Tag Archives: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

1 Samuel 17: 1-49 – The faith that slays evil

January 18, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

This reading actually covers verses 1a, 4-11, 19-23, and 32-49, with only 32-49 mandatory.

[The Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.]

David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came,

and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!” Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail.

David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand.”

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

——————————————————————————–

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 7. If chosen, this will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, June 24, 2018. This is important as the story of David (and the Israelites) versus Goliath (and the Philistines) is more than history, as this shoe fits on all the nations of the world, where some are giants and powerful and some are small and weak in comparison. This reading calls the individual to be like David.

All Christian adults know the story of David and Goliath, with most Sunday school children over the age of six also are knowledgeable of it. Certainly the details can be clouded over the years; and, some churches will opt out of reading verses 1a, 4-11, and 19-23 shown above in brackets. The details of Goliath’s size and the weights of his weaponry and armor are easily forgotten, as well how David left the sheep in the fields and ran to greet his brothers, who were camped in the valley of Elah preparing to fight.

It is easy to remember David having fought lions and bears to rescue lambs, how he could barely walk under the weight of Saul’s armor and weapons given to him, and how he faced Goliath with just a slingshot and five smooth stones from the wadi. Everyone knows the final scene recited here, where David slung a rock into Goliath’s forehead and he fell face down on the ground. We do not read today of David cutting Goliath’s head off, which was the coup degras and Goliath’s death.

While the story might be known, it is easy to get caught up in admiration of David, especially in this modern time when superheroes are all the rage. This turns David into a fictitious character, rather than an example of God’s servants. Perhaps, making superheroes out of real human beings helps children want to believe in God more?

The unfortunate aspect of teaching superheroes coming from God is it misses the point of a miracle that had David slay the giant Goliath. The name Goliath actually means “Exposer,” which is associated with circumcision. That name then reflects an aspect of the Philistines that the ancient Israelites obsessed over, where transforming their enemies into obedient co-inhaibiters of Canaan meant one having to expose one’s soul to Yahweh.

According to the Abarim Publications website, the name Goliath means “Exposer, and Israel’s occupation with the male foreskin and the mammalian reproductive cycle — with God as the rightful husband of His bridal humanity, see our article on כבד, kabad — certainly stimulates an association of Goliath with a sexual antagonist. The Creator is Israel’s true husband, but every now and then, a not-godly culture imposes its lustful will upon Israel.” The site then goes on to relate the beheading of Goliath as the figurative circumcision of the Philistine nation.

In this regard, this name meaning sheds light on the marriage the Israelite people had with God, as we read that the presence of Goliath exposed how weak this relationship was under Saul, after Goliath challenged Israel to send one man in single combat. The exposure states, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

This is an exposure of the Israelites’ failure to live up to Moses’ decree, found in Deuteronomy 6:13. The Israelites were exposed as having failed God, because it is written, “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name.” Twice in the book of 1 Samuel (prior to the battle with the Philistines and Goliath), the prophet told the Israelites, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.’” (1 Samuel 7:3) Samuel then followed this up later, stating: “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” (1 Samuel 12:24)

Instead, the Israelites had demanded Samuel appoint them a king, with Saul their chosen “superhero.” Saul failed to comply with the instructions from God, through Samuel, and they then faced the Philistines with Goliath being so far turned away from God that “they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” The exposure was that a nation claimed to have the powers of God behind it, when that claim was as empty as those challenging that claim.

The Philistines claimed to have the power of some lesser god(s), who had given them a giant as their “judge.” Goliath was like a counter-balance to Samson; and, in superhero terms, the Philistines were archvillains or supervillains. Israel found itself without a faithful marriage to God, which made it as powerless as Superman in chains of kryptonite.

The story of Israel versus the Philistines becomes more lastingly important over time in seeing how it reflects the age-old repetition of nations parading their right to dominate the world (or large parts of it) through some self-proclaimed righteousness of purpose, as holy empires, as God’s chosen warriors. Their simple self-promotions always had the effect of motivating unholy competitors, those who were always set on encountering those who claim superiority, wishing to test the validity of those claims.

In that constant way history has been a steady flow of rulers, tyrants, dynasties and empires, such that the character Goliath becomes synonymous with the secret development of advanced weaponry that has enhanced the rise of nations. Saul then becomes a parallel to all of the kings of Israel (and Judah), as well as any leader of a nation professing to be either Christian or Jewish, where there was no true commitment to God before self or nation. It was the realization of a self-fulfilling prophecy, when the elders told Samuel they wanted “to be like other nations.” Other nations were like Philistia.

The armor of Goliath represents the arms races of history, where secrecy has beget spying, with everyone always attempting to place shock and awe in an enemy, unveiling its newest giant on the battlefield. All of this development throughout history has done more to elicit the fear of the world’s citizens, while also divorcing believers from their marriage to God. Who can fear only God when the USA and the USSR are building Doomsday weapons?

This view that applies one Biblical event to all events in history, where faith in God produces no fear of the worldly, can then make David be seen as a reflection of the individual who is totally devoted to serving God. No nation led by a king, president, prime minister, fuhrer, dictator, or political tyrant can ever be led by an individual who is totally devoted to serving only God. When this perspective is realized, Goliath then becomes a reflection of all who serve Satan and thereby seeks to destroy anyone who claims to have more faith in God than faith in man.

In this way, one can grasp how the words of Goliath called out the Israelites – those who claimed to be God’s chosen people – by asking, “Are you not servants of Saul?” Saul was no more than a man, regardless of how strong he was in battle, or how ruthless he was when facing enemies. Saul, no matter what superhero title he had been bestowed, was no Samson, who slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass. Saul was not sent by God to save the Israelites. He was as self-promoted as any politician is today.

When Goliath then said to the Israelites drawn for battle, “Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me,” his call was for “ish” – “a man as an individual or a male person; a (good-, great, mighty) man,” as one “worthy.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

Goliath called for two in single combat, challenging the Israelite’s faith (as individuals) in their God. Goliath then said, “If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” That was testing the commitment to God the Israelites claimed. If they were indeed a nation of priests, then any true man would willingly accept that challenge, regardless of how superhuman Goliath was. At that point, there should have formed a line of Israelites willing to prove the power of God to Goliath and the Philistines; but, instead, there were none lining up. They all stood there and trembled – including the brothers of David, the sons of Jesse.

David was still the youngest son of Jesse, given the task of tending the flock. David had to make arrangements for another child to watch his father’s sheep, as “Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.” In this fractured reading, we read how David “went as Jesse had commanded him,” making it possible to think that Jesse saw some power in David, knowing Samuel had anointed him with oil as blessed. However, in some of the verses not read, it is written that Jesse sent David to the front line with loaves of bread and blocks of cheese, to give to his brothers and their commanders. Jesse wanted David to bring back word of how the battle was shaping up. This shows that not only were the men of war “dismayed and greatly afraid,” but the old men left behind were also dependent on the strength of their army, not the power of God.

The reader needs to be able to see the child that David was as reflective of their personal inner child, which is where the roots of faith take shape. David did as his father instructed him, as an obedient son. He did not go to the valley of Elah expecting to see a giant. When we read how David arrived and gave the food supplies to the men, “the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.”

David heard evil speaking and responded as a child who had been taught never to fear evil, because only God Almighty should deserve one’s fear. David responded as all the Israelites should have.

When we read, “David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine,”’ this is very similar to what Jesus said to his disciples after his arrest in Gethsemane. Jesus told them, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (John 14:1)

What David said to Saul was the words of a boy of pure innocence and complete faith in what religious lessons he had been taught. David was not a full-grown adult then, but he spoke as one who fully believed in God and whose heart was full of courage. David spoke as a child might today, after putting on a Halloween superhero costume … or even if a bath towel is penned to his shirt, like a cape, by his mother. David did not see the world through the tired, worried eyes of adult men.

Saul, on the other hand, represented (and David sensed it) weakness of heart. Prior to David’s volunteering before Saul (unread in this selection), Saul had offered great wealth, honor, and his daughter’s hand in marriage to any man who would kill Goliath. Offering things to someone who can keep one still living and still king over a nation of people, people who all fear giants (evil), is a sign of one’s heart failing.

After David proved his capabilities to Saul, telling him how, as a shepherd, he had rescued lambs from the mouths of lions and bears, ripping their mouths apart if they resisted him. Saul, seeing no other volunteers present, tried to convert this boy shepherd into a man soldier by placing his personal armor on the little boy that David was. For as brave as David was, and as physically fit his youth made him, his inability to walk under the weight of heavy armor shows that the human body surrounding young David’s soul was not an outward sign of the physical strength a soldier would need to have even a slim chance of defeating the giant Goliath.

By taking off the armor, David was refusing to be commanded by the King of Israel. Not long before clothing David in his armor, Saul had told David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” David then symbolically told Saul, “I will fight Goliath, but not on your terms.”

That removal of armor means David went to fight Goliath on the orders of God, not from a human king with a history of failing God and trembling with fear before a giant warrior. Seeing that inner call, realizing it was coming from the heart (and not a big brain), David went and gathered “five smooth stones from the wadi.” This is symbolism that should be noted, as no numbers appear in Scripture that is insignificant.

The translation of “wadi” can give the impression of dry gulch, one that is formed during the rainy season, but then becomes dry when the rains cease. This does depict a place where running water becomes the factor that makes stones smooth; but the Hebrew word written is “han-na-ḥal,” where the root word is “nachal,” meaning “brook.” By seeing a place that has constant water moving through it, whereby the stones are slowly rolled to smoothness, the symbolism of water becomes important to grasp.

I have written many times on these articles about the esoteric meaning of water, such that is relates to the emotions of human beings. Emotions are all heart-centered, running the full gamut of love, fear, hate, compassion, and all points felt in between. As such, for the Israelites who stood in fear of Goliath, a wadi makes good sense, as their emotions for God had run dry. However, for young David, whose faith never waned, he put his hands into the living waters of a brook, which states an experience that enhanced his faith (perhaps to superhero status?).

The number five has been analyzed by others, with the evidence of such analysis easily found in an Internet search for “five smooth stones of David.” One can be found here, published by the Grace in Torah website, which says, “Five is the number of strength and power as the fifth manifestation of the Holy Spirit. (Is. 11:2).” The author (K. Gallagher) also asks the question in that article, “Why did David choose five stones when it only took ONE stone to defeat the great giant?”

I do not believe that David was acting by any intellectual acumen that his short years of life had taught him (14 or 15?), as if five were the right amount of stones needed to kill a powerful enemy. While all thought as to the metaphor and symbolism of “Why five smooth stones?” can be argued and valid points made from many different angles, I sense the Ten Commandments plays a role in this case.

There were two tablets of stone brought down from the mountain by Moses. Five Commandments were on each tablet, which is again of symbolic meaning. Still, the holy tablets were to be placed within an ark, which was where God would reside and great power would be emitted. As a smooth stone has two smooth sides, the five stones taken by David represented ten sides (of smooth, flat, skip stones), which together acted as David placing the Covenant into his shepherd’s pouch, so that God would go before him into battle. None of the specific laws had any greater significance than the others; just as the Ark of the Covenant did not have high-energy powers because of the Laws written on tablets. The power came from the presence of God within the Ark. As such, David’s symbolic act (without forethought or plan), means he went to the brook to affirm his commitment to the Covenant, and thereby take with him the simple truth of having no fear. He went into battle with God by his side.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” (Psalm 23, KJV)

This song of David sings the glory of his stooping beside the quiet waters, when his soul was restored through the Spiritual baptism of the Holy Spirit. His table was set by the collection of five smooth stones. Adherence to the Law became more than lip service to an unseen deity. David became a reproduction of the Ark of the Covenant because he believed wholeheartedly in the LORD.

When we read, “David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground,” there was no looking into the bag, as if he needed to get one specific stone from the five. Any stone would become the hand of God. The symbolism of slinging, it sinking into the forehead, and Goliath then going into a prostrate position must be grasped as more than the scene of battle between a little guy and a huge behemoth.

