Tim Gracyk

Matthew 22:23-29 
 
Sadducees and 7 brothers 
 
The Sadducees, who don’t believe in resurrection, told Jesus, “Moses said if a man dies without children, his brother must marry the widow and raise offspring for him. Imagine 7 brothers. The 1st married and died without children, so he left his wife to his brother. The same happened to the 2nd and 3rd brothers, down to 
the 7th. The woman was last to die. In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?” Jesus replied, “...In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They will be like the angels in heaven.” 
 
 
 
 
 
Matthew 22:23-29 = Sadducees, 7 brothers, Jesus says no marriage in afterlife & resurrection

Matthew 22:23-29 

Sadducees and 7 brothers

The Sadducees, who don’t believe in resurrection, told Jesus, “Moses said if a man dies without children, his brother must marry the widow and raise offspring for him.  Imagine 7 brothers.  The 1st married and died without children, so he left his wife to his brother.  The same happened to the 2nd and 3rd brothers, down to 
the 7th.  The woman was last to die.  In the resurrection, whose wife will she be?”  Jesus replied, “...In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. They will be like the angels in heaven.”





Matthew 22:23-29 = Sadducees, 7 brothers, Jesus says no marriage in afterlife & resurrection

Matthew 22:23-29 = Sadducees, 7 brothers, Jesus says no marriage in afterlife & resurrection

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha. In Greek her name is Dorcas….she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room...when Peter arrived he was taken upstairs...Peter prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, she sat up. 
 
This is one of the many resurrections in the Bible. 
 
Here are the Bible's resurrections in correct order: 
 
1. Son of Zarephath widow raised by Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) 
2. Son of a Shunammite woman--raised by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-35) 
3. Man raised when his corpse touches Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20-21) 
4. Daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26, Luke) 
5. Son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15) 
6. Lazarus (John 11:1-44) 
7. “Many saints” rise around Easter (Matt. 27:50-53) = how many? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? 
8. Jesus (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, Paul’s 7 genuine letters) 
9. Dorcas--raised by Peter (Acts 9:36-41) 
10. Eutychus--raised by Paul (Acts 20:9-10) 
 
Another resurrection passage involves Herod, who asks if Jesus is the resurrected John the Baptist. 
 
 
 
Acts 9:36-40 = St. Peter resurrection of disciple Tabitha (Greek is "Dorcas") in Joppa

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha.  In Greek her name is Dorcas….she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room...when Peter arrived he was taken upstairs...Peter prayed.  Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.”  She opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, she sat up.

This is one of the many resurrections in the Bible.

Here are the Bible's resurrections in correct order:

1. Son of Zarephath widow raised by Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24)
2. Son of a Shunammite woman--raised by Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-35)
3. Man raised when his corpse touches Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20-21)
4. Daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26, Luke)
5. Son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-15)
6. Lazarus (John 11:1-44)
7. “Many saints” rise around Easter (Matt. 27:50-53) = how many? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?
8. Jesus (Mark, Matthew, Luke, John, Paul’s 7 genuine letters)
9. Dorcas--raised by Peter (Acts 9:36-41)
10. Eutychus--raised by Paul (Acts 20

Acts 9:36-40 = St. Peter resurrection of disciple Tabitha (Greek is "Dorcas") in Joppa

Matthew 3:16-17 = God talks to a crowd of people 
 
God talks to a crowd in Matthew 3:17 when Jesus is baptized (“This is my beloved Son…”). This conflicts with Mark’s gospel and Luke’s, which agree that God uses second person (“You are my son…”), talking only to Jesus. 
 
It is also noteworthy since it is the last instance in scripture of God talking to a crowd of people. 
 
Matthew 3:16-17 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 
 
A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” 
 
By baptizing others in water, John the Baptist is a clear alternative to powerful and orthodox religious leaders. He had no interest in Jerusalem’s Temple. 
 
