worshipped

February 25, 2019

She was immediately cured (Lk 8:47-8:47)

“When the woman saw

That she could not

Remain hidden,

She came forward

Trembling.

She fell down

Before Jesus.

She declared

In the presence

Of all the people

Why she had touched him.

She explained

How she had been

Immediately healed.”

 

ἰδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαθεν, τρέμουσα ἦλθεν καὶ προσπεσοῦσα αὐτῷ δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν ἥψατο αὐτοῦ ἀπήγγειλεν ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ ὡς ἰάθη παραχρῆμα.

 

Luke said that this woman saw that she could not remain hidden (ἰδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γυνὴ ὅτι οὐκ ἔλαθεν).  Thus, she came forward trembling (τρέμουσα ἦλθεν), as she fell down before Jesus (καὶ προσπεσοῦσα αὐτῷ).  She declared in the presence of all the people (ἀπήγγειλεν ἐνώπιον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ) why she had touched him (δι’ ἣν αἰτίαν ἥψατο αὐτοῦ).  She explained how she had been immediately healed (καὶ ὡς ἰάθη παραχρῆμα).  This woman coming forward can be found in Mark, chapter 5:33, but not in Matthew.  Mark said that this woman knew what had been done and what happened to her.  She came forward in fear and trembling.  She fell down or worshipped before Jesus.  She told him the whole truth.  This woman, despite her fears, came forward to explain what she had done and what happened to her.  Can you overcome your fears?

February 21, 2019

The demoniac does not want Jesus to torment him (Lk 8:28-8:28)

“When he saw Jesus,

The demoniac cried out.

He fell down

Before him.

He shouted

At the top of his voice,

‘What have you

To do with me?

Jesus!

Son of the Most-High God!

I beg you!

Do not torment me!’”

 

ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἀνακράξας προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ καὶ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ εἶπεν Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, Ἰησοῦ Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Ὑψίστου; δέομαί σου, μή με βασανίσῃς.

 

Luke said that when this possessed man saw Jesus (ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν Ἰησοῦν), he cried out (ἀνακράξας).  He fell down before him (προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ).  He shouted at the top of his loud voice (καὶ φωνῇ μεγάλῃ εἶπεν).  He wanted to know what Jesus had to do with him (Τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί).  He called Jesus (Ἰησοῦ) the Son of the Most-High God (Υἱὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Ὑψίστου).  He begged Jesus (δέομαί σου) not to torment him (μή με βασανίσῃς).  All three synoptic gospels, Matthew, chapter 8:29, Mark, chapter 5:6-7, and Luke here, have this demoniac speak to Jesus in somewhat similar words.  Matthew had 2 demoniacs, but Mark and Luke had only one, and are closer to each other in this incident.  Mark said that when this demoniac saw Jesus from a distance, he bowed down before him and worshipped him.  He cried or shouted out with a loud voice.  He wanted to know why Jesus had anything to do with him.  Then he called Jesus, the Son of God the Most-High.  He asked, swearing by God, that Jesus not torment him.  Matthew had these 2 demoniacs speak to Jesus in somewhat similar words.  They cried or shouted out.  They wanted to know why the Son of God had come to torment them, since the time of the final judgment day had not yet arrived.  All three gospel writers have the demonic person or persons recognize that Jesus was the Son of God, not just another faith healer.  They maintained that the time of their torment or the end times had not yet arrived.  Thus, these evil spirits were able to recognize Jesus as the Son of God, just as they had earlier in Mark.  Can evil people speak the truth at times?

December 8, 2018

An angel appeared (Lk 1:11-1:11)

“Then there appeared

To Zechariah

An angel of the Lord.

He was standing

On the right side

Of the altar

Of incense.”

 

ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος.

 

Next, Luke introduced an angel, just as in Matthew, chapter 1:20, when an angel appeared to Joseph to tell him about the birth of Jesus.  Angels played a special role in Jewish society as messengers of the Lord.  These angels were spiritual beings who worshipped God in heaven.  Thus, the Temple had many engravings with angels on them, especially cherubim angels.  Luke said that an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah (ὤφθη δὲ αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου).  This angel stood at the right side of the altar of incense (ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυμιάματος) in the sanctuary.  Those outside praying knew nothing about this appearance of an angel inside the sanctuary.

September 6, 2018

The woman comes forward (Mk 5:33-5:33)

“But the woman,

Knowing what had been done

To her,

Came in fear

And trembling.

She fell down

Before Jesus.

She told him

The whole truth.”

 

ἡ δὲ γυνὴ φοβηθεῖσα καὶ τρέμουσα, εἰδυῖα ὃ γέγονεν αὐτῇ, ἦλθεν καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

 

This woman coming forward can be found in Luke, chapter 8:47, but not in Matthew.  Mark said that the woman knew what had been done and what happened to her (ἡ δὲ γυνὴ, εἰδυῖα ὃ γέγονεν αὐτῇ).  She came in fear and trembling (φοβηθεῖσα καὶ τρέμουσα), and fell down or worshipped before Jesus (ἦλθεν καὶ προσέπεσεν αὐτῷ).  She told him the whole truth (καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν).  This woman, despite her fears, came forward to explain what she had done and what happened to her.