The lasting effect of this history (believed or disbelieved) can be seen in the logical arguments over belief in God. The atheists are the giants who roar with the power of science and observational “facts” that challenge the faith of the ignorant masses, who know less about the rules of logic than they do about the tenets of their religion that confesses faith in YAHWEH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Israel. That big brained beast raises fear in those who are too lazy to have total faith in God; and, Goliath therefore represents the anti-religions that stand before the believers in the One God, seeking a one-on-one matchup that can prove Jesus was a better prophet than Mohammad (Islam versus Judeo-Christianity).

Goliath represents the monstrosity that is behind faith in a concept that God is not a deity that cares more for anyone, as it is simply a Universal Mind or a Superconsciousness, where reincarnation is a desired ideal, rather than an admission of failure. Goliath represents all forms of polytheism, where one needs a scorecard to calculate what are the characteristics of the Supreme Deity, versus the characteristics of those in subordinate positions.

Thus, the Valley of Elah is representative of where philosophical thoughts come to challenge those who say they believe in God and Jesus Christ.

The stone that then is slung is the argument that comes from the Christ Mind, through the Holy Spirit. While the story of David and Goliath tells of a physical encounter, where the least likely to win a battle wins, the symbolism is found repeated in the lessons of the Apostles, who slung stones of Scriptural meaning that sank into the foreheads of Jewish pilgrims in Jerusalem. Three thousand pilgrims became prostrate before the LORD on Pentecost, because the stones of truth sank into their foreheads.

It is the “superhero powers” of God that transforms disciples into Apostles and Saints. It is the Christ Mind that makes Galilean rubes speak the truth of Scripture in the tongues of places never been, in foreign languages never heard before. The slingshot becomes the Holy Spirit, which has been placed in the hands of an empowered devotee. The smooth stone slung are then the truth that is the wisdom of God, which comes complete with logical support that mutes the tongues of disbelievers. Words of truth sink into the foreheads of arguers, which is where conscious thought is seated.

When that truth has sunk into the big brains of giants who boldly boast of supremacy, with talk of destroying the people who claim to be chosen by God (the God of Israel), the bold talk immediately ceases. All offensive movement stops in its tracks. The truth dawns like the light at the end of the tunnel calling, “Come here you soul that challenges Me and let me show you more of this truth.”

The evil giants fall on their faces in fear of the One God, YAHWEH, in the same way that Muslims prostrate themselves before a lesser God, one who sends them out into the world to draw lines of battle and threaten to kill anyone who believes in the God of Israel. While standing erect they are embolden to speak against the Law that says, “Thou shall not kill [murder],” yet their leaders order the murders of many innocents, all because they fear a human being who wrote the word of Satan, while hidden in the darkness of a cave. Even the Jews, who tried to kill Jesus the shepherd are Goliath reincarnated, when they deny God’s promised Messiah has been delivered.

This reading does not include the beheading of Goliath, where David took Goliath’s sword and removed his head [which some Jews see as the circumcising of the “Palestine National Schlong.”] His falling prostrate on the ground says Goliath was still alive, alone with his thoughts of the true God, while asking himself, “What evil have I done!”

Goliath exposed the presence of God in Israel, even if it was only found in one young shepherd that day, one who wore no armor into battle. Instead of armor, he carried a man purse, while holding something like a bra.

David was like the rebirth of Gideon and his defeat of the Midianites, using an “army” of three hundred completely untrained men (Judges 6). That story also ended with the beheading of kings, which means the end of brains, whose thoughts leads humanity away from the truth of God. A beheading, after all, is only a temporary setback in the grand reincarnation scheme of things.

David is reflective of all the times when God has sent a Savior to the Israelites. David is a reflection of Jesus of Nazareth and all who have gone to the living waters and become the smooth stones of the LORD.

Twenty-two thousands soldiers were sent home because they were too many to defeat the Midianites. Three hundred were retained, who lapped the water of the brook like dogs.

As a reading selection on the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway, the questions one should ask himself or herself are: “Am I filled with the fear of the Israelites? Or, am I afraid only of not serving God?”

Ministry is not about standing on the field of battle with a leader who has failed God. In modern terms of American life, there have been no Presidents of the United States of America that have not been exactly like Saul, in his lack of faith. Our founding fathers were more subservient to the philosophies of Freemasonry than to the LORD. The problems America faces today are due to the “rights” written into the U.S. Constitution in 1776, which have been twisted and turned to meet the needs of an ever-changing nation that has always been filled with fears – fears of religious controls, fears of being disarmed, fears of injustice, fears of cruel and unusual punishment, and all the fears added then and later. Therefore, a minister of the Lord does not preach politics of fear in a house dedicated to God.

The element of young David’s faith should tell us that true ministry begins in the home, where the parents both serve God, and thereby serve God as ministers to their own children. David did not learn what he deeply believed by osmosis. The flock did not teach him how to be a shepherd. Jesse instilled the values of Israel within David, where Jesse was a priest in a nation supposedly of priests. Thus ministry to children needs to be one of many acts of service to God.

When our children are seen to represent the future, with the parents the present, the lack of ministry to children is the explanation as to why the future of Christianity looks so bleak. The Goliaths of evil are leading everywhere, in enemy nations and in subversive elements pretending to be American. Ministry calls for standing up to evil, just as David did, regardless of how many stand with knees knocking in fear.

It is easy to see a problem that is too big for one man to tackle, because inaction requires no effort beyond fear. The difficulty is being able to see just how easy true faith makes standing up to evil. It is as simple a matter as picking up the smooth stones of commitment and then running towards the evil with absolute faith that you are incapable of stopping the flow of God within you. Ministry is a leap of faith with eyes wide open and a smile generated by the awe of God working through you.

Blind eyes love to get lost in the fantasy of superheroes. They are the sleep of death that comes from being mortal, accepting one’s destiny of reincarnation, refusing to change that cycle and be reborn as Jesus Christ. This lesson cries, “Wake up!” It supports a Gospel reading that has Jesus ask his fearful disciples, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?”

1 Samuel, Language, Teaching

1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16 – Facing the challenges of ministry

January 18, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

On David’s return from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.

The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.

Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. David had success in all his undertakings; for the Lord was with him. When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.

——————————————————————————-

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 7. If chosen, this will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, June 24, 2018. This is important because it shows the bond between Apostles and Saints are like the love between David and Jonathan.

This is the second of two optional reading selections that place focus on David. This focus is after he defeated Goliath. It clearly portrays how the world loves a hero and David was the beloved hero of Israel.

This fractured reading skips over several elements of the story of young David, but tells how Saul became jealous of David’s popularity. Due to initial enamor with David, the demeanor of Saul changed as David grew into manhood. As such, Saul employed the philosophy that says, “Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.” Saul knew God was with David, knowing God was no longer in his heart; so Saul sensed that David would try to usurp his throne from him, having already demonstrated the powers he had with God as his ally.

When we read that David told King Saul, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite,” one skip in the story is how Saul refused to let David return to Jesse, keeping David in Jerusalem (1 Samuel 18:2). This means Saul took David as his son (a blood slave), which was one of the perks allowed a king, which Samuel had warned the Israelite elders about (1 Samuel 8:11). This royal “adoption” is then related to the statement, “the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.” Rather than being blood-brothers, David and Jonathan became Spiritual brothers, where a deep level of love connected the two.

It is vital to see how “Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt” was a statement of relationship on a brotherly love level. This should be grasped as the attraction the Holy Spirit brings to one who has married God in one’s heart. The love of God radiates outward and those who are seekers of the truth will automatically be drawn to that love, like moths to a flame.

As such, the love between David and Jonathan must be realized as the same love that came and surrounded all of the Apostles. That love was why the Epistles were written, as everything an Apostle has he or she gives freely to others in the name of Jesus Christ. This is then the relationship one has to the Church of Christ [not a denomination]. A Church is when all the souls of the members have been bound to Jesus Christ, baptized by the Holy Spirit.

More text is skipped over, so when we read, “The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul,” it might appear that Saul was made crazy by God. God, however, does not spread evil spirits around. That is Satan’s job, which he does quite well.

In this case, I believe this is a poor translation, based on the order of Hebrew words written. The literal actually states, “And it came to pass on the next day came spirit of gods [elohim] that adversity on Saul.” The use of the plural number “elohim,” as “gods” [lower case, and not accompanied by a capitalized Adonai, meaning “Lord of gods”] says that Saul had lost his love of God, so his heart was opened to lesser influences. Without God in Saul’s heart, doubts crept in; and those evil whispers brought adversity upon him, causing him to act in evil ways.

When we read, “he raved within his house,” the word translated as “he raved” (“way-yiṯ-nab-bê”) actually says Saul “prophesied” (from the root “naba”). The aspect of Saul “prophesying in his house” can be seen as Saul making predictions about his remaining time as king, where “his house” was the line of Saul, which then included David, his adopted son. To make those prophecies angry “ravings,” the implication has to be seen that Saul’s jealousies about David’s popularity were causing him to make self-fulfilling prophecies of his own demise. This says that Saul’s heart was not filled with God’s love, but rather the evils of worldly feelings.

The use of a spear to “pin David to the wall” can be seen as Saul’s personal claim to fame, as he was a warrior king. All he knew was warfare and the greed that came from a dependency on accolades and praises. What is not read, due to omission of text, was the popular song the Israelites would sing, where they credited Saul with killing thousands, but David with killing tens of thousands. Hearing that song of praise infuriated Saul.

To “pin David to the wall” would then be akin to killing David with a spear and mounting his head on the wall, as a trophy that would make the people sing about Saul killing the David of ten thousand kills. However, as David had God with him, he was able to avoid these attacks by Saul.

It is also important to see how the information, “David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day,” was a statement of David’s own abilities to prophesy. David, the writer of the Psalms [meaning Songs of Inspiration], would play his harp (lyre) as he composed songs of prophecy. While Saul “raved” due to the influence of lesser “gods,” David was truly inspired to write the Word of God in songs that the people would learn to sing and love. The Psalms of David passed on the love of God that he knew to the Israelites. The Psalms of David are the legacy of his ministry to the LORD. The people wanted more of this guidance; but Saul was fed up with the abilities David possessed and daily made known. For every note David played and every word sung from God, it only made Saul see how little ability to prophesy he had. His attempts only condemned himself.

The element of “twice” is only one translation that “pa-‘ă-mā-yim” can offer. The root Hebrew word, “paam,” primarily means “times.” Rather than “twice,” it can mean “annual, once, once more,” and “as usual.” While the symbolism of “two” shows the duality of Saul and David (where one was influenced by evil and the other was influenced by the divine Yahweh), it also says that David, due to God being with him, would always be “steps” ahead of anything Saul tried to do to harm him. Thus, this God-given ability for self-preservation David displayed would not be limited to “two times.”

And the spirits that made Saul rave in his house came to assist King Bush.

We then read, “So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army.” This says how Saul turned his attempts to kill David over to the enemies of Israel, where the Hebrew word “way·si·rê·hū” (root word “sur “) means “turned aside, departed” or “turned away.” Because Saul knew God was preventing him from harming David, he “removed” himself from that equation. Saul then planned on the spears, swords and arrows of Israel’s enemies to be aimed at David.

By making David a captain of a regiment or battalion (the equivalent in today’s military as the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel), David would march his soldiers out for training and patrols. If any uprisings needed to be quelled, David would successfully lead his men to victory. The Israelites of Jerusalem and the countryside loved seeing David leading soldiers, because they felt safe, knowing God was with him. The people knew that from all the successes David had militarily.

Keep in mind that David, by this time, would have barely been eighteen years of age. He was young, ruddy, and handsome; but he was the protector Israel needed. How the world loves a hero.

As a reading selection for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway, the righteousness of David must be seen as a model for oneself. One must be able to love others on a soul level, where each identifies the other as baptized by the Holy Spirit. Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, all who become reborn as Jesus Christ are brothers in his name [“Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.” – Genesis 5:2 ESV].

