Matthew 27 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
17So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked
them, "Which one do you want me to release to
you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"
18For he knew it was out of envy that they had
handed Jesus over to him.
19While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat,
his wife sent him this message: "Don't have
anything to do with that innocent man, for I have
suffered a great deal today in a dream because of
him."
20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded
the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus
executed.
21"Which of the two do you want me to release to
you?" asked the governor.
"Barabbas," they answered.
22"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is
called Christ?" Pilate asked.
They all answered, "Crucify him!"
23"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked
Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify
him!"
24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere,
but that instead an uproar was starting, he took
water and washed his hands in front of the crowd.
"I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It
is your responsibility!"
Over the weekend,I had a few minutes of peace and
quiet, and I saw that the history channel was
airing a program about Pilate. So I watched part
of it. Overall, it wasn't too badly done. But
whenever I watch one of these programs I'm always
thinking that most people are neither historians
nor theologians. The programs leave alot out.
To the best of my memory, these specific quotes
were absent from the TV show. I suppose that one
objection to this passage is that it can be seen
as an attempt on the part of the gospel writer to
cast blame on the ruling elite in Jerusalem
rather then the Roman government. That's
plausible given that the elite were mostly
despised by the people. But it's not as if the
Romans were any more popular. Verse 18 says
it plainly, 'he knew it was out of envy that they
had handed Jesus over to him'. Based on that
observation, it leads to the conclusion that
Pilate did not see Jesus as a genuine threat to
Roman authority. It is consistent with the rest
of the gospel message that Jesus is what we would
think of as a political pacifist. He clearly was
not leading an armed rebellion against the Roman
government. Just as clearly, he was antagonistic
to the religious elite in Jerusalem. The TV show
didn't give much attention to the issues posed
here. I have no idea why the TV show would
choose to take this approach. You might imagine
that they fail to see the significance of the
religious corruption represented by the Jerusalem
elite. It's a theme that works it's way through
all of the gospel accounts.
Here's one of those passages:
Matthew 16
The Demand for a Sign
1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and
tested him by asking him to show them a sign from
heaven.
2He replied,[a] "When evening comes, you say,
'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,'
3and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy,
for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to
interpret the appearance of the sky, but you
cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4A
wicked and adulterous generation looks for a
miraculous sign, but none will be given it except
the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went
away.
What is 'the sign of Jonah'? In the book of
Jonah there is another metaphor of the
resurrection. Jesus is saying again that he has
power over death. That's not what the religious
leaders were wanting to hear. Not to mention
that he refers to them as 'a wicked and
adulterous generation'. These is fightin' words.
You can almost imagine smoke coming out of the
ears of the religious crowd. They were not able
to intimidate Jesus in the least. And that is
something that they just weren't used to. They
had bought rights to the high priesthood from the
Roman government, because they wanted the power
to intimidate people. And for whatever other
reasons such people might want to have the
political favors of Rome. Who knows? But Jesus
was always pointing out their religious hypocricy.
You can only cover so much in a one hour TV show,
so I can understand why they have to leave things
out. They did hint at the historical context.
But I thought that there wasn't enough emphasis
on context. And that can lead to misguided
assumptions and conclusions. There's more to
consider in Jesus' crucifixtion. I got the
impression that they were trying to lay much of
the motivation for the crucifixtion of Jesus at
the feet of Pilate, rather than the Jewish
religious leaders. Again, there's no way to know
for sure about all of the backstage activity, but
I have a bias that leans toward the accounts
recorded in scripture, rather than the accounts
of Josephus, for the simple reason that Josephus
was a historian first and had no particular
insight into the religious implications that were
playing out on the stage of history. In my view,
I think that the religious implications were far
more important than anything else that might have
been an influence. In other words, I don't think
that Pilate had any strong motive to crucify
Jesus and I think that is easy to see in the
events recorded in scripture. He just took the
most politically expedient route. In other
words, it was easy for him to crucify anyone who
was labeled a 'rebel'. There would be no
repercussions from the Roman government. And he
was fully aware that Jesus was not a violent
element. His disciples were not terrorists. He
was despised by the ruling elite, and therefore
had no political clout. In Pilate's eyes, he was
a political non-entity. But there's no question
that, considering politics, expediency was the
rule rather than the exception. It would bring
the Jerusalem elite further into his corner if he
would cooperate with their plan to eliminate this
crazy preacher who was becoming a thorn in the
side of the religious leaders, because of his
unwillingness to cooperate with the established
status quo. Jesus kept upsetting the apple cart.
Truth has a way of doing that. Some things
haven't changed alot over the years.
Destiny was forced upon Jerusalem at the hand of
Roman government. Pilate just happened to be
there, in the right place at the right time.
It's a hopeless task to try and sort out all the
details surrounding the situation that Pilate
found himself in, with 250 words or less. A one
hour history channel program doesn't really do it
justice. There is a ton of scholarship
surrounding the Dead Sea Scrolls that provides a
deeper look into the situation in and around
Jerusalem at the time that Jesus was served up to
Pilate. It was not a calm period in and around
Jerusalem. From my perspective, the most
upsetting aspect of that time was that the
average person was resentful of Roman government
not because of their political intervention, but
because of their religious intervention. The
Romans had allowed the temple preisthood to be
hijacked by political cronies. That was a
serious blunder on the part of Roman government.
If they had been more aware of the significance
of religious devotion in Jerusalem, it would have
served them well. They would have had a lot less
trouble trying to rule the area. But how could
the pantheistic Romans been able to grasp that
concept? It was beyond their reach. So they
were content to leave religious matters in the
hands of the Jerusalem elite. In the end, that's
the reason why they were left with no option
other than the destruction of Jerusalem and the
temple. They didn't recognize the theological
significance of Jerusalem and the temple.
There's an inability on the part of politics to
recognize the significance of worship in the
lives of believers, because it goes all the way
down to the fundamental meaning of life. The
reason is that politics worships power as a
fundamental, and the theist worships G-d as an
exclusive fundamental. This is an irreconcilable
difference, because worship takes place at two
separate altars, and each demands loyalty. That
hasn't changed much either.
Taking a step back and looking at the bigger
picture, all these events played out according to
the plan of G-d. It turns out that the course of
history follows the prevailing current of the
times. Neither the Romans, nor Pilate in
particular, nor the Jerusalem elite and not even
Jesus' disciples seemed aware of the prevailing
currents. Events played out, and nobody was
paying attention to the script. There were too
many distractions. Men are always drawn to the
urgency of the moment, just like a moth to the
flame. More than anything else, this period of
time illustrates the sovereignty of G-d and the
insignificance of men. But that theme is no more
popular now, than it was then. It was the greeks
who declared that 'man is the measure of all
things'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protagoras
Oh well, back to the drawing board. It was a
nice try, but in the proper context of history,
there is no man who is able to measure up to the
force of the current of the times, because it is
under the direct control of G-d, who is looking
down on man, enthroned in the heavens. Sorry,
but that's the proper context.
You can see where that puts us today. Men are
still moths circling the flame, distracted by the
urgency of the moment. Religion is still an
arena of political cronyism, totally beyond the
reach of pantheistic philosophies of government.
The modern 'secular' agenda will no more release
us from the sovereignty of G-d than the military
domination of the Roman legions could release
Jerusalem in times past. In fact, these
participants are agents of destiny, in the
omnipotent hand of G-d. Few are even vaguely
aware of the currents of time moving them into
the precise position that Destiny has ordained.
G-d is still enthroned in the heavens, far above
all principalities and powers. And I'm just
sittin' here eatin' my french toast, drinkin' my
coffee, smokin' my cigs and typing it all out;
trusting in the sufficiency of Jesus' blood to
free me from the curse of sin. Each has his
proper place in the scheme of things.
Given the course of human events, there is no
good reason to believe that worldly Utopia lies
just over the horizon. In the context of
scripture, there's every reason to believe that
something quite a bit different looms on the
horizon. The stage is set for the final act in
the history of this world, then the eternal King
of Heaven will lower the curtain on the age of
man and the genuine New Age will begin. Lookin'
at the script, I'd think that there is no better
place to be than on the Jesus Bus.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Weekly Review
Isaiah 30 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"
Get off the Jesus Bus? Nah. Why would I want to?
This week we looked at the crucifixtion, the
resurrection and pentecost, and the prophetic
metaphors that provide an historic context for
the direction of Providence. When you look at
the historic context of events, it becomes
apparent that there is a plan and a purpose
behind what appear to be seemingly random events
recorded in scripture. It's hard to avoid the
conclusion that Divine Providence guides the
affairs of men and nations. But it's never been
the popular view.
It's still not the popular view. People still
prefer to do as they please. That's why we find
that one of the popular doctrines in modern times
is the doctrine of tolerance, and the natural
result of it being social anarchy. One common
illustration of the current situation is the
proliferation of pornography.
It's not just me. Last night, while surfing the
web, I was reading some blog comments and surfing
web sites, and the comments let me recognize that
there are others who notice a decline in the
quality of American life, especially in the
character of popular entertainment. If you've
spent any amount of time surfing the web, you
can't help but notice the proliferation of
pornography. It used to be that pornography was
a business that operated more or less on the
fringes of society, much like prostitution. But
recent trends have brought it more into the
mainstream. All I have to do is look around to
see that there is a growing industry built around
the marketing of sexual fantasy. There are
'adult' media outlets and clubs all across the
country. I've seen the billboards and buildings
everywhere I go. As I see it, these represent a
symptom of the decline in public standards of
decency, more than anything else. It's just one
segment of the overall decline in standards and
the acceptance of the doctrine of tolerance. The
idea of free speech is invoked to provide legal
cover for the proliferation of 'adult
entertainment'. I realize that it's squarely
centered on the profit motive. These places are
in business, because they are profitable to
operate, just as much as the black market for
drugs operates because it is a profitable
business. It's profitable because there is a
demand for these products. As soon as the public
decides that it's not the sort of business that
they want to support, all of these operations
will shut down. The only way to deal with the
siutation is to live in a locale that does
support this kind of business. Anyone with a
choice, doesn't want to live in a ghetto. If you
ask me, there is hardly an urban setting that has
not been ghetto-ized by the proliferation of the
'adult entertainment' business. But that's the
inevitable result of the doctrine of tolerance.
There is no social stigma attached to indecent
behavior. In some countries, at least they
restrict these activities to a 'red light
district', so that the entire city isn't riddled
with the problem, and it's easier to regulate.
The cause is the decline of public standards of
decency, and the result is public indecency. And
it is pervasive on the internet. You never know
for sure what you might see when you go to a web
site where you've not been before. It's an
illustration of one of the bad alternatives that
we face. As much as some try to say that there
is no harm done by pornography, it's not the kind
of business that promotes virtue. It's primary
motive is profit. I'd suggest that there are
more beneficial and productive ways to earn
profits. That's not even to consider the
exploitation that seems to be a common aspect of
this business. As soon as you consider the
accountability factor, the alternative gets
closer to home. Would you want your daughter or
wife to be part of this business activity? My
guess is, probably not.
Tolerance, lowered standards of accountability
and socially acceptable behavior, effects the
quality of family life. For all the modern
conveniences, family life is not well. When I was
young, the TV show, The Brady Bunch was popular.
It was a serial about the life of a blended
family. Maybe some blended families work out OK.
But if you pay attention, you will find that the
blended family is in trouble, and there are alot
of them. It's not like The Brady Bunch. And I'm
led to believe that the two biggest factors have
to do with the coincident declines of standards
of behavior for the American female and the
decline of middle class earnings. These two
factors contribute to an increase in family
instability.
This isn't an effort to look for someone to blame,
it's just to point out that there is a trend
toward social decline. While the social
engineers are busy trying to force a modern
jury-rigged family model down the throat of
Americans, we are struggling just to find enough
resources to raise the kids and pay the bills.
The way I see it, women want to play the role of
men and men want to act like women. It's not
working out well. It's not working out well in
the workplace and it's not working out well in
the home. I'm sure that there are plenty of
exceptions, but the trends are ominous. No
wonder prisons fill up as quickly as they can be
built. I think of it as the ghetto-ization of
America. They try to tell me that all I need is
a higher level of tolerance. If I were more
tolerant, then I would be able to see the beauty
of social anarchy. What absolute nonsense. You
don't have to be a fundamentalist christian to
see that the model is broken and the traditional
family is right at the center of the attack.
So, if I was to take a stab at it, I would have
to suggest that the reason that the family is in
decline is because our Creator had another design
for the family. Oh, but that's so intolerant; so
unenlightened. Women have better things to do
than slaving away at home, and raising children.