August 27, 2018

Jesus controls the unclean spirits (Mk 3:11-3:11)

“Whenever the unclean spirits

Saw Jesus,

They fell down

Before him.

They cried out.

‘You are the Son of God.’”

 

καὶ τὰ πνεύματα τὰ ἀκάθαρτα, ὅταν αὐτὸν ἐθεώρουν, προσέπιπτον αὐτῷ καὶ ἔκραζον λέγοντα ὅτι Σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ.

 

This is somewhat similar to earlier in Mark, chapter 1:23, when Jesus made the unclean spirit leave the possessed man.  Jesus commanded even the unclean spirits, so that they listened or obeyed him.  He seemed to have some special spiritual powers that no one else had ever seen.  Here Mark noted that these evil unclean spirits (καὶ τὰ πνεύματα τὰ ἀκάθαρτα) fell down before Jesus or worshipped him (προσέπιπτον αὐτῷ), whenever they saw him (ὅταν αὐτὸν ἐθεώρουν).  They cried out or shouted out to Jesus (καὶ ἔκραζον λέγοντα), that he was the Son of God (ὅτι Σὺ εἶ ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ), when no one else recognized this.  This unclean spirit world was alive and active in first century Israelite culture.

November 17, 2017

Jonah worshipped the true God (Jon 2:7-2:8)

“As my life

Was ebbing away,

I remembered

Yahweh.

My prayer

Came to you

Into your holy Temple.

Those who worship

Vain idols

Forsake their true loyalty.”

As Jonah was sinking away in the sea, he remembered Yahweh. His prayer came to Yahweh in his holy Temple. Jonah was lucky, since he worshipped a true loyal God. However, those who worshipped vain idols would not have loyalty.

October 7, 2017

The infidelity of the past (Hos 9:10-9:10)

“Like grapes

In the wilderness,

I found Israel.

Like the first fruit

On the fig tree,

In its first season,

I saw your ancestors.

But they came

To Baal-peor.

They consecrated themselves

To Baal,

A thing of shame.

They became detestable,

Like the thing they loved.”

Yahweh, via Hosea, pointed out that their ancestors were like grapes plucked in the wilderness. They were like the first fruits of the first season of a fig tree. In the wilderness, they made a covenant with Yahweh. But then, their ancestors came to Baal-peor, as mentioned in Numbers, chapter 25. There, they intermarried with the women of Moab and worshipped the Canaanite fertility god of Baal. Thus, they consecrated themselves to the shameful Baal god. They became detestable, just like this Baal god. All this happened as they entered the land of Canaan.

September 24, 2017

The king was becoming Jewish (Dan 14:28-14:28)

“When the Babylonians

Heard about the dragon,

They were very indignant.

They conspired

Against the king.

They said.

‘The king

Has become a Jew.

He has destroyed Bel.

He has killed the dragon.

He has slaughtered the priests.’”

The Babylonians were upset at the king, after they heard what Daniel had done to the dragon. They were indignant. Thus, they conspired against the king. They were saying the king was becoming Jewish. He had destroyed their idol god Bel and the mysterious dragon god that they had worshipped. Besides that, the king had killed all the priests of the Bel temple. They were concerned about the Jewish influence of Daniel on their king.

September 21, 2017

The Babylonian god Bel (Dan 14:3-14:4)

“Now the Babylonians

Had an idol

Called Bel.

Every day,

They provided for it

Twelve bushels

Of choice flour,

Forty sheep,

Six measures

Of wine.

The king revered it.

He went every day

To worship it.

But Daniel worshiped

His own God.”

This god Bel was Bel Marduk, the great god of the Babylonians, mentioned by Jeremiah and Isaiah. Every day, the people provided this idol 12 bushels of choice flour, 40 sheep, and 6 measures or about 50 gallons of wine. The king Cyrus revered Bel, as he worshipped this god on a daily basis. Bel may have been popular in Persia also. However, Daniel worshipped his own God, but there is no indication where he did this.

August 15, 2017

Praise of the Most High God (Dan 4:2-4:3)

“I am pleased

To recount The signs,

The wonders,

That the Most High God

Has worked for me.

How great

Are his signs!

How mighty

His wonders!

His kingdom is

An everlasting kingdom!

His sovereignty is

From generation to generation.”

King Nebuchadnezzar now praised the Most High God that the 3 Judeans had worshipped. This most high God had worked signs and wonders for them and him. He was eager to let everyone know about them. He insisted that God’s signs were great and his wonders were mighty. The Most High God ruled an everlasting kingdom that has and will last for generations. This king almost sounds like one of the prophets in his praise of the Israelite God. This looks like a complete conversion for King Nebuchadnezzar.