We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life– this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us– we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
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This is the Epistle reading selection for the second Sunday of Easter, Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will be preceded by the mandatory Acts reading chosen for this week, which says, “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” It will follow a reading from Psalm 133, which sings, “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!” It will also be accompanied by the Gospel reading selection from John 20, where Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
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A Lesson in Scripture Reading
In the NRSV translation above, I have placed in bold type every use of the word “and.” In the first chapter of this letter by John there are ten verses. In those are found twenty-two uses of the word “kai,” with one of those capitalized. Eighteen are translated in the above’s first two blocks. There are three more uses of “kai” found in the two verses read from chapter two [the third block above]. The translation above shows two of them. In 307 words total [a Word ‘word count’], eight percent [8 out of 100] are the word “kai.”
It needs to be realized that all uses of the word “kai” in the Greek texts of the New Testament need not be translated as “and,” as the word is not God commanding, “And another thing” through His prophets. It is, instead, a signal for the reader to pay close attention to the important statement that follows. That statement can be one word or a series of words.
In the total of twelve verses, there are 54 segments, where a segment is a clear separation by punctuation marks, or the presence of the word kai, or both together, where punctuation is immediately followed by the word “kai.” There are no verses where the word “kai” is absent. One verse [verse 4] is only one segment [nine words, excluding kai], but it is begun by the signal word that says that verse is important.
Each verse begins a new segment of words. Once begun, a verse can be divided into separate segments, marked by punctuation marks. In a segment of words separated by punctuation marks, there may be the appearance of the word “kai” internal to a segment. While the word “kai” does not present a separate line of thought, it does break the segment it appears in into parts, where its presence denotes important parts of that segment’s statement [line of thought]. In some verses there is a separation by punctuation, immediately followed by the word “kai.” Those separate into a new line of thought, where that new line importantly begins with a statement of power.
In this specific reading from John’s first letter, the breakdown of the twelve verses is as such:
Chapter 1:
First verse has 6 segments [4 commas, 1 kai], ending in a dash.
Second verse has 5 segments [2 comma – kai combos, 3 kai], ending in a dash.
Third verse has 9 segments [3 commas, 1 comma – kai combo, 1 period – kai combo,3 kai], ending in a period.
Fourth verse has 1 segment [begun by kai], ending in a period.
Fifth verse has 5 segments [2 commas, 2 comma – kai combos, 1 Kai], ending in a period.
Sixth verse has 4 segments [1 comma, 1 comma – kai combo, 1 kai], ending in a period.
Seventh verse has 5 segments [3 commas, 1 comma – kai combo], ending in a period.
Eighth verse has 3 segments [1 comma, 1 comma – kai combo], ending in a period.
Ninth verse has 4 segments [2 commas, 1 comma – kai combo, 1 kai], ending in a period.
Tenth verse has 3 segments [1 commas, 1 comma – kai combo], ending in a period.
Chapter 2:
First verse has 5 segments [3 commas, 1 period – kai combo], ending in a period.
Second verse has 4 segments [1 comma, 1 semi-colon, 2 kai], ending in a period.
To look at each of the places where the word “kai” is written, in order to grasp the fullness of importance, there should be no paraphrasing from translation allowed. In addition, the various ways the Greeks write “the” and pronouns such as “I, we, us, our,” need to be carefully inspected so a general “he” [“he” who?] is not translated. Here, look at where I have used “ours” or “of this” or “this.” Such translations act more definitely, requiring one to look to the text to realize who or what “this” is. Based only on the segments or parts of segments begun by the word “kai,” and the literal translations I provide, see how this forces one to see importance stated, rather than an “oh another thing” addition written.
1:1 “kai hai cheires hēmōn epsēlaphēsan” – “and them hands of ours have touched”
1:2 “kai hē zōē ephanerōthē” – “and this one life was made known”
1:2 “kai heōrakamen” – “and we have seen”
1:2 “kai martyroumen” – “and bear witness”
1:2 “kai apangellomen hymin tēn zōēn tēn aiōnion hētis ēn pros ton Patera” – “and we proclaim to you this life this eternal who were with this one Father”
1:2 “kai ephanerōthē hemin” – “and was made clear to us”
1:3 “kai akēkoamen” – “and have listened”
1:3 “kai hymin” – “and to you”
1:3 “kai hymeis koinōnian echēte meth’ hēmōn” – “and you personally spiritually fellowship may have in company with this one Son of his”
1:3 “kai hē koinonia de hē hēmetera meta tou Patros” – “and this fellowship now this of ours in company with this one Father”
1:3 “kai meta tou Huiou autou” – “and with this one Son same”
1:4 “kai tauta graphomen hēmeis hina hē chara hēmōn ē peplērōmenē” – “and these write we in order that this one source of joy of ours this fulfill”
1:5 “Kai estinhautē hē angelia hēn akēkoamen ap’ autou” – “And exists here this one message which we have comprehended from same”
1:5 “kai anangellomen hymin” – “and we declare to you”
1:5 “kai scotia en auto” – “and spiritual darkness in self”
1:6 “kai en tō skotei peripatōmen” – “and in this moral darkness would conduct life”
1:6 “kai ou poioumena tēn alētheian” – “and not causes this truth”
1:7 “kai to haima Iēsou” – “and this blood of Jesus”
1:8 “kai hē alētheia ouk estin en hemin” – “and this truth not exists in us”
1:9 “kai dikaios” – “and righteous”
1:9 “kai katharisē hēmas apo pasēs adikias” – “and might cleanse us from every kind of unrighteousness”
1:10”kai ho logos autou ouk estin en hemin” – “and this word of this not exists in us”
2:1 “kai ean tis hamartē” – “ and if certain would have sinned”
2:2 “kai autos hilasmos estin peri tōn hamartiōn hēmōn” – “and same appeasement to God exists concerning of them failures ours”
2:2 “kai peri holou tou kosmou” – “and concerning complete of this world”
The only point I want to make from all this painstaking breakdown of what John wrote in his first epistle is this: There is much more than first meets the eye, when holy texts are concerned; and, they should be seen as translated into English as ‘primary school’ ways to learn the Word of Yahweh.
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The Apostle John who wrote epistles, including The Apocalypse, was not John the brother of James, sons of Zebedee. John must be seen as a common name, just as the name Mary. The John who wrote epistles is the same John who wrote one of the four Gospels. That John referred to himself in his Gospel as “the one who Jesus loved.” He also wrote that about Mary Magdalene, as a sign of family relationship. Therefore, John was related to Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as the son born between those two parents.
In John’s Gospel, as the last two verses, he wrote: “[John] is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:24-25, NRSV)
In that simplified translation, John said everything he wrote, and therefore anything anyone wrote as direct testimony from one who has been reborn in the name of Jesus [as Yahweh’s Anointed One], everything is “true.” That means every word is divinely inspired, simply because the Greek word written [“aléthés”] means: “unconcealed, true, true in fact, worthy of credit, truthful.” The usage of “true” says, “what can’t be hidden,” and that “stresses undeniable reality when something is fully tested, i.e. it will ultimately be shown to be fact (authentic).” (HELPS Word-studies) That definition of “true” is why I have displayed what John wrote in this letter as I have. It is “truth” that has been concealed in simplistic language, the same whether one is reading with a Greek language brain or with an English language brain. It is “truth” that stares one right in the face and cannot be seen, unless one takes the time to look for the unconcealed “truth.”
When John then wrote, “if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written,” this must be seen as a reference to the knowledge Jesus passed onto his Apostles. That goes well beyond the forty days the physically resurrected Jesus spent with them, before they became Apostles on Pentecost. It speaks of the depth that Jesus pointed out to his disciples was written in the Hebrew texts.
The segment of words that the NRSV has translated as saying “if every one of them were written down” is written in Greek as this: “ean graphētai kath’ hen”. That translates literally to say, “if scripture should stand written according to one.” The word “one” needs to be seen as only “one” way for scriptures to be read, based on how they are written. If that were to be the case, then “the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” That means a lot is stated in a little, with there being [divinely placed] another way to read scripture. That other way is what I call divine syntax; and that includes “kai” being a marker word.
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In the translation of the NRSV above, there are 23 presentation of “we.” Greek manufactures forms of words [verbs mostly] that mutate from the root word because of the third person plural being the intent, such that “we” becomes the translation into English. This means that John wrote in the third person plural, such that everything he wrote was similarly done by other Apostles. The use of “we” must be seen as an indication of the spread of Christianity, where many people were just like John, with all doing the same writings, so others could find the truth in their words.
From the simplicity of the NRSV translation, it becomes important to see how John first wrote about the presence of Jesus within his body of flesh, which is how he wrote about the spiritual contact with God, so he and the others were all reborn as Jesus resurrected in their flesh. From that, the second block places focus on those who have not been so transformed, as they walk alone [their souls in their bodies of flesh], so the truth of the Word does not appear to them. That lack of spiritual insight is stated as “darkness.” The presence of Jesus within one’s being, from a soul having married Yahweh and been merged with His Holy Spirit, becomes the light of truth shining forth. This contrast needs to be seen.
Finally, when the two verses from the second chapter are read, the focus is then placed on one’s need to cease sinning and become righteous in one’s life actions. Righteousness is not something possible by those who walk in darkness and cannot see the truth of the Word. This means one has to return to the first block and realize becoming righteous in one’s actions is totally controlled by one being filled with God’s Holy Spirit and made to be Jesus reborn.
Here, John refers to “little children.” This means those who cannot see the light of truth are those with childish brains and ‘children’s church’ mentality about spiritual matters. The affection, as “children of John,” says Jesus was speaking through John to the readers of his letters, as the children of God in need of careful teaching. To be one of the children of God, one must grow into a maturity of spiritual awareness and righteous ways. This says the reader needs to admit a need to be taught, so one can receive the spirit of truth.
In the season of Easter, when one must grasp the time is set aside for being taught to enter ministry, it is important to realize there are few teachers of scriptural meaning. Many offer reasoning and memorized opinions, which are then expressed as opinions dearly held. The problem with that approach is it is children acting like ministers, when the maturity of Jesus Christ has yet been attained. Therefore, the Easter season is about letting the old self die, so a new self can join with the Holy Spirit and the truth known by Jesus reborn will become the guiding light that leads one away from darkness and towards eternal salvation. That state must be reached before one can entertain any ideas of ministry.
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
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This is the Gospel reading from the Episcopal lectionary for the Second Sunday of Easter, Year B 2018. It will next be read aloud in church by a priest on Sunday, April 8, 2018. It is important as it sets forth the premise that personal contact with the physical body of a living Jesus cannot and will not be the measure from which true belief comes.
The statement of timing that begins this reading has to be understood in Jewish terminology, not the terminology of Gentiles. As such, when John wrote, “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week,” that says it was after three or four p.m. but before six o’clock [when day became night and Sunday became Monday]. Because John clarified “evening” while confirming it was indeed “the first day of the week,” meaning to Westerners “Sunday,” it had not yet passed from Sunday to Monday. The following day would technically begin after six o’clock p.m.
Confirmation of this is found in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, where “opsias” is defined as: “evening: i. e. from our three to six o’clock p. m.” This was different from the Evening Watch, which began at six o’clock p.m. and lasted until nine at night. By understanding this timing factor, one can see that Thomas was not present with the other disciples because it was “evening” of day, and not the Evening Watch of night.
Since the upstairs room was like a rental room [an inn-like place], thus not a full home, there would have been no disciple-owned supplies that would be permanently kept there, such as food or cooking materials. Probably, there would have been no means by which a fire could be controlled for cooking, as in a fireplace. As dinner would be normally consumed at “evening” in a home, the upstairs room presented a need for food to be secured elsewhere. Sending one or two out to obtain food for dinner would have been preferred, rather than everyone going out into the public seeking something like a restaurant.
This can be assumed because the disciples feared risking being seen and identified as associates of the “criminal” recently executed – Jesus. It would be best if one of them went out and secured food for the rest, so the majority could stay safely behind a locked door. By seeing this background scenario, one can then safely assume that Thomas was the one selected to get food for the group, which was why he was absent when Jesus first appeared there. Thomas might have gone with a companion who was not “one of the twelve.”
[Please … feel free to comment if this seems unbelievable to you.]
Another thing to grasp is Luke wrote that Cleopas and Mary had invited the stranger that was Jesus into their home in Emmaus, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” (Luke 24:29) There, Luke wrote the Greek word “hesperan,” which means basically the same as John’s use of “opsias.” This, when seen as the same timing of the first day (as Luke said it was still the first day of the week that was not yet over), Jesus was appearing as a stranger, blessing and breaking bread in Emmaus at about the same time he appeared to his disciples (sans Thomas) in the upstairs room. The two groups saw Jesus at two different places at the same time.
[Please … feel free to comment if this seems unbelievable to you.]
