A tomb looked for

With the time of Passover and Easter several people try to unsettle the Christian community with their scientific findings. This year the findings of 1980 are again taken in discussion. Some might think the research on the Talpiot grave may disrupt Christian belief that Jesus has been risen.

In another so called Tomb of Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today we do find again a long-running archaeological controversy been resurrected, thanks to analysis of scrapings from a first-century tomb in East Jerusalem and a bone box attributed to “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.”

Some do find that when there might be a family grave that all members of that family have to be buried over there. Though in many families we may find sepulchres for more than one member of the family and have other individual tombs for other members of the same family, even of the same household.

To say they have found the grave of Jesus Christ, because they found the inscription  “Yeshua bar Yosef” is taking the reference to Jeshua, the son of Joseph as indicating he must really have been buried there, though the reference may well be to the other son of Joseph, who was the younger brother of Jesus, namely James (“Ya’acov” the Hebrew name for James) (revealed to the public in 2002). The latest study, conducted by Israeli geologist Aryeh Shimron, found the same chemical signature in soil from the tomb and in scrapings from the box with the Jesus inscription.

Also having in the tomb written “Mariamne e Mara” (Mary, known as the master) referring to Mary Magdalene and finding other boxes inscribed with the names Mary (another Mary), Matthew, Joseph and Judas, do not have to mean that all the family of Miriam (Mary, mother of Jesus) and Josef (Joseph, worldly father of Jesus) were placed together with the son of man Jeshua, which the world knows better as Jesus Christ.

According to the 1980 filmmakers (James Cameron & Simcha Jacobovici) the box of Judas, which reads “Judas, son of Jesus,” was exactly what it purports to be: the resting place of Jesus and Mary’s son.

Talpiot tomb sealed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It can well be that in 2004, Israeli authorities charged antiquities dealer Oded Golan with forging the “Jesus inscription” on the bone box, but the dealer was acquitted in 2012 after drawn-out legal proceedings. Meanwhile, in 2007, a TV documentary titled ‘The Lost Tomb of Jesus‘ claimed that the tomb could have been the burial spot for Jesus and his family, based on a statistical analysis of the genealogical relationships between the names listed in the inscriptions.

At the beginning of this month the Israeli archaeologist, Aryeh Shimron, announced that the soil found on the Talpiot ossuaries was a very close match to the soil found on another controversial artifact: the James ossuary. His findings gave a boost to those who claim a linkage between the artifacts and the historical Jesus.

“This find illustrates that the James ossuary is authentic and the Jesus Family Tomb indeed belongs to the family of Jesus Christ,”

SimchaJacobovici, director of ‘The Lost Tomb of Jesus’, told the ‘Jerusalem Post’.

However, Golan said that the findings were

“not enough to determine anything conclusively.”

It can well be that this small group of scholars, scientists and filmmakers has presented us with an intricate puzzle, in which all the pieces have been perfectly aligned. But as Joel Baden, professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale University and Candida Moss, professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of Notre Dame say

pick up any single piece to examine it more carefully, and it crumbles to dust.

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Please do find more about this in:

1. Talpiot Tomb a family grave of the tribe of Jesus
2. Scientist Claims He’s Discovered The “Lost Tomb” Of Jesus Christ
3. Geologist revives the controversy over lost tomb of Jesus
4. Jesus’ tomb story: Does the evidence add up?
5. Findings Reignite Debate on Claim of Jesus’ Bones
6. Jesus’ Tomb: Tests Show Site of Christ’s Burial Place, Scientist Says – NBC
7. The Existence of Jesus Christ in History
8. Did Jesus Exist?
9. 1428 Clyde Billington – Egyptian Coffin and James Ossuary

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Related articles

• Calculating Easter and Passover
• Happy Easter!
• The miracles of Passover and Easter in Israel
• Passover began at sundown Friday
• Jesus died during passover
• Easter: The resurrection of Jesus Christ
• Findings Reignite Debate on Claim of Jesus’ Bones
• ‘Jesus Tomb’ headlines blasted as ‘sensationalistic’
• Mary Magdalene, on Easter Morning
• He’s Risen! (Easter Sunday Reflections)

Matthew 1:18-25 – Genesis of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:18-25 – The Genesis of Jesus Christ

MT1:18 But thus was the genesis[1] of Jesus Christ.[2] His mother Mary had been promised in marriage[3] to Joseph. Before they came together[4] she was found to be pregnant[5] from the holy Pneuma.[6] MT1:19 But, Joseph her man[7] was righteous[8] and he was unwilling to make a public spectacle[9] of Mary so he intended to release her secretly.[10] MT1:20 But, thinking about these matters, look! an angel[11] of YHWH[12] appeared to Joseph in a dream,[13] saying: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive to yourself[14] Mary your woman, for the thing generated[15] by Pneuma in her is holy. MT1:21 She will give birth to a son and you[16] [Joseph] will call his name ‘Jesus’ for he will save[17] his people[18] from their sins.”[19] MT1:22 The whole of this happened so that the things might be fulfilled as spoken through the prophet [Isaiah],[20] saying, MT1:23 “Look! The virgin[21] will be pregnant and will give birth to a son and they[22] will call his name ‘Immanuel’[23] which is translated to mean, ‘With Us The God.’” [Isaiah 7:14] MT1:24 When Joseph awakened from sleep he did as directed by the angel of YHWH and he took along his woman [to his home]; MT1:25 and Joseph did not know[24] Mary until after she gave birth to a son.[25] Joseph called his name ‘Jesus.’

 

[1] Genesis: The Greek is GENESIS and may be rendered “birth.”

[2] Jesus Christ: The first occurrence of this form: the title or designation combined with the name of our Lord. This form occurs 150 times in the Christian Bible, the most often in the Letter to the Romans. The phrase means “Jesus the christened one; or Jesus the Messiah; Jesus the Anointed.”

[3] Promised in marriage: Or, KJV: espoused; TCNT: engaged.

[4] Came together: Inferring sexual intercourse. TCNT: while she was still a virgin; WEY: before they were united in marriage.

[5] Pregnant: The Greek GASTRI and means literally “found in belly” as it is in many languages. Or, KJV: with child; GDSP: about to become a mother.