This love for other Apostles and Saints cannot be absent from one’s personal ministry for the LORD. One must become Spiritually magnetic, so one will find others who will enjoy one’s presence as much as one loves the presence of God in one’s heart. This means whenever two or more gather in the name of Jesus Christ, Jesus will be there in person. One must become a walking Church of Christ, seeking others who want to be adopted into the family of Christ.

When Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me” (Matthew 5:11), this is how David was able to avoid being mistreated by Saul. He was blessed by God’s presence within him. When one has received the Holy Spirit and the Mind of Christ, one will be able to become invisible when enemies try to harm one. If falsely arrested and imprisoned, then angels will shake the foundations of the jail, make shackles fall from one’s body, and set one free. If one is stoned to death in the street, one will ask God to forgive those who do not know the beauty of God’s presence within. When one ministers for God, one ceases worrying about what might happen, as one welcomes whatever God sends one to encounter.

The symbolism of David being made a captain of one thousand soldiers, this is the spread of the Holy Spirit to others, through one’s paths taken. Ministry is outside the walls of Jerusalem, not safe and sound in one’s mind (the flesh of a brain). One has to be a deacon that advises seekers on spiritual matters and explains Scripture so the eyes and ears of others will lead their hearts to open to the LORD.

If one is unable to do this, then one’s heart has hardened to God and Christ does not yet walk in union within one. A commitment must be made to reach this level of higher knowledge that the Christ Mind brings, or one will fall under the influence of the lesser gods and be led astray, as was Saul.

Job, Language, Teaching

Job 38:1-11 – Where were you when God was Creating?

January 18, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man,

I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone

when the morning stars sang together

and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

“Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb?—

when I made the clouds its garment,

and thick darkness its swaddling band,

and prescribed bounds for it,

and set bars and doors,

and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”

——————————————————————————–

This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 7. If chosen, this will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, June 24, 2018. This is important because it is God answering the moans and groans of a most righteous man, who had been afflicted by Satan without cause. God allowed that to prove to Satan that Job would not turn away from God due to his sufferings.

This reading is the first eleven verses of a lengthy monologue in response to Job’s prayers to God for an explanation as to what Job had done wrong, to deserve the affliction that befell his body. Job had wracked his brain trying to remember how he could have dishonored God, but could not do more than guess what had caused his plight. At no time did Job make false claims that the LORD had wrongfully brought harm upon Job. Now, in chapter 38, God begins to answer Job, and God will continue to talk for all but two verses of four chapters (125 verses in all).

To select ten verses here makes one focus on the magnitude of the Creation, which only God could achieve. One human being then becomes infinitesimally small in comparison. Still, for God to speak to Job from a storm of high winds, one knows that God had not forsaken Job, and Job had never once turned away from God. The love of God never waned as God was one with Job, throughout all his misery.

As an option to be chosen from two readings from 1 Samuel 17, where David and Saul are the characters of focus, Job shows how little faith Saul had in God, and how David was a model of Job. In a Sunday schedule after Pentecost, where the Gospel reading from Mark focus on a storm that threatened the disciples of Jesus, while he slept on the boat, the disciples moaned and groaned like Job, while Jesus responded like God, asking, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” The lessons all center on the patience of faith, which is why the lesson of Job is the patience he had, always maintaining deep faith and love of God, despite the storm that came upon his flesh.

In this Pentecost season (Ordinary Time), when one’s personal ministry should be underway, it becomes important to see just how small and insignificant oneself is, in the grand scheme of God’s plan. This is why one must die of self-ego and sacrifice all concept of “I,” because “I” will always begin to tremble and shake at the first sign of enormous troubles. When the “I” is removed and God sits upon the throne of one’s heart, there is nothing to fear but that of losing the love of God. Without the “I” limitations, one becomes as great as God.

This means the lesson here is to realize that power is within one’s being, so no matter how hard one’s time on earth might become, it is always a test of one’s patience, knowing Satan is the cause and even if death occurs, the soul will have gained eternal life in Heaven with God. Thus, one can only do what God leads one to do, knowing that if persecution or hardships are along that path, then it is for making one better for the experience.

In ministry to the LORD, Satan will set traps in all the places one least expects to find trouble.

He does that as a test of one’s faith. If Satan will test Jesus, he most certainly will test one who is working towards gaining the love of God and baptism by the Holy Spirit. We are always tested before we gain the right to be in the name of Jesus Christ. The span of forty days demands patience. Becoming a most righteous man or woman is not a sprint, but an endurance race, with twists and turns and hurdles. Faith is what always wins that race and gains one marriage to God.

If God can create the universe and set the earth’s foundation among the morning stars, then God can transform a disciple into an Apostle. God has the ability to change a mortal being’s soul into everlasting happiness, by joining the spirit of Jesus Christ with one’s soul. It will not happen when “I” thinks it should. It will only happen through a test of one’s faith.

#Job38111 #PatienceofJob #trapsofSatan

2 Corinthians, Language, Teaching

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 – In a day of salvation

January 18, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see– we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return– I speak as to children– open wide your hearts also.

——————————————————————————–

This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 7. This will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, June 24, 2018. This is important because Paul stated salvation comes when one has been filled with the Holy Spirit of God, becoming one with Christ.

When Paul begins this sixth chapter of his second epistle to the Christians of Corinth by stating, “not to accept the grace of God in vain,” this is after he concluded chapter five by saying Christians were the “ambassadors of God, through Christ.” This means the word “kenon,” translated as “vain,” means not to be Christian in “empty, foolish, false, pretentious, and hollow” ways. That means Paul was telling the Christians of Corinth that they were not graced by the presence of God, through Christ, for self-promotional reasons. The word “kenon,” therefore, means not to be fruitless. An Apostle of Christ, as Jesus Christ reborn, is a continuation of the living vine, for the purpose of bringing forth new fruit for God, through Christ.

As a way of supporting that urgent message, Paul then quoted the prophet Isaiah, who said, “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you.” (Isaiah 49:8, NIV) This different translation makes it more readily seen that “At an acceptable time” is when God finds one’s actions are “favorable” to Him. It should not be thought that this means when one is ready for God’s help, such that “at that acceptable time” all one needs to do is snap one’s fingers and God is there to serve, like some genie in a magic lamp. It is when God find favor in a servant, such as what makes one a prophet or saint. Thus, “I have listened to you” says one has said “favorable” things to the LORD in prayer.

The part of Isaiah’s prophetic verse that says, “on a day of salvation I have helped you,” then led Paul to proclaim, “now is the acceptable time” and “now is the day of salvation!” Both of those declarations were led by Paul saying, “idou” (form of “horaó”), or “Behold!” One cannot “see” the “time” or the “day of salvation,” but one has to be able to “discern” it and “perceive” it spiritually. One is capable of seeing in that manner when one has received the Christ Mind.

It is also to read “in a day” (“ū-ḇə-yō-wm”), where the article identifies “a day,” in the singular number. This singularity, as “a day” differs from “the day,” as that singularity implies only one day of all days. Because salvation is relevant at all times, not just some nebulous day somewhere in the future, “a day” represents many days when individuals are saved. That become “a day” when God has “helped you,” where the individuality becomes specific of all Christians, but more importantly to the individual “you,” the reader.

One must realize this “day of salvation” is that time when one switches from being a human with a soul carrying the guilt of sin through life to being an Apostle or Saint, whose soul has been cleansed by God’s Holy Spirit. This is how salvation occurs. It occurs “in a day” when life gains new meaning and not when one has reached the darkness of death (night). One cannot be saved without God’s breath of life (a soul) sacrificing the self (ego) for the Mind of Christ (Jesus Christ reborn). This can only be done during one’s human life, not after death.

This is then a reference to the seventh day of Creation, which God deemed holy and created the first priest to be sent to mankind, His Son of Man (Hebrew adam). The soul breathed into that bodily form was the same that would be within the Son of God (His only Son soul), Jesus Christ.

The seventh day of Creation was not followed by any other numbered says.

Because the first six days of Creation lasted the equivalent of billions of years (or more … however many human years science guestimates and more), the human sense of time means we are still in the seventh day of Creation at this moment. We are in the day that God sent religion to the world, which was quickly mutated into a multitude of false religions, which do nothing to lead one to a personal day of salvation. The seventh day represented the day religion was born into the world. However, only the One God (YWHW), the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of Jesus Christ, can offer mankind redemption. Salvation is then when one receives the Holy Spirit and transforms into the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In respect to this arrival of one’s soul “in the day” made holy by God (not Sunday or some 24-hour period), one becomes the servant of God for the remainder of one’s life. This is not an easy road to travel without the presence of God and Christ. When Paul wrote, “We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry,” a Saint does not ever try to block the sunlight of God from shining on His servants. The truth will always enlighten and enhance one’s commitment to God, with no Apostles ever casting shadows of doubt onto the faith of all.

The role of an Apostle, which has to be realized by all who have the reward of salvation, is then described by Paul. Here he wrote, “as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute.” All of these rays of light shone forth to the people of Creation, those still lurking in the sixth day without salvation, will be drawn to the goodness a Saint shows. Still, none of these accomplishments listed by Paul can be achieved by self-will or ego-driven desire to proclaim righteousness. One must be saved to display these characteristics of commitment, married to serve God.

For all that goodness shown, the world mostly rejects light exposing the sins of darkness. Thus, Paul wrote, “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see– we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

This level of persecution will break human will, making one grovel under the tortures and punishments of being righteous in an evil world. Being righteous is not for one to be rewarded with material comforts in this temporal life, but to receive everlasting life beyond this world. To reach that goal, again, shows the need for the Holy Spirit within one, so one can accept the punishment or escape, as God sees fit for one’s soul.

When we read that Paul wrote, “We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you,” this translation misses a double statement of “opening.” The literal Greek says, “The mouth of us has been opened to you, Corinthians; the heart of us has been expanded (or “opened wider”). This more clearly states that Paul and his companions did not visit Corinth and begin speaking from a big fleshy brain inside their skulls. The opening of the mouths, just as the opening of their hearts, means God spoke through them, sending God’s love from Saints to seekers. More than the power of words spoken by humans, the Corinthian Jews and Gentiles had their hearts and minds opened to receive holy words of explanation to questions posed.

When Paul then stated, “There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours,” this says the individuals do not always feel the need to have their day of salvation and reject deep feelings unfamiliar. Some will not desire salvation because the lack expectation. Paul, as all Apostles of Christ, can only answer the questions of seekers. They can only open their hearts and emit the truth and love of God. It is then up to the individual as to whether or not they will receive that Spirit of Christ.

To conclude this selected reading, Paul wrote, “In return– I speak as to children– open wide your hearts also.” This says Paul spoke (“mouth opened”) as the Father. All humanity represents the children of God; but, like Cain, all have the right to be the prodigal son and go his or her own way. An Apostle does not condemn rejection, but instead leaves the door to one’s heart open, for when the world has driven a lost soul back, in search of the seventh day. A seeker needs to desire to be made holy by the presence of God within one, because that soul-changing experience will last forevermore.

As an epistle selection for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway, Paul offers us a view of how the day of salvation was “now” then and is “now” today. It will be the seventh day of Creation for all times now and onward. Those who fall in love with God and become His brides, will be those whose lamps are faithfully kept lit, even the darkest hour of night.

Paul and his companions in Christ urged the Corinthians just as all readers subsequent, “[that] you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.” There were Jews in Corinth who knew God promised a Messiah, through the prophets, but they were wary to accept one, due to a preponderance of humans claiming to be the Savior. Paul urged them not to believe in Jesus as the Messiah vainly, as a false pretense of lip service belief.

The same urgent message applies today, where the religion of Christianity is in vain when led by false shepherds. Christianity today has become a mirror image of Israel, who sought not to be a nation of priests, led by God, but a nation of self-motivated souls hungering for the freedom to be like the slaves they were when in Egypt. American Christians want to be a nation of human souls likewise free to be slaves to sin, under leaders to say what the people want to hear. America is not a nation of priest who serve God, whose king is the rebirth of Jesus Christ within.