This timing link continues, as Luke wrote, “They [Cleopas and Mary] got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them.” (Luke 24:33) With Emmaus seven miles from Jerusalem (sixty furlongs), and assuming the aunt and uncle of Jesus were easily in their fifties, it would have taken them about 30 minutes to enter the one of the gates of Jerusalem (which would have restricted access once night time came). Once in Jerusalem, it might have taken them another five or ten minutes to reach the upstairs room. Realizing a total of about 40 minutes had passed since “they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem,” one can see the time they traveled was the same time Thomas was not in the upstairs room, when Jesus first appeared there.. Cleopas and Mary entered that room after or at about the same time that Thomas had returned with broiled fish for dinner. They came to tell their news, only to be told the news of their having seen Jesus alive too. The disciples excitedly said for all the returning disciples, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon(-Peter).” (Luke 24:34)
This means that at or about the same time that Jesus “took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to [Cleopas and Mary in Emmaus]” (Luke 24:30), right before “he vanished from their sight” (Luke 24:31), Jesus just as suddenly “came and stood among [the disciples and their companions] and said, “Peace be with you.”’(John 20:19) Both events took place around 4:00 PM, with Jesus appearing in the upstairs room before Cleopas and Marry arrived, while Tomas was out.
We know that because Luke tells of Jesus appearing and asking for food (Luke 24:42-43), which was after Cleopas, Mary, and Thomas were all present. By John telling of Thomas being out at “evening of the first day of the week,” Jesus first appeared in the upstairs room well before Cleopas and Mary could have gotten back to Jerusalem, and as Thomas was out procuring food for dinner. This means the risen Jesus appeared in his mortally wounded body and appeared as a stranger, suddenly disappeared and then appeared without having a door opened for him (twice), and instantaneously travelling seven miles, all in one evening … within an hour’s time.
Where John is said to write, “A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them,” this again needs to be read from a Jewish perspective. What the Greek actually shows is “Kai meth’ hēmeras oktō palin ēsan esō hoi mathētai autou , kai Thōmas met’ autōn.” That literally translates to say, “And after days eight again were inside the disciples of him, and Thomas was with them.” This is not a statement of eight days further into the future, where one can translate “days eight” as meaning “a week later.” That translation is quite misleading.
Instead, the “days” are a reference to the numbered “days” in the Counting of the Omer. The Sabbath (when Jesus actually rose from death – at 3:00 p.m.) represented “day seven” or “seven days,” which made “the first day of the week” be the eighth day in the countdown to fifty days (Pentecost means “Fiftieth day”). The Passover festival in Jerusalem always lasted eight days, with that particular year being the eight days from Shabbat to Shabbat. The Counting of the Omer officially begins on the second day of the festival, which that year was Sunday. Therefore, Sunday was “day eight” or “eight days” in a greater count to fifty.
This means the statement by John actually means, “Later that same day the disciples were again in the house [with the upstairs room], and Thomas was with them.” The use of “again” infers more information about that day, when time was dwindling away towards the next day, but was still “day eight.” This means Jesus appeared between three or four o’clock p.m. in two places, and then came back again to a bigger crowd, when his “disciples [were] together again.” That use of “together again” means those who were not there during his prior visit – Cleopas, Mary, and Thomas – remembering how Luke referred to Cleopas and Mary as “disciples” of Jesus. At the second appearance, Jesus knew that food had arrived, via Thomas, so he asks if they have any. He is then given a piece of broiled fish, which he ate in front of them.
“Jesus, I bought this at the market around the corner.” “Thank you Thomas.”
With that timing established (as the same two to three hour period on Easter Sunday), look at what Jesus said to the disciples. Both times that he suddenly appeared inside the upstairs room, Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” Certainly, this has since become a phrase of greeting in the Episcopal Church, with the auto-response trained to be, “And also with you.” The Big Brain of hindsight can almost wonder why those fool disciples did not greet Jesus in return, the way an Episcopalian would. That, of course, misses the point of what Jesus said.
The Greek words that John wrote down twice, saying what Jesus told the disciples, was “Eirēnē hymin.” While that can be read as a greeting (demanding a response of greeting), it is instead a command. The literal translation that makes this clearer is, “Calm yourselves,” where “Peace” is meant to demand an “Undisturbed mind.”
The reason Jesus would make this command was the disciples and companions were already afraid the Temple police would arrest them and turn them over to the Romans for crucifixion. As such, they were on edge; and this was denoted by the information of how the door to the room being locked. THEN, Jesus suddenly appeared with them, without a knock on the door or anyone opening it for him. Thus, the natural response to that sudden appearance would have been the terror of seeing a ghost appear. So Jesus’ command had the divine effect of calming those fearful minds.
This was no different that when the angel of the LORD appeared to the shepherds on the evening Jesus was born. Luke said they were “terribly afraid,” but the angel said to them a command: “Fear not.” The same fear came upon Zacharias when Gabriel appeared before him, and again a command was given to not be afraid. In all Biblical cases where fear of angels comes, commands have the divine effect of instantly calming that fear. This is the power of the divine, where words have the ability to affect others mentally and physically, where understanding the words commanding “no fear” then acts to cause the brain to affect the body, placing it automatically in a relaxed state.
Jesus often displayed this power of “immediate suggestion” whenever he commanded one to “Go. Your faith has made you well.” Thus, when Jesus said “Peace be with you,” that was in no way meaningless words of greeting being spoken. It says the minds of the disciples were instantly made “undisturbed.”
Once everyone was placed into a state of calm being, Jesus then gave them an instruction for the disciples to follow, saying, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” In this instruction, “Peace of the LORD” is a required state of Christianity. It is not a recommendation that one be “at ease,” like a military order, but a demand that their human brains (the root of the self-ego and the seat of all doubts and fears) step aside. The “control rooms” of their bodies [their minds] would no longer be allowed to sway with the winds of human emotion. To serve God, through Christ, one cannot hold onto human fears.
This was the way of life that Jesus had known since birth (“As the Father has sent me”), and this would be the new way for each of the disciples (“so I send you”). That condition had nothing to do with the brain being allowed to ponder, “Do I want to serve the Father in this way?” Their brains had all previously led them to follow Jesus (self-will), such that their new commitment had brought them to the point of an ultimate sacrifice – each would die of self and be replaced by the Christ Mind. Just as they did not have to worry about how not to fear, they would not have to worry about how to suddenly begin acting righteous.
When one next reads, “[Jesus] breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” this was like God giving the breath of life to newborn babies. The breath of life is the entrance of a soul into a human form. When Jesus “breathed on them,” God sent eternal salvation onto their God-given souls, through His Son. Just as Jesus gave a command to be calm, he then gave a command to be reborn in soul.
This is then what John the Baptizer meant when he said, “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8) John dunked bodies underwater to symbolically clean the sins from their physical lives, as repentance. The guilty came to John for outer cleaning, seeking to be washed clean of their sins. Jesus “breathed on them” the cleansing of sins from their souls, as his saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” meant to have their souls repent and be forever dunked into eternal righteousness, when sin cannot exist. The disciples had likewise come to Jesus for that purpose, knowing what John the Baptist had said, but without understanding what that meant.
This is why Jesus next told the disciples and their companions, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” This weak translation gives the impression that any human being can possess the power of forgiveness. However, that is not the best translation of “aphēte” and “apheōntai” in this statement.
The root word, “aphiémi,” means “I send away, I release, I let go, and I permit to depart.” For it to mean “I forgive,” one has to see that use meaning, “I give over,” as a statement that the ONLY ONE a human being can “forgive” – is self. The word “any” does not mean “others,” as one has no control over anyone but “self.” One can only release (“forgive”) a desire for “any sins” or “retain” a desire for “any sins.” Thus, that command by Jesus does not mean sins have been approved as allowable, but cleaned away from repentance; but rather it means oneself has given away further association with sin. Therefore, Jesus said, “If you send away the temptation of any sins, [then] those sins are forever gone away. [However], if you retain desires for any sins, [then] those sins will remain on you.”
To “Receive the Holy Spirit,” one must choose to repent the sins of one’s soul.
To clean his uniform, Superman would fly into earth’s sun. Since the soul is eternal, it is symbolized by Superman. As the cleaner of souls, Jesus is represented by the Sun.
The elements of John’s Gospel that deal with the absence and presence of Thomas (which is not noted in Luke’s Gospel) can be seen as a less than public display between Jesus and Thomas. John was witness because of his relationship to Jesus and his fondness of Thomas. While Thomas might have made a public display of sadness and anger over having been sent out to provide for the group, missing the first appearance of Jesus in the upstairs room, it was probably more discreet when Jesus spoke directly to Thomas. Matthew and Mark wrote vaguely of “some who doubted,” which would confirm Thomas having loudly said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Luke mentioned how Jesus “showed them His hands and His feet,” but did not mention anyone touching them, nor did he write of Jesus showing his spear wound. However, when John remembered Jesus saying to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe,” that would have been a private conversation, to which John was witness.
Seeing that exchange in that way makes the removal of doubts be less about public displays of emotion and more about the personal relationship each disciple of Christ must develop. For the others, having seen Jesus twice was proof enough to believe; but for Thomas, Jesus wanted his words to come true, so he offered his wounds for physical touch. Keep in mind how Jesus told Mary (while appearing as “the gardener”), “Do not touch me, as I have not yet ascended to the Father,” where hugs and kisses was deemed emotional clinging to the material; but Thomas was allowed an emotionally detached inspection, which later led to an emotional reaction – “My Lord and my God!”
Still, when Jesus said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe,” he was not speaking solely to Thomas. That message was to everyone present. Therefore, it is a message directed towards every Christian at all times, as a personal question of one’s true belief.
Your faith cannot be dependent on physical senses. Seeing spiritually is believing.
This returns one to the statement Jesus made during his first appearance in the upstairs room, before Cleopas, Mary, and Thomas were there. When Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you,” that was not a statement that implied, “Just as the Father has sent me for you to see, so I send you to tell others what you have seen.” All who would become Apostles were also “sent by the Father,” just as Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman in Bethlehem had been sent – with a soul breathed into a human form. However, just as that Jesus had “received the Holy Spirit” from birth – as the Messiah – so too would “receive that same Spirit of Holiness” –becoming the Messiah reborn.
This is how the word written by John that is translated as “seen” means more than that. The Greek word “heōrakas” is a form of the root word “horaó , which also means, “experience, perceive, discern, and beware.” What Jesus asked his disciples, and thus all Christians, goes beyond the function of one’s eyesight and physical vision. It goes to faith that is based on “experience, perception, discernment and caution” against misreading what the physical senses are limited to “see.” It was a statement that goes to what the higher mind of God knows, where faith climbs to that level, allowing belief to come from personal enlightenment.
This means the power of the lesson from the Second Sunday of Easter (the 14th day in the Counting of the Fifty days) is to realize a personal need to sacrifice a human ego for the Christ Mind. Like Jesus died and was reborn as the Christ, seen as the Holy Ghost among his believers, so too do the disciples need to kill off their desires of sin so that the Christ Spirit can be reborn in true Christians. One cannot be led astray by fears and doubts, as all non-believers say, “I will not believe unless I see.”
Belief cannot come by the will power of a human brain. Belief cannot be deduced by human reason. One can only believe by personal experience of Jesus Christ being alive within one’s soul, instantaneously bringing one “Inner Peace.” The acts of the Apostles require that level of faith first, through the repentance of all sins and baptism of the Holy Spirit of Christ.
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
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This is the Acts reading for the Second Sunday of Easter, Year B. It will next be read aloud by a reader on Sunday, April 8, 2018. During the seven Sundays of Easter, you will note that readings from the Acts of the Apostles replace those that would normally come from the Old Testament books. This reading, as all the others from the Book of Acts, is important because it shows that faith alone is not a guarantee to eternal life in Heaven. Works are required beyond faith; and here Christians are shown the importance of total commitment to those acts of faith.
The first part of verse 32, which is translated above to state, “Now the whole group of those who believed,” is an over-simplification of what was stated in the Greek. The Greek states, “Tou de plēthous tōn pisteusantōn.” Rather than saying “the whole group,” the implication is: “The [one] and the many the [one] having believed.”
This missing factor that identified each one of the many is how there is not some nebulous “group mentality” that generally guides belief. Instead, the fact is stated that each one (“Tou”) is replicated “many” times over into a “multitude” (“plēthous”), where all have become the same in their histories of “having believed.” This means the “congregation,” or the “assemblage” of believers, was not simply many lambs of ignorance who followed a few Apostle rams, doing as told. Thus, the “multitude having believed” must be firmly grasped as ALL “having believed” through personal experience causing that belief.
Belief comes from experience, such that one does not learn faith. One learns the foundations upon which faith is built … like the dogma of religion is learned. Knowledge then leads one to test the solidity and validity of those foundations learned. The experience of testing what teachers have taught becomes what one truly believes. Therefore, the “whole group of those who believed” had experienced the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ, which means all had gone far beyond being told the events of Easter Sunday. Their experience of “having believed” was more than having been taught that Jesus was dead and returned to life after three days dead.