His followers, including Jesus, rejected stale Temple rituals. Flowing water is the opposite of heavy and solid stones that make up the Temple. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Matthew 3:16-17 (uses 3rd person) = God talks to a crowd of people (Mark & Luke = 2nd person)

Matthew 3:16-17 = God talks to a crowd of people

God talks to a crowd in Matthew 3:17 when Jesus is baptized (“This is my beloved Son…”).  This conflicts with Mark’s gospel and Luke’s, which agree that God uses second person (“You are my son…”), talking only to Jesus.

It is also noteworthy since it is the last instance in scripture of God talking to a crowd of people.

Matthew 3:16-17  As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 

A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

By baptizing others in water, John the Baptist is a clear alternative to powerful and orthodox religious leaders.  He had no interest in Jerusalem’s Temple.  

His followers, including Jesus, rejected stale Temple rituals.  Flowing water is the opposite of heavy and solid stones that make up the Temple.







Matthew 3:16-17 (uses 3rd person) = God t

Matthew 3:16-17 (uses 3rd person) = God talks to a crowd of people (Mark & Luke = 2nd person)

Two women stood before King Solomon. One said, “This woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Three days later, this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. No stranger was in the house--only the two of us were in the house.” 
 
The first woman pointed to the second woman and continued: “This woman’s son died in the night because she lay on it. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead, but I looked at him carefully and saw he was not my son.” 
 
The second woman declared, “No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.” 
 
The king said, “Get me a sword. Divide the living child in two. Give half to the one, and give half to the other.” 
 
Then the first woman (whose child was the living one) spoke to the king: “Oh, my lord, give her the living child. Do not kill the child.” 
 
The second woman said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him!” 
 
The king said, “Give the first woman the living child. Do not kill him. She is his mother.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 Kings 3:16-28 = two women, a baby, King Solomon (I teach this since the Huck Finn novel covers it)

Two women stood before King Solomon.  One said, “This woman and I live in the same house.  I gave birth to a child while she was in the house. Three days later, this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together.  No stranger was in the house--only the two of us were in the house.”

The first woman pointed to the second woman and continued: “This woman’s son died in the night because she lay on it. So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while I slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead, but I looked at him carefully and saw he was not my son.”

The second woman declared, “No! The living one is my son, and the dead one is your son.”

The king said, “Get me a sword.  Divide the living child in two.  Give half to the one, and give half to the other.”

Then the first woman (whose child was the living one) spoke to the king: “Oh, my lord, give her the living child.  Do

1 Kings 3:16-28 = two women, a baby, King Solomon (I teach this since the Huck Finn novel covers it)

Numbers 20:10-11 
 
He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 
 
ANALYSIS: Moses was not supposed to hit the rock, and “twice” is overkill. God told him to speak to the rock. Moses was supposed to use words only. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Numbers 20:10-11 = Moses hits the rock twice, but God instructed Moses to use words only

Numbers 20:10-11

He and Aaron gathered the assembly together   in front of the rock. Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Then Moses raised his arm and struck   the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out,   and the community and their livestock drank. 

ANALYSIS: Moses was not supposed to hit the rock, and “twice” is overkill.  God told him to speak to the rock.  Moses was supposed to use words only.







Numbers 20:10-11 = Moses hits the rock twice, but God instructed Moses to use words only

Numbers 20:10-11 = Moses hits the rock twice, but God instructed Moses to use words only

Here is Leviticus 19:19: Obey my laws. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. 
 
Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. 
 
The word “polyester” is not in the Bible, but the synthetic fiber is made of more than one material--coal, air, water, and petroleum. 
 
The Bible possibly forbids clothing that is all polyester. Anything mixed with polyester--say, cotton--is forbidden. 
 
Deuteronomy 22:11 is more specific about what may not be mixed: "Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” 
 
At our school, shirts are 65% polyester and 35% cotton. 
 
Deuteronomy specifically forbids wearing a garment of wool and linen, but the Leviticus passage seems broader, forbidding clothes woven of two different types of fabric, no matter what the material. 
 