Christianity leads the same false life whenever it is not completely a collection of Saints, all in the name of Jesus Christ. A Church is whenever two or more gather in his name, because whenever that gathering takes place he will be there. Christians do not need fancy buildings, intricate organizations, or political agendas to serve God as His Son. Jesus Christ makes one a Christian because he becomes one’s Savior on one’s personal day of salvation.

The lesson today says true Christians cannot offer the day of salvation to anyone. They could only do the work that proved to God the deepest sincerity from within one’s heart and mind, to want to know God personally. That level of commitment, as shown in the work of Jacob for his true love Rachel, must be repeated so that God will respond like Laban to us, seeing the seeker’s work is acceptable and worthy of being given one’s day of salvation. As such, all Apostles must do the continued work that becomes fruitful, and produces new growth. This is how one speaks to seekers as children, opening one’s mouth by an expanded heart so others can receive the nutrients of righteousness that spurs their own personal shoot of growth.

Ministry to the LORD is all about placing one’s being as an example of goodness before others. Goodness will attract those who are seeking to be good, just as it will cause those who reject goodness (evil ones) to attack and persecute. These acts of persecution are what frighten away seekers, so a Saint has to depend on God and Christ to open one’s mouth so the truth will expose the evildoers for what they are. Even evildoers can discern the truth and feel an open heart can melt their anger away. A “fence-sitter” looks to the righteous to win battles of logic against those who boast how wayward Christianity has become. One cannot have that effect by pointing a finger of condemnation back as an evildoer, because that is a reflection of evil in oneself.

In ministry it is important to find those who have also entered in the day of salvation, just as Paul wrote letters to fellow Christians in cities he had visited. A Church has to be a gathering of Saints to support one another. It cannot be a clandestine effort, where one believes no one in the world is filled with the Holy Spirit. A Christian is not a spy sent out by God. There is not reason to keep the truth secret. By entering into ministry, God will lead one to other Saints and make one find the external support one needs to continue in service to God. If one ministers to one’s family, then the Church is that unit of faith.

Language, Mark, Teaching

Mark 4:35-41 – Let us go across to the other side

January 18, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

——————————————————————————–

This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Year B 2018. In the numbering system that lists each Sunday in an ordinal fashion, this Sunday is referred to as Proper 7. This will next be read aloud in church by a priest on Sunday, June 24, 2018. This is important because Jesus asked his closest associates in his ministry why their faith in God was so weak, because one of true faith fears only God.

When we read that “Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side” [of the Sea of Galilee], it becomes possible to interpret those words as meaning they departed at night. This is not the appropriate way to read, “When evening had come.”

In the Hebrew 24-hour day, there is an “evening” of “day” and an “evening” of night. The day “evening is between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. At 6:00 PM it becomes night, with the beginning of the “evening” watch. When spring and summer make the days longer than the nights, there is still light during the “evening” of night, usually until 8:00 or 9:00 PM.

Because the literal Greek text states, “And he says to them, on that day, evening having become,” the use of “hēmera,” or “day,” meaning, “the period from sunrise to sunset” [not shown in the translation above], we can safely assume the boats departed when there was still ample daylight would guide their boats.

When we read, “Other boats were with him,” this would have been other boats owned by the families of the disciples of Jesus, with several from the shores of the Sea of Galilee and fishermen with boats. Multiple boats being available meant many of Jesus’ followers were asked to go along with him to the other side. Those followers were not those of the crowd that was dismissed by Jesus.

We know this was the case, rather than simply “leaving the crowd behind,” because the Greek word “aphentes” is used, which means, “having dismissed” or “having sent away.” After the crowd had gone back to town, Jesus told his friends and family to follow him across the sea.

This sets the scene as Jesus and his followers riding in several boats from Capernaum to the shores where no town was. They set sail in daylight, with each boat captained by an experienced sailor, since Jesus had disciples and followers who were fishermen. This trip being placed in capable hands is why Jesus, who obviously was tired from preaching to the crowd, which (according to Mark’s Gospel) was his parable about the mustard seed and the kingdom of God.

That was not necessarily the sermon given by Jesus immediately before this story of the storm being calmed, as Matthew and Luke also tell of this story, with different events in Jesus’ ministry told prior, none of which has anything to do with the mustard seed. Matthew told of the mustard seed in his thirteenth chapter, with the calming of the storm in his eighth chapter. Luke told of the mustard seed in his thirteenth chapter, and also telling of the calming of the sea in his eighth chapter. Mark tells this story in his fourth chapter, with the mustard seed parable in chapter four too, just before the incident on the sea. This indicates a potential conflict to doubters.

One should not find fault with these differences, as Mark’s Gospel is the story of Simon Peter, who might have been present at the events remembered by Matthew and Luke, due to his being given special assignment or allowances to take care of his family. In this regard, Mark told of Jesus healing Peter’s mother in his first chapter, with Matthew remembering that event in his eighth chapter, while Luke recalled it in his fourth chapter. The consistencies support the truth of the event, while the inconsistencies require a spreadsheet to measure the chronology between the Gospel stories. The element of chronology demands faith to lead one to the correct answer about the differences.

When we read of a sudden storm coming up, this is a common weather pattern in many warm places on earth, especially those by lakes. This is called “afternoon and evening thunderstorms,” which can include high winds and dangerous conditions on the water. This sudden appearance over the sea says there were clear skies or mostly sunny skies when they left, but the rising water molecules from the lake gathered into a big black cloud and winds began to cause the water to get rough. Again, this is a dangerous time to be in a boat, but experienced boat captains know how to increase the potential of riding a storm out. They should not focus on the chances of the boat sinking and people drowning. As shaky as a sea captain’s legs might become, dangerous times are not when one should collapse and cry. One must depend on experience.

When we read, “They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”’ this is akin to waking Jesus up because someone has thrown in the towel and is calling for everyone to abandon ship. The literal Greek here translates to say, “Teacher, not is it concern to you that we perish?”

This says, in a way, “Teacher, we know you cannot be killed because God watches over you, so our little problem is not of a concern for you. However, we are about to perish because we cannot swim very well in rough waters [prior to life vest regulations on boats]. Could you help us out so that doesn’t happen?”

At this point, going back to the beginning becomes important, where it is written, “Let us go across to the other side.” That instruction comes into play as having a higher significance.

By Jesus being so deep in sleep that he did not realize the rough weather says he was away from his body spiritually. The word “katheudōn” translates as “sleeping,” but the word implies, “euphemistically, to be dead.” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon) This means “going to the other side” has the same symbolic meaning of leaving the physical world and going to the spiritual realm.

When my eyes opened to this possibility, I can see how the physical body of Jesus “was in the stern, asleep on the cushion,” but the soul of Jesus was probably standing by God’s side, watching his disciples handle the rough weather. This would be akin to how God watched Job be in anguish [Job being an optional reading that can accompany this Gospel selection]. It could be like a scene from a 60’s movie about the gods of Olympus, who stood around a pool that showed them what troubles were surrounding their hero children down on earth.

Zeus looking at Jason, from the 1963 movie “Jason and the Argonauts.”
Another guy on a boat.

Being at the stern, or the hinder part of the boat, then speaks metaphorically as being representative of Jesus not being at the forefront of the disciples. When Jesus is “asleep,” he is no longer the face of a movement. This then makes the whole experience act out as a prophecy of Jesus’ death and how strong the faith of his disciples would allow them to navigate the storms of life without Jesus. Jesus being in the stern makes his physical presence become more like the baggage of iconic memorabilia that would come later in Christianity. Asleep, Jesus was not alive within those disciples; therefore they responded with fear.

That acts as a prophecy of Peter denying Jesus three times before the cock’s crow. It acts as a prophecy of the disciples staying hidden in the upper room, so they would not be arrested. It acts as a prophecy that none of the disciples were close to the cross as Jesus hung dying. It was a prophecy of times when their fears meant they had no faith in God.

This ‘out of body’ state of Jesus explains how he could go to sleep and not be aroused by the violent rocking of the boat and its taking on water (“already being swamped”). When we read, “they woke him up,” where the verb “egeirousin” is used and means, “they awakened, they aroused, or they raised up,” the esoteric meaning says, “to arouse from the sleep of death, to recall the dead to life.” (Thayer’s Greek Lexicon)

This, where Jesus slept and Jesus woke, is symbolic and prophetic of his death and resurrection. However, more significantly, it is prophetic of how all of Jesus’ followers (assuming all the boats were equally in peril by the storm) would face a storm within their beings, where they would understand their selves (egos) were going to perish, but by calling upon the name of Jesus Christ they would be enabled to command nature to serve their needs.

The peace and calm that would come upon them all would represent the eternal tranquility of Heaven. The disciples would be saved by that command on Pentecost, when they were all suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit and were never again afraid.

By having this perspective, one can read, “[Jesus] was raised up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” and see the power that is raised within an Apostle. It is not the human being that is given amazing powers “that even the wind and the sea obey” one’s commands, but human servants totally committed to God through subservience to His will become human beings that have “raised up” powers of cleansing within their souls, having the powers of Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit of God upon them.

Anyone who proclaims to be “special,” in the sense that he or she claims to be in possession of powers like Jesus, is then a liar; known because such claims prove that one is still in possession of one’s self-ego, and therefore does not have Jesus Christ raised up within.

Such false teachers are often called “faith healers.” The Wikipedia article entitled “Faith healing” defines that as, “The practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice.” Usually, these performers do their acts of “faith healing” in auditoriums that pass a plate or basket around, seeking payment for such public displays of false shepherding. Many have taken their acts to TV channels. Some have asked people to lay their hands on the TV set to be healed. All expect to be rewarded for their services rendered.

Jesus seldom physically touched those whom he encountered that needed healing. Usually, he told them to act on faith and be healed, which they did. Therefore, “faith healing” is the faith within the one who needs healing, and not the passing of human energy from a theatrical actor to another actor, one posing as a cripple who needs to be healed.

In the picture above (Benny Hinn), which is just one of many so-called healing ministers that make quite a bit of money playing on the false beliefs of Christians, a real Apostle-Saint would stand before an auditorium of sick people (perhaps in a hospital or wounded veterans rehabilitation center) and ask loudly, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” If he were the rebirth of Jesus Christ, one should expect the same message spoken.

Based on the teachings of the Gospels, rarely does it say Jesus made a show out of laying on his hands on those in need. Certainly he healed many, but nothing says specifically he healed by the powers of touch. More often than touch, Jesus laid on with words. His words of truth drew believers who sought to touch the hem of his robe for healing.

Knowing that, a faith healer could then say to the faithful, “Go! Your faith has healed you!”

He could tell the cripples, “Pick up your mat and walk!”

He could tell them, “In the name of Jesus Christ walk!”

He could say, “Stretch out your hand!”

He could pick up some dirt and spit in it and rub a mudpack on the eyes of the blind and then tell them, “Wash in the local equivalent of the Pool of Siloam” (meaning “Sent”).”

He could command all demon spirits to, “Get out!”

He could reach out and touch those of skin diseases who come with faith and kneel before him, telling them, “Be clean!”

The point of faith being what brings “Peace!” and “Calm!” is that one ceases to be afraid in times of trouble. Having a physical ailment can be one’s time of trouble. Being born with a birth defect means a lifetime of having to deal with a shortcoming. Having a mental disorder brings about storms in one’s personality. It is fear that makes one captive to one’s troubles. It is fear that says, “God is not with me.”

**Frankenstein:** “You know I am a doctor of medical science. I can heal your hump.”
**Igor:** “What hump?”
**A new perspective on faith:** Faith is feeling healed, even if others see physical limitations surrounding you.

What many people fail to read from the miracles performed by Jesus told in the Gospels is that which is stated between the lines. Everyone of those who Jesus healed stayed healed. Not only did they not come up with a new ailment and get back into the crowd line so Jesus could heal them again, they became the first Apostles of Christ. They went out evangelizing the miracle of their own cures and knowing God had sent His Messiah to touch them spiritually.