When we then read how the group “were heart and soul one” (which is a segment of words separated by commas, so they stand alone as a statement that is relative to their belief), the Greek word “kardia” is translated as “heart.” “Heart” means more than a physical organ of the body. It implies “mind, character, inner self, will, intention, and center.” Further, when the Greek word “psychē” is translated simply as “soul,” one misses how that word has a greater depth of meaning. That meaning goes beyond: (a) “breath of life,” which is due to the presence in a body, or (b) “a human soul.” The word “psyche” also is a statement of “(c) the soul as the seat of affections and will, (d) the self, (e) a human person, or an individual.” By realizing those alternative implications, one can see how the unification of “heart and soul” is a statement of God’s presence within the spiritual self, beyond the emotional reactions that a body has in response to life events.
Heart and soul become one after the marriage of God within one’s heart (a soul in love with God), such that the self-ego of a free soul has willfully decided to surrender its control over the body it has possessed. The marriage of the heart to God brings the union of the spiritual divine, to be one with the spiritual life force that inhabits a physical body. That marriage is then consummated through the offspring produced – Jesus reborn – such that the brain’s intellect becomes supplanted by the Christ Mind. The human brain is still capable of thought; but from a chosen role of subservience, as an obedient servant [wife – regardless of human gender], the human brain only listens, learns, and obeys.
This is then reflective of the true presence of the Trinity, where Father is in union with the Son, through the Holy Spirit becoming one with the soul. Heart and soul are one. It was the state of being that Jesus of Nazareth lived; and it is the state of being all apostles have lived, are living, and will live in the future, because all apostles are Jesus Christ resurrected. Every time God becomes one with a soul in a human body, the Trinity is present. Regardless of human gender, humans will always become the Son.
This becomes a statement that Free Will creates the illusion of two beings, rather than one. God union with a soul means Free Will dissolves, so the inner and the outer become one. It replaces sole focus on the physical by adding knowledge from the spiritual. The world tricks humanity into maintaining a separation between science and philosophy, where this duality keeps Man from entertaining any reason for ever being God – as His wife unified as one through heart and soul. However, through the deepest level of true belief, the reality of One comes forth.
See this mirror image as the normal dividing of cells as life that leads to mortal death. The reverse becomes the joining of all into one again, as eternal life.
This has just become the definition of a “Church” of Christians. The “assemblage” of those of “same mind” (“psychē”) means all have the same relationship with God (“kardia”). In the truest sense, a Church is the assembly of all God’s wives, married to Him through a deeply committed love. While there may be some who are “engaged” to marry God, whose lamps are lit but they are still awaiting the Holy Spirit to descend and unite their heart and soul to God, no one in a true Church of Christ is a casual bystander. A true Church of Christ can have no members who are only seeking to profit from being associated with the true “multitude” of believers. All must have true faith from personal commitment and experience with God and Christ.
This is then stated to be the “ALL IN” true Church of Christians. There are zero denominations that divide and subdivide this Church, where membership is ranked by how much one donates or gives. Rank is based on length of service, such that children and young adults are always learning to find their experience of belief. Leadership is not based on how much outside knowledge one has gained, in abundance over others. Instead, leaders are those who seek to promote, maintain, and advance the presence of the Christ Mind in all believers. It is expressly defined as a Church where “no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.”
I once asked the leader of a Episcopalian church’s Sunday lectionary class, “Whatever happened to that “All In” Church?” That leader was a wealthy lawyer, and a man who donated much of his time and money to that Episcopalian church. He was a mentor for others who regularly attended that church. Needless to say, he was a respected member of that church’s congregation. Yet, his response to my question was, “That didn’t work out too well.”
I do not see his answer as blasphemy. I see it as a reflection of just how little faith is present in the masses who claim to be Christian today. Christianity long ago ceased being about “the whole group of those who believed they were of one heart and soul.” Christianity stopped being about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and being about human things. It has degraded to a point now that leaders of Christian churches think being Jesus Christ doesn’t work out very well.
Christianity (be it Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, Anglican, or whatever names that genre can go by) has become a club of exclusivity, where wealth is the determining factor as to how much God loves His Christians. This club then elects leaders, based on the religious philosophies of the majority contributors of an individual church, parish, abbey or temple. A small group then becomes the dogma taught, with many in the United States regularly seeking to promote the welfare of everyone, everywhere, of every faith, while pointing fingers and speaking negatively about others supposedly Christians. A Church where everything is owned in common can never work very well in modern times, as my Episcopalian friend said.
If it wasn’t for the poor always being poor, touring popes would have no one paying to see them. Sadly, an Argentine socialist as pope merely reflects the failure of a Church to pass the torch of Apostlehood onto others, simply because it takes a true Apostle to do that.
The leaders of organizations calling their institutions “Christian” and “religious,” act as if they alone have been touched by God to speak for Jesus, while doing none of the other miraculous deeds (the Acts or the Works) of that historical figure. No one is led to becoming Christ reborn, thus all are kept prisoners of ignorance. Christians today are taught to idolize Jesus Christ, as a god equal to God, teaching that no man or woman can be a god like Jesus. Rather than millions of resurrected Jesus-Apostles, we worship cults of personality … human reproductions of gods to be worshipped like Jesus. American Christians love a holy man to follow, rather than being holy themselves.
This state, where heart and soul are clearly not of one mind, is a sign of denial. It is no different than seeing a mole on one’s skin change colors, signifying deeper issues of health that have been long ignored. That “mole” symbolizes a Church that has denied God its heart, thereby it has summarily rejected Christ over some lesser philosophy of man. Such a mole is a sign from God that death is surely coming … rather than eternal life.
Verse thirty-three begins with the separates segment that becomes a clear statement of those who claimed “all things are held commonly” (rather than proportionately accepted). The verse states, “And [with] power great.” That means all true Christians have the power of God available to them. God does not send Apostles [reproductions of the Jesus Spirit] to save the world by social changes in civil laws, where governments dictate the common sharing of taxed wealth. Instead, God saves Christians individually, through their personal sacrifices of faith. That commitment on an individual level is what leads God to give one the power to project his or her faith into the hearts and souls of others seeking salvation.
Every true Christianhasno needs go unmet. Thus, true Christians do not flock to churches because of need. They congregate as those of unified hearts and souls, those of one Mind, as those who are at peace as they labor to bring others to their same state. True Apostles do this work with not one iota of monetary or material needs (they do not sell religion for profit), which means they do not offer such gains to others. True Apostles do not live in mansions or castles, as those material things prevent the seekers from having access to an Apostle. Their needs are easily met because the Christ Spirit has reduced their worldly expectations to only that which is truly a necessity.
True Christians all have the full support of all other Apostles, as they are all together in heart and soul, as One Church serving God in the name of Jesus Christ. This means they have all been reborn as Jesus Christ, and not simply tacked that name on a board nailed to a building. Being reborn as Jesus Christ, each individually, is their great power … not some mysterious ability to solve poverty, persecution, or inequalities that are ever-present in a world influenced by evil.
By separating “And power great” from the following words that have been translated above to say, “the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” one is able to read those following words with a new perspective. First, it says all of the “assemblage” (i.e.: true Christians) are “Apostles” (“apostoloi”), which means they are “messengers, envoys, delegates,” or those “commissioned” by God, who is One within the hearts and souls of His believers. Second, one can see how those then “give testimony,” as messengers of faith. Still, a third awareness is how that testimony is not that Jesus died and came back to life. Their message is they have each become “the resurrection,” speaking as “the Lord Jesus Christ,” who has been reborn (come to life in human form again) in each of them.
One has to see the complete trust and confidence that comes from absolute faith. Someone who says he or she believes in something, but then never fully acts upon that foundation of trust, is either lying (never had faith) or is too fearful to totally commit (faith without acts). In my mind, most who claim to be Christians are claiming that belief through misguided sincerity. Christians today are exactly like the Jews of Judea and Galilee were, when Jesus walked the land. However, their failures to act as Apostles, being All In as this reading clearly states, are due to having never been presented with reason to believe, by having never encountered one who is clearly identified as the reborn Christ.
Only then can one fully understand how it was written: “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.” My Episcopalian friend who saw change as the natural decay to be expected over two thousand years of trying to believe without a true union of heart and soul with God means “what didn’t work out very well” was that Christianity now equates to everyone is needy.
Today, “believers” are blinded to a communal existence, where Christians live together and support one another totally, as a light that draws the needy to them. Rather than Christians offering the lesson that total commitment to God is the answer to all one’s needs, they now seek the right for personal possessions (inequalities of wealth), under governments that are expected to eliminate all the woes of the needy. Many churches raise funds for the purpose of sending a select few thousands of mile to help strangers, while leaving behind thousands of poor neighbors. It is a repeating of the blind leading the blind.
Brother can you spare a hundred bucks so I can buy lottery tickets for the Mega-Millions drawing?
Since land ownership is an ancient practice of humanity, where legal deeds have long been how one can rightfully claim a place to call home, it is important to grasp the depth of meaning that comes from verse thirty-four. In the Gospels, we know Joseph owned a home in Nazareth; but Joseph also had family who owned homes in Judea (such as the one Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived in at Bethany, plus the one Cleopas had in Emmaus – all relatives of Joseph). The point of verse thirty-four is the consolidation of lands and houses, such that an Apostle was found “needing” the fellowship of other Apostles in Christ. Because the first Christians lived scattered, here and there, in pockets amid Jews who did not believe in Jesus as the Christ, they needed to sell in order to buy elsewhere, so all could live together. Therefore, the sales of lands and houses, with the profits “laid it at the apostles’ feet,” was for those proceeds to be “distributed to each as any had need” in this manner.
That would have meant the purchase of large tracts of land, where new homes could be erected for all the true Christians of one geographic area to settle in. This would be meager homes, where tools and supplies for farming would provide for them. This would also allow them to support evangelism to spread the Gospel, as well as welcome those seeking Christ into their midst. This is a “need” for a community of Christians, which was similar to the necessity of Jews to live separately from Gentiles.
This was the model that existed prior to someone getting the ideal that the spread of Christianity, through true Apostles, was bringing in so much wealth that someone had to rise to an elite status who would oversee all that wealth. Rather than focusing on securing lands and building houses for concentrations of Apostles, the focus would shift to building large buildings (like castles and cathedrals), while all the common Apostles lived on the lands surrounding those large building (like models of Jerusalem and its Temple). It then became necessary for some higher-ranking Apostles being needed to maintain the needs of the buildings.
The people worked to support one another, while the fortress surrounded the religious buildings, offering refuge at times of need.
From those changes popes and cardinals rose to prominence, as overlords of the bishops and the assembly of Apostles. After a few hundred years, the spread of true Apostles had slowed, with the new Church (as a model of the Temple) persecuting the true Apostles, even murdering them for challenging those changes that the new leaders imposed. This slow devolution has left us with too many denominations to count today, as protesters resisted decrees without divine explanation. Sadly, with few true Apostles left to spread the truth of total commitment to God, the hierarchies of churches gained full power and control, to tend the flocks under them merely for the wool they produce.
A church in ruins.
All of this is the natural overgrowth that occurs wherever buildings cease to be alive with owners who care for them. The Church of Christ was never about buying lands and building large monuments of stone, where people would fight over ownership and who got to be employed to maintain them. It was and will always be about the unification of one’s heart and soul to God, which brings about the complete willingness to serve God (a marriage to Him) as His Apostles, ALL in the name of Jesus Christ (as Jesus Christ resurrected).
With that known, one only “needs” access to a Holy Bible (with the Greek text and a Strong’s Concordance), a devotion to prayer, and a willingness to become a new bride of God (human gender is meaningless). If others are not leading you to total commitment in God, then open yourself up to guidance. Find the Word and pray for understanding. Find understanding and then give that to others. The Holy Spirit will defend you as you defend what it tells you to tell others. A big brain of limited intelligence becomes one with the Christ Mind and God’s knowledge. That is the lost Holy Grail, which disciples should seek. Then, the lost art of Apostlehood can be rekindled through the the same belief that led to the Acts of the Apostles.
That realization of “need” then relates this to the Second Sunday of Easter’s Gospel reading from John (John 20:19-31), where Jesus said to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” A true Apostle is blessed by God with the ability to see the truth of Jesus as Christ, as a reproduction of Jesus Christ, such that belief does not come from placing one’s fingers in a freshly opened wound in our Savior’s body of flesh, but from having our Savior’s Spirit within our own bodies of flesh, where our opened wound is the loss of one’s ego and selfishness. That is the only way belief leads to total commitment and being All In.
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
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This is the First Lesson reading selection for the second Sunday of Easter, Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It is the mandatory reading from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and it is only read as the First Lesson because there is no alternative Old Testament choice available for this Sunday. As such, this reading is not optional as the New Testament reading, with only a reading from the first Epistle of John taking that position. There, John wrote, “we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us.” In between is a reading from Psalm 133, which sings, “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!” This then accompanies the only Gospel selection, which comes from John’s twentieth chapter, saying, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples.”