Maybe that's true. And some might very well find
satisfaction in having both work and family. But
usually, one or the other will suffer neglect.
As imperfect as it may be, the traditional family
remains the best model to provide a stable
environment for raising children. I would even
go so far as to say that abstinence before
marriage is preferable, and is part of the
original design, as unpopular as it is.
Over the past week, I've tried to point out that
in the context of scripture, there is not a wide
range of equally valid alternatives. Even as we
are indoctrinated to believe that one preference
is just as good as another, if you bother to take
a closer look, results vary. Not every
alternative has the same outcome. And I'd even
go so far as to suggest that very few
alternatives lead toward a desirable outcome. As
I look at how the world works, it's almost
obvious. The challenge is to be able to identify
what is meant by 'desirable'. That's where the
conlict becomes contentious. Some would have you
believe that social anarchy is desirable. That
it's OK to allow individuals the liberty to
pursue whatever passion grips them. It seems
obvious to me that any society that believes
that, desires anarchy. I think that's the goal.
If we live in a time of social anarchy, then it
is OK to carry out all kinds of
plans that will only provide a selfish benefit
for the few who are able to put themselves in a
position to exploit others. And it completely
eliminates any concern of accountability. If you
happen to be one of the many, who end up with the
short end of the stick, then it's not so
desirable an outcome. It gets to the point that
there needs to be a level playing field so that
everyone can participate. Anarchy is at the
opposite end of the spectrum from law and order.
Law and order forces everyone to be accountable
to the same rules. We say it's 'fair'. The
problem is that you can't have it both ways at
the same time. Again, it's one or the other.
Isaiah said it long ago, 'These are rebellious
people'. So there is nothing new about the
popular idea of doing as you please, in the form
of the doctrine of tolerance. What you, my
friend, need to recognize, is that the outcome
will vary accordingly. Isaiah foretold that
there was a day of reckoning on the horizon, that
there is a day of consequence. Do you really
believe that we will never see any consequence?
It's hard to imagine actions without consequence.
But there is another alternative. There is the
gospel of Jesus Christ. It's never been popular,
but it offers better results.
Joel 3:14 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"
Get off the Jesus Bus? Nah. Why would I want to?
This week we looked at the crucifixtion, the
resurrection and pentecost, and the prophetic
metaphors that provide an historic context for
the direction of Providence. When you look at
the historic context of events, it becomes
apparent that there is a plan and a purpose
behind what appear to be seemingly random events
recorded in scripture. It's hard to avoid the
conclusion that Divine Providence guides the
affairs of men and nations. But it's never been
the popular view.
It's still not the popular view. People still
prefer to do as they please. That's why we find
that one of the popular doctrines in modern times
is the doctrine of tolerance, and the natural
result of it being social anarchy. One common
illustration of the current situation is the
proliferation of pornography.
It's not just me. Last night, while surfing the
web, I was reading some blog comments and surfing
web sites, and the comments let me recognize that
there are others who notice a decline in the
quality of American life, especially in the
character of popular entertainment. If you've
spent any amount of time surfing the web, you
can't help but notice the proliferation of
pornography. It used to be that pornography was
a business that operated more or less on the
fringes of society, much like prostitution. But
recent trends have brought it more into the
mainstream. All I have to do is look around to
see that there is a growing industry built around
the marketing of sexual fantasy. There are
'adult' media outlets and clubs all across the
country. I've seen the billboards and buildings
everywhere I go. As I see it, these represent a
symptom of the decline in public standards of
decency, more than anything else. It's just one
segment of the overall decline in standards and
the acceptance of the doctrine of tolerance. The
idea of free speech is invoked to provide legal
cover for the proliferation of 'adult
entertainment'. I realize that it's squarely
centered on the profit motive. These places are
in business, because they are profitable to
operate, just as much as the black market for
drugs operates because it is a profitable
business. It's profitable because there is a
demand for these products. As soon as the public
decides that it's not the sort of business that
they want to support, all of these operations
will shut down. The only way to deal with the
siutation is to live in a locale that does
support this kind of business. Anyone with a
choice, doesn't want to live in a ghetto. If you
ask me, there is hardly an urban setting that has
not been ghetto-ized by the proliferation of the
'adult entertainment' business. But that's the
inevitable result of the doctrine of tolerance.
There is no social stigma attached to indecent
behavior. In some countries, at least they
restrict these activities to a 'red light
district', so that the entire city isn't riddled
with the problem, and it's easier to regulate.
The cause is the decline of public standards of
decency, and the result is public indecency. And
it is pervasive on the internet. You never know
for sure what you might see when you go to a web
site where you've not been before. It's an
illustration of one of the bad alternatives that
we face. As much as some try to say that there
is no harm done by pornography, it's not the kind
of business that promotes virtue. It's primary
motive is profit. I'd suggest that there are
more beneficial and productive ways to earn
profits. That's not even to consider the
exploitation that seems to be a common aspect of
this business. As soon as you consider the
accountability factor, the alternative gets
closer to home. Would you want your daughter or
wife to be part of this business activity? My
guess is, probably not.
Tolerance, lowered standards of accountability
and socially acceptable behavior, effects the
quality of family life. For all the modern
conveniences, family life is not well. When I was
young, the TV show, The Brady Bunch was popular.
It was a serial about the life of a blended
family. Maybe some blended families work out OK.
But if you pay attention, you will find that the
blended family is in trouble, and there are alot
of them. It's not like The Brady Bunch. And I'm
led to believe that the two biggest factors have
to do with the coincident declines of standards
of behavior for the American female and the
decline of middle class earnings. These two
factors contribute to an increase in family
instability.
This isn't an effort to look for someone to blame,
it's just to point out that there is a trend
toward social decline. While the social
engineers are busy trying to force a modern
jury-rigged family model down the throat of
Americans, we are struggling just to find enough
resources to raise the kids and pay the bills.
The way I see it, women want to play the role of
men and men want to act like women. It's not
working out well. It's not working out well in
the workplace and it's not working out well in
the home. I'm sure that there are plenty of
exceptions, but the trends are ominous. No
wonder prisons fill up as quickly as they can be
built. I think of it as the ghetto-ization of
America. They try to tell me that all I need is
a higher level of tolerance. If I were more
tolerant, then I would be able to see the beauty
of social anarchy. What absolute nonsense. You
don't have to be a fundamentalist christian to
see that the model is broken and the traditional
family is right at the center of the attack.
So, if I was to take a stab at it, I would have
to suggest that the reason that the family is in
decline is because our Creator had another design
for the family. Oh, but that's so intolerant; so
unenlightened. Women have better things to do
than slaving away at home, and raising children.
Maybe that's true. And some might very well find
satisfaction in having both work and family. But
usually, one or the other will suffer neglect.
As imperfect as it may be, the traditional family
remains the best model to provide a stable
environment for raising children. I would even
go so far as to say that abstinence before
marriage is preferable, and is part of the
original design, as unpopular as it is.
Over the past week, I've tried to point out that
in the context of scripture, there is not a wide
range of equally valid alternatives. Even as we
are indoctrinated to believe that one preference
is just as good as another, if you bother to take
a closer look, results vary. Not every
alternative has the same outcome. And I'd even
go so far as to suggest that very few
alternatives lead toward a desirable outcome. As
I look at how the world works, it's almost
obvious. The challenge is to be able to identify
what is meant by 'desirable'. That's where the
conlict becomes contentious. Some would have you
believe that social anarchy is desirable. That
it's OK to allow individuals the liberty to
pursue whatever passion grips them. It seems
obvious to me that any society that believes
that, desires anarchy. I think that's the goal.
If we live in a time of social anarchy, then it
is OK to carry out all kinds of
plans that will only provide a selfish benefit
for the few who are able to put themselves in a
position to exploit others. And it completely
eliminates any concern of accountability. If you
happen to be one of the many, who end up with the
short end of the stick, then it's not so
desirable an outcome. It gets to the point that
there needs to be a level playing field so that
everyone can participate. Anarchy is at the
opposite end of the spectrum from law and order.
Law and order forces everyone to be accountable
to the same rules. We say it's 'fair'. The
problem is that you can't have it both ways at
the same time. Again, it's one or the other.
Isaiah said it long ago, 'These are rebellious
people'. So there is nothing new about the
popular idea of doing as you please, in the form
of the doctrine of tolerance. What you, my
friend, need to recognize, is that the outcome
will vary accordingly. Isaiah foretold that
there was a day of reckoning on the horizon, that
there is a day of consequence. Do you really
believe that we will never see any consequence?
It's hard to imagine actions without consequence.
But there is another alternative. There is the
gospel of Jesus Christ. It's never been popular,
but it offers better results.
Joel 3:14 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Multitudes In The Valley of Decision
Joel 3:14 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
There are multitudes in the valley of decision.
Over the past couple days, it's been in the back
of my mind that there are many different ideas
about the doctrines of scripture. It's nothing
new. People have been arguing over doctrine
forever. Modern disputes are just a continuation
of past disagreements. One reason is that human
nature doesn't change much, and sin is the same
as it has always been. There are still only two
directions in life. There is the way that Jesus
went and there is every other way. I understand
the laments of the prophets. They saw that there
is only one straight and narrow, and that it is
not the popular choice. No. The majority is
hurtling blindly toward the edge of eternity,
just like a pack of lemmings.
Here's what nobody ever told me; life offers you
a variety of choices, but most of them are bad.
In modern times, there is a proliferation of
alternatives. Because there is a disintegration
of social standards, a wide range of alternatives
are offered as socially acceptable preferences.
Not every culture is in the same state of flux.
That's one reason why, for example, the ancient
traditions of Islam are widely heaped with scorn
by modern editorialists. As a culture, we hold
in contempt any set of social standards that
reject radical individualism. In a word, we
prefer anarchy. I'm not saying that I have a
preference for other religious traditions. I'm
only illustrating the point that the modern mood
rejects every notion opposed to anarchy. Yes.
The modern idea of tolerance is social anarchy.
As it is put into practice, it only offers
choices that range from poor to worse. All you
need to do is look around.
You don't have to be a theologian to see that
some alternatives are better than others. One of
the problems with the popular mood is that it
rejects the idea that there is any significant
difference between one preference or another. We
call it tolerance, but it's really just an old
fashioned lack of moral clarity. Most of the
choices offered at the cultural buffet of modern
life, are just junk food. We are too often
inclined to head straight for the dessert cooler,
even though it's the last thing that we really
need. We are madly in love with the notion of
choice, and we fail to acknowledge that love is
blind. We prefer the world of fantasy. After
all, the harsh realities of life have never been
able to offer the ease that we prefer. But at
some point in time, the facts of life intrude.
Then we are confronted with a range of really
unpleasant consequences. Some alternatives
really are better than others.
As a youngster, I was never really provided with
a firm sense of direction. Life in the 60's was
pretty laid back. As a country, we enjoyed the
highest standard of living that has ever been
known. It was a time of carefree living. Since
then, alot of the social structure has been
dismantled in the name of social progress. And
at present we see that there is little social
accountability. As the passage from yesterday
puts it: 'And from each man, too, I will demand
an accounting for the life of his fellow man.'
Gen.9:5 This is a statement about the social
responsibility and accountability that G-d
requires of everyone. In other words, you won't
find the idea of radical individualism here. G-d
cannot tolerant anarchy. 'Do as you please' is a
commandment taken from the satanic bible, and it
just happens to be the most popular notion of the
modern social contract. Tolerance is a device of
the devil himself. As a modern theme, 'Do as you
please' lies at the center of personal and social
standards of conduct. Could it be any more
obvious? The direction of drift is clearly
downhill. But we are in love with the idea of
tolerance. It blends comfortably with the laid
back carryover from the 60's.
The only problem with all this is that there will
eventually, be a confrontation with consequence.
In the short term, we can kid ourselves about
what lies ahead, but the future will arrive in
its own time, whether we are ready or not. And
that's the problem, as I see it. There is a
delayed reaction. We seem to be able to get away
with something, and that makes us even more
carelessly pursue the path of ease. The fullness
of time will come. That's what I failed to see
as a youngster. The long term view. It's the
affliction of youth. Life seems to hold endless
promise. But many of the options are not as
harmless as they appear. All of the promises
turn out to be unfulfilled. We refer to it as
mid-life crisis. The 'Do as you please'
adventure arrives at your destination, and you
are thrown off the bus.
At this point, once we realize that it didn't
work out the way we planned, the tendency is to
make every effort to delay consequences. OK. We
can't change the past, but we can mitigate the
damage (consequences). I wish it was that easy.