[6] Holy Pneuma: Or, holy spirit. This is the first occurrence of the phrase referring to the Mental or Intellectual Power of the Absolute God. That is, the invisible force or pressure by which the Creator accomplishes his will and purpose. We will use pneuma throughout as the word “spirit” in English has taken on something of the meaning of “ghost” or a spirit being. The complete phrase “holy pneuma” occurs 100 times in the Bible with the first occurrence at Psalm 51:11. It only occurs three times in the Hebrew Bible. It is most often used in the Acts of the Apostles. For details on this subject see the publication De Trinitatis Erroribus. The word “spirit” occurs 820 times in the Bible with the first occurrence at Genesis 1:2. “Spirit” is used most often in the Book of Acts. The Hebrew is ruach and is variously rendered breath and wind.

[7] Man: The Greek is ANER and may mean “husband.”

[8] Righteous: Or, “just.” He had a well-known reputation so that his character was such.

[9] Public spectacle: Or, KJV: public example; ABUV: not willing to expose.

[10] Release her secretly: Or, GDSP: break off the engagement privately; BECK: divorce her secretly. The Jewish engagement was considered a virtual marriage and thus required some formal divorce or release. It is likely their marriage was arranged by both families upon which the “engagement” began. Since this was a formal matter between families in public then a formal release was binding. Engaged couples could have sexual intercourse without this being viewed as prostitution (or, fornication). However, once doing so the man had to marry the woman, forgo divorce, and give her father a payment for damages to his virgin daughter.

[11] Angel: The first angel mentioned in the Christian Bible. The word “angel(s)” occurs 370 times in the Bible, the first at Genesis 16:7. “Angel” occurs most often in the Book of Acts. This angel is identified by Luke as Gabriel, the angel of the Book of Daniel.

[12] YHWH: The Greek is AGGELOS KYRIOU [without the article] and would surely be a Hebraism in Matthew’s Gospel. Though it should read “angel of (the) Lord” there is a reasonable possibility that the Tetragram YHWH might occur here. There is no question YHWH occurred in the Hebrew Bible and there is a possibility YHWH occurs in some portions of the Christian Bible. Hereafter we will add YHWH in brackets when the “Lord” under consideration is clearly Yahweh or Jehovah.

[13] Dream: The first occurrence of the word in the Christian Bible. The word group occurs 125 times with the first at Genesis 20:3 and most often in the Book of Genesis. There is an interesting statement at Job 7:14; 33:15.

[14] Receive to yourself: Or, NEB: to take Mary home. Note John 14:3 and the same Greek word.

[15] Generated: The Greek is GENNETHEN and is rendered: KJV: conceived; NOR: expect Child within.

[16] You: The Greek is singular referring specifically to Joseph.

[17] He will save: The meaning of “Jesus” is “Yahweh Saves.”

[18] His people: Note it is “his people” indicating some previous relationship with Israel as the “angel of Yahweh.” (Compare Daniel 12:1; Exodus 23:23)

[19] Sins: The key purpose of Messiah’s birth is as a Sin-Bearer (Consider Isaiah chapter 53). Nothing in the name Jesus emphasis any other reason than he will be the main instrument in the forgiveness of the sins of the Jews. Nothing here points to mankind in general. The interpretation of “his people” (TON LAON) could refer to those in the New Israel, the Community of the Saints.

[20] Spoken through the prophet [Isaiah]: That is Isaiah 7:14. NOTE: All true quotes are in BLUE. Hebraisms, paraphrases, allusions or conflates are in GREEN. The words of Jesus are in RED.

[21] Virgin: The Greek is PARTHENOS and reminds one of the Parthenon in Athens. The Greek word PARTHENOS is that one chosen by the Jewish scribes in the third century BC when translating the Hebrew of Isaiah 7:14.

[22] They: Indicating both Joseph and Mary.

[23] Immanuel: See Isaiah 8:8. Possibly one of the sons of Isaiah whose name was fulfilled in the context of Isaiah 8:10 where the Hebrew has the name in the phrase. The Jewish Greek Bible, the Septuagint (LXX), “Yehowah God is with us.”

[24] Did not know: Or, PME: had no intercourse with her. Compare Genesis 4:1 and compare the Greek language with 1 Corinthians 7:1. Mary remained a “virgin” until after the birth of Jesus when she bore four more sons and an unknown number of daughters (Matthew 12:46; 13:55).

[25] Son: KJV: “firstborn son.” (Compare Luke 2:7)

This text of the Gospel of Matthew is a new version, the 21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures [NCMM], as an additional part of Nazarene Commentary 2000©. This rendering by Mark Heber Miller may be considered a literal version with limited paraphrase.

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BS notes:

Iesou => Jesus = “Hail Zeus”, the name given to the Nazarene Jew at the Council of Nicaea in 325 to come to terms with the three-headed greek-roman gods. Up until about 360, theological debates mainly dealt with the divinity of the son, which had to be the seame one as the son-god of the Romans and the Greeks. The worshipping of that son and the use of the statues in the community should be allowed for all the sorts of worshippers, so that the market vendors could sell their statues at liberty to any worshipper. Jeshua, Joshua (/ˈdʒɒʃuːə/) or Jehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yĕhôshúa or Hebrew: יֵשׁוּעַ Yĕshúa; Aramaic: ܝܫܘܥ‎ Isho; Greek: Ἰησοῦς, Arabic: يوشع بن نون‎ Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn, Turkish: Yuşa) Yeshua (ישוע, with vowel pointing יֵשׁוּעַ – yēšūă‘ in Hebrew) which means “Jehovah saves/Jehovah is salvation” or “the Help(ipa) from Jehovah” or “From Jehovah comes salvation”, for the politicians had to become the second person of their tri-une godhead.  The main god Zeus (Ancient Greek: Ζεύς) had to be the “Father of Gods and men” (πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, patḕr andrōn te theōn te) and as such should be the god of Greeks, Romans and Christians because Jupiter (Latin: Iuppiter; /ˈjʊpɪtɛr/; genitive case: Iovis; /ˈjɔːvɪs/) or Jove is the king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder in myth.

By the time of the 4° Century CE lots of false teachers had managed to introduce the Roman teachings of their gods back into the teachings of their followers. Lots of people found it easier to adapt to the new religion because it had adapted itself to their faith. for them it was than much easier to accept Jesus to be the King of kings, to be the god of light, the god of thunder, the god of miracles, the god of enlightenment, etc.