It is necessary for me to now point out that my presumption of the Easter season being to introduction of Tracks 1 and 2, although I noted that is a function the Episcopal Church designates for the Ordinary period after Pentecost, I presumed wrongly. In my check of multiple reading choices during the Easter season, I only checked Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday, the two bookends to the season. While both of those Sundays do offer reading choices [without a known system as to what choices must or can be made], none of the ‘interior’ Sundays have that flexibility. Each of the six Sundays, from the second to the seventh, have only four designated readings [First Lesson – the Acts reading, Psalm, Epistle, and Gospel] and no alternates. The Epistle is called that, not “New Testament.” I apologize for my presumptions made erroneously. While I am an Episcopalian [someone who has papers in that regard … somewhere], I do not write here as someone who acts in an official capacity for that church. I never have. I do, however, see the value of having a set lectionary to follow, as where I can go to discern Biblical reading selections methodically. I just have to also discern the meaning of that schedule, from time to time.
In this reading choice, it is worthwhile to see the typical headings that lead these verses [Acts 4:32-37, wholly], as a translator’s summary of the meaning of these verses. The BibleHub Interlinear shows them as headed “Sharing among Believers.” The New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) shows a heading that announces, “The Believers Share Their Possessions,” which is the same heading used by the New International Version (NIV). This makes these verses explain what I call the “All-In Church” model; and, this concept needs to be very closely analyzed to be understood. For that reason [and the fact that this is only four verses to analyze deeply], I will present the Greek text and a literal translation in English that will change what the NRSV shows above. The changes will be significant.
Please be advised, this is a lengthy explanation of a mere four verses. The surface meaning, as translated by the NRSV above, seems fairly easy to analyze. Easy analysis leads to easily misconstrued beliefs and a weakness in defense of those beliefs, from what amounts to a ‘children’s church mentality’ about Scripture. Many professional clerics [they are paid to do what they do] have absolutely no greater knowledge than this, as teaching the truth about Scripture is not done in seminaries. The purpose of this lesson is to expose the underlying truth, which the simple translations always miss. To do this, divine systems of language are consistently applied. Therefore, defense of the truth from logical analysis will always overcome all challengers. This commentary then reads like a graduate level Bible Studies course [of which there are no such animals to be found, other than here].
Verse 32:
“Tou de plēthous tōn pisteusantōn ēn kardia kaipsyche mia kaioude heis te tōn hyparchontōn auto , elegen idiom einai,all’ ēn autoia panta koina.”
In this one verse, before any translations are presented, it is important to see where the word “kai” appears [in my presentation of bold text]. There are two. It is also important to see where the punctuation marks are placed [in my presentation of extra spacing and bold type], as these segments of words need to be seen as separate statements. There are two in the middle and a period at the end. As such, verse 32 breaks down into three segments of words, all making separate statements, with the first segment of words being broken at two internal places by the word “kai.” That word always signals importance that needs to be found following that marker word. As a marker word, it need not be translated. In that regard, the first segment of words breaks down into three parts, in five sections. I will now present translations based on that sectioning.
“Of this now assemblage of them having faith were mind “
In this segment of words, the first word is capitalized, which must not be seen as a function of Greek syntax, but of divine syntax. In that, all capitalized words have a higher meaning intended to be seen, with higher meaning of a divine quality. The word capitalized is “Tou,” which is not translated into English by the NRSV, making the word seem to be a meaningless waste of ink on parchment. In divine text, all words have meaning and purpose.
The word is the genitive singular form of “ho,” which generally translates as “of the” or simply “of.” Because the first word is possessive [genitive] it must be seen as reflecting back on that previous stated, where verse 31 says [NRSV], “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” Therefore, this first word speaks “Of this,” which is the possession of God’s Holy Spirit and the same ability the Apostles had on Pentecost, which is they all “spoke the word of God boldly.” “Tou” says the presence of Yahweh is the divine state “Of.”
With the first word seen as a divine statement of transformation, the word following sates “now.” That timing is relative to a present state of existence that denotes a changed state “Of” being. That timing is then applicable “Of” “an assemblage,” more commonly referred to as a crowd, group, great number or a multitude. Because the scene has not changed away from the place where Peter and John had returned from being held by the leaders of the Temple, this “assemblage” must be seen as a “gathering” of followers of Jesus, of whom Peter and John [of Zebedee] were related. The use of “pléthos,” rather than “the twelve,” means a much larger number of followers of Jesus are included.
Another possessive article, this one in the plural number, is translated by the NRSV as “of those,” but the word relates to those who were gathered together in that “assemblage,” therefore not anyone else. This makes the word be better translated as “of them,” where the genitive is again stating the possessive case. This then connects to the present [active] participle in the recent past tense [aorist], which says “they” had [in verse 31] been transformed by “having faith.” It is important to get used to the depth “faith” brings into Scripture, as it means more than simply stating, “those who believed.”
The root Greek word, “pisteuó,” means “I believe, have faith in, trust in” or “I am entrusted with,” such that when the Holy Spirit of Yahweh is within them all, this becomes the truth of faith having been received. When one recalls verse 31 said they “spoke the word of God,” the meaning of that says they knew the truth of Scripture, which others did not know, because divine text demands a divine presence to understand. Therefore, the difference between “belief” and “faith” is knowing what is true, from personal experience.
While it is not easily seen, such that the word “were” is a past tense statement of being, as the third person plural of “I exist” [“eimi”], it becomes most important to see this word as strongly reflecting the individual presence of the Holy Spirit. As such, in the recent past everyone in the “group” was a believer in Jesus, but still needed more to have them reach a state of faith. That recent event of the near past came through the Holy Spirit entering them [they were shaken], so they all became Jesus reborn in their core “beings.” This is most important to be seen in the use of “were.”
This state of being which they “were” then in is connected to the Greek word “kardia,” which most commonly translates as “heart.” The NRSV translates this as “one heart,” where the use of “one” can only be a reflection back on the individuality of “were,” as “heart” cannot be seen in a physical sense. There was no “one heart” that all had life from. Because “one heart” is difficult for many people to grasp [“What does one heart mean?”], it is important to realize the word “kardia’ also was used to denote: mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center. (Strong’s Usage) The word is never used in Scripture as a statement of a physical organ that pumps blood, so it is best to read it as stating “our “desire-decisions” that establish who we really are.” (HELPS Word-studies) This then becomes a statement that all of the new [and old] Apostles were alike in “character, mind, and intention,” because each of their “inner selves” had become married to Yahweh.
“kai soul one “
In the NRSV translation, the words “one heart and soul” roll off the tongue like a poet speaking metaphorically about love, or something similar. In their liberty taken, to remove the word “one” from after “soul” and place it before “heart,” the meaning then becomes one combination of “heart and soul.” That is like a vanilla swirl ice-cream cone [it seems]. The presence of the word “kai” [besides being fixed solidly in its place in a ‘sentence’] announces great importance that needs to be seen. Immediately after speaking of “heart” or an “inner self,” the word “kai” now equates [“and” as a joiner of equivalents] “inner self” with one’s “soul.” That importantly states an “inner self” is indeed the eternal life source within the flesh.
When that importance of one’s “soul” is seen, knowing that every individual in the gathered “assemblage” has a “soul” and an “inner self,” the number “one” becomes applicable only to the “soul.” The “inner self” [or figurative “heart”] is one’s identity in a body of flesh. The “soul” and the flesh become “one” entity that lasts a lifetime, but in that sense the “inner self” is more akin to having the “breath” of life, given to all newborns at birth. The addition of “one” [“kai psychē mia“], which is relative to the “soul” [not simply the “breath”] is God. That is stated in verse 31 as “they were filled all of this Holy Spirit.” Therefore, the important meaning of “one,” relative to “soul,” is a “soul” [in each “one” filled] became “one” with Yahweh, through a divine marriage with Him and their individual “souls.”
“kai not one certain of them they possessed same ,”
In case anybody is questioning this meaning, the NRSV has miraculously created a comma mark in translation, which is not present in the Greek text. They place the comma before the word “and” [a poor usage of grammar], as if there is now a new statement being put forth, rather than a continuation of the central theme of the verse. That transition then allows them to put forth the concept that states: “and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions.” This is clearly not what was written.
By recognizing the presence of “kai” as a marker that forces the reader to look for an important addition that clarified the concept of the “soul” being “one” with Yahweh, the following “kai” announces the importance that “one” is “not” something that can be seen or observed. By seeing “not” as an important statement all by itself, the word states “one” is “not one,” which means the “soul” has been made “one” by the addition of another “one,” which is so powerful that the new “one” makes the old “one not” be the impetus of one’s “inner self.” The new “one” that comes from the old “one not” being in control means submission through marriage to the “one certain,” who is God Almighty.
The Greek word “ti” is a form of the root “tis,” which often appears in the Gospels as a statement of “a certain person.” That designation means the person is known, due to being of the same Jewish blood. The word “tis” is said to mean “any one, some one, a certain one or thing.” (Strong’s Usage) The NRSV has translated this [weakly] as “any,” which misleads one to think the “soul” of “one” is “not anything,” which then leads down the rabbit hole of private possessions and things owned. When read correctly as a statement of “one certain,” as “one known” who is “not one” that anyone can point to with certainty, saying “That is the Holy Spirit of God!” “one certain” is a statement that “one’s soul be certain it is one with Yahweh.” The important realization is that what was is no longer, because a new “one” has emerged.
Here the plural possessive form of “the” is used, which translated best as “of them.” All of the “ones” filled with the Holy Spirit in the “assemblage” that “now” freely speaks the word of God is “of them possessed.” The root word here [“huparchó”] means “I begin, am, exist, am in possession” (Strong’s Usage), which relates it to the word “eimi,” which means “I am, I exist.” This the speaks loudly of the new “one” that is not the old “one,” because they have all individually “begun anew,” by having been divinely “in possession” of a “certain one.”
The word “hyparchontōn,” in the NRSV’s desire to make this reading all about things, has been translated not as the present active participle genitive plural the word is, but instead as “possessions.” The translator then attaches this presence to the past tense, as having “claimed private ownership,” which is nowhere to be found stated. None of this translation is worthy of remembering, as the truth states, “of them being possessions” [a genitive statement].
When this is known to be relative to “inner selves” and “souls,” where “one” becomes “not one” but one with a “certain one” unseen [Yahweh’s Holy Spirit], this states a divine possession has taken place. It is a divine possession that is individually applied to everyone of those in the “assemblage.” It is another ‘mass divine possession’ that parallels the nearly three thousand Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem on Pentecost who likewise were divinely transformed. Here, I recommend everyone read this Wikipedia article Eudaemon, rather than write more here about this element of divine possession.
The last word written in this segment is “autō,” which implies the masculine “him,” but needs to be read as “same.” The root word “autos” bears the definitions: “(1) self (emphatic) (2) he, she, it (used for the third person pronoun) (3) the same.” Here, again, is a return to the “inner self” stated before the first use of “kai,” relative to “karia” or “heart.” The meaning must be seen as all of the individuals were “the same” in the changes each “self” experienced.
“except were they same the whole common .”
In this segment, which is separated by a comma mark, making it become like a new sentence, the first word is “alla.” That is a statement of an exception becoming the focus. As a word that can be seen as stating “otherwise, on the other hand, but” (Strong’s Definition), this follows the prior statement that ended by stating they were “all the same,” where the similarity was in the “self” they possessed as Yahweh’s brides [an asexual spiritual statement]. This becomes both a condition that is the exception to that, while also being an addition to that condition.
This says then “except were,” where again is the word “ēn,” the same statement of being or existence last used before the word “kardia.” In the past tense, as “were,” the addition “on the contrary” now clarifies how a change had come over them all, such that before they “were inner self” souls, so all were individuals that were only “the same” in them being souls controlled by bodies of flesh. The “exception” now, as it “were,” is all are “the same,” as “they [are the] same.”
The word “autois” is written in the masculine dative plural, where the meaning as “(1) self (emphatic) (2) he, she, it (used for the third person pronoun) (3) the same” becoming the indirect of that past state of being [“were”]. As such, that says there was nothing obviously changed “to them” as “them same,” other than becoming a collective of “them same,” as a “whole” or “all” together as “them same” as “one assemblage” where no one differed spiritually.
The last two words of this verse – “panta koina” – separately state “all common.” The reading of things into “all” is misleading. The totality is relative to the “apostles” and nothing else. This then becomes a statement that the similarity of each “self” is they “all” shared “the same” marriage of a “soul” to Yahweh. The one thing [if one is hellbent on looking to drag things into the interpretation] “all” shared” in “common” was their individual marriages to Yahweh, as each filled with the Holy Spirit, all able to speak the word of God. The thing they all shared in common was they were “all” Saints.
Verse 33:
“kai dymanei megalē,apedidoun to martyrion hoi apostoloi«tou Kyriou Iēsou»⇔«tēs anastaseōs»;charis te megalē ēn epi pantas autous.”