There is more to be gained by simply accepting
the results and living with the burden of our bad
choices. Failure is life's best teacher. As hard
as it is, embrace your failures. Get up every
morning and welcome them to another day. In
time, you will see that they are your friends,
because they will help you identify all the bad
choices that you are offered every day. Failure
teaches you more about yourself and life than
success ever will.
Decisions, decisions. So many choices. Most of
which lead to nowhere. It's only later on that
we finally realize that the best choices are the
ones that always look like the most difficult and
most uncertain. They are also, for the same
reason, the most unpopular. And that's often
what it comes down to. A choice between what's
popular and what's best. Now, if only I could
have known that simple little secret about forty
years ago.
Although it seems to be fashionable these days,
the 'do as you please' notion of tolerance is not
all that it's made out to be. Oh, it's popular
enough, but it's not in your best interest. The
modern doctrine of tolerance is full of empty
promises.
Why do I bring this up? Well, it strikes me that
there is so much noise about all that's wrong
with this country. But the culprit is never
clearly identified because it has such a popular
appeal -- social anarchy. As long as that's the
case, the problems cannot go away. They will
only intensify. Nobody is likely to escape a day
of reckoning because whether we like the idea or
not, G-d has demanded accountability. We can
choose to ignore G-d, but we can't make him go
away. Not yet. That time will come, at his
choosing. In the here and now, the trajectory
that we're on is taking us to an unpleasant
encounter with consequence. It won't be deferred
forever. By the way. Who is going to pay for
unfunded gov't liabilities anyway? Oh. I see.
It's the economy, stupid. My bad. The real doom
and gloomers seem to think, in the Malthusian
vein, that we will eventually have a big die-off.
I can't predict the future. But I suspect that
it will take a shape that's unexpected, also in
the Malthusian vein. If history is any indicator
things could work out very badly, in the sense
that the majority will end up with something that
they don't want, didn't expect and can't do
anything about. With all the nonsense going on
today, my guess is that we won't have to wait too
much longer to find out. What fascinates me
about the possibilites is, will anyone even
recognize the day when it arrives? Is anyone
paying attention?
In any event, looking out the window of the Jesus
Bus, not much has changed over the millennia.
There are still multitudes in the valley of
decision. Isaiah has a way of putting it all
into a metaphor:
Isaiah 30 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Woe to the Obstinate Nation
1 "Woe to the obstinate children,"
declares the LORD,
"to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh's protection,
to Egypt's shade for refuge.
3 But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame,
Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace.
4 Though they have officials in Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them,
who bring neither help nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace."
6 An oracle concerning the animals of the Negev:
Through a land of hardship and distress,
of lions and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs,
their treasures on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
Therefore I call her
Rahab the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"
12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
"Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern."
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'
Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill."
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a G-d of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you
will weep no more. How gracious he will be when
you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will
answer you.
20 Although the Lord gives you the
bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
your teachers will be hidden no more; with your
own eyes you will see them.
21 Whether you turn
to the right or to the left, your ears will hear
a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way;
walk in it."
22 Then you will defile your idols
overlaid with silver and your images covered with
gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual
cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
in the valley of decision.
There are multitudes in the valley of decision.
Over the past couple days, it's been in the back
of my mind that there are many different ideas
about the doctrines of scripture. It's nothing
new. People have been arguing over doctrine
forever. Modern disputes are just a continuation
of past disagreements. One reason is that human
nature doesn't change much, and sin is the same
as it has always been. There are still only two
directions in life. There is the way that Jesus
went and there is every other way. I understand
the laments of the prophets. They saw that there
is only one straight and narrow, and that it is
not the popular choice. No. The majority is
hurtling blindly toward the edge of eternity,
just like a pack of lemmings.
Here's what nobody ever told me; life offers you
a variety of choices, but most of them are bad.
In modern times, there is a proliferation of
alternatives. Because there is a disintegration
of social standards, a wide range of alternatives
are offered as socially acceptable preferences.
Not every culture is in the same state of flux.
That's one reason why, for example, the ancient
traditions of Islam are widely heaped with scorn
by modern editorialists. As a culture, we hold
in contempt any set of social standards that
reject radical individualism. In a word, we
prefer anarchy. I'm not saying that I have a
preference for other religious traditions. I'm
only illustrating the point that the modern mood
rejects every notion opposed to anarchy. Yes.
The modern idea of tolerance is social anarchy.
As it is put into practice, it only offers
choices that range from poor to worse. All you
need to do is look around.
You don't have to be a theologian to see that
some alternatives are better than others. One of
the problems with the popular mood is that it
rejects the idea that there is any significant
difference between one preference or another. We
call it tolerance, but it's really just an old
fashioned lack of moral clarity. Most of the
choices offered at the cultural buffet of modern
life, are just junk food. We are too often
inclined to head straight for the dessert cooler,
even though it's the last thing that we really
need. We are madly in love with the notion of
choice, and we fail to acknowledge that love is
blind. We prefer the world of fantasy. After
all, the harsh realities of life have never been
able to offer the ease that we prefer. But at
some point in time, the facts of life intrude.
Then we are confronted with a range of really
unpleasant consequences. Some alternatives
really are better than others.
As a youngster, I was never really provided with
a firm sense of direction. Life in the 60's was
pretty laid back. As a country, we enjoyed the
highest standard of living that has ever been
known. It was a time of carefree living. Since
then, alot of the social structure has been
dismantled in the name of social progress. And
at present we see that there is little social
accountability. As the passage from yesterday
puts it: 'And from each man, too, I will demand
an accounting for the life of his fellow man.'
Gen.9:5 This is a statement about the social
responsibility and accountability that G-d
requires of everyone. In other words, you won't
find the idea of radical individualism here. G-d
cannot tolerant anarchy. 'Do as you please' is a
commandment taken from the satanic bible, and it
just happens to be the most popular notion of the
modern social contract. Tolerance is a device of
the devil himself. As a modern theme, 'Do as you
please' lies at the center of personal and social
standards of conduct. Could it be any more
obvious? The direction of drift is clearly
downhill. But we are in love with the idea of
tolerance. It blends comfortably with the laid
back carryover from the 60's.
The only problem with all this is that there will
eventually, be a confrontation with consequence.
In the short term, we can kid ourselves about
what lies ahead, but the future will arrive in
its own time, whether we are ready or not. And
that's the problem, as I see it. There is a
delayed reaction. We seem to be able to get away
with something, and that makes us even more
carelessly pursue the path of ease. The fullness
of time will come. That's what I failed to see
as a youngster. The long term view. It's the
affliction of youth. Life seems to hold endless
promise. But many of the options are not as
harmless as they appear. All of the promises
turn out to be unfulfilled. We refer to it as
mid-life crisis. The 'Do as you please'
adventure arrives at your destination, and you
are thrown off the bus.
At this point, once we realize that it didn't
work out the way we planned, the tendency is to
make every effort to delay consequences. OK. We
can't change the past, but we can mitigate the
damage (consequences). I wish it was that easy.
There is more to be gained by simply accepting
the results and living with the burden of our bad
choices. Failure is life's best teacher. As hard
as it is, embrace your failures. Get up every
morning and welcome them to another day. In
time, you will see that they are your friends,
because they will help you identify all the bad
choices that you are offered every day. Failure
teaches you more about yourself and life than
success ever will.
Decisions, decisions. So many choices. Most of
which lead to nowhere. It's only later on that
we finally realize that the best choices are the
ones that always look like the most difficult and
most uncertain. They are also, for the same
reason, the most unpopular. And that's often
what it comes down to. A choice between what's
popular and what's best. Now, if only I could
have known that simple little secret about forty
years ago.
Although it seems to be fashionable these days,
the 'do as you please' notion of tolerance is not
all that it's made out to be. Oh, it's popular
enough, but it's not in your best interest. The
modern doctrine of tolerance is full of empty
promises.
Why do I bring this up? Well, it strikes me that
there is so much noise about all that's wrong
with this country. But the culprit is never
clearly identified because it has such a popular
appeal -- social anarchy. As long as that's the
case, the problems cannot go away. They will
only intensify. Nobody is likely to escape a day
of reckoning because whether we like the idea or
not, G-d has demanded accountability. We can
choose to ignore G-d, but we can't make him go
away. Not yet. That time will come, at his
choosing. In the here and now, the trajectory
that we're on is taking us to an unpleasant
encounter with consequence. It won't be deferred
forever. By the way. Who is going to pay for
unfunded gov't liabilities anyway? Oh. I see.
It's the economy, stupid. My bad. The real doom
and gloomers seem to think, in the Malthusian
vein, that we will eventually have a big die-off.
I can't predict the future. But I suspect that
it will take a shape that's unexpected, also in
the Malthusian vein. If history is any indicator
things could work out very badly, in the sense
that the majority will end up with something that
they don't want, didn't expect and can't do
anything about. With all the nonsense going on
today, my guess is that we won't have to wait too
much longer to find out. What fascinates me
about the possibilites is, will anyone even
recognize the day when it arrives? Is anyone
paying attention?
In any event, looking out the window of the Jesus
Bus, not much has changed over the millennia.
There are still multitudes in the valley of
decision. Isaiah has a way of putting it all
into a metaphor:
Isaiah 30 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Woe to the Obstinate Nation
1 "Woe to the obstinate children,"
declares the LORD,
"to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit,
heaping sin upon sin;
2 who go down to Egypt
without consulting me;
who look for help to Pharaoh's protection,
to Egypt's shade for refuge.
3 But Pharaoh's protection will be to your shame,
Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace.
4 Though they have officials in Zoan
and their envoys have arrived in Hanes,
5 everyone will be put to shame
because of a people useless to them,
who bring neither help nor advantage,
but only shame and disgrace."
6 An oracle concerning the animals of the Negev:
Through a land of hardship and distress,
of lions and lionesses,
of adders and darting snakes,
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs,
their treasures on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
7 to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
Therefore I call her
Rahab the Do-Nothing.
8 Go now, write it on a tablet for them,
inscribe it on a scroll,
that for the days to come
it may be an everlasting witness.
9 These are rebellious people, deceitful children,
children unwilling to listen to the LORD's instruction.
10 They say to the seers,
"See no more visions!"
and to the prophets,
"Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.
11 Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!"
12 Therefore, this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
"Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
13 this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
14 It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern."
15 This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says:
"In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
16 You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.'
Therefore you will flee!
You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.'
Therefore your pursuers will be swift!
17 A thousand will flee
at the threat of one;
at the threat of five
you will all flee away,
till you are left
like a flagstaff on a mountaintop,
like a banner on a hill."
18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
he rises to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a G-d of justice.
Blessed are all who wait for him!
19 O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you
will weep no more. How gracious he will be when
you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will
answer you.
20 Although the Lord gives you the
bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
your teachers will be hidden no more; with your
own eyes you will see them.
21 Whether you turn
to the right or to the left, your ears will hear
a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way;
walk in it."
22 Then you will defile your idols
overlaid with silver and your images covered with
gold; you will throw them away like a menstrual
cloth and say to them, "Away with you!"
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Population Growth
Genesis 9 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
God's Covenant With Noah
1 Then G-d blessed Noah and his sons, saying to
them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and
fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will
fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the
birds of the air, upon every creature that moves
along the ground, and upon all the fish of the
sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything
that lives and moves will be food for you. Just
as I gave you the green plants, I now give you
everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its
lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I
will surely demand an accounting. I will demand
an accounting from every animal. And from each
man, too, I will demand an accounting for the
life of his fellow man.
Yesterday or the day before, I read an op-ed that
got my attention because it mentioned Malthus.
So, I was wondering what ghosts from the past
were being conjured up for the edification of
modern readers. I'm no expert on Malthus or his
economic theories. The only aspect of his theory
that I am aquianted with is that he is one of the
original ZPG (zero population growth) theorists.
Comparing population growth rates and production
(that is food production if I am not mistaken)
growth rates, he extrapolated the outcome that
the accelerated growth of population would
overcome the food supply and there would be mass
starvation. Oh, well, he couldn't forsee the
Industrial Revolution on the horizon and the huge
gains in agricultural productivity. And it
illustrates one problem with predicting the
future. You never know what changes are in store
for the future.
Malthus does illustrate that there are, in
general, two different directions that theory can
take. One direction is that there is a natural
limit to productivity and the other direction is
that limits are imposed by other factors, and
there is no natural limit to productivity. The
idea is that there are strictly limited resources
available for distribution, and the supply can't
be increased or substituted. It's alot to cover
in a few words. But I'd point out that Malthus
went astray the same as the 1960's ZPG went
astray. There is plenty to go around, because
people are creative enough to innovate, as long
as they will directly benefit. The problem is
that there are too many factors that prevent
people from the benefit of their innovations.