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Preceding articles:

1. The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression
2. Story of Jesus’ birth begins long before the New Testament
3. Nazarene Commentary to Zechariah and Elizabeth
4. Nazarene Commentary to An Angel Appearing to a Priest
5. Nazarene Commentary to Struck Dumb For Disbelief
6. Nazarene Commentary to Elizabeth Pregnant
7. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:46-56 – Mary Magnifies God
8. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:57-66 – Elizabeth Gives Birth To John
9. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:67-80 – Zechariah’s Prophecy
10. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:8-14 – Angels and Shepherds in the Night
11. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:15-20 – Shepherds Find the Infant Christ
12. With child and righteousness greater than the law
13. Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
14. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:21-24 – Presenting the Baby to God
15. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:25-35 – Simeon’s Blessing and Warning
16. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:36-38 – Anna’s Thanks before Those Waiting
17. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:39-40 – The Young Child Grows
18. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:41-50 – Twelve Year Old Jesus in the Temple

Upcoming articles:

1. Matthew 2:1-6 – Astrologers and Priests in a Satanic Plot
2. Matthew 2:7-12 – Pawns of Herod, the Magi Find the ‘Child’
3. Matthew 2:13-15 – Escaping the Slaughter by a Flight to Egypt
4. Matthew 2:16-18 – Slaughter of the Innocents

 

Mother Mary with the Holy Child Jesus Christ, Oil/canvas, 1913 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Find also to read:

1. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
2. Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
3. Christmas customs – Are They Christian?
4. Jesus begotten Son of God #3 Messiah or Anointed one
5. Jesus begotten Son of God #14 Beloved Preminent Son and Mediator originating in Mary
6. The wrong hero
7. Why think that (2) … Jesus claimed to be something special
8. A season of gifts
9. God’s Special Gift
10. Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
11. Nativity scene of the birth of the Bill of Rights
12. Preexistence in the Divine purpose and Trinity
13. Around pre-existence of Christ
14. The radiance of God’s glory and the counsellor
15. Yeshua a man with a special personality
16. Jesus and his God

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Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:1-17 – The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Luke 3:23-38

MT1:1 A bible[1] of a genealogy[2] of Jesus[3] Christ,[4] son of David, son of Abraham:[5]

MT1:2 Abraham[6] generated[7] Isaac,[8] Isaac generated Jacob,[9] Jacob generated Judah[10] and his brothers,[11] MT1:3 Judah generated Perez[12] and Zerah[13] by Tamar,[14] Perez generated Hezron,[15] Hezron generated Ram,[16] MT1:4 Ram generated Amminadab,[17] Amminadab generated Nahshon,[18] Nahshon generated Salmon,[19] MT1:5 Salmon generated Boaz[20] by Rahab,[21] Boaz generated Obed[22] by Ruth,[23] Obed generated Jesse,[24] MT1:6 Jesse generated King David.[25] David generated Solomon[26] by Uriah’s woman,[27] MT1:7 Solomon generated Rehoboam,[28] Rehoboam generated Abijah,[29] Abijah generated Asa,[30] MT1:8 Asa generated Jehoshaphat,[31] Jehoshaphat generated Jehoram,[32] Jehoram generated Uzziah,[33] MT1:9 Uzziah generated Jotham,[34] Jotham generated Ahaz,[35] Ahaz generated Hezekiah,[36] MT1:10 Hezekiah generated Manasseh,[37] Manasseh generated Amon,[38] Amon generated Josiah,[39] MT1:11 Josiah generated Jeconiah[40] and his brothers upon the Babylonian deportation.[41] MT1:12 After the Babylonian deportation Jeconiah generated Shealtiel,[42] Shealtiel generated Zerubabbel,[43] MT1:13 Zerubabbel generated Abiud,[44] Abiud generated Eliakim,[45] Eliakim generated Azor,[46] MT1:14 Azor generated Zadok,[47] Zadok generated Achim,[48] Achim generated Eliud,[49] MT1:15 Eliud generated Eleazar,[50] Eleazar generated Matthan,[51] Matthan generated Jacob,[52] MT1:16 Jacob generated Joseph[53] Mary’s[54] man[55] who generated Jesus,[56] the one called “Christ.”[57] MT1:17 Therefore all the generations from Abraham until David[58] were fourteen generations; and from David until the Babylonian deportation[59] were fourteen generations; and from the Babylonian deportation until the Christ[60] were fourteen generations.[61]

 

Folio 27r from the Lindisfarne Gospels contains the incipit Liber generationis of the Gospel of Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

[1] Bible: The Greek is BIBLOS. Or, KJV: book; WMS: family tree; KNX: record of ancestry.

[2] Genealogy: The Greek is GENESEOS. Or, generation (KJV).

[3] Jesus: The Greek is IESOU meaning, “Yah Saves.” There is no “J” in Greek.

[4] Christ: The Greek is KHRISTOU and means one christened or anointed. A Hebrew bias word would be, Messiah.

[5] Son of David, son of Abraham: The two most important links to his forefathers.

[6] Abraham: One of the most important persons in the Bible; indeed, one of the most important persons in the modern world, adored by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. His name occurs over 290 times. The name is a most common name of males among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The name means “Father of a Multitude” and first occurs at Genesis 17:5 where his name is changed from “Abram” meaning “Father of Rejoicing” (Father’s Joy). The first occurrence of Abram is at Genesis 11:26. This form of the name occurs over 60 times.

[7] Generated: Or, “was the father of”; “fathered.” The Greek is EGENNESEN.

[8] Isaac: The name occurs over 140 times with the first occurrence at Genesis 17:19. It is a name given by an angel of Yahweh even as was the name Jesus.

[9] Jacob: The name occurs 400 times and means “Grabbing the Heel” occurring first at Genesis 25:26.

[10] Judah: The name occurs 870 times and means “Praised” occurring first at Genesis 29:35. It is the root of the term “Jew.”

[11] Brothers: The foundations of the tribes of Israel. The account is recorded in Genesis 31.

[12] Perez: The name occurs 20 times and means “Perineal Rupture.” It occurs first at Genesis 38:29.

[13] Zerah: The name occurs 20 times and means “Shining” or “Rising” occurring first in the above context at Genesis 38:30. Apparently it is a common name as others earlier are so named.

[14] Tamar: One of four women named in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Her name means “Palm Tree” and occurs 30 times regarding different women, the first at Genesis 38:6.

[15] Hezron: The name means “courtyard” or “settlement” and occurs first at Genesis 46:9 for a total of 20 times.

[16] Ram: His name means “High” (see 1 Chronicles 2:9) and is presented as Arni in Luke’s genealogy (Luke 3:33).

[17] Amminadab: The name occurs 16 times and means “Noble” or “Generous” occurring first at Exodus 6:23.