Here, I want everyone to look very closely at what is written and see the appearance of marks that do not translate. These marks are rooted in mathematics, from which philosophy and logic reside. They become unread ‘asides’ that must be realized. They are double angle marks [left and right] and a left right arrow. I highly recommend looking these up independently and getting a hang of what they mean.
“kai power great ,“
Here, the word “kai” begins a new verse, after following a period mark. Because it is written in the lower case and not capitalized, this supports what I said initially about the capitalization of “Tou.” Divine language does not capitalize word without them needing divine elevation. The word “kai” begins this verse by marking the need to see importance in “power great.” There is nothing that says anyone was “with power great, as the word “dynamei” is itself a statement about that which was commonly shared among the apostles. That “power great” is God, whose “power” is so “great” that nothing on earth can match that.
“were giving this proof them messengers”
This segment is translated as part of a paraphrase that says, “the apostles gave their testimony.” The first word in the segment places the focus on the act of “giving,” where the imperfect tense becomes a statement of the recent past moving into the present. This usage can be seen as bearing a dual meaning, where the past being is “were” and the present act of “giving” is both the disciples being given the gift of the Holy Spirit, which having been given then cause them to keep “giving” the same to others. The use of the word “to” then says “this” they “were giving” is “this” having been given them by a “power great.” What they “were giving” was then “the proof” of a “power great,” which made “them” become willing “messengers” of the word of God they spoke. That ability is [as Paul declared] a talent, which can only come to “them” by the “power great” that is the Holy Spirit.
“« of this Lord Jesus » ⇔ « of this resurrection » ; “
This series of marks and words is all part of the previous segment, but must be realized as untranslatable, such that the NRSV run-on mistranslation shows, “the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,” shown to be one statement [added to “with power great”]. These marks are indicators of much information that needs to be realized. Individually, the double angle marks, left and right, become statements of greater than and lesser than statements. When combined to surround a segment of words [one left and one right], they act as angles that set certain words apart. The doubling acts as its own ‘capitalization’ that means a divine essence needs to be applied to that greater and that lesser. In between, where a left right arrow is found, this is a mathematical statement that says: If this then that; or conversely, If not this then not that. All of this needs to be grasped as Luke placing marks instead of words, as indications necessary to understand for this verse to make perfect sense.
As the first mark meaning a lesser than signal, the double left angle following “messengers” [“apostoloi”] says the “messengers” are not as great as is one “of this Lord Jesus.” The divine implication says they were “of this Lord Jesus,” as his “messengers.” When “of this Lord Jesus” is seen within double angle marks, the “messengers” are themselves conveyors of this presence, while not being able to outwardly show “of this Lord Jesus.”
The word “tou” is again a statement of “of this,” where the first capitalized word of verse 32 made that relative to possession of the Holy Spirit and an ability to speak the word of God. As such, “of this” means that presence of the Holy Spirit [“of this”] is what makes one a “messenger” or “apostle,” because within “one not one” is the “Lord” unseen, which makes all “messengers of this Yahweh” become the resurrection of Jesus. Thus, when the left right arrow points from this distinction, the initial assumption must be: “If of this Lord Jesus” is true, then the following angled off statement, “of this resurrection” is also true. The state of being a representation of “this resurrection” is then a lesser than state of actually being the return of Jesus of Nazareth into the world. Still, “of this resurrection” becomes the increase [greater than double angles] that is known widely as Christianity.
favor both great were on all them .
By seeing the great than double angles pointing to the semi-colon mark, it is still possible to see the state of having become the resurrection of Jesus is a ‘favor” bestowed upon “one.” The root word “charis” is defined as “grace” or “kindness,” but relative to “the resurrection” within “one” this is a weak translation, simply because it is so vague it is hard for people to grasp the deeper meaning. The usage is shown as: “(a) grace, as a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ, (b) favor, (c) gratitude, thanks, (d) a favor, kindness.” (Strong’s Definition and Usage) The aspect of “a blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ” still demands that one recognize such a presence is not by the soul of Jesus floating around, holding a magic wand, which he touches people here and there with. That fantasy is wrong, as there is no external Jesus spirit waiting for some soul in a body of flesh to command that spirit to bring one’s wishes into fulfillment. Jesus reborn is the reality of a soul merging with God’s Holy Spirit, meaning “Jesus” can only be found in flesh devoted to God. Yahweh is the one granting all “favor,” such that the “power great” that becomes “of this Lord Jesus” – “of this resurrection” comes solely from God.
This is where the word “te” must be understood to mean “both” or “and both,” where the word places focus on a duality present. This is the “one not one” being explained and the “soul” of one being joined with the Holy Spirit of God, so the presence of “both” becomes the “grace” of Yahweh bestowed. That brings about the repeat of the word “great” [“megalē”], which is the “power” that is a soul being “both” a human body of flesh and a Son of man, reborn as Jesus. The name “Jesus” means “Yahweh Saves,” so when a “messenger” of Yahweh is married to His Holy Spirit, that wife’s “Lord” is the Holy Spirit of God, named “Jesus.”
Here, again is written the word “ēn,” which has been used twice before, as “were,” a statement of the being in the past tense, plural number. This is another statement of changes coming upon those who devote their souls to Yahweh, to become His wives, so those past tense beings have been made new as both the old “one” with the new “one,” bringing about the rebirth of Jesus. It is this state of new being that is “on all them.
Verse 34:
“Oude gar endeēs tis ēn en autois;hosoi gar ktētores chorion ē oikiōn hypērchon pōlountes,epheron tas timas tōn pipraskomenōn,”
“Neither for poor certain were among them ;“
Here, the first word is capitalized and that word that must be seen as bearing elevation of meaning to a divine level. As the first word of a new verse, this needs to then be reflected back on that stated just before. There, the last segment of words placed focus on “favor great on all of them, so now “Neither” brings about the aspect of none being the recipient of greater favor that another. The aspect of “not” also becomes elevated, such that the “not” preceded by a “kai” is reflected in this “Not” here. “Not” becomes a statement of divine presence that now keeps “one” from expressing its old behaviors.
From that grasping of a capitalized “Oude,” that leads to “for need,” where the word “endeēs” can also denote a state of “destitution.” This implies the state prior was one where the soul [the “inner self”] was impoverished by not being married to Yahweh. By having married their souls through union with His Holy Spirit, “Neither” would ever want to give up that state of being “for” the “poverty” of a “soul” that does “not” possess salvation and eternal life. The importance of a divine “Not” now says no “one” married to Yahweh will ever be “in need.”
Next, we encounter the word “tis,” which I mentioned is used to denote “a certain” entity known. This then takes the aspect of being “poor” or “needy” and relates it to that “certain” state existing before marriage to Yahweh, when they “were” [that word “ēn” again] “poor” souls. This explains “need” as the necessity of Yahweh for a soul to be saved from death [its repetition through reincarnation]. All “Not one” with God, “Not one” whose “Lord is Jesus” within is thereby a “poor” soul.
This then leads to the words “en autois,” where the directional preposition, “in,” is another reference to their “inner self” [“kardia”]. This ending as a reflection on “them” and what “were in them,” becomes the motivation held by all, never to go back to being “destitute” spiritually again.
“as much as for owners of properties or dwelling exchanging has possessed , “
The first word in this segment makes a comparative statement, “as much as” or “how much, how great, how many” or “as much.” When this is related to the previous segment talking about how little one wants to return to an impoverished soul state, this segment directs the focus to a comparison. As souls possessing bodies of flesh, the point now is made to being “owners of property.” The specific comparisons are made to “pieces of land” and “dwellings,” which would include anything from parcels of land to portions of fields, and extra homes or even inns for rentals. The aspect of “being in possession of” these material things did not mean they had to be sold, but ownership allowed one the freedom for “selling, exchanging, or bartering” that which one possessed.
When one realizes that the souls where the room was shaken and they immediately were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God, those souls who own bodies, those bodies of flesh have been given away in marriage. Those bodies of the “apostles” or “messengers” have become “the possessions” of Yahweh. As the one who holds the deeds and titles, the “properties” of Yahweh are his to use as He sees fit. Here, it becomes vital to see oneself as a commodity of righteousness, renovated by God, to be ‘put on the market’ to do God’s Will.
“were publicly making known this prices of them of this sold , “
The Greek word “epheron” is translated by the NRSV as “brought.” The spelling is the imperfect active indicative, so the past tense application is better translated as an act of doing, as “were bringing.” The root word “pheró” means “I carry, bear, bring; I conduct, lead; perhaps: I make publicly known.” (Strong’s Usage) In the focus of this segment going towards “prices,” coming from having the ability to sell themselves [like material commodities], the meaning implies these “apostles” or “messengers “bore” a responsibility of making anything sold be known within the “assemblage.” Still, this becomes a focus on material things and not the truth of spiritual matters.
When one’s eyes open to the reality this segment of words does not say property has been sold and the price land or houses were sold for need to be exposed, it amazingly says the “price” of one’s soul is that body’s remaining lifetime being devoted to serving Yahweh. The “price” of salvation is complete submission, which is the truth of a marriage that is holy matrimony. When the spirituality of this state of being is realized first, one can then be lowered back into the material realm and see everything on earth is rated by its value. Everything has a “price.” Thus, as servants of the Lord, His messengers can sell themselves as laborers, earning a wage that needs to be let known.
Because the world demands ownership and values, it is impossible to exist in that earthly realm without having material needs. When one suddenly becomes married to Yahweh, completely submissive to His Will, God knows the world comes with prices that must be paid. As a wife of Yahweh, those needs will be met divinely. For an “assemblage” to suddenly find themselves in a total commitment state, God will be the one who leads their minds to organize the realities of life on earth: who owns land, who grows crops, who has houses, who needs to be laborers, etc., etc., etc. Thus, the divinity of that stated in this segment says, “Ask and you shall receive.” Make the world’s price known and Yahweh will meet one’s needs.
The word “timas” [plural form of “timé”] means “accord honor, pay respect,” or “properly, perceived value; worth (literally, “price”) especially as perceived honor.” (HELPS Word-studies) When this segment of words is seen as separate from that before it [comma usage], a statement saying “were bringing them respect” or “were publicly making known them honor,” then the tone shifts away from a comparison of self-ownership to material ownership and what rights one holds as an owner, to a statement of what a union of one’s soul to God’s Holy Spirit “brought to them in perceived value.”
When that flow of words is realized, the Greek word “pipraskomenōn” needs to be seen as coming from the root “pipraskó,” so it not only means “I sell,” but also means in a passive sense, “I am a slave to, am devoted to.” (Strong’s Usage) While the element of “sold” can be seen, it must be applied to spiritual matters, not the selling of lands and houses. That “sold” becomes the “souls” of other Jews and Gentiles that had been “sold” into slavery to the world. To demonstrate their “worth” as the wives of Yahweh, the meaning of this segment says they “were bringing this value of” receipt of the Holy Spirit to “them” who had been “sold” into slavery.
Verse 35:
“kai etithoun para tous podas tōn apostolōn;diedideto de hekastō kathoti an tis chreian eichen.”
“kai were establishing in the presence of those feet of them messengers ; “
Again one finds a verse beginning with a lower-case “kai,” showing importance is about to unfold that should be recognized. As a separate segment of words in a new verse, the focus is in addition to those who “were bringing value to those sold,” who then “were establishing” in “those sold” changes that made others become “side by side” or “alongside” those who had married Yahweh. Here, the root word “tithémi” says, “I put, place, lay, set, fix, establish,” such that the simple act of “laying” has to be seen in spiritual terms. This says it is better to use a word that denotes reparations, as a form of repentance, which those sold “were fixing” in themselves.
The element of “posas” meaning “feet” can then be seen as metaphor, rather than physical body parts. According to the idiom “to lay at the feet” that means, “To make or hold someone responsible for something.” (The Free Dictionary by Farlex) By seeing that meaning, the purpose of “apostles” [or “messengers”] going into ministry was to help those sold, into slavery to a world of sin, be “fixing” themselves so they can join with the “assemblage” and stand “side by side” as true Christians. However, all responsibility for that transformation “lay at the feet” of those hearing the truth of the Word spoken by God’s wives.
“redistributed now to each in proportion to as certain need had .”
In this final segment of words, the first word is “diedideto,” which is rooted in the word “diadidómi,” meaning “I offer here and there, distribute, divide, hand over.” As the Imperfect Passive Indicative 3rd Person Singular, this word is said to translate as “distribution was made,” although some align the word to “redistribution.” When one’s eyes have become set to see “things,” where “prices” equate to monies, it is easy to think of “redistribution” as the way money flows from the hands of those earning it and into the hands of those needing a handout. However, the purpose of these verses is not in the physical sense but the spiritual; so, any “distribution made” or “redistribution” has to do with the Holy Spirit, sent by Yahweh.
This makes the focus of “redistribution” be more in line with redemption than a question asking, “How much do you need to tide you over for the month?” Since “each” individual “soul” has differing sins of the past to atone for, redemption is then made by Yahweh “in proportion to” that confessed sincerely, “as certain” known deeds of failure, serving self not God.