Verse one says 'fill the earth'. It's a mandate.
It's the opposite of ZPG. From yesterday's post,
the implication is that when there is a conflict
between a theory and a doctrine of scripture we
will be better off to heed the instruction of
scripture. In other words, a steadily growing
population is a benefit and is sustainable. ZPG
takes the opposite position, that population
growth is a burden and is unsustainable. My own
theory is that technological advance is a simple
function of population growth. People will
innovate when they have the opportunity to do so
and will directly benefit from their effort. It
has nothing to do with evolution and everything
to do with cooperation.
At the end of this passage it says ' And from
each man, too, I will demand an accounting for
the life of his fellow man'. Here's the
cooperation clause. G-d directly expressed to
Noah that it was required that he 'fill the
earth' and account 'for the life of his fellow
man'. It's a good model for social progress,
under the supervision of scriptural principles --
the Ten Commandments.
Early on, this model was applied to the
government of this country. But somewhere along
the way, we got off track. It did work fairly
well for the time that it was applied, but in
modern times is thought to be an anachronism. My
only comment is that you can't improve upon
success.
My best guess is that Malthus wasn't able to
recognize that the growth rate of food production
was not just a matter of technology, but of
political intervention. Tight supplies support
prices. As an economist, he should have known
(recognized) supply and demand, and the ingenuity of
man. Then there was the unknown productive
capacity of the rapidly growing United States.
He was looking at the past to project into the
future. But things are always changing. And
people will always find new ways to make a buck,
by increasing supply to meet demand, as long as
there is an economic incentive to do it. As it
was in Malthus' time, the bulk of agricultural
production was in the hands of an elite few.
There is no incentive on the part of landless
peasants to increase the wealth of the already
wealthy, when they will not gain from it. My
guess is that the low growth rate of agricultural
productivity was more of a political factor than
a technological limit. It was part of the
existing class warfare.
The U.S. was not burdened with the same political
structure as the old world. They produced as
much as they could, and were able to benefit from
their effort, instead of seeing all their hard
labor go to gov't. and landowners. The recent
communist experiments produced the same results
-- poor economic productivity. Face it, without
any incentives, people will not be productive.
So, the debate has shifted again, even since the
1960's, toward the notion of limited economic
resources. My best guess is that it's not much
different than in the past. Productivity is
influenced by political factors, as much as
economic factors. There's no question that the
easy profits are already taken. Cheap and easy
energy resources are already gone, as are many of
the same food resources. But that doesn't mean
that there is short supply. It just means that
there is less easy profitability, and growing
opportunity for technological innovation
But who can tell what lies just over the horizon.
There is no way to know what the next
technological revolution might bring. In the
1960's, expectations were high for generating
cheap nuclear energy. Somehow that was
sidetracked, in favor of fossil fuels. High tech
will probably make a comeback. And there is no
question that energy conservation is likely to
improve once people recognize the benefits, or
simply decide that they are unable to pay for
more extravegance. My guess is that there is
likely to be an adjustment in the standard of
living for those in the U.S. The supply and
demand situation will resolve partly by less
demand. In other words, there is a point where
the supply 'limits' are accomodated by a
redistribution of supply on a global scale. Some
will get less and some will get more, since the
supply will not change overnight.
In any case, there is reason to believe that when
people are given the opportunity to improve their
situation, that they will become more productive.
In other words, people will innovate when they
are the direct recipients of their own effort.
I'd suggest that situations where growth is
limited has more to do with the political climate
than anything else. When the primary benefits go
to someone else, people are less inclined to
improve productivity. They know that they will
not gain the benefit of their own innovation.
I've seen this principle on a smaller scale in
places that I've worked. People are not inclined
to innovate and be more productive when they know
that they have nothing to gain by it. So I find
it hard to believe that there is any natural
limit to productivity, only imposed limits. And
that's where theories like the one proposed so
long ago by Malthus differ from my own. They
believe that there is a natural limit to
productivity, and I believe that there are
imposed limits to productivity. There is no
reason to expect that there is a shortage of
anything except when there is mismanagement of
resources. The problem is best solved by a
marketplace where people are free to act in their
own best interest and the best interest of
others. But it's never really been that way in
recent history.
In a nutshell, fill the earth and look to the
welfare of your fellow man as much as your own.
This is not ZPG, and it's not survival of the
fittest. It's healthy growth and the survival of
civilization. So simple. Never easy.
===>
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/malth
us-was-right/
Was Malthus just unlucky? No. The same forces
that made the industrial revolution possible —
above all, the spirit of inquiry and rationality
— also led to the birth of analytical economics.
There probably couldn’t have been a Malthus until
the world was on the verge of becoming
non-Malthusian.
===>
Not to completely disagree with Krugman. He has
a good point that 'there probably couldn't have
been a Malthus until the world was on the verge
of becoming non-Malthusian'. But I have to point
out that I disagree with the enlightenment myth.
If there was an enlightenment it was *because* of
the reformation, period. It was spurred by
reformed theology. Population had reached the
point where there was an opportunity to innovate
in all areas, because there was sufficient
productivity to support the required
specialization of labor. Seeing the
enlightenment as a cause rather than an effect of
better theology is thinking distorted by the
evolutionary doctrine, when there is a more
likely theory in the fact that it's really the
specialization of labor that
generated technological advance. In other words,
it was a rapidly growing population that provided
the means for technological advance, just as it
is now. Malthus had it backwards because he was
looking in the rear view mirror of history. He
thought that population increase was the problem
not the solution. We're still saddled with the
myth. Sad social conditions are the result of
bad politics and bad theology. Inquiry and
rationality are in the human spirit, but not at
liberty to produce under hostile gov't and
religion. Once the political and religious
burden is lifted, people are freed to be
productive. The communist experiments failed.
Maybe, Malthus was right about something, but not
about the consequence of population growth. And
the doctrine of evolution is a religion that
carries a hugely unproductive burden.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
God's Covenant With Noah
1 Then G-d blessed Noah and his sons, saying to
them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and
fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you will
fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the
birds of the air, upon every creature that moves
along the ground, and upon all the fish of the
sea; they are given into your hands. 3 Everything
that lives and moves will be food for you. Just
as I gave you the green plants, I now give you
everything.
4 "But you must not eat meat that has its
lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I
will surely demand an accounting. I will demand
an accounting from every animal. And from each
man, too, I will demand an accounting for the
life of his fellow man.
Yesterday or the day before, I read an op-ed that
got my attention because it mentioned Malthus.
So, I was wondering what ghosts from the past
were being conjured up for the edification of
modern readers. I'm no expert on Malthus or his
economic theories. The only aspect of his theory
that I am aquianted with is that he is one of the
original ZPG (zero population growth) theorists.
Comparing population growth rates and production
(that is food production if I am not mistaken)
growth rates, he extrapolated the outcome that
the accelerated growth of population would
overcome the food supply and there would be mass
starvation. Oh, well, he couldn't forsee the
Industrial Revolution on the horizon and the huge
gains in agricultural productivity. And it
illustrates one problem with predicting the
future. You never know what changes are in store
for the future.
Malthus does illustrate that there are, in
general, two different directions that theory can
take. One direction is that there is a natural
limit to productivity and the other direction is
that limits are imposed by other factors, and
there is no natural limit to productivity. The
idea is that there are strictly limited resources
available for distribution, and the supply can't
be increased or substituted. It's alot to cover
in a few words. But I'd point out that Malthus
went astray the same as the 1960's ZPG went
astray. There is plenty to go around, because
people are creative enough to innovate, as long
as they will directly benefit. The problem is
that there are too many factors that prevent
people from the benefit of their innovations.
Verse one says 'fill the earth'. It's a mandate.
It's the opposite of ZPG. From yesterday's post,
the implication is that when there is a conflict
between a theory and a doctrine of scripture we
will be better off to heed the instruction of
scripture. In other words, a steadily growing
population is a benefit and is sustainable. ZPG
takes the opposite position, that population
growth is a burden and is unsustainable. My own
theory is that technological advance is a simple
function of population growth. People will
innovate when they have the opportunity to do so
and will directly benefit from their effort. It
has nothing to do with evolution and everything
to do with cooperation.
At the end of this passage it says ' And from
each man, too, I will demand an accounting for
the life of his fellow man'. Here's the
cooperation clause. G-d directly expressed to
Noah that it was required that he 'fill the
earth' and account 'for the life of his fellow
man'. It's a good model for social progress,
under the supervision of scriptural principles --
the Ten Commandments.
Early on, this model was applied to the
government of this country. But somewhere along
the way, we got off track. It did work fairly
well for the time that it was applied, but in
modern times is thought to be an anachronism. My
only comment is that you can't improve upon
success.
My best guess is that Malthus wasn't able to
recognize that the growth rate of food production
was not just a matter of technology, but of
political intervention. Tight supplies support
prices. As an economist, he should have known
(recognized) supply and demand, and the ingenuity of
man. Then there was the unknown productive
capacity of the rapidly growing United States.
He was looking at the past to project into the
future. But things are always changing. And
people will always find new ways to make a buck,
by increasing supply to meet demand, as long as
there is an economic incentive to do it. As it
was in Malthus' time, the bulk of agricultural
production was in the hands of an elite few.
There is no incentive on the part of landless
peasants to increase the wealth of the already
wealthy, when they will not gain from it. My
guess is that the low growth rate of agricultural
productivity was more of a political factor than
a technological limit. It was part of the
existing class warfare.
The U.S. was not burdened with the same political
structure as the old world. They produced as
much as they could, and were able to benefit from
their effort, instead of seeing all their hard
labor go to gov't. and landowners. The recent
communist experiments produced the same results
-- poor economic productivity. Face it, without
any incentives, people will not be productive.
So, the debate has shifted again, even since the
1960's, toward the notion of limited economic
resources. My best guess is that it's not much
different than in the past. Productivity is
influenced by political factors, as much as
economic factors. There's no question that the
easy profits are already taken. Cheap and easy
energy resources are already gone, as are many of
the same food resources. But that doesn't mean
that there is short supply. It just means that
there is less easy profitability, and growing
opportunity for technological innovation
But who can tell what lies just over the horizon.
There is no way to know what the next
technological revolution might bring. In the
1960's, expectations were high for generating
cheap nuclear energy. Somehow that was
sidetracked, in favor of fossil fuels. High tech
will probably make a comeback. And there is no
question that energy conservation is likely to
improve once people recognize the benefits, or
simply decide that they are unable to pay for
more extravegance. My guess is that there is
likely to be an adjustment in the standard of
living for those in the U.S. The supply and
demand situation will resolve partly by less
demand. In other words, there is a point where
the supply 'limits' are accomodated by a
redistribution of supply on a global scale. Some
will get less and some will get more, since the
supply will not change overnight.
In any case, there is reason to believe that when
people are given the opportunity to improve their
situation, that they will become more productive.
In other words, people will innovate when they
are the direct recipients of their own effort.
I'd suggest that situations where growth is
limited has more to do with the political climate
than anything else. When the primary benefits go
to someone else, people are less inclined to
improve productivity. They know that they will
not gain the benefit of their own innovation.
I've seen this principle on a smaller scale in
places that I've worked. People are not inclined
to innovate and be more productive when they know
that they have nothing to gain by it. So I find
it hard to believe that there is any natural
limit to productivity, only imposed limits. And
that's where theories like the one proposed so
long ago by Malthus differ from my own. They
believe that there is a natural limit to
productivity, and I believe that there are
imposed limits to productivity. There is no
reason to expect that there is a shortage of
anything except when there is mismanagement of
resources. The problem is best solved by a
marketplace where people are free to act in their
own best interest and the best interest of
others. But it's never really been that way in
recent history.
In a nutshell, fill the earth and look to the
welfare of your fellow man as much as your own.
This is not ZPG, and it's not survival of the
fittest. It's healthy growth and the survival of
civilization. So simple. Never easy.
===>
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/malth
us-was-right/
Was Malthus just unlucky? No. The same forces
that made the industrial revolution possible —
above all, the spirit of inquiry and rationality
— also led to the birth of analytical economics.
There probably couldn’t have been a Malthus until
the world was on the verge of becoming
non-Malthusian.
===>
Not to completely disagree with Krugman. He has
a good point that 'there probably couldn't have
been a Malthus until the world was on the verge
of becoming non-Malthusian'. But I have to point
out that I disagree with the enlightenment myth.
