this question

June 11, 2019

Lord and son (Lk 20:44-20:44)

“Thus,

David calls him

Lord!

How can he be

His son?”

 

Δαυεὶδ οὖν αὐτὸν Κύριον καλεῖ, καὶ πῶς αὐτοῦ υἱός ἐστιν;

 

Luke left this question unanswered.  Jesus asked them, since David called the Messiah Christ Lord (Δαυεὶδ οὖν αὐτὸν Κύριον καλεῖ), how can he be his son (καὶ πῶς αὐτοῦ υἱός ἐστιν)?  There is something similar in Matthew, chapter 22:45-46, and Mark, chapter 12:37.  However, there it was a complete victory for Jesus.  What did David mean when he called the future Messiah Christ, a son of David?  The traditional belief was that the Messiah Christ would be the son or descendant of David.  Jesus then posed this big question.  Mark indicated that Jesus asked how could David call the Messiah Lord (αὐτὸς Δαυεὶδ λέγει αὐτὸν Κύριον) and yet be his son, the son of David (καὶ πόθεν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν υἱός)?  This was a trick question.  Why would David call his future son or descendant his own Lord or master, or consider him greater?  The implication was that Jesus, the Son of Man, and descendant of David, was greater than David.  Peter, in fact, repeated this citation of Psalm 110 in his preaching in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 2:34-35, also.  Only Mark had the comment that a large crowd was listening to Jesus with delight or gladly (Καὶ ὁ πολὺς ὄχλος ἤκουεν αὐτοῦ ἡδέως).  Matthew indicated that neither the Pharisees nor anyone else were able to give him any kind of verbal response (καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδύνατο ἀποκριθῆναι αὐτῷ λόγον).  Matthew remarked that from that day on (ἀπ’ ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας), no one dared to ask him any more questions (οὐδὲ ἐτόλμησέν τις…ἐπερωτῆσαι αὐτὸν οὐκέτι), as this was a complete verbal victory for Jesus against the Pharisees.  Have you ever left anyone speechless?

February 5, 2019

Do what I tell you! (Lk 6:46-6:46)

“Why do you call me?

‘Lord!

Lord!’

But you do not do

What I tell you.”

 

Τί δέ με καλεῖτε Κύριε, καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε ἃ λέγω;

 

Luke indicated that Jesus asked this question.  Why do you call me Lord! Lord (Τί δέ με καλεῖτε Κύριε κύριε)?  However, you do not do what I tell you to do (καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε ἃ λέγω).  This verse is somewhat similar to Matthew, chapter 7:21.  There Jesus said that not everyone who called him Lord, Lord, would enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who did the will of his Father in heaven.  It was not good enough to simply call Jesus the Lord, but you had to do his will and the will of his Father to enter the heavenly kingdom.  Do you do what Jesus tells you to do?

December 30, 2018

Was John the Christ Messiah? (Lk 3:15-3:15)

“The people

Were filled

With expectations.

All were wondering

In their hearts

Concerning John.

Was he perhaps

The Christ,

The Messiah?”

 

Προσδοκῶντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ διαλογιζομένων πάντων ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάνου, μή ποτε αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστός,

 

This question about John the Baptist being the Messiah can be found in John, chapter 1:25, where the Pharisees asked this question.  Here Luke said that the people were full of expectations (Προσδοκῶντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ).  All were questioning or wondering in their hearts concerning John (καὶ διαλογιζομένων πάντων ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάνου).  Was he perhaps the Christ, the Messiah (μή ποτε αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ Χριστός)?  In other words, the question was not explicitly stated, but only thought about.  They were wondering if John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah, was the expected Messiah or Christ.

June 20, 2018

Blind fools (Mt 23:17-23:17)

“You blind fools!

Which is greater?

The gold

Or the Temple

That has made

The gold sacred?”