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Certainly, there are two ways to read these verses and both are true, with the way the NRSV shows this stated in human terms, not spiritual commitments. This says the element of money never ceased being a necessity in a human world, where everything has a price and everything costs something, rather than being free for the taking. Still, it is not this flawed existence that Yahweh began through sending His Son to the world. Christianity is the story told in Acts, which needs to be seen clearly during this season of Easter.
It is important to see how the ministry of Jesus demanded others provide for him, as well as for all of his followers and lead disciples. We are told multiple time that Judas Iscariot was the keeper of the purse, which made him the equivalent to a CFO in some church organization today. As evil as Judas was made out to be, by freely taking from the purse for personal gains, he held that position because then (as now) nothing is free.
When the rich young ruler asked Jesus how he could get to heaven, it is a misconception to hear Jesus tell him to sell everything he owns and give it to the poor, then become a disciple of mine. Jesus did not have a ministry that had no material values; so, he could never tell anyone to “sell everything and give it away.” If one is rich and another is poor, to transfer one’s wealth to the other maintains the same system of inequality. Jesus never preached that, because that would indicate owning possessions was evil. Why would Jesus tell anyone to give evil away to those who have none? He didn’t say that.
The material essence of this lesson says all true Apostles cannot be limited by needing to work for pay, when God has blessed them with the ability to speak His Word fluently. God awarded His Apostles with those gifts or talents for the purpose of ministry. To have one’s needs be met in ministry does not mean turning religion into a cash cow. That is a reflection of why God sent Jesus to Judaism … to fix that which had gone totally wrong. Therefore, for those who must go out into ministry [as did Jesus, as did Paul and others], they need financial supporters; but that support cannot be seen as one buying favor from Yahweh, by giving to the poor “messengers.” God’s Judgment is on souls, not how much one leaves behind in bank accounts. Whatever way God leads one to serve Him – investor, backer, minister – all must be wholly committed to Yahweh, as His wives.
As I discerned these four verses as I wrote this, my mind returned to thoughts of the Cathars, who were Gnostic Christians who suddenly appeared in southern France in the twelfth century. They were all known as “Good men” [“bon hommes”], with “Cathar” derived from the word “katharsis,” meaning “pure” or “purged.” They did not name themselves, as others did so by witnessing their commitment to serving Yahweh. They were known as hard workers, who were weavers by trade. They had a system of making and producing things, which were of such high quality that people bought them. Over the century the Cathars thrived in France, southern France was an economic paradise – business was booming. After the Roman Catholic Church had almost all Cathar people executed for not converting to Roman Catholicism, southern France became and has remained ever since economically poor. I have been led to recall that history because it is foolish to read these verses and only think true Christians would sell everything and become evangelists begging for handouts. God expects hard work in this world, with few frills; but the rewards after this life are great.
In this Easter season, when mandatory readings from the Acts of the Apostles are read, the reasoning needs to be remembered as this: The lessons are teaching us to become ministers of the Word. These readings become Jesus spending time teaching us to take his place, after he ascends. The lessons in the Book of Acts cannot be found to be about how wonderful Jesus was [boohoo he’s gone]. Instead, he must be seen as news worthy of rejoicing, because Jesus is still here, in his apostles.
We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life– this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us– we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
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This is the Epistle reading selection for the second Sunday of Easter, Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will be preceded along with the mandatory Acts reading chosen for this week, which says, “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” It will follow a reading from Psalm 133, which sings, “Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!” It will also be accompanied by the Gospel reading selection from John 20, where Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
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A Lesson in Scripture Reading
In the NRSV translation above, I have placed in bold type every use of the word “and.” The Greek word “kai” has been translated as “and.”In the first chapter of this letter by John there are ten verses. In those are found twenty-two uses of the word “kai,” with one of those capitalized. Eighteen are translated in the above’s first two blocks. There are three more uses of “kai” found in the two verses read from chapter two [the third block above]. The translation above shows two of them. The NRSV translation above totals 307 words [a Word ‘word count’], with eight percent [8 out of 100] of that total being the word “kai.” That proliferation of “and” comes across like an uneducated youth continuously repeating, needlessly, “you know,” in an attempt to communicate.
It needs to be realized that all uses of the word “kai” in the Greek texts of the New Testament need not be translated as “and,” as the word is not God commanding, “And another thing” through His prophets. It is, instead, a signal for the reader to pay close attention to the important statement that follows that ‘marker’ word. That statement following “kai” can be one word or a series of words.
In the total of twelve verses, there are 54 word segments, where a segment is a series of words clearly separated by punctuation marks, or the presence of the word kai, or both together where punctuation is immediately followed by the word “kai.” In 1 John 1 – 2:2 there are no verses where the word “kai” is absent. One verse [verse 1:4] is only one segment [nine words, excluding kai], but it is begun by the signal word that says that whole verse is important.
Each verse begins a new segment of words. Once begun, a verse can be divided into separate segments, marked by punctuation marks. In a segment of words separated by punctuation marks, there may be the appearance of the word “kai” internal to a segment. While the word “kai” does not present a separate line of thought, it does break the segment it appears in into parts, where its presence denotes important parts of that segment’s statement [line of thought]. In some verses there is a separation by punctuation, immediately followed by the word “kai.” Those separate into a new line of thought, where that new line importantly begins with an impact statement to be noted.
In this specific reading from John’s first letter, the breakdown of the twelve verses is as such:
Chapter 1:
First verse has 6 segments [4 commas, 1 kai], ending in a dash.
Second verse has 5 segments [2 comma – kai combos, 3 kai], ending in a dash.
Third verse has 9 segments [3 commas, 1 comma – kai combo, 1 period – kai combo, 3 kai], ending in a period.
Fourth verse has 1 segment [begun by kai], ending in a period.
Fifth verse has 5 segments [2 commas, 2 comma – kai combos, 1 Kai], ending in a period.
Sixth verse has 4 segments [1 comma, 1 comma – kai combo, 1 kai], ending in a period.
Seventh verse has 5 segments [3 commas, 1 comma – kai combo], ending in a period.
Eighth verse has 3 segments [1 comma, 1 comma – kai combo], ending in a period.
Ninth verse has 4 segments [2 commas, 1 comma – kai combo, 1 kai], ending in a period.
Tenth verse has 3 segments [1 commas, 1 comma – kai combo], ending in a period.
Chapter 2:
First verse has 5 segments [3 commas, 1 period – kai combo], ending in a period.
Second verse has 4 segments [1 comma, 1 semi-colon, 2 kai], ending in a period.
To look at each of the places where the word “kai” is written, in order to grasp the fullness of importance, there should be no paraphrasing from translation allowed. In addition, the various ways the Greeks write “the” and pronouns such as “I, we, us, our,” need to be carefully inspected so a general “he” [“he” who?] is not translated. Here, look at where I have used “ours” or “of this” or “this.” Such translations act more definitively, requiring one to look to the text to realize who or what “this” is. Based only on the segments or parts of segments begun by the word “kai,” and the literal translations I provide, see how this forces one to see importance stated, rather than an “oh another thing” addition written.
1:1 “kai hai cheires hēmōn epsēlaphēsan” – “and them hands of ours have touched”
1:2 “kai hē zōē ephanerōthē” – “and this one life was made known”
1:2 “kai heōrakamen” – “and we have seen”
1:2 “kai martyroumen” – “and bear witness”
1:2 “kaiapangellomen hymin tēn zōēn tēn aiōnion hētis ēn pros ton Patera” – “and we proclaim to you this life this eternal who were with this one Father”
1:2 “kai ephanerōthē hemin” – “and was made clear to us”
1:3 “kai akēkoamen” – “and have listened”
1:3 “kai hymin” – “and to you”
1:3 “kaihymeis koinōnian echēte meth’ hēmōn” – “and you personally spiritually fellowship may have in company with this one Son of his”
1:3 “kaihē koinonia de hē hēmetera meta tou Patros” – “and this fellowship now this of ours in company with this one Father”
1:3 “kai meta tou Huiou autou” – “and with this one Son same”
1:4 “kaitauta graphomen hēmeis hina hē chara hēmōn ē peplērōmenē” – “and these write we in order that this one source of joy of ours this fulfill”
1:5 “Kaiestin hautē hē angelia hēn akēkoamen ap’ autou” – “And exists here this one message which we have comprehended from same”
1:5 “kai anangellomen hymin” – “and we declare to you”
1:5 “kai scotia en auto” – “and spiritual darkness in self”
1:6 “kai en tō skotei peripatōmen” – “and in this moral darkness would conduct life”
1:6 “kai ou poioumena tēn alētheian” – “and not causes this truth”
1:7 “kai to haima Iēsou” – “and this blood of Jesus”
1:8 “kai hē alētheia ouk estin en hemin” – “and this truth not exists in us”
1:9 “kai dikaios” – “and righteous”
1:9 “kaikatharisē hēmas apo pasēs adikias” – “and might cleanse us from every kind of unrighteousness”
1:10”kai ho logos autou ouk estin en hemin” – “and this word of this not exists in us”
2:1 “kai ean tis hamartē” – “ and if certain would have sinned”
2:2 “kaiautos hilasmos estin peri tōn hamartiōn hēmōn” – “and same appeasement to God exists concerning of them failures ours”
2:2 “kai peri holou tou kosmou” – “and concerning complete of this world”
The only point I want to make from all this painstaking breakdown of what John wrote in his first epistle is this: There is much more than first meets the eye, when holy texts are concerned; and, they should be seen as translated into English as ‘primary school’ ways to learn the Word of Yahweh.
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The Apostle John who wrote epistles, including The Apocalypse, was not John the brother of James, sons of Zebedee. John must be seen as a common name, just as the name Mary. More than one person can be named “John.” The John who wrote epistles is the same John who wrote one of the four Gospels. That John referred to himself in his Gospel as “the one who Jesus loved.” He also wrote that about Mary Magdalene the same way [and others], with that being a sign of family relationship. Therefore, John was related to Jesus and Mary Magdalene, as the son born between those two parents.
In John’s Gospel, as the last two verses in chapter 21, he wrote: “[John] is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:24-25, NRSV)
Nope. Bigger than that!
In that simplified translation, John said everything he wrote, and therefore anything anyone wrote as direct testimony from one who has been reborn in the name of Jesus [as Yahweh’s Anointed One], everything is “true.” That means every word is divinely inspired, simply because the Greek word written [“aléthés”] means: “unconcealed, true, true in fact, worthy of credit, truthful.”
The usage of “true” says, “what can’t be hidden,” and that “stresses undeniable reality when something is fully tested, i.e. it will ultimately be shown to be fact (authentic).” (HELPS Word-studies) That definition of “true” is why I have displayed what John wrote in this letter as I have. It is “truth” that has been concealed in simplistic language, the same whether one is reading with a Greek language brain or with an English language brain. It is “truth” that stares one right in the face and cannot be seen, unless one takes the time to look for the unconcealed “truth.”
When John then wrote, “if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written,” this must be seen as a reference to the knowledge Jesus passed onto his Apostles. That goes well beyond the forty days the physically resurrected Jesus spent with them, before they became Apostles on Pentecost. It speaks of the depth that Jesus pointed out to his disciples was written in the Hebrew texts.
When one realizes John wrote in hindsight about times when he was young, after having matured in Christ, it speaks of all the Gospels and all the Epistles as well. To write everything so explicitly clear that there could never be any doubt as what Scripture says, no one would have time to live, much less evangelize, if always either writing or reading that endlessly written. Therefore, divine texts are written according to divine syntax, which allows the truth to be ever-present, but requiring a desire that seeks the truth. [Seek and you will find.]
The segment of words that the NRSV has translated as saying “if every one of them were written down” is written in Greek as this: “ean graphētai kath’ hen”. That translates literally to say, “if scripture should stand written according to one.” The word “one” needs to be seen as only “one” way for scriptures to be read, based on one way they are written. If that were to be the case, then “the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” That means a lot is stated in a little, with there being [divinely placed] another way to read scripture. That other way is what I call divine syntax; and, that includes “kai” being a marker word.
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In the translation of the NRSV above, there are 23 presentation of “we.” Greek manufactures forms of words [verbs mostly] that mutate from the root word because of case, mood, tense, and number [simply put]. The third person plural is the intent, such that “we” becomes the translation into English. This means that John wrote in the third person plural, such that everything he wrote was similarly done by other Apostles. The use of “we” must be seen as an indication of the spread of Christianity, where many people were just like John, with all doing the same writings, so others could find the truth in their words.
From the simplicity of the NRSV translation, it becomes important to see how John first wrote about the presence of Jesus within his body of flesh [and others, as “we”], which is how he wrote about spiritual contact with God, so he and the others were all reborn as Jesus resurrected in their flesh. From that, the second block places focus on those who have not been so transformed, as they walk alone [their souls in their bodies of flesh], so the truth of the Word does not appear to them. That lack of spiritual insight is stated as “darkness.” The presence of Jesus within one’s being, from a soul having married Yahweh and been merged with His Holy Spirit, becomes the light of truth shining forth. This contrast needs to be seen.