If there was an enlightenment it was *because* of
the reformation, period. It was spurred by
reformed theology. Population had reached the
point where there was an opportunity to innovate
in all areas, because there was sufficient
productivity to support the required
specialization of labor. Seeing the
enlightenment as a cause rather than an effect of
better theology is thinking distorted by the
evolutionary doctrine, when there is a more
likely theory in the fact that it's really the
specialization of labor that
generated technological advance. In other words,
it was a rapidly growing population that provided
the means for technological advance, just as it
is now. Malthus had it backwards because he was
looking in the rear view mirror of history. He
thought that population increase was the problem
not the solution. We're still saddled with the
myth. Sad social conditions are the result of
bad politics and bad theology. Inquiry and
rationality are in the human spirit, but not at
liberty to produce under hostile gov't and
religion. Once the political and religious
burden is lifted, people are freed to be
productive. The communist experiments failed.
Maybe, Malthus was right about something, but not
about the consequence of population growth. And
the doctrine of evolution is a religion that
carries a hugely unproductive burden.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Being Wrong
John 16 (Contemporary English Version)
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
John 16
8The Spirit will come and show the people of
this world the truth about sin and G-d's justice
and the judgment. 9The Spirit will show them that
they are wrong about sin, because they didn't
have faith in me. 10They are wrong about G-d's
justice, because I am going to the Father, and
you won't see me again. 11And they are wrong
about the judgment, because G-d has already
judged the ruler of this world.
12I have much more to say to you, but right
now it would be more than you could understand.
In this passage, Jesus sets the record straight.
I like his style. He defines only two categories
of people. This is consistent throughout his
teaching. Remember 'the sheep and the goats'
metaphor? Or the 'wheat and the tares'? There
are only two sides, it's either/or. That helps
to clear the air and focus attention on what is
relevant, and what is not. One group is 'the
people of this world', the other group is the
people who believe him. We tend to be distracted
by notions of pluralism and multiculturalism --
many groups of people. Jesus says, there are
only two groups.
Then he says plainly, 'they are wrong'. I have a
son in the second grade. We sat down for a while
last night and worked out some math problems. He
has a funny way of looking at math. He doesn't
yet have the concept of mathematically correct.
He may be off by one or two or ten, and when I
tell him, that's the wrong answer, it's this. He
says, that's what I did. Then I remind him,
there's only one right answer in math, every
other answer is wrong. He just looks at me like
I'm pulling his leg. We're living in an ebonics
world -- it's all good. But that's not how Jesus
describes things. He says there are two and only
two possibilities. It's like math. Either you
have the one correct answer, or it's wrong.
Maybe that's why math has a hard time winning
popularity contests. We don't have TV programs
like, 'Math with the Stars'.
Matthew 7 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
Matthew 7
13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat:
14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.
Only two gates, and many ways to get there. But
then you notice that there is only one straight
and narrow way. This was not popular when Jesus
taught it, and its popularity has not improved
since. But it's not a democratic universe. It
has a defined structure. You may not like it,
but it is what it is. You don't get to choose
who your parents are either.
Then after pointing out the error of the world,
Jesus says simply, there is more, but you
wouldn't understand it. It's always easier to
point out what's wrong as an example, than to try
and teach people, even those who are willing to
learn, how restricted the range of truth is.
Jesus points out the obvious. The world has it
wrong, and the illustration of that condition
surrounds you. But where can you see an
illustration of what's right? I'm thinking that
Jesus is telling his disciples that they really
don't know that much about him. They've seen his
example over the past years, but they really
don't get it, just yet. That exposes the need
for the counselor. They need Divine help to find
the right answers. The straight and narrow way
is not obvious. It's easy to be misled.
Given that the truth is so narrowly defined and
hard to grasp, scripture provides easily
understood metaphors to help us recognize where
the truth lies. In a word, Jesus. On the other
hand, given the nature of things in the way that
Jesus describes it, 'this world' avoids encounter
with truth. It prefers the broad way, because
then, it's anything goes. Still, there are only
two choices -- Jesus or another way. We live in
an either/or world.
Just as it was in Jesus' day, so it is in modern
times. Either you are going the way that Jesus
went, or you are traveling the wrong way. The
justice in it all is that you really do have a
choice to make. The right answer should be
obvious. But that doesn't make it any easier.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
John 16
8The Spirit will come and show the people of
this world the truth about sin and G-d's justice
and the judgment. 9The Spirit will show them that
they are wrong about sin, because they didn't
have faith in me. 10They are wrong about G-d's
justice, because I am going to the Father, and
you won't see me again. 11And they are wrong
about the judgment, because G-d has already
judged the ruler of this world.
12I have much more to say to you, but right
now it would be more than you could understand.
In this passage, Jesus sets the record straight.
I like his style. He defines only two categories
of people. This is consistent throughout his
teaching. Remember 'the sheep and the goats'
metaphor? Or the 'wheat and the tares'? There
are only two sides, it's either/or. That helps
to clear the air and focus attention on what is
relevant, and what is not. One group is 'the
people of this world', the other group is the
people who believe him. We tend to be distracted
by notions of pluralism and multiculturalism --
many groups of people. Jesus says, there are
only two groups.
Then he says plainly, 'they are wrong'. I have a
son in the second grade. We sat down for a while
last night and worked out some math problems. He
has a funny way of looking at math. He doesn't
yet have the concept of mathematically correct.
He may be off by one or two or ten, and when I
tell him, that's the wrong answer, it's this. He
says, that's what I did. Then I remind him,
there's only one right answer in math, every
other answer is wrong. He just looks at me like
I'm pulling his leg. We're living in an ebonics
world -- it's all good. But that's not how Jesus
describes things. He says there are two and only
two possibilities. It's like math. Either you
have the one correct answer, or it's wrong.
Maybe that's why math has a hard time winning
popularity contests. We don't have TV programs
like, 'Math with the Stars'.
Matthew 7 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
Matthew 7
13Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and many there be which go in
thereat:
14Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be
that find it.
Only two gates, and many ways to get there. But
then you notice that there is only one straight
and narrow way. This was not popular when Jesus
taught it, and its popularity has not improved
since. But it's not a democratic universe. It
has a defined structure. You may not like it,
but it is what it is. You don't get to choose
who your parents are either.
Then after pointing out the error of the world,
Jesus says simply, there is more, but you
wouldn't understand it. It's always easier to
point out what's wrong as an example, than to try
and teach people, even those who are willing to
learn, how restricted the range of truth is.
Jesus points out the obvious. The world has it
wrong, and the illustration of that condition
surrounds you. But where can you see an
illustration of what's right? I'm thinking that
Jesus is telling his disciples that they really
don't know that much about him. They've seen his
example over the past years, but they really
don't get it, just yet. That exposes the need
for the counselor. They need Divine help to find
the right answers. The straight and narrow way
is not obvious. It's easy to be misled.
Given that the truth is so narrowly defined and
hard to grasp, scripture provides easily
understood metaphors to help us recognize where
the truth lies. In a word, Jesus. On the other
hand, given the nature of things in the way that
Jesus describes it, 'this world' avoids encounter
with truth. It prefers the broad way, because
then, it's anything goes. Still, there are only
two choices -- Jesus or another way. We live in
an either/or world.
Just as it was in Jesus' day, so it is in modern
times. Either you are going the way that Jesus
went, or you are traveling the wrong way. The
justice in it all is that you really do have a
choice to make. The right answer should be
obvious. But that doesn't make it any easier.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
After Pentecost
Numbers 28:26 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Feast of Weeks
26 " 'On the day of firstfruits, when you
present to the LORD an offering of new grain
during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly
and do no regular work.
Leviticus 23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
Leviticus 23
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye
shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even
these are my feasts.
3Six days shall work be done: but the seventh
day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation;
ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of
the LORD in all your dwellings.
4These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy
convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their
seasons.
5In the fourteenth day of the first month at
even is the LORD's passover.
6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is
the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD:
seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7In the first day ye shall have an holy
convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8But ye shall offer an offering made by fire
unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is
an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work
therein.
9And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say
unto them, When ye be come into the land which I
give unto you, and shall reap the harvest
thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD,
to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the
sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the
sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first
year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
13And the meat offering thereof shall be two
tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an
offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet
savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be
of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
14And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched
corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that
ye have brought an offering unto your God: it
shall be a statute for ever throughout your
generations in all your dwellings.
15And ye shall count unto you from the morrow
after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought
the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths
shall be complete:
16Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath
shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a
new meat offering unto the LORD.
17Ye shall bring out of your habitations two
wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of
fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they
are the firstfruits unto the LORD...
21And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day,
that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye
shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a
statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout
your generations.
A quote from yesterday:
"The festival being celebrated in Jerusalem at
the time of these events recorded in Acts 2, was
called the Feast of Weeks, in this passage, the
'day of firstfruits'. The metaphor is clear.
This was the day that the Christian church began
officially. This was the 'harvest' that began
with the dramatic arrival of the Holy Ghost, the
'counselor' whom Jesus spoke about to his
disciples when they last saw him."
John 16 (Contemporary English Version)
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
John 16
1I am telling you this to keep you from being
afraid. 2You will be chased out of the Jewish
meeting places. And the time will come when
people will kill you and think they are doing God
a favor. 3They will do these things because they
don't know either the Father or me. 4I am saying
this to you now, so that when the time comes, you
will remember what I have said.
I was with you at the first, and so I didn't
tell you these things.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5But now I am going back to the Father who sent
me, and none of you asks me where I am going.
6You are very sad from hearing all of this. 7But
I tell you that I am going to do what is best for
you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit
cannot come to help you until I leave. But after
I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.
(This is a passage that records Jesus telling his
disciples that there is more to come. Like most
of what Jesus said, they didn't figure it out
until after the fact. You have to ask, Were they
looking at the script?)
8The Spirit will come and show the people of
this world the truth about sin and God's justice
and the judgment. 9The Spirit will show them that
they are wrong about sin, because they didn't
have faith in me. 10They are wrong about God's
justice, because I am going to the Father, and
you won't see me again. 11And they are wrong
about the judgment, because God has already
judged the ruler of this world.
12I have much more to say to you, but right
now it would be more than you could understand.
13The Spirit shows what is true and will come and
guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't
speak on his own. He will tell you only what he
has heard from me, and he will let you know what
is going to happen.
The first mention of the festivals or 'feasts' as
they are called in the King James, is in the book
of Leviticus. Then, in the book of Numbers the
festival days are reiterated. In the passage
above the days of the feasts are specified. Note
that the calendar used in this passage is a lunar
calendar, not a solar calendar. So the date of
each festival in the lunar calendar falls on a
different date each year of the solar calendar.
That's just to point out that the dates we use on
a modern calendar, may not exactly correspond to
the feast dates in the lunar year. If I'm not
mistaken there are two calendars used in Israel
in modern times, a lunar and a solar. Use of a
lunar calendar is an indication that the
tradition goes back to an ancient civilization.
And later on, when we look at the book of Daniel,
the chronology is based on a lunar calendar.
'...it shall be a statute for ever in all your
dwellings throughout your generations...' is a
statement that implies the significance of the
event. There is a past, present and future
aspect to these prophetic events. They were to
be part of the life experience of every hebrew.
It's another way that people will be able to
recognize the hand of Providence that guides the
course of human history. In modern times that
seems to be a totally abandoned concept. But
there it is in the pages of scripture.
Another thing that comes to mind is the
uniqueness of these prophetic festivals. As far
as I know, there is no parallel in other
religious traditions. There is no prophetic
significance in other religious traditions. The
only vaguely similar concept, might be the
mention in Islam of a time when that tradition
will rise to prominence. But that is clearly at
odds with the message of ancient hebrew and greek
scripture, that make no mention of another
dominant religion, except to say that the
influence of worldly religions will end in ruin.
Act 2
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised
his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews
and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me
explain this to you; listen carefully to what I
say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose.
It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what
was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, G-d says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious
day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[c]
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of
Nazareth was a man accredited by G-d to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which G-d did among
you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This
man was handed over to you by G-d's set purpose
and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of
wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to
the cross. 24But G-d raised him from the dead,
freeing him from the agony of death, because it
was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your
presence.'[e]
29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the
patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb
is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and
knew that G-d had promised him on oath that he
would place one of his descendants on his throne.
31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the
resurrection of the Christ,[f] that he was not
abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see
decay. 32G-d has raised this Jesus to life, and
we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to
the right hand of G-d, he has received from the
Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured
out what you now see and hear...
40With many other words he warned them; and he
pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this
corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his
message were baptized, and about three thousand
were added to their number that day.