Wool and linen would have been the options in the old days. 
 
Woolen thread is from the hair of a sheep or goat (today it is made from a variety of other animals as well, such as llamas). 
 
Linen was made from fibers contained in the stalk of the flax plant, as indicated by Joshua 2:6. 
 
Cotton was not cultivated in that region. 
 
The rule against wearing different types of fabric was not a moral law. There is nothing inherently wrong with weaving linen and wool together. The ephod of the high priest was made of linen and dyed thread (Exodus 28:6–8; 39:4–5). 
 
The dyed thread would have been made of wool. This fact is probably the key to understanding the prohibition. The ephod of the high priest was the SOLE garment that could be woven of linen and wool. 
 
It is like anointing oil. God gave a special recipe for the anointing oil, and one may not duplicate the recipe for common use. No Israelite was allowed to make this oil for his own purposes (see Exodus 30:31–38). 
 
Is it wrong for a Christian today to wear clothing made of two different types of material? 
 
The prohibition was for ancient Israel, not for Christians who view the New Testament as holy scripture. The ceremonial laws for ancient Israel as recorded in the Old Testament do not apply today. 
 
That law against mixing materials is from the Old Testament--the “old covenant.” The Old Testament doesn’t apply to Christians, who have a “new covenant.” 
 
 "Shatnez" is the name for this Biblical law forbidding garments containing a mixture of linen and wool. 
 
_________________ 
 
Leviticus 19:19 = Shatnez, Bible forbids polyester ("No clothing woven of two kinds of material")

Here is Leviticus 19:19: Obey my laws. Do not mate different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.

Leviticus 19:19 = Shatnez, Bible forbids polyester ('No clothing woven of two kinds of material')

Proverbs 4:3-4 = Epigraph in Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen (before Chapter 1) 
 
For I too was a son to my father, 
still tender, and cherished by my mother. 
Then he taught me, and he said to me, 
“Take hold of my words with all your heart; 
keep my commands, and you will live.”

Proverbs 4:3-4 = Epigraph in Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen (before Chapter 1)

For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.”

Proverbs 4:3-4 = Epigraph in Chaim Potok’s novel The Chosen (before Chapter 1)

God appears to humans in the Old Testament, using different names. In Exodus 6:2-3, God tells Moses about his names: 
 
“I am Yahweh. But I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai--I was not known to them by the name Yahweh.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
God has different names (Exodus 6:2-3) God tells Moses Yahweh & El Shaddai I AM WHO I AM

God appears to humans in the Old Testament, using different names.   In Exodus 6:2-3, God tells Moses about his names:

“I am Yahweh. But I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai--I was not known to them by the name Yahweh.”






God has different names (Exodus 6:2-3) God tells Moses Yahweh & El Shaddai I AM WHO I AM

God has different names (Exodus 6:2-3) God tells Moses Yahweh & El Shaddai I AM WHO I AM

1 Chronicles 28:2-6 = King David speaks (Solomon is son of God) 
 
1 Chronicles 28:2-6 King David rose to his feet and said, “...God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’ Yet the Lord...chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever...He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.’”

1 Chronicles 28:2-6 = King David speaks (Solomon is son of God)

1 Chronicles 28:2-6   King David rose to his feet and said, “...God said to me, ‘You are not to build a house for my Name because you are a warrior and have shed blood.’  Yet the Lord...chose me from my whole family to be king over Israel forever...He said to me, ‘Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.’”

1 Chronicles 28:2-6 = King David speaks (Solomon is son of God)

Genesis 8:20-21 Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings (smell pleases God) 
 
Genesis 8:20-21 
 
Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 
 
The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.” 
 
 
Genesis 8:20-21 
 
Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.”

Genesis 8:20-21 Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings (smell pleases God)

Genesis 8:20-21  

Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. 

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.”


Genesis 8:20-21 

Noah built an altar to the Lord and, taking some of all the clean animals and birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.”

