Afleveringen
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Today I will do my best to convince you that the last 12 verses of Mark 16 shouldnât have brackets around them or footnotes that cast doubt on their authenticity. I believe that they are authentic Scripture inspired by God.
Now, I try to stay away from saying anything controversial in the Daily Bible Reading Podcast series, and it kind of bothers me that here in this first Day 7 extra podcast of the year, I will say things that quite a few people with seminary training will consider leaning too much to the conservative side of the scale. But I feel constrained to be controversial now so I will come right out and say it:
I believe what Moses (Deut. 8:3) and Jesus (Luk. 4:4) said: âMan shall not live on bread alone, but by every word of God.â
If we are to live by âevery wordâ, then it makes sense to me to believe that God would preserve every word for us.
Please remember that all Bible translations were made by humans. This means that there is no such thing as a perfect Bible translation, as almost all good versions state in their prefaces. Even the KJV translators admitted this in their Preface. So I ask for your patient understanding as I set out a weakness in the NLT.
The NLT has this at Mark 16:8:
8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.[c]
c The most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8. Other manuscripts include various endings to the Gospel. A few include both the âshorter endingâ and the âlonger ending.â The majority of manuscripts include the âlonger endingâ immediately after verse 8.
Then with a sub-heading in bold and italic font:
[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.] [Shorter Ending of Mark]Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
[Longer Ending of Mark]
verses 9-20 âŠWhen you get to Day 26 you will note that I didn't read the shorter ending for the podcast. That ending has extremely thin support in ancient manuscripts, and where the words occur, the manuscripts often also have the longer ending, verses 9-20.
Some experts today think that Mark intended to end his Gospel with the words, âthey said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.â But this defies imagination! I donât think authors started using the type of endings where you leave-the-audience-hanging until centuries later, like perhaps just two centuries ago. Remember that Mark starts with the words, âThis is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.â Mark shows a pattern of telling the outcome for every miracle. He is not about to leave the main thesis of his story without its fulfillment. The fulfillment of the starting thesis is found in the next to last verse (16:19), which says, â19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at Godâs right hand.â That verse is also an important doctrinal statement, since no other Gospel includes those words as part of the story of Jesusâ resurrection. And the same verse very appropriately links Markâs Gospel with Peterâs teaching in 1Peter 3:22.
I believe that God has preserved His Word for us. Therefore it is unacceptable to me to say that the Holy Spirit would leave a whole book of the NT without a clear ending. We have two choices for the ending: One says the ladies didnât tell anyone because they were afraid. The other ends with Jesus at the right hand of God. Which one seems to be the proper ending to you?!
The NLT has words in bold italics before Mark 16 verses 9-20 which say, â[The most ancient manuscripts of Mark conclude with verse 16:8. Later manuscripts add one or both of the following endings.]â
Well, how many manuscripts are we actually talking about with the words âThe most ancient manuscriptsâ? Then the footnote says âlater manuscripts addâ the last 12 verses. What are the real numbers? Two of the very oldest manuscripts plus one other do not have the last 12 verses of Mark. But the manuscripts that include the last 12 verses number more than 1,650! 99.99% of ancient manuscripts contain the longer ending of Mark.
The NLT also has a footnote that starts with âThe most reliable early manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark end at verse 8.â But this statement is, in my opinion, totally false. The two manuscripts they are talking about (Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) cannot be said to be âreliableâ. They are, however, recognized as the very earliest, dated at 325 and 345. However, for Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus to be considered reliable, one would hope they would be reasonably consistent with one another. Instead they differ from one another in 3,036 places. I believe that early scribes recognized that they were defective, and this offers a plausible explanation for why there are no extant copies made from them.