Laying on of hands has to then mean passing on the Holy Spirit of God, which can only be given to those who love God deeply. Seekers are those who want to help others, but feel they are too afflicted to be allowed to help others. The healings of Jesus creating Apostles are stories not told, because none of the lepers, lame people, blind people, demon possessed people, withered hands people, bleeding excessively people, or even Lazarus who was dead for four days and stinking made news after their healings. None became a traveling sideshow snake oil salesman.

You do more good works privately than publicly. Good works may include some healing hands. I recommend this 1980 movie – The Resurrection, with Ellen Burstyn.

When this reading concludes with Mark writing, “And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” the “great awe” “they were filled with” is synonymous with the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit. To ask oneself, “Who is this?” states the knowledge that a human being cannot make the wind and sea obey commands. Only God can have that power; and the presence of God in human beings comes with the rebirth of His Son, Jesus Christ.

This is why the prayer of Eucharistic Rite II says:

“All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. ”

AMEN

As the Gospel selection for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway, the direct message here is of faith. Apostles are asked, “Do you only fear not having God in your heart?” and “Do you have true faith because you know that Jesus Christ has been raised in you?”

That is not knowledge another can tell you about. That is not a pretense from a desire. Knowing Jesus Christ will come again can only come by being Jesus Christ … now … because he has come again in the one who truly believes.

As a minister, the boats sailing on the sea, where many boats carried the ones who loved God and Jesus, the symbolism is being fishers of men. One does not catch men by setting nets in water, but by having the glow of sainthood about one and the powers to prophesy in one’s mouth.

All of the Holy Bible is prophecy, written in a holy language, sent by God to his Apostles and Saints. Every word of Hebrew and Greek has a broad scope of translation and interpretation, because they all come from the Mind of God. A minister to the LORD, having the Mind of Christ, is then able to understand all of the Holy Bible. Thus, a minister has the ability to prophesy the meaning of Scripture. This is the bait that catches men.

In ministry, one sets sail in the light of day, when the waters are calm. The light of Christ leads one, while the love of God keeps one even-keeled. Each Apostle-Saint is him or herself a boat, rather than a church being a building designed to look like a nave. The “bark of St. Peter” was not a papal yacht, nor is it a grand basilica. That “bark” (a small boat) was one man (Peter) who was filled with God’s Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Ministry is a daily routine, requiring hard labors and satisfying results, where the family and neighbors are at the forefront of our brains. Ministry is life that is a love of the work one does. Like in this story, ministry means Jesus is with one, in the boat, but he is sleeping at the stern. One does not nail Jesus to the bow (front) of one’s boat, as an act of boastful pride and ego. One does not make Jesus a figurehead.

Not even as a warrior king on a battleship.

One feels the safety of knowing that Jesus is with one, no matter what comes up. If a sudden storm arises, one does not fear death. One has already died of ego, so one’s soul has gained eternal happiness with God, through one’s loving devotion. That is faith.

A minister becomes an example of Christ in this world, without proclaiming special recognition. A minister shares with seekers and also seeks fellowship with other Apostles. A ministry never ceases to be in touch with God through prayer, for others, those we love and for self guidance. A ministry does not need to go out into the world proclaiming the Gospel, but a minister needs to be prepared for God to send the world to one who offers ministry freely.

A ministry is always about listening to the instruction of Jesus, as one of his disciples that listened when he said, “Let us go across to the other side.”

Ministry is so a soul can finish the trip of crossing over from this world into the Kingdom of God. Everything that happens from one shore to the other is happily and willingly done, with no barrier feared and with all faith that whatever happens is to benefit one’s soul.

#Jesuscommandedthewindandwater #Mark43541 #eveningofday #JasonandtheArgonautsmovie #fearofdeath #asleepatthesternoftheboat #Jesusasleepduringstormasea

Language, Matthew, Teaching

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 – Hidden from the wise and intelligent; revealed to newborns

January 12, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost includes a Gospel reading from the Book of Matthew. It will next be read aloud in the aisle of an Episcopalian church (and live-streamed on Facebook … audio quality uncertain) on July 5, 2020.

I will not be going to a local church because my last name does not match my time slot preference for going to church and I don’t want to sit amid all the fear that is going around these days (even with a mask on), because that stuff is contagious. So, I will instead play church at home and write my own sermon.

The Gospel reading (as translated by the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission) is as follows:

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,

‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

—————

Please excuse my lack of flowing robe and absent collar, as I come before you today in a t-shirt (probably with stains that cannot be washed clean) and pajama pants. I am but a common fellow, nothing special in the eyes of other human beings. There are so-called Christians who see me as worthy of contempt, because I never graduated from a seminary, have not been ordained by a diocese, and I have never been given one of those magic boxes of priesthood, from which all sermons must come. (My childish mind sees sermons coming out of the box, like cereal into a bowl; just add the latest news and stir).

My claim to priesthood dates back to shortly after September 11, 2001, when all hell broke loose. For some reason, God opened my eyes so I could see how to understand Nostradamus’ work entitled Les Propheties. Long story short, I have been seen ever since as evil, simply by trying to present Nostradamus as a ‘modern’ prophet of Jesus Christ.

This version now only available through Katrina Pearls Publishing.

The ones who love the name Nostradamus hate me because they hate the Church of Christianity (all versions). The ones who hate the name Nostradamus hate me because they refuse to accept anyone born after John of Patmos wrote Apokalypsis as being a prophet of Jesus Christ.

For me, it has been like the adage, “between a rock and a hard place.” Everyone loves to hate me, which is their right. I write it off as how Jesus said, “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22) Standing firm means being wedged in tight, between a rock and a hard place.

The only reason I bring any of this up is Nostradamus quoted from this Gospel reading from Matthew today. While not as clear cut as some have thought, it is obvious to many before and after me that a quote from Matthew 11 was written in Nostradamus’ “Letter of Preface” in his book. According to Edgar Leoni’s translation into English, he said Nostradamus wrote this:

“Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, that is, from the powerful and from kings, and hast revealed them to the small and the weak. And to the Prophets. By means of the Immortal God, and his good Angels, they received the spirit of prophecy, by which they see distant things and foresee future events.”

If you follow the link I provided, the quote is nine paragraphs down. However, I warn everyone not to believe the translation of Edgar Leoni, as everywhere he translated “and” Nostradamus wrote an ampersand [&]. Nostradamus only wrote the French word “Et” at the beginning about a dozen lines (out of 3800 lines); and, he began some ‘sentences’ [that which follows a period mark.] with a capitalized Et in his letters of explanation. The ampersand mark serves a higher purpose than translating simply as “and,” with a capitalized Et acting as a capitalized ampersand. [An ampersand denotes importance to follow. A capitalized Et says that line is most important to grasp.]

Everything about Les Propheties is purposeful, just as is everything written in Holy Scripture. In the Preface (also called the Letter to Cesar, Nostradamus’ infant son), Nostradamus would switch from his normal Old French and write in Latin. In the published editions of his earliest work, the font would also change, which made it clear, as if writing between the lines: “Hey people, this is Latin now.” Latin represented the language of the Holy Roman Church, at a time when the Church of Rome did not want people attempting to translate their Holy Language into some common language.

This says (symbolically) that when Nostradamus quoted from Holy Scripture, he wrote in what was accepted to be Holy Language. Edgar Leoni, in his all-English translation, had no way of letting his readers know that such a transition took place, as it became hidden text. Therefore, his readers were dependent on Edgar Leoni as being “wise and intelligent” about what Nostradamus wrote.

It really does not take being “wise and intelligent” to realize that Nostradamus knew (before publication of his first edition) Les Propheties was unwise and unintelligible, as far as giving the people what they wanted to hear. Prior to that book coming out, he had written and published Almanachs, which were yearly predictions that had been amazingly accurate, although written slightly metaphorical. They were written in cloaked verbiage, but aristocracy and commoner alike were “wise and intelligent” enough to make sense of what the implications were. Then, when Les Propheties came out, nobody could figure out what he meant with his poems.

That is precisely why he wrote in the Preface, “Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, that is, from the powerful and from kings, and hast revealed them to the small and the weak. And to the Prophets. By means of the Immortal God, and his good Angels, they received the spirit of prophecy, by which they see distant things and foresee future events.” Just like he said – being smart and a graduate from a university is not the way to figure out future matters, when only the Immortal God knows such things.

He has spoken through the Prophets, whom He told, “Don’t make it clear. Bury the meaning a little deeper child.”

Now, it has long been my contention that Nostradamus simply wrote what the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ dictated to him, as prophecy coming from God Almighty. Hence the title: The Prophecies. For Nostradamus to quote (paraphrase, actually, from Latin) something Jesus said, as to why his work was so difficult to interpret, his source (Jesus) needs to be understood. That means, it is imperative to understand why Jesus used his words in the first place. The wise and intelligent should know such things.

Not read today is the verse that says, “Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John [the Baptizer].” (Matthew 11:7b) Jesus called John a Prophet, who was God’s Messenger of God’s Messiah coming. (Matthew 11:9-10) Jesus then said:

“ From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.” (Matthew 11:12-13)

That is the lead in to Jesus asking, “To what will I compare this generation?”

Beware of sermons coming out of the box about that question. All generations of mankind are alike – before Jesus, during Jesus, and after Jesus. Jesus was not speaking about the violence of the world [as seen recently in the news – the additive of weak excuses used by hired ‘priests’], but the violence of the leaders of religions [like was the Temple of Jerusalem, like is the Vatican, like are all denominations of the religions deemed ‘Christian’]. Thus, “generations” (such as “Generation XYZ”) is not the focus here.

The Greek word “genea” means (among several things) “genealogy.” According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, the first definition of “genea” is: ” a begetting, birth, nativity.” That definition is why Jesus asked a rhetorical question, which he then answered by saying:

“It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another”.

Children are always “this generation,” as “this newborn” or “this infant.” Children are never those causing violence. They are just forced to have to live and learn from it.

When you understand that Jesus did not give a shit about Black Lives Matter or the typical use of violent force that allows criminals to run amok, while slamming old people to the ground (figuratively) for not wearing masks in public, then you realize that Jesus was talking about the violent force that causes such common negligence, brought about by poor excuses for religious leaders. They are as constant – past, present, and future – just as is the other shit that floats downstream in the sewage of human history.

The children sing to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”

Think about that for a moment.

Every Sunday in a Catholic-Methodist-Anglican-Episcopalian church is recited a Psalm of David (this Sunday it is a choice between 45 or 145, plus a Song of Solomon option). They are all either songs of praise to get up and dance to, or a song of lament to sob miserably to. Yet, these days zero emotion flows from the crowd when the words of a Psalm are read in unison.

Unless a ‘high church’ has a commissioned cantor to sing it in Hebrew, the Psalms all sound like cattle mooing in the field.

David wrote his songs via divine inspiration, feeling a need to express how necessary Israel’s relationship was with Yahweh – success and failures, joy and sorrow – songs of praise, songs of lament.

When David wrote with divine inspiration, he wrote what God knew must always be. “Always” includes these miserable times we suffer through now. We should all sob loudly when David points out what happens to those who turn away from God.

Tell me when was the last time you felt the inner child be touched by the songs of David (and son) while sitting in a pew in a church. Please don’t lie.

Jesus then told the crowd that had been born into the world and set before him on that day (that generation, as well as today’s generation) that John the Baptizer [a true Prophet and Messenger] was said to have a demon, by Temple leaders. And Jesus? According to the Temple elite, Jesus was said to be a glutton and drunkard, who hung out with sinners.

Raise your hand if you have heard your priest ever suggest you should hang out with sinners – looters, rioters, protesters, arsonists, assaulters, murderers, abortionists, perverts, haters, et al – because that was what Jesus did.

Jesus never hung out with any of those types of people.

Whenever sinners came in contact with Jesus, they were forever changed. They sinned no more. A Christian must be Jesus reborn, so the same affect on sinners always takes place.

Jesus then followed that recount of slander by saying, “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

Think about that for a moment.