This was the first message recorded in scripture
of the disciples preaching about Jesus. This
took place at the Feast of Weeks, where they
celebrate the 'day of firstfruits'. This is the
day that the Holy Ghost was sent to those
gathered at Jerusalem in celebration of the feast
that is associated with the annual grain harvest.
Over and over again, Jesus used the metaphor of
the grain harvest to represent those who would
listen and believe his message. So, again,
everyone is amazed at this strange event taking
place among believers in Jerusalem. But the
result is the first large group of converts who
respond to the preaching of the apostles. That's
the primary evidence of the work of the Holy
Ghost in the world today -- the harvest of those
who will believe.
What's the next event on the prophetic calendar?
It looks like that would be the Feast of Trumpets
and the year of jubilee.
Leviticus 25
8And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years
unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space
of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee
forty and nine years.
9Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile
to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month,
in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet
sound throughout all your land.
10And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and
proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all
the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile
unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his
possession, and ye shall return every man unto
his family.
I've heard before that the year of jubilee has
never been observed in the land of Israel. If
that's the case, then it is strictly a prophetic
feast. One that looks forward to a future event.
All debts are to be cancelled and every person is
to return to the place of his ancestry. The
metaphor is that all believers will be released
from their 'debt' toward G-d, and return to their
homeland, which is heaven. It is a metaphor for
what we call the 'rapture'. At that point, the
Jesus Bus is outta' here. Here's the quote from
yesterday:
"... at this point in time forget about the
evolutionary chronology and consider the
chronology presented in the book of Daniel and
you will see that we are standing at the
threshold of the return of Jesus." The feast of
trumpets is next on the itinerary, boys and
girls, moms and dads. When? Nobody knows. It
says it's every fiftieth year. There's probably
a significance to that number, and perhaps there
is a hint somewhere in the chronology provided in
the book of Daniel. In any case, there isn't any
question about what's the next act to play out on
the stage of human history. Is anyone paying
attention to the script???
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Feast of Weeks
26 " 'On the day of firstfruits, when you
present to the LORD an offering of new grain
during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly
and do no regular work.
Leviticus 23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
Leviticus 23
1And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD, which ye
shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even
these are my feasts.
3Six days shall work be done: but the seventh
day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation;
ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of
the LORD in all your dwellings.
4These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy
convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their
seasons.
5In the fourteenth day of the first month at
even is the LORD's passover.
6And on the fifteenth day of the same month is
the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD:
seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
7In the first day ye shall have an holy
convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
8But ye shall offer an offering made by fire
unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is
an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work
therein.
9And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
10Speak unto the children of Israel, and say
unto them, When ye be come into the land which I
give unto you, and shall reap the harvest
thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the
firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest:
11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD,
to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the
sabbath the priest shall wave it.
12And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the
sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first
year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.
13And the meat offering thereof shall be two
tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an
offering made by fire unto the LORD for a sweet
savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be
of wine, the fourth part of an hin.
14And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched
corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that
ye have brought an offering unto your God: it
shall be a statute for ever throughout your
generations in all your dwellings.
15And ye shall count unto you from the morrow
after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought
the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths
shall be complete:
16Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath
shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a
new meat offering unto the LORD.
17Ye shall bring out of your habitations two
wave loaves of two tenth deals; they shall be of
fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they
are the firstfruits unto the LORD...
21And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day,
that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye
shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a
statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout
your generations.
A quote from yesterday:
"The festival being celebrated in Jerusalem at
the time of these events recorded in Acts 2, was
called the Feast of Weeks, in this passage, the
'day of firstfruits'. The metaphor is clear.
This was the day that the Christian church began
officially. This was the 'harvest' that began
with the dramatic arrival of the Holy Ghost, the
'counselor' whom Jesus spoke about to his
disciples when they last saw him."
John 16 (Contemporary English Version)
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
John 16
1I am telling you this to keep you from being
afraid. 2You will be chased out of the Jewish
meeting places. And the time will come when
people will kill you and think they are doing God
a favor. 3They will do these things because they
don't know either the Father or me. 4I am saying
this to you now, so that when the time comes, you
will remember what I have said.
I was with you at the first, and so I didn't
tell you these things.
The Work of the Holy Spirit
5But now I am going back to the Father who sent
me, and none of you asks me where I am going.
6You are very sad from hearing all of this. 7But
I tell you that I am going to do what is best for
you. That is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit
cannot come to help you until I leave. But after
I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.
(This is a passage that records Jesus telling his
disciples that there is more to come. Like most
of what Jesus said, they didn't figure it out
until after the fact. You have to ask, Were they
looking at the script?)
8The Spirit will come and show the people of
this world the truth about sin and God's justice
and the judgment. 9The Spirit will show them that
they are wrong about sin, because they didn't
have faith in me. 10They are wrong about God's
justice, because I am going to the Father, and
you won't see me again. 11And they are wrong
about the judgment, because God has already
judged the ruler of this world.
12I have much more to say to you, but right
now it would be more than you could understand.
13The Spirit shows what is true and will come and
guide you into the full truth. The Spirit doesn't
speak on his own. He will tell you only what he
has heard from me, and he will let you know what
is going to happen.
The first mention of the festivals or 'feasts' as
they are called in the King James, is in the book
of Leviticus. Then, in the book of Numbers the
festival days are reiterated. In the passage
above the days of the feasts are specified. Note
that the calendar used in this passage is a lunar
calendar, not a solar calendar. So the date of
each festival in the lunar calendar falls on a
different date each year of the solar calendar.
That's just to point out that the dates we use on
a modern calendar, may not exactly correspond to
the feast dates in the lunar year. If I'm not
mistaken there are two calendars used in Israel
in modern times, a lunar and a solar. Use of a
lunar calendar is an indication that the
tradition goes back to an ancient civilization.
And later on, when we look at the book of Daniel,
the chronology is based on a lunar calendar.
'...it shall be a statute for ever in all your
dwellings throughout your generations...' is a
statement that implies the significance of the
event. There is a past, present and future
aspect to these prophetic events. They were to
be part of the life experience of every hebrew.
It's another way that people will be able to
recognize the hand of Providence that guides the
course of human history. In modern times that
seems to be a totally abandoned concept. But
there it is in the pages of scripture.
Another thing that comes to mind is the
uniqueness of these prophetic festivals. As far
as I know, there is no parallel in other
religious traditions. There is no prophetic
significance in other religious traditions. The
only vaguely similar concept, might be the
mention in Islam of a time when that tradition
will rise to prominence. But that is clearly at
odds with the message of ancient hebrew and greek
scripture, that make no mention of another
dominant religion, except to say that the
influence of worldly religions will end in ruin.
Act 2
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised
his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews
and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me
explain this to you; listen carefully to what I
say. 15These men are not drunk, as you suppose.
It's only nine in the morning! 16No, this is what
was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17" 'In the last days, G-d says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19I will show wonders in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious
day of the Lord.
21And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.'[c]
22"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of
Nazareth was a man accredited by G-d to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which G-d did among
you through him, as you yourselves know. 23This
man was handed over to you by G-d's set purpose
and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of
wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to
the cross. 24But G-d raised him from the dead,
freeing him from the agony of death, because it
was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
25David said about him:
" 'I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue
rejoices;
my body also will live in hope,
27because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
28You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your
presence.'[e]
29"Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the
patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb
is here to this day. 30But he was a prophet and
knew that G-d had promised him on oath that he
would place one of his descendants on his throne.
31Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the
resurrection of the Christ,[f] that he was not
abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see
decay. 32G-d has raised this Jesus to life, and
we are all witnesses of the fact. 33Exalted to
the right hand of G-d, he has received from the
Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured
out what you now see and hear...
40With many other words he warned them; and he
pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this
corrupt generation." 41Those who accepted his
message were baptized, and about three thousand
were added to their number that day.
This was the first message recorded in scripture
of the disciples preaching about Jesus. This
took place at the Feast of Weeks, where they
celebrate the 'day of firstfruits'. This is the
day that the Holy Ghost was sent to those
gathered at Jerusalem in celebration of the feast
that is associated with the annual grain harvest.
Over and over again, Jesus used the metaphor of
the grain harvest to represent those who would
listen and believe his message. So, again,
everyone is amazed at this strange event taking
place among believers in Jerusalem. But the
result is the first large group of converts who
respond to the preaching of the apostles. That's
the primary evidence of the work of the Holy
Ghost in the world today -- the harvest of those
who will believe.
What's the next event on the prophetic calendar?
It looks like that would be the Feast of Trumpets
and the year of jubilee.
Leviticus 25
8And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years
unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space
of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee
forty and nine years.
9Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile
to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month,
in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet
sound throughout all your land.
10And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and
proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all
the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile
unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his
possession, and ye shall return every man unto
his family.
I've heard before that the year of jubilee has
never been observed in the land of Israel. If
that's the case, then it is strictly a prophetic
feast. One that looks forward to a future event.
All debts are to be cancelled and every person is
to return to the place of his ancestry. The
metaphor is that all believers will be released
from their 'debt' toward G-d, and return to their
homeland, which is heaven. It is a metaphor for
what we call the 'rapture'. At that point, the
Jesus Bus is outta' here. Here's the quote from
yesterday:
"... at this point in time forget about the
evolutionary chronology and consider the
chronology presented in the book of Daniel and
you will see that we are standing at the
threshold of the return of Jesus." The feast of
trumpets is next on the itinerary, boys and
girls, moms and dads. When? Nobody knows. It
says it's every fiftieth year. There's probably
a significance to that number, and perhaps there
is a hint somewhere in the chronology provided in
the book of Daniel. In any case, there isn't any
question about what's the next act to play out on
the stage of human history. Is anyone paying
attention to the script???
Monday, March 24, 2008
Day of Pentecost
Mark 15 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Jesus Before Pilate
1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests,
with the elders, the teachers of the law and the
whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound
Jesus, led him away and handed him over to
Pilate.
2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things.
4 So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going
to answer? See how many things they are accusing
you of."
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was
amazed.
There is the crucifixtion, then the resurrection
and then... the Day of Pentecost. Is there an
appropriate metaphor?
Another aspect of the unfolding drama of
scriptural revelation is the timing of events.
The chronology of events is the most puzzling
element of all. It's made even more uncertain if
you accept the more recent introduction of an
evolutionary timeframe. If you look at it from
the perspective of billions of years, then the
significance of biblical chronology loses all
relevance. I'd suggest that's the whole point.
For today, I'll set aside the creation vs
evolution conflict, except to point out that it
stands in sharp contrast, one to the other, when
the question of chronolgy is brought into view.
As far as I can tell, the book of Daniel is the
only place in the record of scripture that
attempts to place events into a chronological
framework in an explicit way. Sooner or
laterwe'll have to have a look at the book of
Daniel.
In the context of scripture, there is more to
question the evolutionary chronology than the
subject of origins. In the context of world
history, my take is that, there is a problem with
evolutionary chronology. All you have to do is
take a look at the idea of most recent common
ancestry, and it soon emerges that there is a
significant chronological problem with evolution.
But again, that's for another day.
Look at your calendar and you will see that the
resurrection has been firmly embedded in the way
that we view human history. I'd suggest that
it's not by accident, but that it's in
recognition of the script that's been written and
directed from behind the stage of history.
Evolutionary chronology is only another attempt
to misdirect our attention away from the stage of
human history and it's Providential direction.
In the passage above, Pilate was amazed because
he was looking at the wrong chronology of human
history. He had no idea that the script was
being played out before him on the stage of human
history. Being who he was, he didn't have the
moral will or the political inclination to do
anything other than let events play out. He
wasn't about to convert. He was like the Pharoah
in Egypt, who was having his hand forced into the
accomodation of G-d's will. Pharoah could at
least see the significance of events. Allowing
the hebrews to walk out of Egypt would have
economic consequence. But poor Pilate could only
see a destitute Galilean carpenter-turned-
preacher, standing before him. And not even the
kind of revolutionary that Pilate found the least
bit threatening. How could the poor carpenter's
son ever hope of becoming king of anything? He
didn't even own a sword. You would imagine that
Pilate was not just amazed, but amused by the
accusations of those who were opposing Jesus.
I'd imagine that Pilate is thinking something
along the lines that these guys can't even see
that the poor preacher isn't a political threat
to anyone who holds and excercises power in
Jerusalem. Pilate knew that the deck of power
cards was stacked completely in the favor of
those who served at the pleasure of the Roman
Empire. Jesus was not seen by Pilate as a
legitimate threat to that empire, even though the
others tried their best to make a case for it.
The only one on stage who knew what was going on
as the events unfolded was Jesus. And he wasn't
saying anything. Not at that moment anyway.