Many old-school âexpertsâ (by that I mean seminary teachers from the mid-20th century) will say that the two oldest manuscripts outweigh all of the 1,650 other ancient manuscripts. But an increasing number of todayâs informed experts will not agree with the people I just called the âold-school expertsâ. Here are some points to consider:
Both of the two oldest manuscripts I just mentioned have an odd blank space at the end of Mark, showing that the scribe realized the manuscript he was copying had something left out. This is called a âmemorial spaceâ. Such memorial spaces are found in various places in other ancient manuscripts. So even though the two manuscripts do not have the last 12 verses of Mark, the scribes telegraphed to us that they knew such an ending existed. Remember that Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus are from the early 4th century. There are quotes of verses from Mark 16:9-20 by church fathers that predate those two manuscripts. Earlier support for the longer ending of Mark include âfour second-century witnesses, and 99.9% of the [other ancient] Greek manuscripts, and 99.99% of the [ancient] Latin manuscripts, and 99.5% of the [ancient] Syriac manuscripts, and 40 Roman-era patristic writers.â (These statistics are quoted from Dr. James Snappâs article: https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2013/08/robert-stein-and-ending-of-mark.html) Codex Sinaiticus was discovered in 1844. This touched off a lot of excitement, and a revolutionary new text of the NT was published by Westscott and Hort in 1881. Please consider that there are multiple examples in history where excitement over new discoveries resulted in mistaken theories. For example, Darwinâs theory of evolution from the same time period is now discredited. Just like you have university teachers still bone-headedly holding on to the theory of evolution, so the theories of Westscott and Hort are no longer upheld by many of todayâs experts but are still being repeated by seminary teachers. Westscott and Hortâs faulty decisions about what verses are not authentic are still seen in todayâs Bibles. Iâm sure that you will hear someone claim that the last 12 verses of Mark contain non-Markan vocabulary, but that assertion has been repeatedly disproved. Please see the resources for the podcast that I link at the end of todayâs episode notes. According to one ancient writer, Mark wrote his Gospel in Rome. It is likely that Mark or one of his friends made several copies of the first manuscript. Letâs say that one stayed in Rome and was copied, and letâs say that four other copies were sent toward the north, south, east and west. Each copy was painstakingly copied by hand over and over again and sent to an ever-widening circle of locations until the Gospel arrived all over the ancient world. Each scribe worked independently to copy the text of an earlier manuscript. 1650 manuscripts could not have the last 12 verses of Mark if the verses had not come from the first papyrus copy written by Mark.The Greek text of the New Testament that is the direct descendant of the Westscott and Hort 1881 text is published now in various editions of the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament, and also published as the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament. There are, of course, slight changes in these editions coming down to the present day. But even today, the main text is still remarkably similar to the 1881 text by Westscott and Hort. These texts are referred to collectively as the Critical Text or the Eclectic Text. Most of our English Bible translations of the last century have been based on that text, including NASB, GNT, NLT, NIV, and ESV. It is for that reason that you will find faith-destroying footnotes in them. By âfaith-destroyingâ, I mean that thinking readers ask, âIf whole verses could disappear and marr the conclusion of Markâs Gospel, how many other corruptions might there be in the New Testament?â Opponents of Christianity seize on such things to say that the Bible text is not reliable. Islamic people frequently repeat that criticism.
It is for that reason that our New Testament translation into the Indonesian language is based on the Majority or Byzantine Text. The Majority Text is not the same as the text that was the basis of the KJV, but it is similar to it.
I am so pleased that I can announce that at the end of 2022 Adam Boyd published his Text Critical English New Testament, which is an English translation of the Majority/Byzantine Text. (You can get this for free. I have included links to this and other resources at the end of the episode notes.) This is a real game changer because at last modern scholarship is able to give us accurate statistics about the percentage of manuscript support for variants in the Greek text. (The collating of manuscripts is still in process, and the percentages will continue to increase in accuracy.)
Let me give you two short examples. It would help if you could open your Bible to Mark 1 and also open ebible.org/study/ on your computer and navigate to Mark 1. You will see two columns for Scripture. Put the TCENT in the first column and the NASB in the second column. You will see that both translations give the first verse as âThe beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.â But click the superscript footnote at the word âChristâ in the TCENT. It shows that 98.2% of the manuscripts have the last words, âthe Son of God.â No matter what translation you are holding, it is likely that verse 1 ends with âthe Son of God.
Move to verse 2. The NASB starts with, âAs it is written in Isaiah the prophet,â whereas the TCENT begins with âAs it is written in the prophets.â Which is right? The footnote in the TCENT shows us that 96.2% of ancient manuscripts say âin the prophetsâ. Only 1.3% of manuscripts say âIsaiah the prophetâ. Well now look at the NASB and you will see a superscript cross reference symbol at the start of the quote. The quote in the last two lines of verse 2 is not from Isaiah, but from Malachi! (The quote in verse 3 is from Isaiah.) So the Majority Text is proved right. The NASB chose to follow the Critical Text. But at the time the NASB was translated, they would not have known that their translation was supported by only 1.3% of the manuscripts.
I hope that finding a weakness in your printed Bible doesnât upset your belief in God preserving his Word. He has preserved his Word, and we humans have a persistent habit of messing things up. If you follow the links at the end of todayâs episode notes, you can find some good literal translations of the Majority/Byzantine Text. But unfortunately, we still do not have a good meaning-based translation of that text that rivals the NLT or GNT for understandability. Weâll keep on with the NLT and GNT podcasts for now. But please join me in prayer that an easy-to-utderstand translation of the Majority Text will soon be made!
