I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

//A number of Revelation interpreters continue to read these verses literally. Please don’t. Such images may seem bizarre to us today, but they had grown into common symbolism long before Revelation appeared. They denote the wrapping up of a nation, such as Babylon (as told by Isaiah) and Egypt (by Ezekiel). For example, Isaiah 34:4 reads, “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree,” and this has nothing to do with the end of the world. If you doubt this, please take time to verify for yourself: Isaiah 13:1, 13:19, 14:22, 21:9, 48:14, 48:20. See also the “little apocalypse” describing the fall of Jerusalem in Mark 13:24-27 and the other Synoptic Gospels.

This apocalyptic imagery probably evolved from an ancient hymn to the storm god, Baal, describing his advance into combat:

    As the fig droops

Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”

//Jesus agrees. Word comes shortly that it’s too late–the girl has died–yet when Jesus arrives and examines the girl, he finds her still alive. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.”

Luke concurs. Jairus tells Jesus his daughter is deathly sick, and then she appears to die before Jesus gets there, but Jesus asserts that she merely sleeps, and wakes her up.

Matthew’s version varies a little. Jairus comes to Jesus already claiming that his daughter has died; Jairus isn’t asking for a healing or resuscitation, but a resurrection. Matthew 9:18, While he was saying this, a ruler came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”

Jesus does just that. But what’s the true story? Is she dead or just sleeping? Jesus is careful to allow no one in the room but his closest disciples as he revives the young girl, so who knows what magic he performed. But this we do know: the story of Jairus’ daughter carefully mimics an Old Testament passage.

It’s taken from II Kings 4:31-37, where a Shunnamite woman’s only son died. Jairus entreats Jesus in the same manner the woman entreats Elisha, falling at his feet and begging several times. Matthew changes the Jairus story slightly to align with the Old Testament source, by saying the daughter of Jairus is already dead.

A logical conclusion, then, is that Jesus did indeed perform a resuscitation of sorts, with his closest, most trustworthy disciples attending, and that these disciples allowed the story to grow legendary … while never stating that she actually died. In time the story took on the flavor of a common Old Testament resurrection.

//In trying to figure out how and when John learned of Jesus’ Messiahship, we have on record two primary events: Jesus’ baptism, and John’s imprisonment. Let’s start with the latter. Today’s verse, in Matthew, indicates that John, sitting in prison, had not yet heard of the Messiah’s arrival. However, John 1:29 reads differently:

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

But two chapters later in John 3:24 makes it clear that “This was before John was put in prison.” So John’s Gospel insists the Baptist knew about Jesus before prison, while Matthew says he learned about him only after being imprisoned. But wait. It gets even more complicated. Reading now about Jesus’ baptism:

Matthew 3:13-14, Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Doesn’t this seem to indicate that the Baptizer knew about Jesus before baptizing him? That’s Matthew’s version. If we read the story in John’s Gospel, we get a different story:

John 1:31-33, “I myself did not know [Jesus], but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.” Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'”

Clearly, in this version, the Baptist didn’t know about Jesus until after he had baptized him.

Oh, what a tangled web. If we must choose between Matthew and John, John’s story at least makes chronological sense.

By force. By beating plowshares into swords, and pruninghooks into spears. God calls the nations together to war, so that he may cleanse the earth of wrongdoers.

Isaiah 2:4, Beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks. In this version of God’s holy reign, “nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

Hmmm. Which would you choose?

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these;

//I won’t bore you with the rest of the verse. You probably won’t recognize some of the names anyway. Ever hear of Lebbaeus?

The four gospels, the book of Acts, and Paul all agree there were twelve. In fact, they insist. Twelve men, to govern the twelve tribes of Israel when the Messiah returns. But who are these twelve men?

Different writers give different lists, and this has led to endless research, tracking down just exactly who is whom. Here’s the full collection, borrowed from the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, if you’d like to try your hand at this exercise.

Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.