Genesis 8:20-21 Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings (smell pleases God)

Jesus in Matthew 5:38-40 (Matthew's gospel) "turn the other cheek" not "eye for eye, tooth for..." 
 
Matthew 5:38-40 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.” 
 
 
 
 
 
Jesus in Matthew 5:38-40 (Matthew's gospel) "turn the other cheek" not "eye for eye, tooth for..."

Jesus in Matthew 5:38-40 (Matthew's gospel) "turn the other cheek" not "eye for eye, tooth for..."

Matthew 5:38-40  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.”





Jesus in Matthew 5:38-40 (Matthew's gospel) "turn the other cheek" not "eye for eye, tooth for..."

Jesus in Matthew 5:38-40 (Matthew's gospel) "turn the other cheek" not "eye for eye, tooth for..."

1 Corinthians 15:5-8 St. Paul lists appearances of resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels 
 
In 1 Corinthians, St. Paul lists appearances of the resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels. 
 
Jesus appearing to 500 people at one time must have been sensational--and Jesus appeared separately to James? The gospel writers were unaware of these appearances or thought they were not worth mentioning. 
 
1 Corinthians 15:5-8 = “Jesus appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me…” 
 
 
 
1 Corinthians 15:5-8 St. Paul lists appearances of resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels

1 Corinthians 15:5-8 St. Paul lists appearances of  resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels 
 
In 1 Corinthians, St. Paul lists appearances of the resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels.  

Jesus appearing to 500 people at one time must  have been sensational--and Jesus appeared separately to James?   The gospel writers were unaware of these appearances or thought they        were not worth mentioning.
 
1 Corinthians 15:5-8 = “Jesus appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me…”



1 Corinthians 15:5-8 St. Paul lists appearances of resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels

1 Corinthians 15:5-8 St. Paul lists appearances of resurrected Jesus not covered in the gospels

Torah has 613 commandments 
 
Sacrificed animals are to have no defects “Holocaust” comes from Greek (holokauston) 
 
The Bible’s first five books--the Torah--give 613 commandments. Around 150 of these concern animal sacrifices. 
 
Leviticus 3:6 -- “If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the Lord, you are to offer a male or female without defect.” 
 
Priests often ate parts of the sacrificed animal, but another type of sacrifice has the animal completely burned--a “holocaust.” 
 
“Holocaust” comes from a Greek word (holokauston) that translates the Hebrew olah. “Holocaust” has two parts: "a completely (holos) burnt (kaustos) sacrificial offering." 
 
 
“Holocaust” comes from Greek (holokauston) -- no defects in sacrificed animals Leviticus 3:6

Torah has 613 commandments

Sacrificed animals are to have no defects “Holocaust” comes from Greek (holokauston)
 
The Bible’s first five books--the Torah--give 613 commandments.  Around 150 of these concern animal sacrifices.
 
Leviticus 3:6 -- “If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the Lord, you are to offer a male or female without defect.”
 
Priests often ate parts of the sacrificed animal, but another type of sacrifice has the animal completely burned--a “holocaust.”
 
“Holocaust” comes from a Greek word (holokauston) that translates the Hebrew olah.  “Holocaust” has two parts: "a completely (holos) burnt (kaustos) sacrificial offering."


“Holocaust” comes from Greek (holokauston) -- no defects in sacrificed animals Leviticus 3:6

“Holocaust” comes from Greek (holokauston) -- no defects in sacrificed animals Leviticus 3:6

Who was Enoch in the Bible? 
 
He was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Adam. Enoch literally walked with God. Enoch never died as other humans die--God “took” Enoch. 
 
Genesis 5:23-24 “Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away.” 
 
Enoch in the Bible = Enoch walked with God, never died (God "took" Enoch) Genesis 5:23-24 
 
 
 
Enoch in the Bible = Enoch walked with God, never died (God "took" Enoch) Genesis 5:23-24

Who was Enoch in the Bible?  