[18] Nahshon: Occurs 13 times beginning at Exodus 6:23 and means “Serpent.”

[19] Salmon: The name occurs about 6 times, first at Ruth 4:20.

[20] Boaz: The name occurs 30 times, first at Ruth 2:1, meaning “Strong.”

[21] Rahab: Meaning, “Wide” or “Spacious” – the second woman mentioned in the genealogy, a Gentile harlot whose name occurs 19 times, first at Joshua 2:1.

[22] Obed: Meaning “Servant” and occurring first at Ruth 4:17 for a total of 35 times.

[23] Ruth: The name occurs first at Ruth 1:4 for a total of 19 times. A Gentile, the third woman to be mentioned in the genealogy. Her name means “God is King.”

[24] Jesse: The name, meaning “Yahweh (causes) forgets,” occurs 53 times with the first at Ruth 4:17.

[25] David: A king of Israel. Meaning “Beloved” and occurring over 1200 times, the first at Ruth 4:17.

[26] Solomon: A king of Israel. The name means “Peace” and occurs 320 times with the first at 2 Samuel 5:14.

[27] Uriah’s woman: Bathsheba is not mentioned though alluded to. Here Matthew honors the loyal and courageous Gentile soldier. Like other languages the Greek has no word for “wife.” It is “woman” and the context determines whether it is a “wife” or a “woman.” Uriah’s name occurs 30 times with the first occurrence at 2 Samuel 11:3. His name means “Yah is my Light” and is likely his Hebrew name after converting from the Hittites.

[28] Rehoboam: A king of Israel whose name occurs 55 times and means “Widen the People.” The first occurrence is 1 Kings 11:43.

[29] Abijah: A king of Judah. The name means “Yah is my Father” and occurs 37 times, the first at 1 Samuel 8:2.

[30] Asa: The third king of Judah. The name occurs 63 times and appears first at 1 Kings 15:8.

[31] Jehoshaphat: A king of Judah. The name occurs 83 times and means “Yahweh is Judge” occurring first at 2 Samuel 8:16. A name associated with the Plains of Megiddo (Armageddon).

[32] Jehoram: A king of Judah. The name means “Yahweh is Exalted” and occurs 83 times, the first at 1 Kings 22:50.

[33] Uzziah: A king of Judah. His name means “My Strength is Yahweh” and occurs 34 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 15:13.

[34] Jotham: A king of Judah. His name means “Yah Perfects” and occurs 27 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 15:5. There are other men with this name.

[35] Ahaz: A king of Judah. His name means “Yahweh Grasps” and occurs 47 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 15:38. The henpecked husband of Jezebel.

[36] Hezekiah: A king of Judah. His name means “Yah Strengthens” and occurs 139 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 16:20. A strong associate of Isaiah.

[37] Manasseh: A king of Judah. His name means “Causing Forgetfulness” (It is an ancient name – Genesis 41:51) and occurs 155 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 20:21. Manasseh is thought to have martyred Isaiah and yet becomes one of the greatest examples of repentance and forgiveness.

[38] Amon: A king of Judah. His name means “Faithful” and occurs 21 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 21:18.

[39] Josiah: A king of Judah. His name means “Yah Heals” and occurs 31 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 21:24. Others are so named. Josiah is a good example of a youth dedicated to God with great love for the Word.

[40] Jeconiah: A king of Judah. His names means “Yah Establishes” and occurs 13 times with the first occurrence at 1 Chronicles 3:16.

[41] Babylonian deportation: Thought by some to be around 611-607 BC.

[42] Shealtiel: His name means “Requested of God” and occurs 15 times with the first occurrence at 1 Chronicles 3:17.

[43] Zerubabbel: A governor of Judah upon return from Babylonian captivity around 537 BC. His name means “Seed of Babel” and occurs 28 times with the first occurrence at 1 Chronicles 3:19.

[44] Abiud: His name means “Dignified Father” and only occurs here. Some think this is the same as “Joda” in Luke 3:26, others do not.

[45] Eliakim: His name means “My God Raises” and occurs 15 times with the first occurrence at 2 Kings 18:18.

[46] Azor: From the genealogy of Joseph. From here the records would be based on Matthew’s research. His name means “One Offering Help” and only occurs here.

[47] Zadok: An ancestor of Joseph. The name means “Righteous” and belongs to numerous persons in the Bible. The name occurs 56 times

[48] Achim: An ancestor of Joseph. His name means “Yah Establishes.” This is the only occurrence of the name.

[49] Eliud: An ancestor of Joseph his name means “God of Dignity.” This is the only occurrence of his name.

[50] Eleazar: An ancestor of Joseph. His name means “God Helps” and appears 79 times as the names of other men.

[51] Matthan: The great-grandfather of Joseph. His name only occurs here.

[52] Jacob: The grandfather of Joseph. The name means “Surplantor” and occurs 409 times in the Bible.

[53] Joseph: The foster father of Jesus the Nazarene. His name means “Yah Increases” and occurs 264 times in the Bible. Joseph, husband of Mary, is mentioned 29 times in the Christian Bible. A carpenter by trade, possibly he died in the early life of Jesus.

[54] Mary’s: Mary is a form of Miriam meaning “Rebellious.” The name Mary occurs 68 times in the Christian Bible. There are six Marys in the Bible. M’Clintock and Strong’s Cyclopaedia (1881, Vol. III, p. 774): “In constructing their genealogical tables, it is well known that the Jews reckoned wholly by males, rejecting, where the blood of the grandfather passed to the grandson through a daughter, the name of the daughter herself, and counting that daughter’s husband for the son of the maternal grandfather.”

[55] Man: The Greek is ANDRA and “husband” is inferred by the context.

[56] Jesus: This is the name given by the angel of Yahweh in Luke’s account. The name means “Yah Saves” and occurs 1109 times in the Christian Bible. Jesus is the Latin form of the Greek IESOUS, which corresponds to the Hebrew Yeshua or Yehohshua and means “Yahweh Is Salvation.”

[57] Christ: The designation is the Greek KHRISTOS and means one christened or anointed. The title occurs 748 times in the Christian Bible. It occurs most often in the Letter to the Romans.

[58] Abraham until David: Roughly from 2,000 to 1000 BC or about 1,000 years and about 70 years per “generation.”

[59] David until the Babylonian deportation: Roughly 500 years or 35 years per generation.

[60] Deportation until the Christ: Roughly about 500 years or 35 years per generation.

