Lee Harmon's Blog, page 26

Matthew 9:13, The Door to Heaven is Mercy

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’

//Some time ago, I discussed what Jesus said in Matthew 5 about those who are merciful. They, said Jesus, are the ones who will receive mercy. Perhaps you believe you’re saved by grace; perhaps you believe you’re saved by works. But Jesus says you’re saved if and only if you’re merciful.

With this in mind, it’s enlightening to look at some of the parables Jesus told:

– The story of the Good Samaritan teaches us to have mercy.

– Th...

Matthew 5:41, Jesus and Nonresistance

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

//This verse sounds like it encourages camaraderie. If someone requests your presence to walk a mile, walk with him two. I used to read it this way.

But this is surely not what Jesus meant. Read it in context: If somebody hits you on the cheek, turn the other one to him. If someone takes you to court to take away your coat, give him your cloak, too. And now today’s verse: If someone demands that you help him, do so willingly … in...

Matthew 5:22, Whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca

But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

//I think today’s verse is commonly misunderstood. “Raca” in this verse (taken from the King James Version) is Aramaic for “empty-headed” or “worthless.” It’s roughly equivalent to saying “Thou fool.” A person who says “Raca” to his br...

Book Excerpt: John’s Gospel: The Way It Happened

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In the beginning was the Logos, John tells us. Logos, the Greek word translated as Word in the NASB, is the mind of God controlling this world, the force changing it from chaos to order, and for hundreds of years before Christ, it portrayed a philosophical line of thought known well by all learned men in the Hellenistic world, much as scholars today might discuss evolution or Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

Plato once said to his followers, “It may be that someday there will come forth from G...

Book review: Blueprint for Theocracy: The Christian Right’s Vision for America

by James C. Sanford

★★★★★

For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king. –Isaiah 33:22

This stuff frightens me. Sanford approaches the topic of the Religious Right much like a journalist struggling mightily to remain unbiased. This goal is too lofty, and though he gives it a good try, the inherent danger of merging church and state nevertheless surfaces in his writing.

The word “theocracy” merely means a form of government where God is in control. It sounds wonderful,...

Matthew 1:19, Mary’s Betrothal

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

//This verse is often confusing to readers unfamiliar with Bible customs. Joseph is not yet married to Mary when she is found pregnant, but he is called her husband because they are betrothed. Typically, betrothal was arranged by the parents of the youngsters (the woman usually about age 14, the man about 18), but with the approval of those to be married.

Betrothal means...

Genesis 3:6, Vitamin C and the Tree of Knowledge

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

//In the Garden of Eden, the serpent convinces Eve that the fruit of the tree of knowledge won’t kill her. So she eats, and gives some to her husband Adam. Against God’s warning, they gobble down the fruit, and with it, a precious commodity: vitamin C.

Eating f...

Book review: Excommunicating the Faithful: Jewish Christianity in the Early Church

by Kenneth W. Howard

★★★★★

This is a scholarly look at the evidence, both archaeological and from the written record of the Church Fathers, of early Jewish Christianity. Howard focuses on two sects, the Ebionites and the Nazarenes. He notes that early Christians all went by the name of Nazarene, and that the Jewish Christians probably fled Jerusalem just prior to the war of 70 AD, landing in Pella (the famous Christian exodus noted in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 21). These displaced Christians...

Luke 13:35, Your House is Left Desolate

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

//The desolation of the “house” in Luke’s writing probably refers to the Temple of God in Jerusalem. It was often named the “House” of God in scripture. As we all know, the Temple was destined to be destroyed only 40 years after Jesus died.

This “house of God” phrase may be taken from the song of Psalm 118:26:

Bles...

1 Peter 4:12, The Fiery Trial

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.

//In Jewish tradition, driven a great deal by the Old Testament, there were considered to be two eras of note: the current, sinful age, which was spiraling deeper and deeper into chaos, and the coming messianic age, where God would again take an active role in the governance of earth and justice would prevail. Jewish thought was that the righteous were suffering in this...