He was the great-great-great-great-grandson of Adam. Enoch literally walked with God.  Enoch never died as other humans die--God “took” Enoch.
 
Genesis 5:23-24 “Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more because God took him away.”

Enoch in the Bible = Enoch walked with God, never died (God "took" Enoch) Genesis 5:23-24



Enoch in the Bible = Enoch walked with God, never died (God "took" Enoch) Genesis 5:23-24

Enoch in the Bible = Enoch walked with God, never died (God "took" Enoch) Genesis 5:23-24

The Lord appeared to Abraham sitting at the entrance to his tent..."I will return next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."...Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself. The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I bear a child when I am so old?' Is anything too difficult for the Lord?" Sarah denied laughing, saying, "I did not laugh" because she was afraid. The Lord said, "No, but you did laugh." 
 
 
 
Laughter in Bible is rare (in Genesis 18:1-15 Sarah lies to God about laughing)

The Lord appeared to Abraham sitting at the entrance to his tent..."I will return next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."...Sarah was past childbearing. Sarah laughed to herself. The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I bear a child when I am so old?'  Is anything too difficult for the Lord?"  Sarah denied laughing, saying, "I did not laugh" because she was afraid. The Lord said, "No, but you did laugh."



Laughter in Bible is rare (in Genesis 18:1-15 Sarah lies to God about laughing)

Laughter in Bible is rare (in Genesis 18:1-15 Sarah lies to God about laughing)

Love is patient; love is kind. 
It is not jealous. It is not pompous. 
It is not inflated. It is not rude. 
It does not seek its own interests. 
It is not quick-tempered. It does not brood over injury. 
It does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices 
with the truth. It bears all things, believes all 
things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
Love never fails. 
 
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 
 
 
 
 
St. Paul famous 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous.

Love is patient; love is kind.
It is not jealous.  It is not pompous.
It is not inflated.  It is not rude.
It does not seek its own interests.
It is not quick-tempered.  It does not brood over injury.
It does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices 
with the truth.   It bears all things, believes all 
things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.


1 Corinthians 13:4-8




St. Paul famous 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous.

St. Paul famous 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient; love is kind. Love is not jealous.

A character in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is named Rose of Sharon. 
 
That name is from the King James translation of the Bible--a bride speaks. The bride speaks of herself as lowly (though lovely) in contrast with the lordly “apple” or citron tree, the bridegroom. 
 
The white lily may be the flower called the rose of Sharon (so it is not a proper rose). Nobody is sure what flower the Bible means. 
 
The novel’s character, also a newly-wed, dreams of new opportunities in California. 
 
Song of Solomon 2:1-12 I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight...My beloved spake, saying unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth… 
 
 
 
__________________ 
 
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath = name Rose of Sharon in Bible (Song of Solomon 2:1-12)

A character in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is named Rose of Sharon.  

That name is from the King James translation of the Bible--a bride speaks.  The bride speaks of herself as lowly (though lovely) in contrast with the lordly “apple” or citron tree, the bridegroom.

The white lily may be the flower called the rose of Sharon (so it is not a proper rose).  Nobody is sure what flower the Bible means.

The novel’s character, also a newly-wed, dreams of new opportunities in California.

Song of Solomon 2:1-12  I am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight...My beloved spake, saying unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.  For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth…



__________________

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath = name Rose of Sharon in Bible (Song of Solomon 2:1-12)

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath = name Rose of Sharon in Bible (Song of Solomon 2:1-12)

Moby-Dick may be America’s greatest novel. 
 
Its famous first sentence is "Call me Ishmael." That does not mean Ishmael is the narrator's name--no, he does not declare, "My name is Ishmael." He instead encourages readers to "call" him by that name (such odd wording suggests that Ishmael is NOT his name). 
 
Genesis 16:12 helps us understand why Melville picked this name (or non-name) for the narrator: "He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." 
 
Ishmael was the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, a slave belonging to Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Sarah could not conceive a child, so Sarah urged Hagar and Abraham to have a child together. 
 