[61] Generations: For a total of 42 generations between Abraham and Jesus Christ.

This text of the Gospel of Matthew is a new version, the 21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures [NCMM], as an additional part of Nazarene Commentary 2000©. This rendering by Mark Heber Miller may be considered a literal version with limited paraphrase.

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Extra BS notes

Iesou => Jesus = “Hail Zeus”, the name given to the Nazarene Jew at the Council of Nicaea in 325 to come to terms with the three-headed greek-roman gods. Up until about 360, theological debates mainly dealt with the divinity of the son, which had to be the seame one as the son-god of the Romans and the Greeks. The worshipping of that son and the use of the statues in the community should be allowed for all the sorts of worshippers, so that the market vendors could sell their statues at liberty to any worshipper. Jeshua, Joshua (/ˈdʒɒʃuːə/) or Jehoshua (Hebrew: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ Yĕhôshúa or Hebrew: יֵשׁוּעַ Yĕshúa; Aramaic: ܝܫܘܥ‎ Isho; Greek: Ἰησοῦς, Arabic: يوشع بن نون‎ Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn, Turkish: Yuşa) Yeshua (ישוע, with vowel pointing יֵשׁוּעַ – yēšūă‘ in Hebrew) which means “Jehovah saves/Jehovah is salvation” or “the Help(ipa) from Jehovah” or “From Jehovah comes salvation”, for the politicians had to become the second person of their tri-une godhead.  The main god Zeus (Ancient Greek: Ζεύς) had to be the “Father of Gods and men” (πατὴρ ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε, patḕr andrōn te theōn te) and as such should be the god of Greeks, Romans and Christians because Jupiter (Latin: Iuppiter; /ˈjʊpɪtɛr/; genitive case: Iovis; /ˈjɔːvɪs/) or Jove is the king of the gods and the god of sky and thunder in myth.

By the time of the 4° Century CE lots of false teachers had managed to introduce the Roman teachings of their gods back into the teachings of their followers. Lots of people found it easier to adapt to the new religion because it had adapted itself to their faith. for them it was than much easier to accept Jesus to be the King of kings, to be the god of light, the god of thunder, the god of miracles, the god of enlightenment, etc.

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Preceding articles:

1. The Advent of the saviour to Roman oppression
2. Story of Jesus’ birth begins long before the New Testament
3. Nazarene Commentary to Zechariah and Elizabeth
4. Nazarene Commentary to An Angel Appearing to a Priest
5. Nazarene Commentary to Struck Dumb For Disbelief
6. Nazarene Commentary to Elizabeth Pregnant
7. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:46-56 – Mary Magnifies God
8. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:57-66 – Elizabeth Gives Birth To John
9. Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:67-80 – Zechariah’s Prophecy
10. With child and righteousness greater than the law
11. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:1-7 – A Firstborn’s Birth In Bethlehem
12. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:8-14 – Angels and Shepherds in the Night
13. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:15-20 – Shepherds Find the Infant Christ
14. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:21-24 – Presenting the Baby to God
15. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:25-35 – Simeon’s Blessing and Warning
16. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:36-38 – Anna’s Thanks before Those Waiting
17. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:39-40 – The Young Child Grows
18. Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:41-50 – Twelve Year Old Jesus in the Temple

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  The angel Gabriel arrives to give Mary a special message. His arrival signifies that God is about to do something and do something big! God is a God of action. He is always busy doing good. Even when it seems that God is silent, He is at work behind the scenes.From the end of the Old Testament to the start of the New Testament, 400 years passed during which God did not communicate with His people Israel. It was not because He had forgotten them or abandoned them. They had turned away from Him, but He had not given up on them.
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  Remember, though, that Bethlehem was a small village in this time with a likely population of a few hundred. It is doubtful that more than half a dozen children were killed, not enough to make it into any other sources we have for Herod’s rule. Herod was certainly ruthless enough to order such a massacre. He had no trouble killing members of his own family if he thought they threatened his rule. In fact, Herod being an Idumean (or Edomite) and not a Jew, was a foreigner and so was as despised by many Judeans as a Roman governor would have been. If he had heard that there was a potential rival to his throne, even a child, that the Jews might rally around, he would have wasted no time in disposing of that rival.
• Don’t Be Afraid (josephelonlillie.com)
  Joseph was told not to be afraid, not because  God was going to take away all the fearful things but because the Messiah was coming into the world…into his family.” JE Lillie
• Matthew 1:21-23 (inspirationsbyerika.wordpress.com)
  She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
• Will Our Children Have Faith? (mymorningmeditations.com)
  It may seem strange to consider Judaism a missionary religion. Yet the Pharisees are described as “compass[ing] sea and land to make one proselyte.” (Matthew 23:15) Rabbinic Judaism, the product of these Pharisees, saw in Abraham and Sarah the models for those who converted non-Jews to Judaism, speaking of them as “making souls.” (Cf. Gen. 12:5)
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  There are also plenty of Christians whose children leave the faith. It can be truly said that God has no grandchildren. We each negotiate our own relationship with our Creator, regardless of who our parents are or what they believe and practice.
• Massacre of the Innocents (nation.com.pk)
  The Gospel of Matthews narrates the horrific Biblical account of the killing of infants by the then Roman appointed Jewish king of Israel, Herod, at the time of the birth of Jesus. As it turns out, a prophecy in the Old Testament, made by Jeremiah the prophet, spoke of the birth of a new king of Jews (Hazrat Isa A.S.), ‘who would be born on the night that a star comes out of Jacob’. When Jewish astrologers of the time, the Magi, informed Herod of the coming of this event, he ordered that every child under the age of two be killed in and around the town of Bethlehem. Herod had hoped that this Massacre of the Innocents would achieve two goals: 1) it would preserve the future reign of Herod’s progeny, and 2) it would wipe out the existence, message, and purpose of the promised Messiah. Herod failed in achieving both these objectives. Per the Divine Will, just before the Massacre of Innocents started, Joseph and Mary (Hazrat Maryam A.S.) took the child, and escaped to Egypt. And thus the prophet and his mission were preserved, only to return to Israel ten years later and proclaim the truth of God.
  Two thousand years later, five thousand kilometers away from the towns of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, in the Army Public School, Peshawar, another Massacre of the Innocents took place on Tuesday.
• Seeking Good Soil- Dec 22 (boyslumber.wordpress.com)
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  We write to grow beyond ourselves—beyond the confines of our bodies, our minds, our time.
• The Difference Between Grace and Mercy (codybateman.org)
  We deserve nothing from God. God does not owe us anything. Anything good that we experience is a result of the grace of God (Ephesians 2:5). Grace is simply defined as unmerited favor. God favors, or gives us good things that we do not deserve and could never earn
• Herod (en.wikipedia.org)

With child and righteousness greater than the law

The last few weeks in many denominations they looked at a time of remembrance of the coming on earth of the Messiah. At the end of the month many Christians use the birthday of the goddess of light and creation, to celebrate the birth of Christ (who was born in 4 bCE October 17) This birth is the beginning of the New World whereof the evangelist John is talking about when he looks at that new period like at the beginning of everything new, or the Bereshith (Bereshit or Bereishit), the Genesis. In the Genesis book by Moses you may find God Speaking and by speaking or uttering His Word, everything came into being. In the same way spoke God and the child came into being.