The Greek word “sophia” translates as “wisdom,” but also as “insight, skill (human or divine), intelligence.” (Strong’s) It is rooted in the word that means “clarity” – saphēs, “clear.”

(HELPS Word-studies) This means the “clarity” of who John and Jesus were was beyond what the brains of the Temple could figure out. (AND that applies to all times – past, present, and future; so, today’s priests are yesterday’s priests* and yesterday’s Temple is today’s Church).

Clarity is then how one speaks clearly about that which is unclear. Wisdom is vindicated by the deeds of true knowledge, divine skill to interpret divine words, and intelligence that strikes a cord in one’s heart, not one’s brain.

Now the Episcopal Church Lectionary peeps skipped over verses 20-24, which the NASB gives the title: “The Unrepenting Cities.” That’s a good thing, given the news additive of late, of protests in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta and Chicago. Jesus said of little-bitty Capernaum, “I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” (Matthew 11:24)

Ouch! Makes me want to both dance and mourn, thinking about that future coming to unrepentant cities.

This brings us to the meat and potatoes of today’s Gospel reading, where Jesus said: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” Leoni has Nostradamus change “infants” (Greek word “nēpiois,” also meaning “a simple-minded or immature person; unlearned, unenlightened; child”) into “the small and the weak.” Same difference, if you ask me.

Now what on earth would make Jesus come right out and begin thanking his Father for hiding things? Could it be that he was thankful that he was not one of those people walking around looking smart, possessing degrees and certificates of knowledge in legal matters, but dumb as stumps about Spiritual matters?

[Remember Nicodemus? He was a leader of the Temple elite and he though being reborn meant re-entering his mother’s womb! Dumbass!]

Could Jesus be thanking God that his being called names by the Temple police [today’s Church people] because that did nothing to demean him; but instead, it condemned their sorry asses by the very words they spoke?

It means that simple-minded true Christians know more about what Scripture says than do those who get paid a lot of money to talk and write about it. It means immature me, with no training in what Nostradamus wrote, can know more about its meaning than all the “wise and intelligent” people with scholastic diplomas – who speak French fluently [like all the Old French in Nostradamus’ day did]!

The reason such infants can have such great insight was then explained by Jesus by his saying: “Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

That says that all the bad-mouthing about Jesus and John was the neon sign of warning [not a halo] hanging over the heads of idiots, those who wore fancy robes and hats and got paid a pretty penny for having ‘law degrees.’ In today’s world of ‘Christianity’ that translates as neon signs of warning [not halos] hanging over the heads of idiots who wear fancy robes and wear crosses of gold-plating, who get some pay with great benefits, to be community organizers, thinking that makes them ‘in the name of Jesus Christ.’ They are all part of that sum total Jesus thanked God about, who knew Jesus and who knew God: no one.

The only ones who know the Father are the ones the Son introduces them to, after they have been reborn children (a new generation) who can call the Father daddy, as the Son reborn.

Jesus then said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Beware of this also coming out of the sermon box and sprinkled with the moisture of social justification for sin. The “come to me” part means this is only applicable to those who really are in the name of Jesus Christ. That means pretenders do not count. They are part of the “no one.” [See above.]

The ones who are “weary and heavy-laden” are the ones who want to serve God as priests, but keep running into roadblock after roadblock [or rocks and hard places]. Those who sit comfortably in pews, who never get emotional when the Psalms are sung, they do not count as “weary and heavy-laden.” They, too, are part of the “no one.” [See above.]

The ones who are “weary and heavy-laden” are people like me, who have been shown by God that Nostradamus was a Prophet of Jesus Christ, who wrote a warning to all today’s unrepentant cities that Sodom and Gomorrah ain’t over yet, only to be outcast and spat upon. The same thing happens when I try to write about Scripture’s meaning, based on the same insight that came to me about how to read Nostradamus for understanding. Of course, any and all like me also qualify. I am not saying I am the only one; but, I sure feel like the last Northern White Rhino in the world (since my wife died).

When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me,” that means STOP LOOKING UP QUOTES FROM BONHOEFFER TO USE IN A SERMON! It says be reborn as Jesus Christ and let your Big Brain become like the brain of a simpleton, knowing nothing of value beyond what the Christ Mind reveals to you. Just let Jesus Christ do all your talking and you will never go wrong. As Jesus speaks through your mouth and you listen, then you learn from God the Father, through His Son.

When Jesus said, “for I am gentle and humble in heart,” this refers to those who are as “mild” as children and who are just as “lowly” in self-ego, always looking up to Jesus Christ for guidance. The first-person pronoun “I” means Jesus has been reborn into “infants” (newborns), whose old self-egos have died and been replaced by Jesus’ love and the Father’s protection. These are the “little ones” who play the flute and dance and sing dirges and mourn.

Jesus then added, “you will find rest for your souls.”

A soul is uneasy in a body of flesh that is always finding sin to wallow in, and then always feeling guilt afterwards (or worse – excitement about the opportunity for more sin to follow). Rest means a replenishing of eternal life with the cool, living waters of Jesus Christ being married to a soul. All souls will come back into new bodies of flesh, always facing yet another challenge to master in a new life, but always falling short … unless they realize the need to submit their souls to the Lord and be reborn as His Son. Rest is then the only escape from the wheel of the rat race in the cage of life on earth.

Finally, Jesus said, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

That means marriage to God, reborn as His Christ, becomes a weightless spirit that encircles one’s being. It means there is nothing hard about doing the Lord’s work, because all you have to do is sit and write or stand and speak as Jesus Christ dictates. Sure, the pagans might get restless and crucify the Messenger; but, that only means a release of a soul married to God to Heaven. And, that death will only happen when it is God’s Will. He likes to help us servants escape undue persecution from time to time.

Just to make sure that everyone is on the same page of meaning, let me be clear. Holy Scripture was not written in English. Holy Scripture was not written in a way that ordinary human beings can grasp its full meaning, especially hidden from those who possess extraordinary brains [with HUGE Self-egos]. Whereas Zen meditation is meant to have one reach a state of nirvana; when one thinks one is there, then one is not. Likewise, if one believes what someone else said about what Holy Scripture means, as if that is what it means, then one is not filled with the Holy Spirit and has no opinion worth talking about. Being filled with the school library is being “wise and intelligent.” Unfortunately, people not filled with the Holy Spirit have no business talking about Holy Scripture. The ones with the biggest brains are the ones to stay away from the most.

I’m not telling anyone what to believe. Holy Scripture is what you make of it. I’m just trying to let others know that sitting on a pew won’t get anyone to heaven. If you want to get to heaven, then think about it like wanting to get to Hawaii. If you want to get to Hawaii, you better learn to swim real well, or you best buy a ticket on some mode of transportation, because doing nothing more than thinking (wishing or believing) won’t make that dream come true.

Footnotes

Yesterday’s “priests” were called Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, scribes, High Priest of the Temple, and rabbis. Today’s “priests” are called vicars, rectors, ministers, pastors, professors, bishops, cardinals, or popes. All titles are dependent on what philosophy their organization thinks is better than another’s.

2 Samuel, Language, Teaching

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 – The Song of the Bow

January 6, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.

David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:

Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

Tell it not in Gath,

proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;

or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,

the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.

You mountains of Gilboa,

let there be no dew or rain upon you,

nor bounteous fields!

For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.

From the blood of the slain,

from the fat of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

nor the sword of Saul return empty.

Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!

In life and in death they were not divided;

they were swifter than eagles,

they were stronger than lions.

O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,

who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

How the mighty have fallen

in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

greatly beloved were you to me;

your love to me was wonderful,

passing the love of women.

How the mighty have fallen,

and the weapons of war perished!

——————–

This is the Track 1 optional Old Testament selection to be read on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 8], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. I wrote and posted much of what will follow, back in 2018. What I wrote then still applies, perhaps now even more. It is important because it tells how it does not matter how great one is or how great the strength of a nation is, because the mighty who are without God will fall.

This is a song written by David after he has learned of the deaths of Saul and his three sons, including his beloved “soul brother” Jonathan. When this is read in a vacuum, without the story that leads up to this song being realized, it can become confusing as to why David would write such a memorial.

It must be realized that Saul had unsuccessfully tried to kill David, letting him flee in hopes that Israel’s enemies would kill him. Rather than that happening, the promise made by Goliath (in his challenge that was eventually taken up by young David), “Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects,” (1 Samuel 17:8-9) that was ultimately kept by Achish king of Gath, who feared David.

David (in verse 1 here) was returning to Ziklag (a Philistine city given to him by Achish son of King Maok (of Gath). While he was away, the Amalekites (the equivalent of modern day Bedouin Arabians) had burned the city down and taken all the wives as their spoil. Two of David’s wives were in the number of those taken; so, David found them, and then defeated the Amalekites with his 600 soldiers that had followed him from Israel.

In this map, one can see how far apart David was from Saul when that happened. Saul was killed, along with his sons, in the battle of Mount Gilboa. The Philistines, including warriors from Gath, had surrounded Saul’s army; and, Saul sought out a medium, who put him in touch with the recently deceased Samuel. The ghost of Samuel said Saul would be with him soon. Thus, after Saul received word that all of his sons had fallen in battle, he committed suicide.

Supposedly, suicide would prevent the Philistines from desecrating his body, but the bodies of Saul and his three sons were beheaded and mutilated, then hung on the wall of a holy building in Beth Shan. Citizens of Jabesh Gilead, who were long supporters of Saul, heard of this desecration and traveled to remove the bodies so they could be burned and their bones given a proper burial.

News of this event reached David while he was in Ziklag, a Philistine town. Twice prior David had been sent by God to rescue Saul from battles, and Saul had given his word that he would not try to kill David. Still, David acted under the orders of the Philistine King of Gath, where David lived in exile for sixteen months. The news of Saul and Jonathan’s deaths came via an escaped Amalekite, who came upon Saul after he had “fallen on his sword;” but he reported that Saul had lived. Saul was then leaning on his spear, knowing he would die; so, he asked the Amalekite to kill him, which he did. The Amalekite then took Saul’s crown and a band from his arm to give to David in Ziklag. Because the Amalekite admitted killing Saul, David ordered him be put to death.

This history is important to realize, as it plays a role in understanding this song. By naming it Song of the Bow, the bow was the weapon of the archer, thus it was a weapon of war. Jonathan was known for his abilities with a bow, so the song must be seen as an ode to the man David loved, who had been lost in war. The song was to be taught to the people of Judah as a way of teaching the children, those who would grow into soldiers. The lesson of the song was for them not to ever become overconfident in their own personal strengths and talents, as war has a way of humbling even the greatest warriors.

The repeated refrain is “How the mighty have fallen!” That translation omits the Hebrew word “ḥā·lāl,” which says, “is killed” or “is slain,” and removes any question as if “fallen” can mean a simple fall that can be recovered from. The truth of the refrain says the mighty have been slain, thus they have fallen from power. They are no longer high and mighty.

This message would be one sung by new army recruits as they exercised their muscles. It would act as a reminder that war should always be a last resort and always with God on one’s side. If one then falls in battle, one’s soul will be better treated.

We also read that this poem of David was written into the Book of Jasher, where “jasher” means “upright,” while also having translations as “conscientious” and “proposal of peace.” In a way that is not intended, but applies to the meaning of “upright” as “being in a vertical position,” the dead are horizontal, while the living are “upright.” In this regard, the Book of Jasher would be a collection of songs and writings of memorable events in the history of war that told of the joys of victory and the agonies of defeat, written by those who were left standing after the battles were over.

The book then acts as a way to teach the lesson that history repeats, telling the stories of the ups and downs of life. It tells the lesson of just and unjust war. As such, it echoed what Jesus spoke to Peter, after he cut an arresting guard’s ear off: “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52)

This song takes the memory of Saul, who was no longer loved by the Israelite people, and paints him as strong and courageous, which was the truth in part. Still, even the strongest kings stand trembling in the face of a giant that is obviously undefeatable or insurmountable. Only those who know God has sent them to war have the confidence to overcome great odds.