Genesis 25:12-18 = And this is the lineage of Ishmael, son of Abraham, whom Hagar, the Egyptian, Sarah's slave-girl, bore to Abraham. 
 
And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael according to their lineage: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, and Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadad… 
 
 
_______________ 
 
Moby-Dick’s first sentence "Call me Ishmael” Genesis 25:12 (Ishmael is Abraham’s 1st son--"wild")

Moby-Dick may be America’s greatest novel.  

Its famous first sentence is "Call me Ishmael."  That does not mean Ishmael is the narrator's name--no, he does not declare, "My name is Ishmael."  He instead encourages readers to "call" him by that name (such odd wording suggests that Ishmael is NOT his name).

Genesis 16:12 helps us understand why Melville picked this name (or non-name) for the narrator: "He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers."

Ishmael was the first son of Abraham.  His mother was Hagar, a slave belonging to Sarah, Abraham’s wife.  Sarah could not conceive a child, so Sarah urged Hagar and Abraham to have a child together.

Genesis 25:12-18 = And this is the lineage of Ishmael, son of Abraham, whom Hagar, the Egyptian, Sarah's slave-girl, bore to Abraham. 

And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael according to their lineage: Nebaioth, the firstborn

Moby-Dick’s first sentence "Call me Ishmael” Genesis 25:12 (Ishmael is Abraham’s 1st son--"wild")

Unforgivable Sin? = Matthew 12:31-32 (blasphemy against the Spirit) Sarah Orne Jewett's novel The Country of the Pointed Firs, Joanna lives on a solitary island since she viewed herself as unfit to live among others--after all, she committed the one unpardonable sin. She cursed God! 
 
Matthew 12:31-32 Every sin will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 
 
HERE IS MARK'S VERSION: 
 
Mark 3:28-29 I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever. 
 
JOHN'S GOSPEL SEEMS UNAWARE OF THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN: 
 
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Unforgivable Sin? = Matthew 12:31-32 (blasphemy against the Spirit) Sarah Orne Jewett's novel The Country of the Pointed Firs, Joanna lives on a solitary island since she viewed herself as unfit to live among others--after all, she committed the one unpardonable sin.  She cursed God!

Matthew 12:31-32  Every sin will be forgiven,   but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

HERE IS MARK'S VERSION: 

Mark 3:28-29 I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever.

JOHN'S GOSPEL SEEMS UNAWARE OF THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN:

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all 

Unforgivable Sin? = Matthew 12:31-32 (blasphemy against the Spirit) Sarah Orne Jewett's novel

Luke 22:20 = late interpolation (words taken from 1 Corinthians 11:25) 
 
In Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ death is not a sacrifice for sins whereas other gospels stress that his sacrifice of flesh and shedding of blood brought salvation. 
 
We might think otherwise due to Luke 22:20: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you.” 
 
But this was added by later scribes. The line is not in the earliest copies of Luke’s gospel. 
 
If Luke did not write the line, where did the words come from? Not from the imagination of any scribe but from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. 
 
Here is 1 Corinthians 11:25: “...after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever 
you drink it, in remembrance of me.’” 
 
What is stated here is a simplified summary of what I found in books by Bart Ehrman, who summarizes positions held by various Biblical scholars.

Luke 22:20 = late interpolation (words taken from 1 Corinthians 11:25)

In Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ death is not a sacrifice for sins whereas other gospels stress that his sacrifice of flesh and shedding of blood brought salvation.

We might think otherwise due to Luke 22:20: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you.”

But this was added by later scribes.  The line is not in the earliest copies of Luke’s gospel. 

If Luke did not write the line, where did the words come from?  Not from the imagination of any scribe but from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.

Here is 1 Corinthians 11:25: “...after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever 
you drink it, in remembrance of me.’”

What is stated here is a simplified summary of what I found in books by Bart Ehrman, who summarizes positions held by various Biblical scholars.

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