“In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” (NWT) (John 1:1)

The story of the Eden Garden. The temptation of Adam & Eve by the devil. Pedestal of the statue of Madonna with Child, western portal (of the Virgin), of Notre-Dame de Paris, France (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Word, which was spoken before everything existed had also spoken in the Garden of Eden. That was a time long before Abraham. As such God His Word came unto the 1° Adam and promised to provide a solution for his misstep. Adam and Eve came to hear the first promise for their descendants. Later the Word of God would come to other offspring, who at their turn also told the world to look out for that Saviour or Messiah.

Not the evangelist John his work was placed first in the Books of the New Covenant. Matthew got the honour to open the New Testament. His account of the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:18-25 has one primary concern: to establish the identity and mission of Jesus from the very beginning of his story. For the evangelist Matthew, who came to know the Nazarene Jeshua early in his public life, this special teacher no doubt is the Messiah or Christ (see Matthew 1:18), the agent of God who will establish God’s kingdom and save his people from their sins (see Matthew 1:21).

Lots of people do want to find a very special person and a very special story. Because they can not find that in the Bible they started creating several stories to make their evening of remembrance much greater.

“Annunciation”, fresco (ca. 1371) by Jacopo di Cione (ca.1325-after 1390)(?), interior of the façade of the basilica of San Marco in Florence, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The evangelist Matthew brings a very human story involving a young couple: Joseph and Myriam or Miriam, by most English speaking people known as Mary (others know her as Maria, or Blessed Virgin Mary). Mary gets a message which may have been very strange for her and any other human being. The messenger of God, an angel pronounces that she has found great favour with God. We do find a simple village girl through whom God decides to work His plan of redemption.

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,” (Luke 1:26 NIV)

“The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.” (Luke 1:28-29 NIV)

“And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34 ASV)

From the evangelist and apostle Matthew we come to know she got to know the workman Joseph and also in Luke is written:

“to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:27 NIV)

“The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”” (Luke 1:28 NIV)

“18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:18-19 NIV)

Matthew grounds his lofty message about Jesus’ identity and mission as the Christ in the earthiness and complexities of human life. It doesn’t get much earthier than a pregnancy out of wedlock; put that together with the fact that the young couple had not yet had sex and you have the makings of a real potboiler. This young girl could be killed for what she got herself into. Regardless of the cost to her societally, she is willing to submit to God’s will for her life. For her the wrath of the Law and the weight of the village’s condemnation have no value opposite the message she got from a celestial being. Though she did not get stoned because most rabbis required a lesser penalty, including divorce and public shaming. The public shaming may have come over the fiancée of labourer Joseph who was still willing to take her as her bride.

Matthew portrays Joseph as a righteous man who confronted a significant dilemma. Him at first in love with this young Essene girl, had to face a very devote Jew who seemed to have been unfaithful to him. Most people usually understand the description of Joseph as “righteous” to mean that he was a good man, a kind man. But Joseph’s “righteousness” in this context has a specific meaning: it refers to Joseph’s thorough adherence to the law, the Torah. Joseph was also a devout, practising Jew. His decision to divorce Mary was the right one according to the law.

Matthew tells us that while Joseph had decided to sever his relationship with Mary, in accordance with the law and the custom of his time, he had decided to do this so “quietly,” evidently to reduce Mary’s public disgrace. Joseph had found a way to be faithful to the requirements of the law, but to do so in a respectful and sensitive manner. Joseph struck a remarkable balance between righteousness and compassion.

In the Torah were given many examples of how strange God’s ways might be for man. More than once appeared celestial beings to man to turn their coarse. This disappointed workman also came to hear an angel of God in a dream. Believing in the truth of his dream he abandoned adherence to the law by accepting the angel’s exhortation to take Mary as his wife. In this extraordinary situation, Joseph’s righteousness transcended the letter of the law. For Joseph, being righteous no longer meant blind, literal adherence to the Torah; the instruction from the angel trumped the law. The imminent arrival of Jesus somehow transformed the righteousness expected of Joseph. This is a theme that Jesus would articulate again and again later in this Gospel: there is a righteousness greater than the law.

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Preceding articles:

Story of Jesus’ birth begins long before the New Testament

Nazarene Commentary Luke 1:26-38 – Gabriel’s Appearance to Mary

Nazarene Commentary Luke 2:15-20 – Shepherds Find the Infant Christ

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Literature of interest:

1. With God All Things Are Possible
2. Message from the family tree in the Tanakh
3. Why do we need a ransom?
4. A promise given in the Garden of Eden
5. The Seed Of The Woman Bruised
6. Written to recognise the Promissed One
7. OT prophesies and the NT fulfilment of them
8. Prophets making excuses
9. Belief of the things that God has promised
10. About a man who changed history of humankind
11. Which man is mentioned most often in the Bible? Jesus, Moses, Abraham or David?
12. Together tasting a great promise
13. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
14. The Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity
15. Virgin Mary’s girdle
16. The Gabriel Revelation Real or forgery
17. Who was Jesus?
18. Jesus and his God
19. The Christ, the anointed of God
20. Around pre-existence of Christ
21. A season of gifts
22. Christmas, Saturnalia and the birth of Jesus
23. Wishing lanterns and Christmas
24. Jesus begotten Son of God #1 Christmas and Christians
25. Jesus begotten Son of God #2 Christmas and pagan rites
26. Jesus begotten Son of God #3 Messiah or Anointed one
27. Jesus begotten Son of God #4 Promised Prophet and Saviour
28. Jesus begotten Son of God #5 Apostle, High Priest and King
29. Jesus begotten Son of God #6 Anointed Son of God, Adam and Abraham
30. Jesus begotten Son of God #7 A matter of the Future
31. Jesus begotten Son of God #8 Found Divinely Created not Incarnated
32. Jesus begotten Son of God #9 Two millennia ago conceived or begotten
33. Jesus begotten Son of God #13 Pre-existence excluding virginal birth of the Only One Transposed
34. Jesus begotten Son of God #14 Beloved Preminent Son and Mediator originating in Mary
35. Jesus begotten Son of God #15 Son of God Originating in Mary
36. Jesus begotten Son of God #17 Adam, Eve, Mary and Christianity’s central figure
37. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #6 Words to feed and communicate
38. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #14 Prayer #12 The other name
39. God has visited His people
40. Jesus spitting image of his father
41. A man with an outstanding personality
42. Lord or Yahuwah, Yeshua or Yahushua
43. Ember and light the ransomed of Jehovah
44. The Beginning of the life of Jesus Christ
45. What Jesus did: First things first
46. Servant of his Father
47. Anointing of Christ as Prophetic Rehearsal of the Burial rites
48. A Messiah to die
49. Impaled until death overtook him
50. Cursed is the one hung on a tree
51. Atonement and the race been bought
52. Jesus three days in hell
53. What Jesus Did – Misleading around the Messiah and the final assessment
54. Christ having glory
55. Words in the world
56. Ignorance of Today’s Youth (and Adults)
57. God or a god

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• Be Thankful: 5 Things God Has Given Us We Should Thank Him For (authorbrianlknack.wordpress.com)
  Be Thankful God Gave Us Life  –  Not only did he breathe the breath of life into us that we might become a living soul but he has given us New Life in the New Covenant through the blood of His son Jesus! God put us here for a purpose and that purpose is to live for Him and experience the joy of His presence every day. For those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives God has also given to us the gift of Eternal Life in Him!
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  Because God loved us so much, He didn’t want us to continue to drift away from Him in our selfish, self-centered existence. He loved us so much that He gave us the gift of His Son, Jesus, to be the way back to Him. That gift is the best, most amazing, most expensive, most valuable gift ever given, and it was given to us. He loved us enough to give us Jesus.
• Focus On God (christianmotivations.weebly.com)
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• The Tense of Life – Future Perfect (cerkas.wordpress.com)
  In truth, time is but a fabrication and rationalization of our minds in an attempt to avoid confusion and chaos.  Simply, time helps us comprehend our existence within the limits of our knowledge.
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  The true beauty of Christianity, however, is that by being born again via Baptism, we are cleansed from sin’s blemish on our soul and are blessed to have the opportunity to live this earthly life in God’s Light, striving to become like Him, understanding that at times, we will falter and sin.  And in the wisdom of our Creator, He provided a mechanism for us to redeem ourselves of sins via repentance, along with his Grace via forgiveness.
• Why does God make a way for us to return to paradise? (christianitymatters.com)
  Because we are mostly focused on the negative, we think a lot about why things are bad and messed up in this world but we spend little time thinking about why God makes a way for us to return to paradise.
• Found By Grace (ponderingtheheartofjesus.com)
  When people can’t talk about difficulties together, they tend to avoid just like Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden when they realized they had sinned against God.
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  Have you trusted in the mediator Jesus as your Savior from the wages of sin? God is pursuing you and inviting you to be reconciled to Him right now, this Christmas.
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  We are introduced to two trees in the Genesis account of creation – the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  The first inhabitants were given the Tree of life for food.  The other one they ate from in hopes of becoming as wise as God.
• History of Christmas Trees part 1 (joannerambling.wordpress.com)
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  There are a lot of people in recent days talking about what divides us as a nation and how to bring some sort of reconciliation between people. We have all seen the protests and the anger and hurt. We have seen grief and sadness and bitterness and distrust – and all our protesting and postulating and town-hall meetings only seem to make the chasm wider. In this season of Christmas, this time when there should be “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14) and we should “love one another” (John 13:34) we see everything but. How did we become such an angry society? What is the root of our discord? And how do we reclaim the peace we’ve lost?
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  God gave Jesus as His gift to humanity to reconcile the creation with the Creator. To bring us peace. And when we are restored to God, when we have peace with God, we can then be restored in our human relationships and have peace with one another. But not until we first receive the gift of Jesus into our lives.
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  Peace that Never Ends
  God offers peace in our “dark night of the soul,” bringing His light to the night that surrounds us.
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  One day, and I think not so very far away, Jesus Christ will return, and bring with Him the fulfillment of God’s promise of peace. He will come, not as the baby in the manger, but as the victorious King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  He will come with power and authority.  He will bring an end to evil and wickedness.  He will bring punishment to those who love evil and hatred and corruption – to all who rejected Him in this life.
• The Bible and Mythology (ezracommentary.wordpress.com)
  Myths are stories that people make up to explain various aspects of life and to express worldview, how we see and interpret the world. There are myths about the world and the creation of the sea. There are myths to explain where man and woman came from. Some myths are about the islands and how they came to be populated. There are myths that try to explain good and evil. Other myths have to do with how man and woman are to relate to one another and to each other’s families. There are myths about children and the consequences of disobedience. There are myths about the afterlife, what happens to a person and where he goes when he dies.

  So myths are stories which attempt to explain life and its meaning. They often share wisdom as to how we should live and relate to others and to the world around us. Myths are meant for teaching so that the wisdom can be transmitted from one generation to another.

Joining for a new year in the assurance to be bought with a price

Though we are already a few weeks in the new year and soon we will be looking at the new civil year we want to look at the older writing about those openings for a “New Year“.

As members of a New Covenant, installed by Jeshua, Jesus Christ, we should remember not only how difficult it must have been for the virgin Miriam (Mary) but also for the community of followers of the Nazarene.

Often we do think we can own the world and can do what we want. We do not like others to intervene in our life. We also find it difficult when we are directed by others. But when we have chosen to follow Christ we get reborn and we do have to start a new year of a new calendar for life.

Having started a new season we do want to ensure all that  the Spirit of God brings love, hope and freedom and that we do have the remembrance soon of the message Miriam (Mary) was to receive about a child given to the world, prophesied about to bring the world in a new system, preparing all those on earth to look forward for a coming Kingdom.

But the new hope given in that renewed world would belong to people who do know they do not belong to themselves but to the one God has provided. To him we should give ourselves and should come to accept him as our offer for our sins, making us worthy to be as a brother or sister of him, a child of God under salvation by the blood of Christ.