The desecration of Saul’s body in defeat was erased from the record of David’s psalm. Jonathan was also seen in the glory of his past victories, not the desecration of his and his brothers’ bodies and the humiliation of their public display. David erased that image from the minds of all who would sing this song as a reminder that some wars must be fought. Those call upon the soldiers who are “swifter than eagles,” and “stronger than lions.” However, that alone is not enough.

When David sang to the Israelites, telling them to weep, and saying to remember how Saul had “clothed you with crimson, in luxury,” and had “put ornaments of gold on your apparel,” his death meant all that glory was lost. His greatness alone had brought the spoils of victory, but his defeat meant other victors would reap that reward. Therefore, “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!” meant Israel was then without a king and the spoils of the victor … the enemy left upright would be based on the results of that battle lost.

Scholars say that the Book of Jasher only appears here and in the Book of Joshua. It is not a verifiable Hebrew document, as it has no record that has survived. Its mention here comes when David was in Philistine Ziklag, as an ally to the Philistines. This leads me to see the purpose of such a book was to be one read by the enemies of Israel. The Israelites had their own record of God’s achievements through great men.

This would mean the Book of Upright Men was a document of Canaanite origin, so the non-Israelite people could remember there were more mighty warriors that had fallen against the Israelite YAHWEH, than there were victories against those whose leaders (like Saul) had forsaken their YAHWEH and depended on their personal might. This makes the Book of Jasher a book of praise and mourning for all who have gone to battle without YAHWEH on their side. Victories would only come when the Israelites had turned their backs to being YAHWEH elohim – the angels on earth in the bodies of men [and women], whose souls were married to YAHWEH.

David then sang, “Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; greatly beloved were you to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.” This is a tribute to Jonathan by David, where he expressed in words the soul connection the two young men felt between each other. The immediate “love” emanating from the “souls” of both males [David was still prepubescent, at ten-years of age when the two first met in Saul’s house] speaks of past lives together. Quite possibly David and Jonathan were the same souls as Adam and Eve, or Abram and Sarai, or Jacob and Rachel, as man and woman joined in human marriage [but barren because of their souls were both elohim]. The “love” between David and Jonathan is then stated to be “passing the love of women,” because Spiritual “love” [the “love of God”] is so much greater than a human union that longs to reproduce. In today’s perverse world, some would see this love between David and Jonathan as evidence of their sharing their bodies with one another in homosexual activity. This must not be read into this.

David was the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and his older brothers probably never spent quality time with David. They loved each other as family; but David might have been given responsibilities that kept him away from social contacts with other boys that were his age. When David first met Jonathan, he had just killed Goliath and was not yet a man. Jonathan and David connected as brothers who cared deeply for one another in normal, natural, and typical ways. Their friendship was purely platonic and the epitome of “best friends forever.” Each would have wives who met their sexual needs.

In this regard, one has to realize that David is pure in his actions to all people and totally led by Yahweh within. David was chosen by Yahweh and anointed by Samuel to be the replacement for Saul. That made David Yahweh’s chosen child, with Him knowing the heart and mind of all His servants. Because Moses commanded laws be memorized and obeyed, the law that says a priest of YAHWEH cannot be homosexual eliminates that possibility from David. The law states, “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13)

Let me address this law in terms of accepting that there is, has always been, and will always be homosexual human beings on earth. It is no different than any other sin that eliminates one from serving gods [lower forms of elohim that are demonic]. To serve Yahweh, one must show one’s devotion by abstaining from all sins, including all of a sexual nature; with the ability to withstand the urges of the flesh made possible by the Spirit – the Advocate Jesus promised his apostles – whose presence makes a soul in flesh become Holy, a Saint. Therefore, homosexuality falls into the category that includes all sins forbidden by law: murder, stealing, coveting, and anything else that sets a priest of the YAHWEH apart from the common riffraff of the world.

God chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as His children who would become His priests, because they practiced the ways of the righteous [assisted by the Spirit of divine marriage], more than an external religion that prepared them for fulfilling a holy purpose. The Egyptians were not chosen, for example. That was not a condemnation of Egyptians, but a statement that they were not prepared to serve only the One God.

In effect, by not choosing the Egyptians, God allowed them to be like everyone else in the world and do whatever they deemed good. The Laws of Moses are not for a government to order upon their citizens. The Israelites were chosen because they rejected the laws allowed under Egyptian rule, because those laws were against the laws of a priest to the One God. One can only voluntarily become a priest to YAHWEH, but that requires a marriage commitment – till death do you part.

Homosexuality might be deemed good by some cultures (even some subcultures in this world we live in today), but that disqualifies one from being a priest of YAHWEH. That refusal to marry Yahweh and submit to His Will absolutely disqualifies all souls who bow down to lesser gods, like self and self-addictions [of all kinds]. One cannot serve God when one has been put to death by the sin of male homosexuality, having the blood of that death upon the ego that would not bend to meet the needs of YAHWEH. In effect, sin is a state of selfishness and homosexuality is spurred by purely selfish desires.

As a potential reading for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway, the call is to not to think that oneself is almighty and thy will must be done. As David’s wish is to forever remember those who have fallen from the heights of power and rule, this song is named “the bow” or “the bowman, archer.” The lesson to be learned is how not to shoot arrows in defense of a nation that has become wayward, because without God’s blessing those arrows sent flying will come back upon oneself [where a “self” equals a “soul”].

The story behind this song of lament needs to be known so it can become a comparison to today. Israel had asked Samuel to arrange a king of their choice to lead them. Saul became the Israelite’s surrogate god. He became a mighty man and his sons became princes. The same national setting surrounds every nation in the world today. God is leading no one, because everyone stands and salutes a mighty man that is only as mighty as his body allows him [or her] to be, by avoiding the bullets and swords of the enemies that hate the high and mighty. To be an Israelite, devoted to the One God (Yahweh), one has to see how the government of our nation is trying to kill the religious, just as Saul tried to kill David.

To be in ministry today, in the modern setting of continual turmoil, where one nation is a house divided against itself, one needs to find safety by understanding the enemy. David found safety in Gath, one of the five Philistine cities. David lived among those who warred with Israel (just as the Palestinians do today in Gaza). The enemy is not the issue, as we are told:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

The issue is those who say they believe in Jesus Christ and say they love God, but then they become so high and mighty that they cannot live up to those words of promise. They shoot out Biblical arrows that condemn the world, but then fall on their own swords in fear of what the enemy will do to them, once the battle is lost and there are no more quotes to be thrown. America and Western Europe have set themselves up for defeat by kneeling before technology and the weaponry that makes a minimal size military seem adequate enough to appease their lesser gods. Borders are slack or non-existent, to the point that foreigners of all kinds regularly stream into the nations of the West. Meanwhile, the enemy has dressed themselves as Christian lambs that quote Jesus, turning his focus on love so it seems to the weak-minded that Jesus meant trusting evil ways in one’s midst can be good. Thus, the Western world is poised on Mount Gilboa for another surprising defeat.

“How the mighty have fallen!”

Ministry understands the messages of Jesus Christ and tells others the truth, which most do not want to hear. Jesus never said to live amongst your enemies. He never said to surrender the philosophy of the One God for the equal rights of all gods, good and bad. One loves an enemy by accepting that the world is full of enemies. One loves an enemy by not getting in an enemy’s face and calling the enemy evil. One loves an enemy by not living amongst one’s enemies, so the enemy has the freedom to hate you in abstentia.

As the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind,” one loves an enemy by not focusing on hating an enemy, which is the natural emotion held between enemies. America has fallen in love with its Saul (the Constitution), to a degree that it thinks one must prove it loves its enemy by letting its enemy inside the walls of the nation, even letting the enemy govern the land. A nation cannot serve two masters – Christianity, Capitalism, Socialism, Atheism, Science, Military Technology, et al (choose two?). The reason is, paraphrasing as Jesus stated, “for either the nation will hate the one master, and love the other; or else the nation will hold to the one master, and despise the other. America cannot serve God and all the wealth from which it has risen to great heights.

“O daughters of Christianity, weep over the Constitution, whose words clothed you with crimson, in luxury, whose promises put ornaments of gold on your apparel.” The illusion of freedom brought low-wage slaves to your shores, willing to live in squalor for the American Dream, while fighting its wars against all who would oppose that independence. America has been a nation of immigrants willing to kill or be killed in the name of good versus evil. God has rewarded Americans with the spoils of war. Now, we have seen the enemy and he is us.

Ministry today sees the hatred that permeates this nation. The enemy has been allowed to be among us and that presence causes hatred to spew out. If only we had a safe place to not be faced with our enemies; but there is none. Our neighbors have become our enemies, making it difficult to walk down a street without glares and whispers of contempt being made.

The nebulosity of the Law, which are akin to those brought in by Jezebel, now chokes the life out of the West’s love of God. We trusted in human leaders and elected officials to guide us to the right direction; but they failed us as we failed ourselves. Our governors are incapable of straightening out the messes they have made.

Ministry to Yahweh does not add fuel to the fire, but it does not ignore the fire that is already burning. People sense a grave danger ahead and they are seeking knowledge and reason to proceed. The answer can be seen in this song of lament. There is only one Master one can serve, and few have chosen the One God.

Ministry to Yahweh should be teaching the children this song of the bow, so they can prepare for the deaths that come from hero worship; but the lesson is long lost. It seems too lost for anyone to turn and face Yahweh at this late juncture, sacrificing all the things that freedom and equality bring.

The cry has gone out: “Make America great again!”

The enemies cry back: “Death to America!”

“How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!”

“How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”

And the ministers in pulpits sing their political songs of self-righteousness and the people all gladly sing along. “Everyone we hate is our enemy!” They sing, “If you do not think like us, then you are one of them!”

“Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war.” The bowmen have quivers filled with barbs of condemnation, poisoned-dipped with lines of Scripture, to be aimed at friend or foe alike. The lesson is it has happened before. We are to know it will happen again, unless we remember this Song of the Bow.

Language, Teaching, Wisdom of Solomon

Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 – Of life and death

January 6, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

[Yahweh] did not make death,

And he does not delight in the death of the living.

For he created all things so that they might exist;

the generative forces of the world are wholesome,

and there is no destructive poison in them,

and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.

For righteousness is immortal.

———-

[Yahweh] created us for incorruption,

and made us in the image of his own eternity,

but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,

and those who belong to his company experience it.

——————–

This is the Track 2 optional Old Testament selection that will be read aloud on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 8], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. It is important because it states the wisdom that says human beings – souls in bodies – are born for eternal life. If not for the lures of sin, everyone on earth would personally know Yahweh.

In the Hebrew text for this reading, a ‘double yod’ [or ‘two yuds’] is written [“י י”], which is said to be an abbreviated form of the name “Adonai,” also recognized as “HaShem.” The word “Adonay,” like “elohim,” is the plural number form of “adon,” such that the actual translation is as “lords.” As such, these words of wisdom can be questioned, as to whether or not they directly refer to Yahweh, or the lesser “lords” of the material world, who are under the control of His Spirit. By having this forewarning, one can read the following assessment with that extra insight. The following was originally posted for consumption [written by this author] in 2018. Only minor changes have been made to this, as everything written then still applies today.

It should be recognized that this reading selection comes from an Apocryphal book, which means it is a “Hidden” text that is not officially part of the Christian Bible. As a work that has been denied free access with those deemed most holy, without doubt, it has been scrutinized by scholars “after the fact,” searching for clues of authorship. As such, it has been determined that this is not a work written by King Solomon; and, it is not thought to have been written by only one human being. This focus on perceived flaws is not how one should address this book, and thus this reading.

The assumption that must be made is that Solomon, who as a child, loved Yahweh. Yahweh knew that Solomon had an “upright soul.” In a dream, before Solomon would assume control of the throne of Israel, Yahweh asked Solomon what assistance He could give this young man. Solomon asked for the gift of wisdom, in the sense that he wanted “understanding” and “discernment capabilities for good and evil,” so he could properly “judge” the way the Israelites should go, as they had been led by David. Solomon was granted that wish by Yahweh; but Solomon was never the author of any wisdom he spoke.

