

The First Christmas Spirit video – a look at the first years of Jesus’ mortal life from Joseph’s perspective

2023 Week 5: Matt 3, Mark 1, Luke 3: John the Baptist baptizes Jesus

This post was barely started when I broke my arm. Rather than keep it in limbo, I figured I would post it as-is, and IF I have time after I get use of my right hand again, I may enlarge it.

at Bethabara, just north of the Dead Sea, where the Children of Israel passed through to take possession of the promised land.

1. John
   1. Commission:  Lk 1:14-17, 76-79, 3:2-6 (cf Is 40:3-4)
   2. Authority:  John 1:19-28, Lk 3:15-16
   3. Mission:
      1. Teaching and preparing:  Mt 3:1-12, Mark 1:1-8, Luke 3:7-20)
         1. Fruits
            1. Meet for repentance (Matt 3:8; Lk 3:8, 10-14,)
            2. Unfruitful tree (Matt 3:10 cf Jacob 5)
         2. Final Harvest (Matt 3:12, Lk 3:17)
      2. Baptizing the Savior:  2 Ne 31:4, 
      3. Witnessing of the Lamb of God:
         1. Prenatally:  Lk 1:44
         2. Before baptism:  Mark 1:7-8, John 1:15-18, 26-36
         3. After baptism: John 1:29-36, 1 Ne 10:10
2. Jesus
   1. Requests & receives baptism: Matt 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22 (cf Psalms 2:)
3. Calls disciples: Mark 1:14-20, John 1:12, 35-51