Wow, what a difficult topic this is! If you have listened to this point, I thank you! Normally my extra podcasts on the 7th day of each month will not deal with such complicated topics!
Until next time, may the Lord bless you âreal goodâ.
Resources:
Please consider supporting the work of James Snapp by buying and reading his 400-page book entitled Authentic: The Case for Mark 16:9-20: 2016 Edition. The Kindle book is only 99 cents. https://www.amazon.com/Authentic-Case-Mark-9-20-2016-ebook/dp/B01EU1OR9O
Phil Fields, 2019, Playing âFollow the Leaderâ in Bible Translation:
https://map.bloomfire.com/posts/3446975-playing-follow-the-leader-in-bible-translationPhil Fields, 2020, EveryWord podcast 005:
https://dailybiblereading.libsyn.com/website/everyword005-mark-16
Please follow that last link to find the supplemental PDF for that episode containing an essay on the ending of Mark by Dr. Wilbur Pickering, plus two other articles. (The last one deals with Markan vocabulary.)Adam Boyd, 2022, Text Critical Greek New Testament (TCGNG) and Text Critical English New Testament (TCENT):
https://byzantinetext.com/study/translations/
https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=engtcent&all=1
https://ebible.org/bible/details.php?id=grctcgntThis page has a downloadable PDF of the Introduction to the TCGNT: https://alkitabkita.info/bahasa-sumber-alkitab/ (Scroll down the page until you see the PDF file displayed in a box.) You will need the information in the Introduction to understand the abbreviations in the TCENT/TCGNT footnotes.
My favorite way to access the TCENT using this nifty online study app provided by ebible.org: https://ebible.org/study/
You can also easily access the Introduction at the top of the book menu. (Click on the zero.) -
GENESIS 42-43:
Yesterday in Genesis chapter 41, we heard of Pharaoh's dream, and what happened to Joseph as a result of his correctly telling the interpretation. Note also that Joseph was careful to give the glory to God for that interpretation.JOB 26:
In yesterdayâs reading in Job chapter 25, Bildad only had a six verse response, because Job interrupted him with the speech we will read today. Bildad implied Jobâs guilt in more than one way, including this most obvious rhetorical question:25:4 GNT Can anyone be righteous or pure in God's sight?
MARK 16:
Yesterday we heard of the death and burial of Jesus. That chapter was full of fulfilled prophecies. Psalm 22 includes several of those prophecies and helps us remember what Jesus suffered. We will read the first 18 verses of that psalm before reading Mark 16. After the part of Psalm 22 which we read today, that psalm continues with 13 more verses, which prophetically give praise about our victorious Messiah and God. So also we find that something better is coming in Mark chapter 16. -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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GENESIS 41:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis 40, Joseph interpreted two dreams. He said something quite significant: Interpreting dreams is Godâs business.JOB 25:
Yesterday in Job chapter 24, Job said,Job 24:1 GNT Why doesn't God set a time for judging, a day of justice for those who serve him?
And speaking of the helpless and downtrodden he said,
12 âIn the cities the wounded and dying cry out, but God ignores their prayers.
Starting in 24:18 GNT follows a number of other translations in saying that Zophar chimed in, disagreeing that the wicked are indeed punished, contradicting what Job was saying. NLT doesnât do that. When you find a place like that and want more information, it is always a good idea to see if the NET (New English Translation) has a footnote. The NET footnotes will often give information about alternative translations and their basis in the source text. If you are using the YouVersion Bible reader, and do not see the footnote marks in NET, click the Menu button, then choose Settings, and activate Show Notes.
In chapter 25, Bildad only has time to speak a few lines when Job interrupts him.