Finally, when the two verses from the second chapter are read, the focus is then placed on one’s need to cease sinning and become righteous in one’s life actions. Righteousness is not something possible by those who walk in darkness and cannot see the truth of the Word. This means one has to return to the first block and realize becoming righteous in one’s actions is totally controlled by one being filled with God’s Holy Spirit and made to be Jesus reborn.
Here, John refers to “little children.” This means those who cannot see the light of truth are those with childish brains and ‘children’s church’ mentality about spiritual matters. The affection, as “children of John,” says Jesus was speaking through John to the readers of his letters, as the children of God in need of careful teaching. To be one of the children of God, one must grow into a maturity of spiritual awareness and righteous ways. This says the reader needs to admit a need to be taught, so one can receive the spirit of truth.
In the season of Easter, when one must grasp the time is set aside for being taught to enter ministry, it is important to realize there are few teachers of scriptural meaning. Few realize the truth, therefore few can be taught how to see the truth for themselves. Many offer reasoning and memorized opinions, which are then expressed as opinions dearly held. Many opinions are contrary to the light of truth. This becomes a problem when that approach to adult ‘children’ acting like ministers, when the maturity of Jesus Christ has yet been attained. Therefore, the Easter season is about letting the old self die, so a new self [“little children”] can join with the Holy Spirit and the truth known by Jesus reborn become the guiding light that leads one away from darkness and towards eternal salvation. That state must be reached before one can entertain any ideas of ministry.
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
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This is the Gospel selection for the second Sunday of Easter, Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It will be preceded by the mandatory reading from Acts (Acts 4 this Sunday), which says, “With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” That is followed by a reading from Psalm 133, which sings, “For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: life for evermore.” Additionally a reading from John’s first epistle is read, which states, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.”
This selection is poorly translated, simply because there is a disconnect between Judaism and Christianity, such that Christians today do not understand a Jewish writing that implies another Jew would readily understand the meaning of references to time. The timing elements being explained make this lesson clearer to understand.
When the translation says, “it was evening on that day,” the operative word here is “day” [“hēmera”]. That becomes a statement of it being daytime, or when the sun is shining, with the Hebrew clock being divided into two times: day and night. The aspect of “evening” [“opsias”] can better be translated as “late” (a viable option), so it is “late” in the day, such that “evening” of “day” is after 3:00 PM, before 6:00 PM. The word translated as “that” [as “that day” or literally “day that,” from “hēmera ekeinē”] implies “the same day,” which is Easter Sunday.
Where the translation says, “the doors of the house,” there is nothing that says anything more than “doors.” The Greek words “thyrōn kekleismenōn” can translate to state “doors having been shut” or “gates having been closed,” but nothing says a house is where the “doors” were. Because this day is connected to the story in Luke, of the two traveling the road to Emmaus with Jesus (in unrecognizable form), after they realized it was Jesus (and he disappeared) they hurried back to Jerusalem, their rush was so they would get back before they closed the gates. That event was still an hour or so away at this point, meaning the timing of Jesus appearing here, with his disciples, was around the same time he was seen walking the road to Emmaus, unrecognized by his uncle Cleopas and aunt Mary.
Where Luke 24:33 states, “[Cleopas and Mary] got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven and those with them, assembled together,” there is nothing stated there that says they entered within the city walls. One can assume they stayed in a house, one which was a safe place where the Jews of the Temple could not easily find them. That could mean they found refuge in the upper room, where the Passover Seder had been held eight days before [a Sabbath evening], but that is not stated. As that room [presumed to have been in the Essene Quarter of Jerusalem] was not property owned by any of the disciples, a more likely place would be the property of Joseph of Arimathea. That estate would have been close to the cemetery where he owned a tomb, in which Jesus’ body had been placed; and, as a wealthy man, one could presume Joseph had a place large enough that a numerous group could seek refuge there, discretely. However, such a place for Joseph would most likely have been outside the walls of Jerusalem.
Relative to Jesus suddenly appearing among his disciples [women and men], saying, “Peace be with you,” the capitalized Greek word “Eirēnē” is written. That does translate as “Peace,” but the capitalization raises the meaning beyond a physical state of calmness or serenity, lifting the meaning to a divine state of being. On a mundane level, the lower case spelling could mean “peace,” which was a commonly used Jewish word of farewell; so, it could have been heard the first time [by some] as if Jesus appeared to them, to say “goodbye.”
To grasp a divine level meaning, the capitalization makes one become aware of the root meaning, which comes from the word “eirō.”That etymology is explained as such: “from eirō, “to join, tie together into a whole.” Thus, the word “properly [implies] wholeness, i.e. when all essential parts are joined together.” (HELPS Word-studies)
When directed “to you” [dative plural], “Eirēnē hymin” [“Peace to you”] is a command, gently stated, which called them all to become United or Joined, such that the capitalization becomes a directive for all in the group to be married with God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus thus announced to all a proposal for marriage, to each individually, all together as one.
This becomes important to grasp, when Jesus later repeated this gentle command, saying “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
In that verse [John 20:21], there is a semi-colon after “hymin” [“to you”], such that there is not a complete pause following, with no separate statement being made. The presence of a semi-colon says the “Unity” that comes “to you” from marriage with Yahweh is [a literal translation available], “according to the manner in which has sent forth me this Father.”
At that point there is a comma mark making that statement be separated, such that Jesus just said, “Unity to you” is “according to the manner in which I have been sent,” where “Unity” or “Joining” is “this”[from “ho”] that Jesus referred to as “Father.” That says Jesus was a soul married to Yahweh, via His Holy Spirit, so “Union” is the way Jesus was put on earth. That then leads to Jesus adding [after the comma], “I also put forth you.”
In the use of “pempō,” which is the first person singular stating, “I put forth,” or “I send,” the same word can translate as meaning, “I produce.” [Wiktionary] This is not so much a statement that says, “because Jesus is married to Yahweh he can make decisions about sending out people,” as it is more a statement that the “Unity to you” makes all become just like Jesus. It implies each will become Jesus reborn, so “I put forth” or “I produce” is then relative to the result of being married to Yahweh.
When Jesus then said the capitalized word “Father,” immediately before the comma mark that leads to “I put forth,” the divinity of the capitalization certainly makes “Father” be Yahweh. Still, from the comma, it is possible to see the first person singular now coming from the voice of the “Father” within Jesus, who says “I put forth you” or “I send you.” That speaks as Him saying through Jesus His Son that it was Yahweh who sent Jesus to the world. Likewise, Yahweh will “produce” more like Jesus.
The repetition of “Eirēnē” makes “Marriage” to Yahweh be the utmost message to receive here, because after all: Jesus just suddenly appeared through closed doors, as one risen from a gruesome death they all had witnessed. That was not Jesus being superman, but the power of Yahweh manifesting before their eyes. The metaphor becomes the voice of God to those souls still trapped in bodies of mortal flesh, saying, “You see I raised Jesus to eternal life. I can do the same for you … if you accept the proposal and let’s get married.”
When one realizes the presence of Yahweh in the body of Jesus, one can then read the next words with divine insight: “When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Here, the third person singular form of “emphusaó,” as “he breathed upon” [from “enephysēsen”] must be seen as God’s breath of life. All possessed the gift of life in the flesh because of God’s “ruach” or “breath, wind, spirit.” Therefore, Jesus, in a risen body that had been dead just a day before [or so], was not breathing upon his disciples. It has to be seen as Yahweh doing that breathing, based on “Eirēnē” and “Patēr” being manifested in “Kyrion Iēsous” [“Lord Jesus”], with “Jesus” a name meaning “Yahweh Will Save.”
That aspect of divine essence in capitalized words, where even Jesus is an extension of Yahweh [Jesus is not a co-equal of God], the third person singular of “legó” [“legei”] has Yahweh again speak, saying “Labete Pneuma Hagion” or “Receive Spirit Holy.”
When the capitalization is recognized as Yahweh speaking, these words speak as a Husband to a wife [each individually, while all collectively the same] to allow Him to penetrate their souls [His breath – “ruach”] with His presence. This divine ‘insemination’ merges their souls with His Spirit, such that the one capitalized word “Pneuma” means Holy Spirit, without the necessity to add a word that says “Holy” to it. Therefore, when the word “Hagion” is added, this becomes the result of that divine ‘insemination,” where one’s being becomes “Holy,” as was Jesus, with “Hagion” also translating as “Sacred” or “Set apart by God” (i.e.: a Saint).
If it wasn’t for the halos, everyone would still look exactly the same as before.
A quick point about the element of “sins.” The only one who can forgive anything that would condemn a soul is Yahweh. A soul has no power to forgive anyone or anything, because that means raising one’s ugly brain to some level of self-importance or self-righteousness. Once married to Yahweh, Yahweh does all the talking and the soul can only say “Yessir.” Thus, if Yahweh says to do something that might have once been a sin one enjoyed doing, but now ceases because Yahweh says so, those past sins are forgiven by Yahweh. If something a soul has thought to be a sin, even if it did help others from time to time, so it sinned and hid it has been judged by Yahweh not to be a sin at all, then those limited acts can be kept, forgiven as not sins after all.
The point of this is this: If you are married to Yahweh you become a most holy temple, with Yahweh on the throne of your heart, where all Law is written. You walk where Yahweh sends you to walk. Thus, no matter where you go, you always remain within the limits of the Law.
At this point, John’s Gospel shifts to explain that Thomas was not there when Jesus appeared. That says two things: First, it says Jesus disappeared after appearing and saying those words. This is similar to his speaking and then suddenly disappearing when at the home of Cleopas and Mary. While it is certainly within the realm of possibility of Yahweh, to have His Son appear at two different places at the same time [the truth of the concept of Christianity], the appearance and disappearance of Jesus while Thomas was away says that was planned. God knew Thomas was away, so He sent His Son to establish the protocol that will forever remove any excuses for doubting Yahweh, because Jesus in the flesh is not around to “prove himself.”
This again brings up the timing factor. In this, one needs to realize the fear that had grasped the hearts and brains of the disciples and followers of Jesus. Amid the fear, there was still a need for food for the group. Mary had prepared food for Jesus in her home in Emmaus, because it was time to eat. She and Cleopas invited the stranger that was Jesus into their home for supper. In the same way Mary made bread, Thomas had been sent out to find bread and fish for the group to eat, as they were not in a house they owned, one stocked with food. Thus, Jesus appeared at two places at the same time, disappearing each place after making a point for faith in Yahweh; so, while Cleopas and Mary were walking quickly back the seven miles to Jerusalem, Thomas was out seeking food to purchase, most likely trying to remain incognito while doing so.
Again returning to Luke’s version of what happened, he wrote about Cleopas and Mary returning to where the others were holed-up, writing: “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” This says Tomas returned with fish and bread after Jesus disappeared, but before Cleopas and Mary could get back to them [probably an hour and a half, walking very quickly]. This then means Thomas had returned and the group had eaten, as the two relatives of Jesus walked back. It was then after they walked in and were talking about having seen Jesus that Jesus reappeared, when everyone was all together. This would place the time not long after 6:30 PM, when the gates of Jerusalem would have been closed and more closely guarded.
This is where the NRSV [and every other version I checked – NIV, NASB, KJV] mistranslates the Greek text, so it says, “A week later” (or “After eight days”). That is not what is written. The Greek text states, “Kai meth’ hēmeras oktō,” where one must take note of a capitalized “Kai,” which always denotes importance to follow. The capitalization of that word now elevates that importance to a divine level of understanding. Thus, it is the capitalization of “Kai” that says the following timing is divinely related.
The Greek words following “Kai” then literally translate to state, “in company with of day eight.” Even by using the word “after,” so it reads “after of day eight,” the genitive singular spelling of “hémera” says “of a day,” not a total “of days.” In the genitive singular, the spelling of “hēmeras” says it use implies: “within a certain number of days; by day; sometime during a particular day.” (Wiktionary) When the capitalized “Kai’ is seen as an indicator of divine elevation in meaning, John was speaking in terms that Jews would readily understand, while Gentiles would read and think he said, “A week later.”
This means the timing of John is a statement that the time has now gone beyond 6:00 PM, when the first day of the week has changed to the second day of the week. In Jewish ritual, which Christians make a point of not learning or knowing anything about, the week that follows the Passover feast [aka the Seder meals] is called the festival of the Unleavened Bread. There are two Seder meals, on beginning at 6:00 PM on 15 Nisan (the evening of 14 Nisan), and at 6:00 PM on 16 Nisan (the evening of 15 Nisan).
In the middle of the festival of the Unleavened Bread there is a day set aside for the feast of the First Fruits. The First Fruits are green grains and fruits set in the Temple of Jerusalem [back then], which would be blessed by the high priest on Shavuot, which takes place on the Fiftieth Day [Pentecost]. The ritual was then to nightly say a prayer for those fruits left to ripen, in what is called “the Counting of the Omer,” where an “omer” is a dry measure of grains or fruit. Each night the Jews pray and add a day in the count, with the first day in the counting of the omer being at 6:30 PM 16 Nisan [or when night has clearly fallen]. Thus, John was making a statement that this he was writing about here “Importantly” [“Kai“] was “in company with” that counting “of day,” which at 6:00 PM became the number “eight” in that count “of days.” That is then setting the date to 23 Nisan.