//Revelation tells us that an army numbering 200,000,000 people will be defeated on the plains of Armageddon. “Armageddon” derives from a Greek pronunciation of the “mountain of Megiddo” located north of Jerusalem.  Revelation’s prophecy places the battle in the plain of Megiddo near Mount Carmel (no Mount Megiddo exists).  In antiquity, all roads connecting Africa with Asia and Europe passed near Megiddo.  Seven major passes entered the valley. Its strategic position ensured that many important battles would be fought there—over 250—in the valley under the mountain.

One could surmise that this appears to be a God-chosen battleground.  Both Gideon and Deborah, judges of old, earned a victory there.  In that valley King Josiah, King Ahaziah, and King Saul perished.

Here’s what makes this valley fascinating to me. It’s literally in the backyard of Nazareth. Jesus would have walked across this valley many times, perhaps musing on the promise that “all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.” This famous valley where so much blood was shed may have influenced the humanitarian teachings of our Prince of Peace.

After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

//I’ve mentioned in multiple posts how, in John’s Gospel, Jesus dies before the Passover, and thus does not share a Passover meal with his disciples. But this is not quite true. While Jesus does, indeed, die the afternoon before the Passover begins, there is still a Passover ritual of sorts. It’s just spiritual, not literal.

The setting of today’s verse seems to be a Johannine version of the “Last Supper,” which verse 15:1 explains occurs before the Passover. The Last Supper is not a Passover meal in this Gospel.

In John, Jesus interrupts the evening supper, his final meal with the apostles, to perform a foot-washing ritual. What’s interesting about this is that a ritual washing of hands is part of the Passover ceremony. One of the family members brings a water bowl and towel to each person, and pours water over their hands in purification. It occurs before the meal, not during, and Jesus has transposed this from hand-washing to foot-washing. But are we supposed to recognize the parallel to the Passover ritual? Let’s go on with the story.

John, the beloved disciple reclines on Jesus’ breast, just as the youngest member of the household often reclines on the leader of the Passover celebration. As the Passover appetizers are shared, this child begins to ask rehearsed questions, prompting the lesson of the Passover. In our case, Jesus has just shared with them the news that he would be betrayed. So, John, probably the youngest, asks questions. Verse 25: Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”

The Passover parallel continues. Shortly after the time of questions and the sharing of a cup of redemption, Matzah is dipped in bitter horseradish. According to revered first-century rabbi Hillel, enough of the bitter herb should be taken to bring tears to the eyes. Verse 26: Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon.

Immediately after this Passover ritual, one or more members are supposed to be dispatched to serve the meal: the Passover lamb. So, in verse 27: As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. “What you are about to do, do quickly,” Jesus told him.

Can you guess what happens next? Who the Passover lamb is? Aw, I think you already know.

Give us this day our daily bread.

//The “Our Father,” or the “Lord’s Prayer,” may be the most memorized of all scripture. Millions repeat this uplifting prayer of Jesus on a daily basis. But do you know what it is you’re praying for as you speak these words?

The story begins back in Exodus. When the Children of Israel escaped from Egypt, they grew hungry, and God fed them with miracle food. Manna. Daily bread from heaven, the “food of angels.” So impressive was this daily bread that Jews began to yearn for the bread of angels again. Many of the rabbis taught that in the age to come, what they called the “Messianic age,” God would again provide bread from heaven. No one would ever go hungry.

One day, Jesus fed a multitude with loaves and fishes, but they weren’t satisfied. They begged for another miracle; they reminded Jesus that their fathers ate manna from heaven. This wish for the Messianic age to be ushered in with “angel food” was alive and well in Jesus’ day.

Now we come to this prayer of Jesus. Give us this day our epiousios bread. The Greek word epiousios is what scholars call a neologism (a “new word”). It occurs for the first time here in the Lord’s Prayer. This makes it very difficult for scholars to determine exactly what was meant.

Some suggest the word means “for the current time.” Others interpret it as “for the coming” day. Still others read it as “for existence.” But if you break the word up into its two main parts, epi means “above,” and ousia means “substance.” Putting them together renders something akin to “supernatural substance.” It is, I believe, a direct reference to the end-of-days anticipation of divine food, the daily provision from God, that we may live forever.

Christians who utter this prayer are begging for the beginning of the era of God’s rule, when all people will live in harmony and all will be filled. This is further made clear by the request, “thy Kingdom come.”