MARK 15b:
In the first half of Mark chapter 15, Jesus was tried by Pilate and condemned when Pilate caved in to pressure orchestrated by the religious leaders. The soldiers beat and mocked Jesus, he was nailed to the cross, and then everyone mocked him. The two Marys observed the tomb where Jesusâ body was placed. They would have known that they were to come back after the Sabbath to move the body and perform the customary anointing of the body. -
GENESIS 40:
Were you shocked by yesterdayâs reading in Genesis?! We heard the less than auspicious beginnings of Judah's lineâ particularly involving Tamar, who was more righteous than Judah. Then we heard of Joseph working for Potiphar and then being thrown in jail. Even in jail, he rose to the top.JOB 24:
In Job 24 today, Job continues his response to Eliphaz.MARK 15a:
At the end of chapter 14, Jesus was arrested, was tried before the council, and Peter denied knowing Jesus.Mark. 15:2 GNT Pilate asked Jesus, âAre you the king of the Jews?â
Jesus replied, â[Philâs translation: Yes, as you said.//GNT So you say.//NLT You have said it.]â
Jesus literally says âYou sayâ in Greek. I am told that this would normally be interpreted as an affirmative response. For English, I don't like the NLT here, because âYou have said itâ might mean an enthusiastic affirmative. On the other hand, if we say something like âThose are your words,â it implies that Jesus is disagreeing. I also am not happy with the GNT. When we say, âSo you say,â in English, we are implying that we are skeptical of the previous speakerâs statement. In this case, Pilate has asked a question, and the response âSo you sayâ seems inappropriate. Probably the best way to translate in the affirmative is to add a 'Yes' to make clear the meaning.
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GENESIS 38-39:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis 37, we heard of Joseph's dreams, his brothers' jealousy, and Joseph being sold into slavery in Egypt.JOB 23:
Yesterday Eliphaz said:GNT 4 It is not because you stand in awe of God
that he reprimands you and brings you to trial.
5 No, it's because you have sinned so much;
it's because of all the evil you do.And he also said,
21 Now, Job, make peace with God
and stop treating him like an enemy;
if you do, then he will bless you.
22 Accept the teaching he gives;
keep his words in your heart.
23 Yes, you must humbly return to God
and put an end to all the evil
that is done in your house.
24 Throw away your gold;
dump your finest gold in the dry stream bed.
25 Let Almighty God be your gold,
and let him be silver, piled high for you.
28 You will succeed in all you do,
and light will shine on your path.Beware that some teachers of prosperity in our age say things just like that, and quote such verses without understanding the message of this book. They also will be happy to assist you in knowing where to throw away your gold and silver.
MARK 14b:
Yesterday we heard the story of the Last Supper, the prophecy that Peter would deny Jesus three times, and the prayers at Gethsemane. -
GENESIS 37:
The focus of Genesis 36 was on the descendants of Esau, and the ethnic groups they spawned.JOB 22:
Yesterday in Job chapter 21, Jobâ refuting what Zophar said, gave a very convincing argument that God does not always punish wicked people. Today Eliphaz begins the third set of exchanges between Job and his âfriendsâ. The promises Elifaz gives at the end of his speech sound rather hollow to me.MARK 14a:
Yesterday we read the prophecy chapter of Mark, chapter 13. The theme of that chapter is âBe readyâ and Jesus says, âKeep watching for Me.âIn Mrk. 13:14 Jesus says, âYou will see âThe Awful Horrorâ standing in the place where he should not be.â Then there is a note that is often in parentheses, âLet the reader understand.â Following good exegetical experts, I translate that this way, âHey, public reader, explain this!â
At the time Mark wrote his gospel, only a small percentage of a congregation would be able to read. In Greek âthe one readingâ (ho anaginoskon) probably means âthe one reading out loud (to others)â. The word often translated âunderstandâ (noeito) would then take on the meaning âexplainâ to the listeners. This would make three Greekwords (Ho anaginoskon noeito) to be Markâs parenthetical comment, saying, âHey public reader, explain this!â This makes sense because Jesus was speaking, and would more likely say, âIf you have ears, listen.â Mark was the one writing, so it makes sense for him to address the reader.
Following Marks advice, like the well-read reader of old, it behooves me to explain to you: In saying âthe Awful Horrorâ Jesus is referring to the Antichrist, which was first clearly prophesied in Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. Here we see a prime example of the way God repeats the fulfillment of important prophecies. In the immediate context in Mark 13 of fleeing to the hills, we can clearly see that Jesus was talking about the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in AD 70â just 40 years after he gave this prophecy. But Paul in 2Thessalonians 2 teaches that âthe man of lawlessnessâ or alternately translated âWicked Oneâ âwill oppose every so-called god or object of worship and will put himself above them all. He will even go in and sit down in Godâs temple and claim to be God.â While there have been many intermediate fulfillments of the Antichrist, the ultimate Antichrist still has not been revealed. We all must still keep watch.
