Justin

His Plan (KNT)

His plan was to sum up the whole cosmos in the king--yes, everything in heaven and on earth, in him. (Ephesians 1.10 KNT) I have found NT Wright's translation to be insatiable: it moves with such a provoking,…

Ephesians 1:10 (TNIV)

Every Body Has Missing Parts

It's rare that I ever hear all of this in context - or even remotely in context. Usually, and you will probably know what I am speaking of, the "cutting off" verses are quoted to people stumbling in their…

Mark 9:42 (GNT), Mark 9:43 (GNT), Mark 9:45 (GNT), Mark 9:47 (GNT), Mark 9:48 (GNT), Mark 9:49 (GNT), Mark 9:50 (GNT)

Powers Used By Paul

As per Berkhof (Christ and The Powers, p18), If we have begun to think of the Powers as angels or classes of angels, this text is somewhat embarrassing. The angelic names stand here side-by-side with…

Romans 8:38 (NASB), Romans 8:39 (NASB)

The King Jesus Gospel In The Christmas Story

John Frye sent Scot McKnight these notes on how the King Jesus Gospel is evident in and revealed through the Christmas story of Luke 2 - so glad to see this story unpacked and tied to 1 Corinthians 15,…

May Perish To Know

Interesting that the writer is longing for their destruction and demise forever SO THAT they would know God; and this is eternal life, that they may know You.

Psalm 83:17 (NASB), Psalm 83:18 (NASB)

Not A Kingdom Parable

Verse 14 makes it clear, this is not a "The Kingdom of Heaven is like..." parable. This is about "absence", "delay", etc. and it would be wise to remember two things about Matthew's audience, or the Matthean…

Matthew 25:14 (TNIV), Matthew 25:15 (TNIV)

"Not With Any Flesh"

I love the LXX's translation of this verse, "For the question which the king asks is difficult, and there is no one else who shall answer it before the king, but the gods, whose dwelling is not with any…

Daniel 2:11 (TNIV)

V. 12, 16 Nothing But 'Seeds'

Note: Verses 12, 16, and in a roundabout way, 3 all use the same word in the LXX. I don't believe "nothing but vegetables to eat" is a proper translation or even, interpretation of this idea. They…

Daniel 1:12 (TNIV), Daniel 1:16 (TNIV)

Kings

Kings of Judah during this time period: - Josiah - 639-608 - Jehoahaz - 608-608 - Jehoikim - 608-597 - Jehoichin - 597-597 - Zedekiah - 597-686 Babylonian Kings Nebuchadnezzar - 605-562 Nabonidus -…

Daniel 1:1 (TNIV)

The Corporate Memory

The Desert Way of Spirituality/Christianity recognizes the importance of remembering, and moreover, "We are not only urged to remember our own past, but to enter contemplatively into a corporate memory…

Deuteronomy 6:21 (TNIV)

Eternal Fire - For The Disciples...?

Notice that this section starts off by making it known that "The disciples" came to Yeshua... And then we read in verse 18 the rabbinic formula of "If/Then" as it relates to entering the kingdom or being…

Matthew 18:8 (TNIV)

Untie Him

The NIV translates this as, "take off the grave clothes and..." This is really a pretty poor translation overall, especially considering, 1) "untie" is a much better translation of the word, LYSATE.…

John 11:44 (NIV84)

Literally Speaking

i just find this literal translation to be quite revealing and for contemplation as we seek to understand this passage: Literal Translation: "But divisions of favors there are, but the same spirit; and…

1 Corinthians 12:4 (WEB), 1 Corinthians 12:5 (WEB), 1 Corinthians 12:6 (WEB)

Sign of Jonah

the sign of jonah: three days in the depths of the great fish: three days shall the son of man be in the depths of the grave and death. both hearken back to belief versus unbelief for a "generation."

Matthew 16:4 (TNIV)

Sxetchy Genealogy

i love the five women matthew chooses to include in his genealogy: tamar, rahab, ruth, bathsheeba, and mary: prostitutes, a seductress, an adulteress, and mary, surely accused of being 'fast', let's…

Matthew 1:17 (TNIV)

but what about the ninety-nine!?

you know you’re reading GOD’s words when the same passage you’ve already read a dozen times before reveals a glaring obvious truth. glaring, i do declare! how many of you have read this parable from…

Luke 15:3 (ASV), Luke 15:4 (ASV), Luke 15:5 (ASV), Luke 15:6 (ASV)

One To Five Ratio: Megale

noteworthy: only once in matthew's account is faith attributed as being megale/great. (similar passage in matthew 8.10, tosauthn NOT megas is the greek) and here it is attributed to a caananite woman…

Matthew 6:30 (ASV), Matthew 8:26 (ASV), Matthew 14:31 (ASV), Matthew 15:28 (ASV), Matthew 16:8 (ASV), Matthew 17:20 (ASV)

On "Withdrawing"

important to note here, though the translation of (anachoresin) into "withdraw" is a fair translation, it's meaning today does not really carry the same weight; we tend to equate withdrawing and hiding.…

Matthew 4:12 (ASV)

Not Only "Enemy"

εχθρος / exthros / enemy: but really, a hostile, personal, enemy-with-a-vendetta sort of enemy. and specifically, εχθρος αντθροπος / exthros anthropos / a human enemy: that is to say, an enemy of created…

Matthew 13:25 (ASV)

The Point of Contrast

here, paul is contrasting the permanence of love (love never fails) versus the impermance of everything else.

1 Corinthians 13:8 (ASV), 1 Corinthians 13:9 (ASV), 1 Corinthians 13:10 (ASV), 1 Corinthians 13:11 (ASV)

Circa 628 bce

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_of_Heaven_%28Antiquity%29 The goddess, the Queen of heaven whose worship Jeremiah so vehemently opposed, may have been possibly Astarte. Astarte is the name of a goddess…

Jeremiah 44:17 (TNIV)

Here's The Kicker

http://www.abeautifulmess.info/2010/02/rescue-at-starbucks/ (http://www.abeautifulmess.info/2010/02/rescue-at-starbucks/) notice. only four drachma were paid. under mosaic law, every male over twenty…

Matthew 17:24 (ASV), Luke 22:29 (ASV)

Light Times Five

i find it of interest that we find "light" occurring five times in these three verses: five being the hebrew numerical symbol conveying a sense of semi-completion...

Genesis 1:3 (TNIV), Genesis 1:4 (TNIV), Genesis 1:5 (TNIV)

Do Not Begin To Be Anxious

the p.b.v renders the verse this way, "do not begin to be anxious." i find it quite fitting, for once we've begun in our minds to be anxious, we will typically feel anxious, and a good amount of the…

Philippians 4:6 (AMP)

and there he prayed

http://www.abeautifulmess.info/?p=200 (http://www.abeautifulmess.info/?p=200) it seems there is a very real landscape to our prayers. there exists, along the journey of every follower of jesus, many…

Mark 1:35 (TNIV)