‘As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.’
(John 15:4-5a)
Jesus uses the final hours before his arrest leading to the sham trial and crucifixion, to prepare his disciples for their task. It will fall to them to cultivate the Gospel, so it may be fruitful. The word translated ‘fruit’ is καρπὸς karpos is the produce of the mature plant and the means by which it is propagated.
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Pointless! Pointless! says Kohelet. Utterly meaningless! Nothing matters!
(Ecclesiastes 1:2; Complete Jewish Bible)
Ecclesiastes stands with Job as wisdom literature within the sacred Hebrew Scripture which aims is to examine the human condition; however, they differ in that while Job remains committed to his faith in God, the author of Ecclesiastes ‘Kohelet’ is almost atheistic in his scepticism, beginning with the famous nihilistic declaration that all is pointless.
‘Pointless’ translates הֶבֶל hebel, which is ‘vapour’, literally the breath that condenses in cold air; figuratively it stands for something ephemeral, insubstantial and meaningless.
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And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Paul is exhorting the faithful Achaians to respond as the Macedonians and give generously to brethren in Jerusalem. He illustrates this by quoting from the psalter:
He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures for ever. (Psalms 112:9)
Thus, the apostle asserts the concept of God’s sufficiency is an essential Biblical truth, not just for the doubting Corinthian.
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‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.’ (Revelation 3:15-16)
The revelation given to John mostly concerns the Last Days, in Greek ἔσχᾰτος eschatos, but not only does that cover the end of history and the world, it also includes present age. To this end, it begins with Jesus’ assessment of the state of his Church. While his audit names the major centres of the burgeoning faith in Asia Minor (Anatolian Peninsula), some suggest that each church also represents the complete Church over time; thus the last, Laodicea, conveys the state of today’s Church. Be that as it may, Jesus’ rebuke of tepidity is stark and not a little startling.
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When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. (Ephesians 1:14)
To those ‘sealed’ as God’s possession, based on gospel faith, there is a deposit that acts as a guarantee of inheritance within His kingdom. The word ‘deposit’ translates the Greek noun ἀρραβών (arrabón) meaning a down payment or surety; the first instalment of a payment to be redeemed in full at a later date.
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In Christ you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13)
The word translated ‘sealed’ is the Greek verb σφραγίζω sphragizó describing the act of fixing a seal or stamp to something attesting to ownership. This conveys the full authority, backing and security of the owner and at one time might also involve the use of tattoos; hence the derivation of this prophetic commandment to the world that John witnessed in his revelation:
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When you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ (Luke 17:10 ESV)
In the latest post, the same passage based on a translation where ἀχρεῖος, achreios, the word above ‘unworthy’, was better rendered as ‘unprofitable’. Is ‘unworthy’ poor translation? Hardly, for it correctly conveys the sense that someone or something is ‘lacks utility’, the very literal meaning of achreios, and it is short step from ‘useless’ to ‘being without merit’ – but it may possibly mislead if taken in isolation from all the Jesus taught, and indeed, all Scripture.
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when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’ (Luke 17:10)
Jesus, through the unusual device of a parable based on rhetorical questions, seems to be challenging the stubborn thinking of his close disciples, and it is easy to see how the same attitude prevails in all who would follow Christ.
For it is easy to fall into the mistaken notion that in keeping the commandments, say the Great Commission, evangelising the Gospel and discipling those evangelised, a person adds to God’s purpose. Put another way, the faithful disciples thinks that they are necessary for God to achieve his goals and without them God is at a loss.
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When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44b)
Jesus is speaking of the devil, who is elsewhere in the Bible shown to be Satan and he is the original deceiver.
The Greek word translated ‘lie’ is the verb ψεύδομαι (pseudomai) and it means ‘to falsify’ or ‘to wilfully misrepresent’.
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Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’
The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. (John 11:43-44)
Lazarus is a name taken via the Latin Lazar, derived from the Hebrew ‘Eleazer’, which means ‘God helped’.
Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha. The family were clearly very good friends, possible even relations of Jesus. They lived in Bethany, now called El-Azariya (‘place’ of Lazarus), situated on the south eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, and thus a short walk from Jerusalem.
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God Breathed Words 