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GENESIS 36:
In yesterdayâs reading in Genesis, Jacob's daughter Dinah was raped, and the perpetrator Shechem was killed together with all the males in his town. God then told Jacob to return to Bethel. At the end of yesterdayâs reading, Rachel and Grampa Isaak died.JOB 21:
In Zophar's angry speech yesterday in Job chapter 20, he did not directly say that Job was wicked, but he clearly implied it.MARK 13:
Mark chapter 12â which gives an overview of the interactions with the enemies and critics of Jesus, marks the end of Jesus' public ministry as related by Mark.Todayâs chapter represents the center of Jesusâ prophetic teaching. It includes the difficult part about âthe abomination of desolation standing where it should not beâ (in other words, in Godâs temple). This is a reference to verses found in Daniel. This is a prime example of a prophecy that is fulfilled multiple times. The first fulfillment happened some 167 years before Jesus was born, in the time of Antiochus IV. However in this chapter Jesus seems to be pointing to what happened in 70 AD when Rome desecrated the temple. But later this year we will see that this prophecy will be fulfilled again in the end times. God shows us repeated pictures of things that are important. And the important point of the whole chapter is âBe readyâ!
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GENESIS 34-35:
In Genesis 32 we heard about Jacob wrestling all night with a mysterious heavenly figure, and about Jacob's reunion with Esau.JOB 20:
Todayâs reading in Job is chapter 20â Zopharâs second response to Job. In chapter 19, Job responded to Bildad's second speech. Job expressed amazing belief that he would see his defender (often translated âredeemerâ). He said, 19:25 GNTâBut I know there is someone in heaven
who will come at last to my defense.
26 Even after my skin is eaten by disease,
while still in this body I will see God.
27 I will see him with my own eyes,
and he will not be a stranger.âMARK 12b:
Yesterday in the first half of Mark 12, Jesus told a pointed parable against the Jewish religious leaders, then he went on to refute the Sadducees. We re-read several verses today. -
GENESIS 32-33:
Yesterday in Genesis 31, we heard how Jacob and his big family got away from Laban and started the journey home. When Laban caught up with him, he and Jacob got into a quarrel and ended up making a covenant with one another.JOB 19:
In Job chapter 18, Bildad once again gave a speech about what happens to wicked people, and by implication, he said, âYou're just getting what you deserve.â Jobâs response in todayâs chapter includes amazing revelations. Verses 23-27 can be compared with the second half of 1Corinthians 15.MARK 12a:
In Mark 11, Jesus was welcomed in triumph in Jerusalem, he cursed a fig tree and taught about prayer, and cleansed the temple of merchant activity. Then he answered and confuted the chief priests who challenged his authority to âdo these things,ââ in particular, taking their businesses out of the temple.About v. 26, in Lumina.Bible.org Constable quotes Lane:
âIf the death of the patriarchs is the last word of their history, there has been a breach of the promises of God guaranteed by the [Abrahamic] covenant, and of which the formula âthe God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacobâ is the symbol. It is in fidelity to his covenant that God will resurrect the dead.â
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Yesterday we heard of the rivalry between Rachel and Leah, and about more sons for Jacobâ whose names all have meanings appropriate to what Rachel or Leah were feeling at the time.
JOB 18:
Yesterday in chapter 17, Job again complained that he was surrounded by mockers, and once again despairingly said17:15 GNT Where is there any hope for me?
Who sees any?
16 Hope will not go with me
when I go down to the world of the dead.MARK 11:
Jesus has by now prepared his disciples for his death by prophesying about it, and by teaching them about what it will be like to be a âleaderâ in His kingdom. And he healed Bartimaeus, who called Jesus by his Messianic title: the Son of David.Listen to this quote from Constableâs notes for v.10:49:
The two descriptions of Jesus in these verses reveal the faith of Bartimaeus. The crowds simply described Jesus as âthe Nazarene.â Bartimaeus had obviously heard about Jesus and had concluded that He was the Messiah. âSon of Davidâ is a messianic title (cf. 11:9-10; 12:35-37; 2 Sam. 7:8-16; Isa. 11:1, 10; Jer. 23:5-6; Ezek. 34:23-24). Even though Bartimaeus lacked physical sight he saw more clearly who Jesus was than the multitudes who could see. His cry for mercy from Jesus expressed the attitude of trust, humility, and dependence that Jesus had been teaching His disciples to maintain.
Thomas Constable was a professor for many years at Dallas Theological Seminary. His notes are available to read using the Bible study site: lumina.bible.org.
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GENESIS 30:
In yesterdayâs reading in Genesis 28-29, Jacob left home, and God appeared to him and promised to bless him as he blessed Isaac. Jacob worked for Laban, married both Leah and Rachel, and he had four sons through Leah.JOB 17:
Yesterday was the first chapter of Job's response to Eliphaz. He complained that his three comforters were not very comforting, saying1-2 GNT I have heard words like that before;
the comfort you give is only torment.