The Passover feast [second Seder meal] was when Jesus was arrested [16 Nisan]. He was arrested on the first day of the week [a Sunday, early in the morning]. The first day was the first day of the counting of the omer. After seven days of counting, it was Sunday, 22 Nisan [numbered at 6:00 PM on 21 Nisan, when it became the 22nd]. Thus, at 6:00 PM on Sunday evening [when it officially became the 23rd], that was when all devout Jews would say a prayer in the counting of the omer, declaring it “day eight.” So, all John was saying was 6:00 PM on Sunday had come, making it the eighth day in a count to forty-nine [seven weeks, such that Shavuot means the festival of Weeks]; but, it was just Sunday night in Christian minds.
That then establishes the timing, such that it was after the Jews determine “night,” with each “day” beginning with night and ending in day. It does not say it was dark, as in most months of the year it is still light outside at 6:00 PM, thus evening of “night” [the “Evening Watch” by the guards at the gates of the walls of Jerusalem]. That was when Jesus reappeared to the group, just as suddenly as he had before.
The purpose of that planned second visit was so God could speak through His Son, saying, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” This demands closer inspection as to what was written.
The Greek text shows Jesus saying, “Hoti heōrakas me,pepisteukas;makarioi hoi mē idontes,kai pisteusantes.” This statement breaks down into four segments that need to be understood separately, with the last word being very important to grasp, because it is preceded by the word ”kai.” These four segments literally can translate to state the following:
“Because you have perceived me ,”
“you have shown belief ;”
“to be envied those not having experienced ,”
“kai having faith in .”
The root word of “heōrakas” is “horaó,” which means, “I see, look upon, experience, perceive, discern, beware.” The root word for “idontes” is the same “horaó.” Thus, the multiplicity can be read in a number of ways that are not the same. As such, I have translated above: “have perceived” and “having experienced.”
While it is easy to know that Thomas had eyes and Jesus appeared in solid flesh, which Thomas touched with his hands, the key goes back to the capitalized word “Hoti,” which places “Because” in a divine state of being. Everything Thomas did “to see” Jesus had risen was actually him [and the others watching] having a most religious “experience” with Yahweh, through His Son. By physically being able to see a dead body alive again, one they had all “seen” hanging lifeless on a cross, “watching” a Roman guard pierce the side of Jesus with a spear, so fluids poured out of his lifeless body, they were then “seeing” Jesus and “believing” he had some magic power to return to life. They had all been raised spiritually to a divine state of being, which “Caused” them all “to see” Jesus risen. “Because” they physically “perceived” Jesus does not prove he was real, as if God did not “Cause” them to have a mass hallucination and sense his presence, like all were living in a most vivid dream.
In the Easter Sunday readings last week, either from Mark or John, both Gospels tell of perceptions of Jesus. He did not look like Jesus: he looked like a young man robed in white; and, he looked like the gardener. In the Luke story on the road to Emmaus, Jesus did not appear as Jesus. In all three appearances, it became understood that what was being seen was Jesus. The all “perceived” him. The disciples, on the other hand, saw Jesus (without Thomas) and, “The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” However, as the saying goes: “Seeing is believing.” But, that is the flaw of logic that magicians play upon, using tricks that prove “the hand is quicker than the eye.”
By realizing this, the repetition of “horaó” needs to be seen in Spiritual terms. Thomas looked upon God, manifested as the man known as Jesus of Nazareth. Thus, Thomas “believed” in Jesus. Thomas then becomes metaphor for the divinely elevated state of belief in God or a god that is Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity [any other religions where proof is reason for belief], because there are physical tests that can be done which prove each religion is believable. They each “have shown belief” as the tests proving worthy of their support.
That says all Christians who see the powers of Jesus as reason to believe in him [not Yahweh] and count on him returning [not Yahweh] and any number of other things that make Christians get down on their knees and pray to Jesus [not Yahweh] that devotion to Jesus acts as the weakness that reduces them to needing proof to believe in God. They say they believe what they read written in mistranslated versions of the Holy Bible. They say they believe what some minister, preacher, priest, rabbi, or theological scholar [most likely bestselling author] states as his or her reasons for belief in Jesus. In that sense, the Word as shown by the NRSV, as orated by pulpit speakers, becomes belief in the physical body of Jesus, which comes complete with holes you can drive a truck through. [Don’t ask questions, just believe what you are told!] It makes waiting for Jesus to return be nothing more than a sad state of faithlessness.
Thomas reflects a human being who demands God jump through a hoop, like a trained dog [God spelled backwards, in the lower case English], at the command of a human being. With Jesus, it seems so much easier to get God to do what one wants, because Jesus is like one’s mother. Jesus is not the Father, who always says, “No!” Instead, when one has “United” with Yahweh in marriage, having totally submitted one’s sense of self to the Will of Yahweh, then one has so much more than belief. One KNOWSthere is no “I’ left to my flesh, as Yahweh Commands and wives comply … with love and “Peace.”
This means the Greek word “makarioi” (translated by the NRSV as “blessed [are]”) bears the truth of those “to be envied,” because those “[are] happy.” The meaning of “blessed” is so meaningless coming from the mouths of Christians these days. The word is used commonly, as “Have a blessed day,” like the one saying that is so holy that he or she can save Yahweh any excess work blessing lives of human beings. To think like that says one thinks “blessed” means, “Jesus has jumped through another hoop for me today! I am so blessed by having received something meaningless!”
Those who do not need to see Jesus to have true faith KNOW that God is their husband, who totally leads them through life. They are the one’s always “happy.” They are the ones who must “be envied,” because they are truly “blessed” by Yahweh, by having their souls promised salvation. They do not simply “believe” in Jesus, they ARE JESUS REBORN.
When John then wrote, “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples,” the heading appears in the NRSV that says, “Why This Gospel Was Written.” Few people are able to see just how clearly that says, “Jesus became one with each of his disciples, so in his presence [THEM AS JESUS REBORN] they did many other signs.”
What would be the point of Jesus doing many other parlor tricks for his disciples? Wasn’t seeing him alive, after being dead and still bearing the gaping holes in his flesh as evidence, enough of a “sign” to keep them believing? They became the green fruit picked from the Jesus vine. They were maturing in Christ [meaning as “Anointed ones” by Yahweh], so that after six more weeks they would be deemed ripe for ministry.
John did not write his Gospel so “many would believe in Jesus.” Certainly, many Christians believe in Jesus and they point to the Gospels as why they believe in all the stories told about Jesus. However, Christianity today is so far removed from what Christianity was at the beginning, is there any wonder the world is going to hell in a handbasket because so many Christians are just like doubting Thomas? There is no need to see Jesus come back in the flesh, just so believers can point at all the bad people, saying, “See! I told you he was real!”
As the Gospel selection for the second Sunday of Easter, the theme of the season needs to always be kept in mind. John is telling us what we each need to do individually, which is marry Yahweh and become His Son reborn. We need to “Unify” or “Join” with Yahweh in marriage, where our souls are offered up to God in submission, in return for eternal salvation. We have to each Receive the Spirit of Yahweh and become His Saints. The Easter season is when we should be practicing being Jesus, so we can perform the signs that tell God we are ready for ministry.
This is the Psalm that will be read aloud on the second Sunday of Easter, Year B, according to the lectionary of the Episcopal Church. It will be read aloud in unison or sung by a cantor, following the mandatory reading from Acts [this Sunday Acts 4:32-35], which says, “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” This song of praise will precede an Epistle reading from First John, which states, “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” Finally, this song will accompany the Gospel reading from John 20, where Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
This Psalm is actually only three verses in length, although everything above [5 verses] is stated in three verses. It begins [although not translated] with a statement that says, “A song of Ascents of David.” The psalms of David numbered 120-134 [fifteen] are “Songs of Ascent,” or “variously called Gradual Psalms, Songs of Degrees, Songs of Steps, songs for going up to worship or Pilgrim Songs.” (Wikipedia) This is then believed to be a song sung as one was walking up the steps of the Lower City, leading to the Tabernacle or [later] the Temple of Jerusalem. Others say it could refer to walking up the steps that led from the women’s court to the temple. Since the Temple was not built when David wrote songs, the assumption is pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the three festivals would sing them as they walked the road to there, and then up the steps leading to the Tabernacle.
The three verses, based on the BibleHub Interlinear of the Hebrew-English presentation, is like this (using the NRSV translations):
Oh, how good and pleasant it is, when brethren live together in unity!
It is like fine oil upon the head that runs down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon that falls upon the hills of Zion. For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: life for evermore.
This needs to be read as a song of praise for all who had married their souls to Yahweh, such that that common bond of relationship brought “brothers moreover together in unity (or unitedness)” [from “’a·ḥîmgam- yā·ḥaḏ”]. Here, the element of “unity” must be seen as being “brothers” in “Christ,” where the masculinity of being “brothers” is a Spiritual designation [all that is Spiritual is masculine; all that is material is feminine], as “Sons of God.” This must not to be read as a limitation to only human male Israelites. It is in this way that the songs of David apply globally, at all times, to more than certain people or religious beliefs. The “good and pleasant” [from “mah- ṭō·wḇ ū·mah-nā·‘îm”] can only be brought about by Yahweh within one’s being.
Evidence in this regard comes from Jesus, when we read in both Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels: “As [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” [Mark 10:17-18, Luke 18:18-19] That needs to be seen as a universal law that states no one is “good” unless one’s soul is married to Yahweh, so He brings one true “goodness” and “pleasure.”
It is then from that awareness that one can see the element spoken of in the second verse as relative to one’s being Anointed by Yahweh. David was anointed by Samuel, when he did not have a beard, because he was still a child. Thus, the metaphor of “like fine oil upon the head” acts as the presence of the Holy Spirit of Yahweh that has been poured out upon one’s soul. The prophet Joel said, “I [YHWH] will pour out my Spirit upon all people.” With the “head” being where one’s brain is encased; the metaphor then becomes the Mind of Christ, which is a Spiritual outpouring that fills one with the Holy Spirit. No longer will one then think in terms of self-preservation, through the weakness of a big brain. When one has been Anointed by Yahweh, one ceases all intellectual pursuits for self, in complete subjection to the Lord’s Will.
The element of a beard must then be recognized as how adult Jewish males [and those of Islam and other religions] do not trim the edges of their whiskers, as a way of signaling to the world, “I am a wife of Yahweh.” The beard is therefore a sign of a priest that serves the One God completely. In this regard, Aaron was the High Priest who served Yahweh, under Moses. Therefore, the naming of Aaron and his robes [or garments] is another way for David to say all who are married to Yahweh will serve Him as His High Priest.
The naming of Aaron then acts as intended to denote the meaning behind the name. In that regard, “Aaron” means “Bright,” “Accumulation,” “Center of Cheer,” and “Very High.” (Abarim Publications) All of these meanings can be seen as known by David, such that they all point to one being illuminated by the Godhead, which becomes a gathering of deeper meanings [the accumulation of wisdom and the illumination as brightness], which elate the soul within [the center core filled with happiness] and place one’s being with a most high responsibility of commitment [becoming very high].
Relative to the meaning being “Very High,” David then sang of Mount Hermon, which holds the highest peaks of northern Israel. That was where Jesus went, along with Peter, James and John [of Zebedee], and was seen transfigured. This means the “dew” is metaphor for the emotions that a soul is filled with, from being one with Yahweh. That “dew” becomes so much that those feelings drift down to the “hills” or “mountains” [from “har·rê”] of “Zion” [“ṣî·yō·wn”], which is the mount of the City of David. The life of a High Priest means having to always climb the steps to reach Mount Moriah. One is Very High when one’s body has become the Temple where Yahweh resides.
When this height becomes the place from which David then sang, “For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: life for evermore,” this must be seen as connecting the first verse to the last, where a soul’s marriage to “Yahweh” [not simple a “Lord”] makes Him one’s husband, while making all souls [in bodies of male and female flesh] become “brothers Anointed.” In that relationship, Yahweh does the “commanding” and a willing servant gladly complies. It is that servitude, from a state of gladness and peace, that becomes the willingness to do whatever Yahweh commands, as that is how one’s soul gains “eternal life.”
As a song of praise to be sung during the second Sunday of Easter, the lesson of learning to serve Yahweh is clearly conveyed in these words. To graduate after six weeks of training, and enter ministry as a new Jesus sent into the world, one must reach the point of marriage to Yahweh. It is impossible to go it alone. One must become uplifted by that presence of the divine within. God has to cease being external to one’s being, as an idea that one believes. One must come to know Yahweh, personally, which can only come through one’s soul being married to His Holy Spirit. This is the message of this second Sunday of Easter.
Explaining the Readings 