The message that came on earth and brought a change in the world, a new beginning, is what we shall remember the coming weeks, leading up to the remembrance that he was born and circumcised, taken up in the community of the Judaic people, the Jews.

Sculpture – head of Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We now should become united under Christ, forming a heart of oak, funded in the cornerstone Jeshua, Jesus Christ our only lord and master on earth. Living in this world we do know we may not be of this world, but that does not mean we do have to be stateless. We should be of Christ, forming one strong community of brethren and sisters all wanting to do the Will of God like Jesus only wanted to do the Will of his Father. All wanting to follow and keeping to the Law of Christ: the Law of Love.

In these darker times of the year, the leaves falling down, our roots should bring forth new branches, to prop up those falling to pieces, the doubters and uncertain or indecisive. We do have to stand ready for those with questions, for those who are looking for God, for those who are not feeling so well and for those who have problems. We as brothers and sisters should let them feel they are welcome at our door.

Let us this year work to become more like Christ Jesus and help each other to grow in the lord, in the knowledge that they like we are bought with the same price. We may not wait any longer to give priority to form a loving brotherhood.

Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
`1 Corinthians 6:19,20`

 

AT the opening of the new year, what lesson could be more important to us than this one, that we are not our own, but belong to another; that we are not therefore, to seek to please ourselves, but to please Him; nor to seek to serve self, but to serve Him; nor to seek to obey self-will, but on the contrary His will? This means holiness in the most absolute and comprehensive sense of the word (not only separation from sin to righteousness, but separation from “self” to the will of God in Christ).`Z.’97-35` `R2099:4`

 

All those who love God should come together regularly and as true believers should see themselves as parts of the body of Christ  holding “fast to the Head, from whom the whole body is nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, (and) grows with a growth that is from God” (Colossians 2:19).

Let us all be in union with each other, in union with Christ and in union with God:

John 15:4: 4 Remain in union with me, and I in union with YOU.+ Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, in the same way neither can YOU, unless YOU remain in union with me.+

1 John 2:24: 24 As for YOU, let that which YOU have heard from [the] beginning remain in YOU.+ If that which YOU have heard from [the] beginning remains in YOU, YOU will also abide in union+ with the Son and in union with the Father.+

John 15:4: 4 Remain in union with me, and I in union with YOU.+ Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, in the same way neither can YOU, unless YOU remain in union with me.+

John 6:56: 56 He that feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me,* and I in union with him.+

1 Corinthians 12:27:27 Now YOU are Christ’s body, and members individually.+

Colossians 2:19:19 whereas he is not holding fast to the head,+ to the one from whom all the body, being supplied and harmoniously joined together+ by means of its joints and ligaments, goes on growing with the growth that God gives.+

1 John 3:24: 24 Moreover, he who observes his commandments remains in union with him, and he in union with such one;+ and by this we gain the knowledge that he is remaining in union with us,+ owing to the spirit+ which he gave us.

John 14:23: 23 In answer Jesus said to him: “If anyone loves me, he will observe+ my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make our abode with him.+

Are you making good progress in “holding fast to the head”? Are you being “nourished and knit together” with others as you do so? Don’t make the mistake of looking to blame others; all must pull together as fellows in the same ship – looking to Christ as the Captain.

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Preceding article: You do not belong to yourselves,for you were bought with a price

Dutch texts about this subject / Nederlandse teksten over dit gegeven:

1. Ook behoort gij Uzelf niet toe, want gij werd met een prijs gekocht
2. Als broeders en zusters samen op weg voor een nieuw jaar

Please do find the verses in different versions:

You do not belong to yourselves,for you were bought with a price

Hebraic Roots Bible 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 – Flee fornication and be joined to our Master

Nazarene Commentary 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 – Flee from Immorality

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Find out who are brothers in Christ or what a Brother in or of Christ should be:

1. Two new encyclopaedic articles
2. What are Brothers in Christ
3. Who are the Christadelphians
4. Rebirth and belonging to a church
5. Not many coming out with their community name
6. United people under Christ
7. Christadelphian people
8. Christadelphians
9. Christadelphians or Messianic Christians or Messianic Jews
10. My faith

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  Under the Old Covenant, men approached God through a priest, while under the New Covenant, we have direct access to the Father through Jesus Christ. Under the Old Covenant, a man’s sin led to his death while under the New Covenant, God is merciful to our unrighteousness. Under the Old Covenant, man could not be cleansed of a consciousness of sin while under the New Covenant, our sins and iniquities are remembered no more, and our guilty consciences are cleansed.
• DIG for Sunday the 26th of October…..there is only one gospel, there is no other…..Galatians 1 v 6 and 7 (heilanword.wordpress.com)
  The word gospel could be translated as good news, and the grace of Jesus Christ is indeed good news.Anything other than the grace of Jesus Christ is not good news and is therefore not the gospel.
• To an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, (activeinspiration.wordpress.com)
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• Christ In The Book Of Hebrews: “the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus” (settledinheaven.wordpress.com)
  Jesus came forth from the grave by the power of God.  It was the God who brought peace to all mankind through Christ’s death and resurrection!
• Jesus is Matchless (theencouragementexpress.com)
  One could find many illustrations to prove that often personality is greater than the idea. Such is the case with Christianity. The secret of the power of Christianity is not in its ethics. It is not in Christian ideas or philosophy, although Christianity has a philosophical set of ideas. The secret of Christianity is found in a Person, and that Person is the Lord Jesus Christ.
• “Holiness is the balance between my nature and the law of God as expressed in Jesus Christ.” ~~Oswald Chambers (quotesthoughtsrandom.wordpress.com)
  God’s goal for us is that we be holy, just like God is holy. God has given us the power of His Holy Spirit to make it happen.
• Tuesday, 4 November 2014 : 31st Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop (First Reading) (petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com)
  He humbled Himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted Him and gave Him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that, Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.
• Today’s Bible Reading (ephesians 1:1, 3-10) (prayers4reparation.wordpress.com)
  As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself: according to the purpose of his will:
• People Are Watching (revderrickkeeter.wordpress.com)
  As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself: according to the purpose of his will:
• Christology: twelve grammatical rules (pjcockrell.wordpress.com)
  Not to speak of Christ in any way that sidelines his human experience.Jesus Christ is truly human.
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  Not to speak of Christ as if he were relevant only to some people in some cultures and circumstances. Jesus Christ is present to all people, in all times and places, as their divine-human Prophet, Priest and King. The church trusts and proclaims, but never possesses, this Messiah.