3 Are you going to keep on talking forever?
Do you always have to have the last word?And he said,
6 But nothing I say helps,
and being silent does not calm my pain.And
9 In anger God tears me limb from limb;
he glares at me with hate.This last statement shows how easy it is for us humans to misunderstand Godâs will or intentions concerning us. God did not hate Job!
MARK 10b:
Yesterday in the first half of chapter 10, Jesus gave God's true perspective on divorce, blessed some children, and said that is impossible for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God (in their own strength). By the way, there is a wrong teaching that is still often heard. People have heard that the âeye of the needleâ was a little door next to the big gate in Jerusalem, and that a camel could get through this gate but all the burden would have to be taken off. This is just plain wrong, but it is one of those things that just keeps being passed on. No such gate was made in New Testament days in Jerusalem. Such gates were made in castles in Europe in the middle ages. No, instead of holding out hope for rich people, Jesusâ meaning is just what he said: It is just as impossible for the rich to enter heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a real sewing needle. The next statement of Jesus however shows the way the rich may enter heaven.Jesus gave a wonderful promise for missionaries at the end of the chapter. I bear witness to every part of that. 2,000 Orya people call me âAya Bakââ which means âolder brotherâ. The Lord has blessed me way more than 100 times.
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GENESIS 28-29:
After what Jacob did to Esau in Genesis 27â with Esau holding a big grudge, it was time for Jacob to get out of town.JOB 16:
In Job 15, Eliphaz said that Job was showing no reverence for God, and that his own words condemned him. His rhetorical questions all imply that Job is being proud and guilty of sin. Eliphaz maintained that no mortal can be pure (and that much is true).MARK 10a:
AND, in yesterday's reading, Jesus predicted his death, spoke about who is greatest in God's kingdom, and talked about the seriousness of sin.In 9:37 Jesus took a little child in his arms and said to them, âAnyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.â
And we can be sure that means that our welcoming of a child on Christâs behalf will be rewarded. Jesus goes on to say in verse 41, âIf anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.â
I can hear someone say, âThatâs too good to be true!â But this is consistent with other Scripture. I think that in heaven we will be amazed at how closely and lovingly we have been watched, and how amazingly appropriate our rewards will be from our generous Father.
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GENESIS 27:
In yesterday's reading we read the history of Isaac and Rebecca's family before the narrative focuses on their dissimilar twin sonsâ and especially Jacob.JOB 15:
God has revealed so much more to us in our day than what Job could know in his day. One thing was shown yesterday. Job asked,15:14 GNT If a man dies, can he come back to life? âŠ
MARK 9b:
After coming down the mountain with three of his disciples, Jesus met his other disciples who were having two difficulties simultaneously with people arguing with them and with failing to heal a manâs sonâ who was possessed by an evil spirit or a demon.Repeating a little of what I said in an earlier podcast: In Greek, âdemonâ is daimonia, and the other term, âevil spiritâ, is more literally âunclean spiritâ. As someone who has worked in another culture and seen what has happened over my lifetime in the USA, I hope it will be helpful to some readers if I share about this topic. Some of youâ particularly those of the older generation in the USA, will say, âWhat people called demons in Jesusâ day were just what we call mental illness.â While, paradoxically, it is the younger generation in the USA who more readily believe that demons actually exist. I think the younger generation have it right this time. Demons do exist.
Hereâs what I have observed: Where demons are not believed in, they are happy to stay in the backgroundâ where they are very adept at promoting falsehood and sin. Where demons are feared, worshipped, where people listen to satanic music and take part in occult rituals, demons come out more openlyâ to increase peopleâs fear of them and to manipulate people.
As believers in Jesus, remember that Jesus has complete power over Satan and all demons. We who belong to Jesus should not fear them. Nor should we seek communication with such beings. Remember two things from yesterdayâs story: The father wisely cried out, âHelp my unbelief!â So the first thing to remember is to fully believe in Christ Jesus. The second is the answer Jesus gave to the disciples question: Prayer is of vital importance in this area of spiritual warfare.
Share your questions and comments at the Digging Deeper Facebook page.
GNT Translation notes:
Job 15:25 That is the fate of those
who shake their fists at God
and defy the Almighty [â like you].