As I look around, I have to imagine that at the
moment there are not too many, maybe none, who
fully recognize the significance of current
events. While at the same time, realize that
events are still directed by Providence. Who is
paying attention to the script? All I see is
finger pointing in every direction, the normal
course of events. While the focus of attention
is being brought toward distracting events
scattered across the stage, the script is being
played out at the center, where it appears that
nothing of real significance or interest is
taking place. The real drama is always hidden in
plain sight. After the fact, it may become more
obvious, and maybe not. Daniel specifically
draws our attention to events taking place in
Jerusalem. That's center stage in biblical
prophecy.
Acts 2 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Acts 2
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and
filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit
enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem G-d-fearing
Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they
heard this sound, a crowd came together in
bewilderment, because each one heard them
speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed,
they asked: "Are not all these men who are
speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of
us hears them in his own native language?
9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and
Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they
asked one another, "What does this mean?"
There's that question again. The same question
that Moses said would be answered by the Passover
celebration. It's the question that naturally
comes to mind when strange or unusual events are
forced upon us. In general, human nature has a
tendency to avoid unfamiliar situations, but when
events range completely outside the bounds of
prior experience, then that begs the question.
We also expect that someone will be able to
answer the question, whether we really want to
know or not. Acts 2 is a good illustration.
The day of Pentecost takes place in the upper
room somewhere in Jerusalem. Jesus had told his
disciples that he would see them after the
resurrection, in Galilee. But since they were
still jews, they went to Jerusalem for the Feast
of Weeks. You would imagine that they were just
hanging out in Galilee in the interim. Maybe
wondering among themselves what, if anything, was
going to come of recent events. Fishing. You
would have to imagine that they knew if they ever
had reason to return to Jerusalem, they would
want to maintain a low profile -- try to blend
into the crowd. It didn't work out that way,
exactly.
Numbers 28:26 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Feast of Weeks
26 " 'On the day of firstfruits, when you
present to the LORD an offering of new grain
during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly
and do no regular work.
The festival being celebrated in Jerusalem at the
time of these events recorded in Acts 2, was
called the Feast of Weeks, in this passage, the
'day of firstfruits'. The metaphor is clear.
This was the day that the Christian church began
officially. This was the 'harvest' that began
with the dramatic arrival of the Holy Ghost, the
'counselor' whom Jesus spoke about to his
disciples when they last saw him.
At hand, I don't have a reference, so I can't say
for sure what the exact time is between Passover
and Pentecost. But there is a sequence of
festivals that are part of the hebrew tradition
that was given by Moses. I suspect that they all
have a prophetic and a metaphoric significance.
That leaves plenty of ground to cover, miles to
go yet, on the Jesus Bus. All I can say at this
point in time is forget about the evolutionary
chronology and consider the chronology presented
in the book of Daniel and you will see that we
are standing at the threshold of the return of
Jesus.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
Jesus Before Pilate
1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests,
with the elders, the teachers of the law and the
whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound
Jesus, led him away and handed him over to
Pilate.
2 "Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3 The chief priests accused him of many things.
4 So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going
to answer? See how many things they are accusing
you of."
5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was
amazed.
There is the crucifixtion, then the resurrection
and then... the Day of Pentecost. Is there an
appropriate metaphor?
Another aspect of the unfolding drama of
scriptural revelation is the timing of events.
The chronology of events is the most puzzling
element of all. It's made even more uncertain if
you accept the more recent introduction of an
evolutionary timeframe. If you look at it from
the perspective of billions of years, then the
significance of biblical chronology loses all
relevance. I'd suggest that's the whole point.
For today, I'll set aside the creation vs
evolution conflict, except to point out that it
stands in sharp contrast, one to the other, when
the question of chronolgy is brought into view.
As far as I can tell, the book of Daniel is the
only place in the record of scripture that
attempts to place events into a chronological
framework in an explicit way. Sooner or
laterwe'll have to have a look at the book of
Daniel.
In the context of scripture, there is more to
question the evolutionary chronology than the
subject of origins. In the context of world
history, my take is that, there is a problem with
evolutionary chronology. All you have to do is
take a look at the idea of most recent common
ancestry, and it soon emerges that there is a
significant chronological problem with evolution.
But again, that's for another day.
Look at your calendar and you will see that the
resurrection has been firmly embedded in the way
that we view human history. I'd suggest that
it's not by accident, but that it's in
recognition of the script that's been written and
directed from behind the stage of history.
Evolutionary chronology is only another attempt
to misdirect our attention away from the stage of
human history and it's Providential direction.
In the passage above, Pilate was amazed because
he was looking at the wrong chronology of human
history. He had no idea that the script was
being played out before him on the stage of human
history. Being who he was, he didn't have the
moral will or the political inclination to do
anything other than let events play out. He
wasn't about to convert. He was like the Pharoah
in Egypt, who was having his hand forced into the
accomodation of G-d's will. Pharoah could at
least see the significance of events. Allowing
the hebrews to walk out of Egypt would have
economic consequence. But poor Pilate could only
see a destitute Galilean carpenter-turned-
preacher, standing before him. And not even the
kind of revolutionary that Pilate found the least
bit threatening. How could the poor carpenter's
son ever hope of becoming king of anything? He
didn't even own a sword. You would imagine that
Pilate was not just amazed, but amused by the
accusations of those who were opposing Jesus.
I'd imagine that Pilate is thinking something
along the lines that these guys can't even see
that the poor preacher isn't a political threat
to anyone who holds and excercises power in
Jerusalem. Pilate knew that the deck of power
cards was stacked completely in the favor of
those who served at the pleasure of the Roman
Empire. Jesus was not seen by Pilate as a
legitimate threat to that empire, even though the
others tried their best to make a case for it.
The only one on stage who knew what was going on
as the events unfolded was Jesus. And he wasn't
saying anything. Not at that moment anyway.
As I look around, I have to imagine that at the
moment there are not too many, maybe none, who
fully recognize the significance of current
events. While at the same time, realize that
events are still directed by Providence. Who is
paying attention to the script? All I see is
finger pointing in every direction, the normal
course of events. While the focus of attention
is being brought toward distracting events
scattered across the stage, the script is being
played out at the center, where it appears that
nothing of real significance or interest is
taking place. The real drama is always hidden in
plain sight. After the fact, it may become more
obvious, and maybe not. Daniel specifically
draws our attention to events taking place in
Jerusalem. That's center stage in biblical
prophecy.
Acts 2 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Acts 2
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the
blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and
filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them. 4All
of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit
enabled them.
5Now there were staying in Jerusalem G-d-fearing
Jews from every nation under heaven. 6When they
heard this sound, a crowd came together in
bewilderment, because each one heard them
speaking in his own language. 7Utterly amazed,
they asked: "Are not all these men who are
speaking Galileans? 8Then how is it that each of
us hears them in his own native language?
9Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of
Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and
Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the
parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11(both Jews and converts to Judaism Cretans and
Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongues!" 12Amazed and perplexed, they
asked one another, "What does this mean?"
There's that question again. The same question
that Moses said would be answered by the Passover
celebration. It's the question that naturally
comes to mind when strange or unusual events are
forced upon us. In general, human nature has a
tendency to avoid unfamiliar situations, but when
events range completely outside the bounds of
prior experience, then that begs the question.
We also expect that someone will be able to
answer the question, whether we really want to
know or not. Acts 2 is a good illustration.
The day of Pentecost takes place in the upper
room somewhere in Jerusalem. Jesus had told his
disciples that he would see them after the
resurrection, in Galilee. But since they were
still jews, they went to Jerusalem for the Feast
of Weeks. You would imagine that they were just
hanging out in Galilee in the interim. Maybe
wondering among themselves what, if anything, was
going to come of recent events. Fishing. You
would have to imagine that they knew if they ever
had reason to return to Jerusalem, they would
want to maintain a low profile -- try to blend
into the crowd. It didn't work out that way,
exactly.
Numbers 28:26 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Feast of Weeks
26 " 'On the day of firstfruits, when you
present to the LORD an offering of new grain
during the Feast of Weeks, hold a sacred assembly
and do no regular work.
The festival being celebrated in Jerusalem at the
time of these events recorded in Acts 2, was
called the Feast of Weeks, in this passage, the
'day of firstfruits'. The metaphor is clear.
This was the day that the Christian church began
officially. This was the 'harvest' that began
with the dramatic arrival of the Holy Ghost, the
'counselor' whom Jesus spoke about to his
disciples when they last saw him.
At hand, I don't have a reference, so I can't say
for sure what the exact time is between Passover
and Pentecost. But there is a sequence of
festivals that are part of the hebrew tradition
that was given by Moses. I suspect that they all
have a prophetic and a metaphoric significance.
That leaves plenty of ground to cover, miles to
go yet, on the Jesus Bus. All I can say at this
point in time is forget about the evolutionary
chronology and consider the chronology presented
in the book of Daniel and you will see that we
are standing at the threshold of the return of
Jesus.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Crucifixtion Finished It
The Crucifixtion Finished It
John 19:30 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said,
"It is finished." With that, he bowed his head
and gave up his spirit.
Hebrews 13
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals
into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but
the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city
gate to make the people holy through his own
blood.
13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp,
bearing the disgrace he bore.
14For here we do not have an enduring city, but
we are looking for the city that is to come.
Here's a quote from yesterday:
"Another metaphor as the Apostle translates it
in Hebrews. When he says,'go to him outside the
camp', does he suggest that, for the hebrew
believer there is a need to make a break with the
earlier covenant of temple worship? That all of
the requirements of temple worship were only to
make it easier to recognize the one who is
represented by the Passover lamb?
...the Apostle was looking into the future
through the lens of prophetic scripture. He saw
in the text of scripture, that there was more to
come. He saw that there was a future eternal
Jerusalem, that will replace the present
metaphorical dwelling place of G-d (the temple in
Jerusalem)."
'It is finished' brings to a close the drama of
redemption unfolding across the stage of history,
as it is recorded in the text of holy scripture.
What is finished is the offering up of sacrifices
that could never remove the stain of sin. Temple
worship is a metaphor for the final redemption of
all mankind. It is finished.
Hebrews 10:4 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins.
Only the blood of Jesus has the power to take
away sin. The result is that we now have a means
to approach G-d, that is not based on our own
feeble effort or goodness, but on the
righteousness of Christ. He did for us what we
were unable to do for ourselves.
Last night, in conversation, I was asking, How do
I as a parent talk to my kids? How am I supposed
to explain to them that this is the kind of world
that we live in. A world that is lost in sin and
whose future is described in apocalyptic terms in
the book of the Revelation. It's a world headed
for the brink. And there is nothing to do about
it except to watch the apocalyptic drama unfold.
They'd rather that I don't bother them so that
they can continue to watch the unfolding drama of
cartoon network.
It seems that we are not inclined to take notice
of the more unpleasant aspects of life. A
crucifixtion was not something you wanted to
spend alot of time looking at. It was a cruel
form of death. For some reason, it seems that
people are surprised by death, as if it were
totally unexpected. It says something about how
engaged with reality we want to be. The Roman
soldiers, whose normal routine was to participate
in crucifixtions and other military activities
may not have been entertained by it all, you can
draw your own conclusion from the passage in
Mark; but they were familiar with the nearness of
death. They saw that it was an illusion that
there was any permanent sense of security in
life. Death is only a breath away, even though
we prefer to think otherwise.
Looking into the future is tricky business. I
have no desire to make predictions about the
future. I'll leave that to the tabloids. But
there is in scripture a fool proof plan to avoid
the hazard of death, one of those things that's
certain in life, by taking refuge in the
salvation offered by Christ. It's there for the
asking.
Mark 15 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Jesus Before Pilate
1Very early in the morning, the chief priests,
with the elders, the teachers of the law and the
whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound
Jesus, led him away and handed him over to
Pilate.
2"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3The chief priests accused him of many things.
4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to
answer? See how many things they are accusing you
of."
5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was
amazed.
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a
prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called
Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists
who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The
crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them
what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of
the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of
envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over
to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the
crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call
the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked
Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify
him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released
Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and
handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace
(that is, the Praetorium) and called together the
whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple
robe on him, then twisted together a crown of
thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to
call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
19Again and again they struck him on the head
with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their
knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they
had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and
put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out
to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father
of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way
in from the country, and they forced him to carry
the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place
called Golgotha (which means The Place of the
Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with
myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they
crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast
lots to see what each would get.
25It was the third hour when they crucified him.