 

μωροὶ καὶ τυφλοί, τίς γὰρ μείζων ἐστίν, ὁ χρυσὸς ἢ ὁ ναὸς ὁ ἁγιάσας τὸν χρυσόν;

 

Matthew alone has Jesus pose this question directly to the Pharisees and Scribes.  He called them both blind and fools (μωροὶ καὶ τυφλοί).  He wanted to know which was greater (τίς γὰρ μείζων ἐστίν)?  Was gold by itself holier than the Temple that made the gold sacred (ὁ χρυσὸς ἢ ὁ ναὸς ὁ ἁγιάσας τὸν χρυσόν).  This was based on Exodus, chapter 30:22-33, where the holy oil of the Temple sanctuary made things holy.  Gold could become sacred or holy by being in the Temple, much more than plain gold outside the Temple.  The Temple was clearly greater than the gold that was made sacred in the Temple.

May 16, 2018

Jesus asks about the Son of Man (Mt 16:13-16:13)

“Jesus came

Into the district

Of Caesarea Philippi.

He asked his disciples.

‘Who do people say

That the Son of Man is?’”

 

Ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὰ μέρη Καισαρίας τῆς Φιλίππου ἠρώτα τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγων Τίνα λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;

 

Now this question about the Son of Man can be found in Mark, chapter 8:27, and Luke, chapter 9:18, but there are slight differences.  In Luke, he is not in Caesarea Philippi, a gentile Roman city about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee at the base of Mount Hermon, where there was a shrine to the Greek god Pan.  In Matthew, it was when Jesus came into the district or region of Caesarea Philippi (Ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὰ μέρη Καισαρίας τῆς Φιλίππου).  Obviously, he had his disciples with him.  Then he asked or questioned his disciples (μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ λέγων) who did people or men think the Son of Man was (Τίνα λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου).  In Mark, they were on their way to this northern area in Caesarea Philippi.  Jesus wanted to know what his disciples were thinking.

August 3, 2017

Daniel answered King Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:27-2:27)

“Daniel answered the king.

‘No wise men,

No enchanters,

No magicians,

No diviners

Can show

To the king

The mystery

That the king

Is asking.’”

Daniel responded to the king that no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners could show the king the answer to the mystery that the king was asking. In other words, there was no human answer. The Chaldean wise men were correct that it was humanly impossible to answer this question, no matter what powers or skills a human had.

March 6, 2017

The lack of knowledge (Bar 3:20-3:23)

“Later generations

Have seen

The light of day.

They have lived

Upon this earth.

But they have

Not learned

The way to knowledge.

They have not

Understood her paths.

They have not

Laid hold of her.

Their descendants

Have strayed far

From her way.

She has not been heard of

In Canaan.

She has not been seen

In Teman.

The descendants of Hagar

Seek for understanding

On the earth.

The merchants of Merran,

With the merchants of Teman

Have not learned

The way to wisdom.

The story-tellers,

The seekers for understanding

Have not given thought

To her paths.”

The people living today on this earth have not learned the way to knowledge. They have not understood the various paths to get there. They are unable to grab knowledge. Their descendants have wandered far off the beaten path towards knowledge. Thus they cannot hear or see of knowledge in Canaan or Teman. Canaan was the old name for the land of Israel, while Teman was a city in Edom, south of Israel that was well known for its wisdom. The descendants of Hagar, the concubine of Abraham, or the Ishmaelites, were also seeking understanding. However, the merchants of Midian or Merran with the merchants of Teman in Edom have not learned the various paths to wisdom. The story-tellers and even those seeking understanding have not learned the way or path to wisdom. In fact, they have given little thought to this question.

April 20, 2016

The translation problem (Sir 0:15-0:26)

“You are invited therefore

To read it

With good will.

You are invited

To read it

With attention.

Be indulgent in cases where,

Despite out diligent labor in translating,

We may seem to have rendered some phrases imperfectly.

What was originally expressed in Hebrew

Does not have exactly the same sense

When translated into another language.

Not only this work,

But even the Law itself,

The Prophecies,

And the rest of the books

Differs not a little

When read in the original.”

This author hits at a big problem that has plagued biblical scholarship since the early years. How do you insure that you have a good translation? He poses this question as many of the Jewish people in the Diaspora may not have been able to read Hebrew, let alone read at all. In fact, he states that the Greek translation, the Septuagint, of the Law, the Prophets, and the rest of the books may differ from the original Hebrew text. He apologizes at the beginning. He said that it was hard to take a Hebrew expression and put into another language with the same sense. Sometimes it will differ from the original text. Thus we see this 2,000 year old problem of translation.