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Mrk. 9:42âIf anyone should cause one of these little ones [who believe in me to fall away//to lose faith in me], it would be better for that person to have a large millstone tied around the neck and be thrown into the sea.43 So if your hand makes you [fall away from me//lose your faith], cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand than to keep both hands and go off to hell, to the fire that never goes out.45 And if your foot makes you [fall away from me//lose your faith], cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot than to keep both feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye makes you [fall away from me//lose your faith], take it out! It is better for you to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye than to keep both eyes and be thrown into hell. 48 There âthe worms that eat them never die, and the fire that burns them is never put out.â
[Jesus also taught using these sayings:]
49 âEveryone will be purified by fire as a sacrifice is purified by salt. -
I encourage you to Dig Deeper in your Bible study this year. I have linked several powerful on-line Bible study tools in the Shovels blog post at http://dailybiblereading.info. The same information can be found in the Read This First pages under the menu entry Links and Shovels.
And when you find an especially precious insight or a question, please share it with us via our Facebook group.
Our Facebook group and other ways to stay connected with other Bible readers will change each year. Please see the links in the site header of http://dailybiblereading.info.
GENESIS 25-26:
Yesterday in Genesis 24 we read the charming story of how Rebecca became Isaac's wife.JOB 14:
In Job chapter 13, Job challenged Zophar and his other two friends with these words,6 GNT Listen while I state my case.
7 Why are you lying?
Do you think your lies will benefit God?
8 Are you trying to defend him?
Are you going to argue his case in court?
9 If God looks at you closely, will he find anything good?
Do you think you can fool God the way you fool others?âŠ
14 I am ready to risk my life.
15 I've lost all hope, so what if God kills me?
I am going to state my case to him.
16 It may even be that my boldness will save me,
since no wicked person would dare to face God.Job said in 13:15 that he would present his case to God, and that is exactly what he does, starting in verse 19 (in the GNT) or 20 (in the NLT). And Job continues to speak to God through all of chapter 14.
MARK 9:
Yesterday at the end of Mark 8, Jesus gave this requirement for all his followers:âEveryone who wants to follow Me must leave his own self-interests, and follow Me continually with this resolve, âNo matter if I dieâ even if that be by crucifixion, I will keep following the Lord!ââ
[That translation sounds different because it is from what I call the Plain English Translation. That is an English translation of our Plain Indonesian Translation (TSI).]
The rest of Mark chapter 8 has other important verses including this one:
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.
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GENESIS 24:
In Genesis 22, Isaac asked,22:7b GNT âI see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?â
8 Abraham answered, âGod himself will provide one.â
It is amazing to me that Moses adds the proverb,
14 âeven today people say, âOn the Lord's mountain he provides.âIn our time, we easily see how this points to the provision of the Lamb of God on the mountain called Calvary.
JOB 13:
As we saw in Job chapter 12, by now he is pretty ticked off, starting off with,Job 12:1-2 GNT âYes, you are the voice of the people.
When you die, wisdom will die with you.Note the irony Job points out:
4 Even my friends laugh at me now;
they laugh, although I am righteous and blameless;
but there was a time when God answered my prayers.
5 You have no troubles, and yet you make fun of me;
you hit someone who is about to fall.
6 But thieves and godless people live in peace,
though their only god is their own strength.MARK 8b:
In yesterday's reading in the first half of Mark chapter 8, Jesus fed the 4,000, and then the Pharisees demanded a miraculous sign âshowing Godâs approvalââ literally a sign âfrom heavenâ. The reading yesterday ended with the disciples not understanding what Jesus meant byMark. 8:15 GNT âTake care and be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.â
In many passages of Mark and the other Gospels, there are places where Jesus talks of âthe Son Manâ. And He is talking about himself, but using the pronoun âheâ for the Son of Man. Here is an example from verse 31:
8:31 GNT Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: âThe Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life.â
This form of speechâ speaking of oneself in the third person, is quite unusual in any language. For modern readers, the term âson of manâ is also very strange sounding. The standard meaning for the Hebrew idiom âson of manâ was âordinary flesh and blood human beingâ. Jesus was both concealing his identity to some, and revealing it to those who were able to remember the prophecy about a special Son of Man in Daniel 7.
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May God richly bless you as we read Godâs Word together!
GENESIS 22-23:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis, Abraham deceived Abimelech, Isaak was born, and Sarah demanded that Hagar and her son be sent awayâ which grieved Abraham. (But remember that story, because Paul uses it as a spiritual metaphor in Galatians 4.) Finally, Abimelech visited Abraham, and the two made several formally ratified promises.JOB 12:
Yesterday in Job chapter 11, Zophar said to Job,Job 11:1-2 GNT Will no one answer all this nonsense?