26The written notice of the charge against him
read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two
robbers with him, one on his right and one on his
left.[a] 29Those who passed by hurled insults at
him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who
are going to destroy the temple and build it in
three days, 30come down from the cross and save
yourself!"
31In the same way the chief priests and the
teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.
"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save
himself! 32Let this Christ,[b] this King of
Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may
see and believe." Those crucified with him also
heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole
land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth
hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?"[c]
35When some of those standing near heard this,
they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine
vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to
Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see
if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who
stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry
and[d] saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man
was the Son[e] of G-d!"
'The curtain of the temple was torn in two...'
The separation between G-d and men had been
removed at the cross of Christ -- the final
sacrifice for sin.
John 19:30 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said,
"It is finished." With that, he bowed his head
and gave up his spirit.
Hebrews 13
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals
into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but
the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city
gate to make the people holy through his own
blood.
13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp,
bearing the disgrace he bore.
14For here we do not have an enduring city, but
we are looking for the city that is to come.
Here's a quote from yesterday:
"Another metaphor as the Apostle translates it
in Hebrews. When he says,'go to him outside the
camp', does he suggest that, for the hebrew
believer there is a need to make a break with the
earlier covenant of temple worship? That all of
the requirements of temple worship were only to
make it easier to recognize the one who is
represented by the Passover lamb?
...the Apostle was looking into the future
through the lens of prophetic scripture. He saw
in the text of scripture, that there was more to
come. He saw that there was a future eternal
Jerusalem, that will replace the present
metaphorical dwelling place of G-d (the temple in
Jerusalem)."
'It is finished' brings to a close the drama of
redemption unfolding across the stage of history,
as it is recorded in the text of holy scripture.
What is finished is the offering up of sacrifices
that could never remove the stain of sin. Temple
worship is a metaphor for the final redemption of
all mankind. It is finished.
Hebrews 10:4 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins.
Only the blood of Jesus has the power to take
away sin. The result is that we now have a means
to approach G-d, that is not based on our own
feeble effort or goodness, but on the
righteousness of Christ. He did for us what we
were unable to do for ourselves.
Last night, in conversation, I was asking, How do
I as a parent talk to my kids? How am I supposed
to explain to them that this is the kind of world
that we live in. A world that is lost in sin and
whose future is described in apocalyptic terms in
the book of the Revelation. It's a world headed
for the brink. And there is nothing to do about
it except to watch the apocalyptic drama unfold.
They'd rather that I don't bother them so that
they can continue to watch the unfolding drama of
cartoon network.
It seems that we are not inclined to take notice
of the more unpleasant aspects of life. A
crucifixtion was not something you wanted to
spend alot of time looking at. It was a cruel
form of death. For some reason, it seems that
people are surprised by death, as if it were
totally unexpected. It says something about how
engaged with reality we want to be. The Roman
soldiers, whose normal routine was to participate
in crucifixtions and other military activities
may not have been entertained by it all, you can
draw your own conclusion from the passage in
Mark; but they were familiar with the nearness of
death. They saw that it was an illusion that
there was any permanent sense of security in
life. Death is only a breath away, even though
we prefer to think otherwise.
Looking into the future is tricky business. I
have no desire to make predictions about the
future. I'll leave that to the tabloids. But
there is in scripture a fool proof plan to avoid
the hazard of death, one of those things that's
certain in life, by taking refuge in the
salvation offered by Christ. It's there for the
asking.
Mark 15 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Jesus Before Pilate
1Very early in the morning, the chief priests,
with the elders, the teachers of the law and the
whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound
Jesus, led him away and handed him over to
Pilate.
2"Are you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate.
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.
3The chief priests accused him of many things.
4So again Pilate asked him, "Aren't you going to
answer? See how many things they are accusing you
of."
5But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was
amazed.
6Now it was the custom at the Feast to release a
prisoner whom the people requested. 7A man called
Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists
who had committed murder in the uprising. 8The
crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them
what he usually did.
9"Do you want me to release to you the king of
the Jews?" asked Pilate, 10knowing it was out of
envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over
to him. 11But the chief priests stirred up the
crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call
the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked
Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify
him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released
Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and
handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
16The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace
(that is, the Praetorium) and called together the
whole company of soldiers. 17They put a purple
robe on him, then twisted together a crown of
thorns and set it on him. 18And they began to
call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!"
19Again and again they struck him on the head
with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their
knees, they paid homage to him. 20And when they
had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and
put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out
to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
21A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father
of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way
in from the country, and they forced him to carry
the cross. 22They brought Jesus to the place
called Golgotha (which means The Place of the
Skull). 23Then they offered him wine mixed with
myrrh, but he did not take it. 24And they
crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast
lots to see what each would get.
25It was the third hour when they crucified him.
26The written notice of the charge against him
read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27They crucified two
robbers with him, one on his right and one on his
left.[a] 29Those who passed by hurled insults at
him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who
are going to destroy the temple and build it in
three days, 30come down from the cross and save
yourself!"
31In the same way the chief priests and the
teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.
"He saved others," they said, "but he can't save
himself! 32Let this Christ,[b] this King of
Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may
see and believe." Those crucified with him also
heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
33At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole
land until the ninth hour. 34And at the ninth
hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi,
Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?"[c]
35When some of those standing near heard this,
they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
36One man ran, filled a sponge with wine
vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to
Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see
if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
37With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
38The curtain of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom. 39And when the centurion, who
stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry
and[d] saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man
was the Son[e] of G-d!"
'The curtain of the temple was torn in two...'
The separation between G-d and men had been
removed at the cross of Christ -- the final
sacrifice for sin.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Resurrection Settles It
Hebrews 13 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Hebrews 13
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals
into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but
the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city
gate to make the people holy through his own
blood.
13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp,
bearing the disgrace he bore.
14For here we do not have an enduring city, but
we are looking for the city that is to come.
Another metaphor as the Apostle translates it
in Hebrews. When he says,'go to him outside the
camp', does he suggest that, for the hebrew
believer there is a need to make a break with the
earlier covenant of temple worship? That all of
the requirements of temple worship were only to
make it easier to recognize the one who is
represented by the Passover lamb? Since, 'we are
looking for the city that is to come'. Even
though at this time, John had not yet seen the
events recorded in the book of the Revelation,
the Apostle was looking into the future through
the lens of prophetic scripture. He saw in the
text of scripture, that there was more to come.
He saw that there was a future eternal Jerusalem,
that will replace the present metaphorical
dwelling place of G-d, represented by the temple
in Jerusalem.
In the book of Exodus, the temple worship had not
yet been organized. That was soon to come, when
Moses received instructions for the construction
of the tabernacle. After the people left Egypt,
then they were given the tabernacle. It was a
symbol of the presence of G-d in the hebrew
community. The metaphor is not too tough to
figure out. After release from slavery in Egypt
(sin), then the Christian is a dwelling place
(tabernacle) for the presence of G-d. In the
same way that the hebrew community was intended
to represent the
kingdom of G-d on earth, so it is with the
christian. All I can say as I look around is, Oh
my, how we've managed to mangle the script, on
this act.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
19 What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
ye have of G-d, and ye are not your own?
The temple itself and the ceremony surrounding it
is loaded with metaphors. But that's for another
time. Right now, the focus is on the
resurrection and related issues.
Something has gone wrong. My best guess is that
over time, the same temptation that overtook the
hebrews has overcome the christian community. We
try to emulate the lifestyle that is surrounding
us rather than the kingdom of G-d. It didn't
work out for the nation of Israel and it won't
work out for the Christian community. Nobody
ever said that it was supposed to be easy. There
is a price to be paid for everything in life, and
a reward/penalty on the day of reckoning. That's
the way it is. As they say, there's no free
lunch.
Hebrews 11
24By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter;
25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of G-d, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season;
26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had
respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Moses knew enough about his national identity
that he saw there was no way to identify with
both worlds, the Egyptian and the Hebrew.
Although it's not explicitly stated in the text,
there is an assumption that Moses was familiar
with the history of his ancestors. I'd expect
that there was a good deal of Egyptian legend
surrounding the presence of the hebrew race in
Egypt by way of oral history. There was no
way to accomodate the paganism of Egypt in the
monotheism of his ancestry. As much as Egypt
represented the pinacle of contemporary
civilization, they were a nation of pantheists.
It seems that cultural identity always settles in
to a thelogical context. I'd suggest that this
hasn't changed much over the years. It just
isn't given the attention that it merits. And
the idea of secularism is a hilarious effort to
hide the age old inclination and devotion toward
pantheism. As the philosophers have put it in
other words, we are content to be ruled by our
passions. Pantheism offers the most generous
theological context for that human inclination.
So, what does any of this have to do with the
resurrection of Christ? I'd suggest that it goes
right to the heart of the issue. It's the same
issue that surrounded Jesus with controversy
during his years of ministry.
Matthew 21:23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
23And when he was come into the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people came
unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what
authority doest thou these things? and who gave
thee this authority?
That's the question! Who has authority? I'd
suggest that the resurrection settled that debate
once for all.
Matthew 28:18 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me.
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
Hebrews 13
11 The high priest carries the blood of animals
into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but
the bodies are burned outside the camp.
12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city
gate to make the people holy through his own
blood.
13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp,
bearing the disgrace he bore.
14For here we do not have an enduring city, but
we are looking for the city that is to come.
Another metaphor as the Apostle translates it
in Hebrews. When he says,'go to him outside the
camp', does he suggest that, for the hebrew
believer there is a need to make a break with the
earlier covenant of temple worship? That all of
the requirements of temple worship were only to
make it easier to recognize the one who is
represented by the Passover lamb? Since, 'we are
looking for the city that is to come'. Even
though at this time, John had not yet seen the
events recorded in the book of the Revelation,
the Apostle was looking into the future through
the lens of prophetic scripture. He saw in the
text of scripture, that there was more to come.
He saw that there was a future eternal Jerusalem,
that will replace the present metaphorical
dwelling place of G-d, represented by the temple
in Jerusalem.
In the book of Exodus, the temple worship had not
yet been organized. That was soon to come, when
Moses received instructions for the construction
of the tabernacle. After the people left Egypt,
then they were given the tabernacle. It was a
symbol of the presence of G-d in the hebrew
community. The metaphor is not too tough to
figure out. After release from slavery in Egypt
(sin), then the Christian is a dwelling place
(tabernacle) for the presence of G-d. In the
same way that the hebrew community was intended
to represent the
kingdom of G-d on earth, so it is with the
christian. All I can say as I look around is, Oh
my, how we've managed to mangle the script, on
this act.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
19 What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which
ye have of G-d, and ye are not your own?
The temple itself and the ceremony surrounding it
is loaded with metaphors. But that's for another
time. Right now, the focus is on the
resurrection and related issues.
Something has gone wrong. My best guess is that
over time, the same temptation that overtook the
hebrews has overcome the christian community. We
try to emulate the lifestyle that is surrounding
us rather than the kingdom of G-d. It didn't
work out for the nation of Israel and it won't
work out for the Christian community. Nobody
ever said that it was supposed to be easy. There
is a price to be paid for everything in life, and
a reward/penalty on the day of reckoning. That's
the way it is. As they say, there's no free
lunch.
Hebrews 11
24By faith Moses, when he was come to years,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter;
25Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the
people of G-d, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season;
26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had
respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Moses knew enough about his national identity
that he saw there was no way to identify with
both worlds, the Egyptian and the Hebrew.
Although it's not explicitly stated in the text,
there is an assumption that Moses was familiar
with the history of his ancestors. I'd expect
that there was a good deal of Egyptian legend
surrounding the presence of the hebrew race in
Egypt by way of oral history. There was no
way to accomodate the paganism of Egypt in the
monotheism of his ancestry. As much as Egypt
represented the pinacle of contemporary
civilization, they were a nation of pantheists.
It seems that cultural identity always settles in
to a thelogical context. I'd suggest that this
hasn't changed much over the years. It just
isn't given the attention that it merits. And
the idea of secularism is a hilarious effort to
hide the age old inclination and devotion toward
pantheism. As the philosophers have put it in
other words, we are content to be ruled by our
passions. Pantheism offers the most generous
theological context for that human inclination.
So, what does any of this have to do with the
resurrection of Christ? I'd suggest that it goes
right to the heart of the issue. It's the same
issue that surrounded Jesus with controversy
during his years of ministry.
Matthew 21:23 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain
23And when he was come into the temple, the
chief priests and the elders of the people came
unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what
authority doest thou these things? and who gave
thee this authority?
That's the question! Who has authority? I'd
suggest that the resurrection settled that debate
once for all.
Matthew 28:18 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me.
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