Does talking so much put you in the right?
3 Job, do you think we can't answer you?
That your mocking words will leave us speechless?
4 You claim that what you say is true;
you claim you are pure in the sight of God.
5 How I wish God would answer you!
6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom;
there are things too deep for human knowledge.
God is punishing you less than you deserve.Having accused Job of sin in that way, Zophar then goes on to give this lovely advice:
13 Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God.
14 Put away evil and wrong from your home.
15 Then face the world again, firm and courageous.
16 Then all your troubles will fade from your memory,MARK 8a:
Yesterday in Mark chapter 7, Jesus gave this very significant teaching in verse 15:15 GNT There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean.â
And we heard the way that Jesus gave a difficult test to the Gentile woman. And again I say, please donât just assume that Jesus was unfeeling to that woman. There is treasure to find hidden there under the surface in that enigmatic test!
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Greetings as a fellow recipient of Godâs Kindness!
GENESIS 20-21:
In chapter 19 of Genesis we heard what happened to Lot and his daughters after being saved from Sodom. The sons of Lotâs daughters became the ancestors of the Moabite and Ammonite races who were always at war with Godâs people.JOB 11:
In Job chapter 10, Job accused God like this:Job 10:13 GNT But now I know that all that time [since birth]
you were secretly planning to harm me.
14 You were watching to see if I would sin,
so that you could refuse to forgive me.
15 As soon as I sin, I'm in trouble with you,
but when I do right, I get no credit.
I am miserable and covered with shame.MARK 7:
Yesterday's reading in Mark 6 was of Jesus feeding 5,000+ and walking on water.I would like to challenge each of my listeners to dig deeper to find a spiritual gem behind Jesusâ seemingly harsh and impolite first answer to the Syro-Phoenician woman. I encourage you to ask what right anyone (and especially any Gentile) would have to come to Jesus and ask for a miracle. With that question in mind, I encourage you to read all of Ephesians chapter 2.
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GENESIS 19:
In yesterday's reading in Genesis, Abram and Sarai received new names and God confirmed and expanded his covenant with Abram (now called Abraham). Circumcision was added as a sign of following the covenant. Angels visited Abraham and Sarah and Abraham bargained with God about saving the few righteous people in Sodomâ among whom I am sure Abraham was thinking of Lot.Today we read JOB 10,
where Job continues his response to Bildad. At the end of chapter 9 Job showed mankind's need of a mediator:Job 9:32 NLT âGod is not a mortal like me,
so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial.
33 If only there were a mediator between us,
someone who could bring us together.
34 The mediator could make God stop beating me,
and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment.
35 Then I could speak to him without fear,
but I cannot do that in my own strength.Mankind has now received that mediator in the person of Jesus.
MARK 6b:
In the first part of Mark chapter 6, Jesus sent out the twelve disciples after giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He also sent them to teach, and to heal. Then we learned about the death of John the Baptist. -
Before we read GENESIS 17-18,
remember that in chapter 15 we heard of God's covenant with Abram and Abram's _fully believing_ God's promises. Then in chapter 16 we read of Abram and Sarai trying to help God fulfill his promises.Chapter 15 verse 6 is a famous verse that is quoted three times in the NT:
GNT translates it this way: 6 Abram put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him.
[The NT translates this verse a bit differently because it is quoted from the Septuagint (the LXX, the ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek, made in the third and second centuries BC). ]
JOB 9:
In chapter 8 of Job, Bildad defended God as always acting with justice and insisted that this meant that there had to be some sin on Job's part or his children's.MARK 6a:
Yesterday In the second half of Mark 5, we heard how Jesus did two amazing miraclesâ the second one causing a dead girl to live again. -
Today weâll start out reading GENESIS 15-16.
Yesterday we heard the stories of Abram and Lot separating company, and of Abram rescuing Lot in time of war. Then we heard of the mysterious priest Melchizedek (who we will read about in the NT in Hebrews).Before we read JOB 8,
recall that in the preceding two chapters, Job said some very despairing and angry words, telling God basically to go take a walk and leave him alone. Job again wished for his own death.He said to God,
Job 7:19 GNT Won't you look away long enough
for me to swallow my spit?
20 Are you harmed by my sin, you jailer?
Why use me for your target practice?
Am I so great a burden to you?
21 Can't you ever forgive my sin?
Can't you pardon the wrong I do?MARK 5b:
Today we read the second half of Mark 5. In the first part of the chapter, Jesus cast a host of demons out of a man named Mob or Legion. - Laat meer zien