All true wisdom comes from Yahweh, flowing through one who is committed in their hearts to receive His thoughts. Therefore, the “Wisdom of Solomon” is from the same source, whether it flowed through a king of Israel, or a Prophet of YAHWEH, before or after the fall of Israel and Judah. It is the same flowing through Jesus and then the Apostles in his name, all as the Christs [Anointed ones] of Yahweh, who will always be tested in the wilderness.

Wisdom exceeds the bounds of knowledge that humans can master, as it accepts the unknown readily, understanding what had been hidden from sight. Experience becomes the foresight of the future, from a clarity generated by hindsight.

When this view is understood, Yahweh is known to be the author. With Him accepted as the author, the test of that authorship is the truth. Each line of prose or poetry must pass this test. Regardless of who wrote the words down on parchment, the truth they expose is the proof that the One God is the source of all wisdom and knowledge.

This selected reading consists of five verses, three from chapter one and two from chapter two. From two arcs on a circle, one circuit of thought is connected. The first verse (verse 13) states (literally): “that Adonai not tested death. not desire destruction of life.” The Episcopal Church shows, “God did not make death, And he does not delight in the death of the living.” The Hebrew text shows the presence of a period mark, making two separate, but relative statements. These boil down to: “Adonai does not test death” and “Adonai does not desire the destruction of life.”

This points out that God is the Creator, not a destroyer. God only makes “life” in the spiritual realm, with the material realm the opposite of “life,” as the absence of “life” is “death.” Neither a soul nor dead matter can ever be lost from Creation, although both can change states, simulating birth and death.

Samael, the Destroyer who sows destructive poison

God brought forth life into death, as a soul animating a body of flesh. Death is not the “destruction” of “life,” as a soul is eternal. However, the “test” of “death” is placed on the soul to be married to Yahweh and allow Him to be the “Lord” [“Adonai”] of “life” in “death,” so the soul can return to the realm of the living [Yahweh]. Thus a soul “not “ able to pass the “test” of the material realm, whose “lord” is self, influenced by Satan, will return to that realm after a body of flesh returns to matter, as “death.”

Transition is a state of change in life. The scientific-philosophical mind believes that since Creation there has been no new matter created and no original matter lost. All that was then is now and will be forever, with everything in between merely the natural states of change and transition. Therefore, the “death of the living” has nothing to do with the material universe, as it refers to souls.

In verse 14 we read, “For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them, and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.” This states that all things are designed to go through changes.

There are seasonal fluctuations, where growth and recession are natural. There are the global transitions, where tectonic plates move, volcanoes eject the inner earth onto the surface and sedimentary formations are from natural growth and rebirth cycles over ages. The temperature changes brings ice ages and global warming, where oceans rise and fall, and rivers, lakes, and streams go from dry to overflowing. All of this is normal life. What appears to be destructive is natural transformation.

The souls of human beings are given creation amid this flux, where changes from one body to the next are as natural as flowers blooming and then wilting away. Hell, which destroys souls, is not part of this world created by God.

When verse 15 then states, “For righteousness is immortal,” the purpose of life is to find righteousness. Righteousness is beyond wholesome. Righteousness is the creation of Yahweh’s Spirit within one who rejects the destructive poisons planted by Satan. Righteousness is the human soul’s choice to make, by choosing to serve Yahweh over Satan. The reward of righteousness is everlasting life in the Spiritual realm.

In the leap to the last two verses of chapter two, the King James Version shows “immortal” being the translation, rather than “incorruption.” As such, it is written in verse 23: “God created man to be immortal, and made him (man) to be an image of his own eternity.”

The plural pronoun “us” is “man,” such that it is written in Genesis, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,” (Genesis 1:26) where the LORD of lords (YHWH elohim), the God who made the gods (“In the beginning [YHWH] created gods [elohim] – Genesis 1:1) is the One God from which all Creation of souls (immortal souls and mortal with immortal souls) come.

More than being in the image of God by having a head, two arms and two legs – all attached to a trunk – the image of God (and gods) is that of the immortality of a soul. A soul cannot be corrupted by death. However, a body with a soul can be corrupted, leading the soul to pay for that corruption.

In the final verse of chapter two, which says, “but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his company experience it,” the corruption of a body with a soul is due to Satan’s envy of mankind. This verse tells of the division in Heaven between the “elohim” of the “gods.” Those of “his company” are the angels that rebelled against God’s command to serve mankind. These were cast within the earth, which makes them like Man, as eternal souls trapped in bodies. However, there is no release from those bodies as those souls are death.

“Throw upon him hurled and pointed stones, covering him with darkness; There shall he remain forever; cover his face, that he may not see the light. And in the great day of judgment let him be cast into the fire.” (1 Enoch 7-9)

As an optional reading for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry should be underway, this wisdom speaks of the lure away from eternal life and towards the trappings of the devil. It is the envy of Satan, brought on because God made Man as wholesome and immortal, that makes Satan thrive on misleading humankind away from its promise. As long as Man’s soul remains uncorrupted, Satan will continue to whisper, “God will still take you in Heaven if you only do this sin. God is forgiving.”

That lure is heard because one has not sacrificed the self for the protection of Jesus Christ within one’s soul. A human soul is too wholesome to not be tricked without that care from the Holy Spirit, which can only come from a total commitment to God (marriage). This is the lesson from Genesis, of Eve being deceived by the serpent and Adam following along. Their human forms with eternal souls were separate from God’s presence.

Ministry means having made that sacrifice, so one speaks from knowledge of faith and can guide others to the same protection and reward of eternal life with God. Ministry means opening the eyes and the ears of human bodies holding souls, so they can know the truth. Ministry means speaking the Wisdom of Solomon. Otherwise, the lies of Satan will lead soul after soul to corruption.

———-

Note:

The Hebrew website Sefaria translates to English this reading as such:

13 For ye have not chosen death. And did not desire the loss of life:

14 To set them up for ever, and the peace of the people of the land is in their hand. The wrath of doom is not among them, and Saul is not in the dust of

his power:

15 For righteousness shall not die. And the wickedness of death:

23 For he created man to revive him eternal life. And he shall make it in his image after the likeness of it;

24 And in the envy of the devil death rose up in the world. And who in his destiny will be supported:

2 Corinthians, Language, Teaching

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 – A marriage that makes Jesus one’s Lord, as Anointed by resurrection within

January 6, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

As you excel in everything– in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you– so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something– now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has– not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,

“The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.”

——————–

This is the Epistle selection to be read aloud on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 8], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This evaluation was originally written and posted in 2018, with some small modifications made, so it is represented as still a viable interpretation of this reading. It is important because Paul delves into the benefits of having received the Holy Spirit and become one with Jesus Christ.

In verse 7, the Greek word translated as “you excel” is “perisseuete.” The root verb, “perisseuó,” more readily states, “I exceed the ordinary (the necessary), abound, overflow; am left over.” This makes “excel” an acceptable substitute. However, “excel” can be read as a form of personal achievement, brought about by natural talents and a devotion to perfect one’s mastering of some desired action; and, such personal achievement cannot be read into this word penned by Paul.

To read the intent as Paul stating to the Christians of Corinth as him stating, “You exceed the ordinary in everything,” the explanation is then the gifts that have been allowed them all by Yahweh. The level of “excellence” Paul knew the Corinthians displayed was the same as that coming from the talents that Yahweh gives to all His wives – souls married to Him, having received His Spirit. Therefore, he could list them specifically as 1.) Faith; 2.) Speech; 3.) Knowledge; and 4.) Eagerness (as far as this translation allows one to see).

In the Greek written, the end of this list states, “and in the (ones) , from us to you , love , that also , in this the grace , you should abound”. The presence of marks of pause and reflection (commas) then makes it possible to add to the list: 5.) A brotherhood of Saints; 6.) God’s love; and 7.) The gift of the presence of Jesus Christ.

The Greek word written, “chariti” (like “charity”), means “grace, favor, kindness,” where its use in the New Testament implied such “grace” “as a gift or blessing brought to man by Jesus Christ, (b) favor, (c) gratitude, thanks, (d) a favor, kindness.” It is this “grace” or “favor” that binds one Apostle to all Apostles in the brotherhood of Jesus Christ, where all Apostles (males and females He made them) are reborn Sons of God. The unity that binds is God’s love. This union is not from practice, desire, or aptitude that is achieved through personal will, as it is only possible as a gift of God. This list of Paul is, therefore, the rewards of one’s soul being married to God through the cleansing of the His Spirit, all of which is gained after the dowry of marriage has been paid in full –the sacrifice of one’s self will in obedience and submission to Yahweh’s Will.

This then says the verse begins by actually stating, “the exception just as upon all you exceed the ordinary.” This says a wife of Yahweh becomes extraordinary through marriage, having gone beyond the normal human existence that begins with true faith [“pistei”]. This word in Greek means “belief” in the ordinary, but “faith” in the extraordinary. The truth about “faith” – a stand-alone word statement – is it can only come from personal experience, whereas “belief” is acceptance of external conditions. Thus, the extraordinary is the presence of Yahweh’s Spirit within one’s being – merged with one’s soul – so one knows Yahweh personally; and, it is that direct relationship that brings about all the acts of “faith” that require Yahweh’s assistance.

The next verse does not state that Paul was “testing the genuineness of your love against the eagerness of others.” Instead, Paul wrote from afar, with the personal experience of a true Christian. This means he admitted he was not commanding anything of the Corinthians, but simply stating some facts that become apparent through the Mind of Christ. This Mind knew the “eagerness” of all Apostles to please God. As such, Paul was stating how he knew this love of God within the Christians of Corinth would prove itself as genuine, through their acceptance of new disciples, just as Paul had accepted them. Less than a “testing” by Paul, the presence of Jesus Christ within the Corinthians would be “proving the genuineness of their love” to others.

This verse (8) begins with a capitalized “Ou,” which elevates the meaning of “No” or “Not” to a divine level of meaning. This says marriage to Yahweh is “Not according to a command.” Paul knew what being a wife of Yahweh meant, as he wrote “I speak,” knowing his words were “Not” from “instruction” commanded by Yahweh. The speech of “others” was demonstrating the same “enthusiasm” Paul felt, so rather than being commanded to speak, all desired to speak. What they had come to know was beyond keeping to themselves. That led Paul to point out the “love” that draws a soul to marry Yahweh, as well as His love being returned. The “love of God” is not everchanging, like is human emotions. It is constant and never ceasing.

Paul then stated in verse nine, “You know indeed the grace of the Lord of us Jesus Christ,” which stated the Christians of Corinth, just like the Christian Paul and his Apostle companions, knew the presence of Jesus Christ was one with their beings. This knowledge was due to “the favor ” (“charin”) Jesus Christ brought them as their personal “Lord.” That presence is sent upon all of Yahweh’s lovers in marriage, because He will accept no less than perfection in His brides (males and females He marries His brides). That presence of Jesus Christ as the Lord of an Apostle is “for the sake of them,” due to their human actions of devotion and commitment to God.

Here, it is vital to see the capitalization of three words, in a series of four words. All capitalized words become divinely elevated in meaning. This means titles evaporate and become the truth that leads to the title or name. The capitalization of “Lord” must be seen separately from all other words, due to the capitalization of “Kyrie.” This takes the word that means “lord, master, or sir,” which points to someone external to oneself, and places the meaning of “Lord” to the Spirit of Yahweh that leads one’s personal life. When once a body of flesh ruled over a soul [brain-led], the “Lord” has become Yahweh’s Spirit.

This then leads one to see the name “Jesus,” which becomes the “name of Yahweh” that is the “Lord” of one’s being. The name “Jesus” is elevated in meaning to that which says “Yah[weh] Will Save.” This then says Yahweh will save one’s soul by resurrecting the soul of His Son Jesus within, merged with one’s own soul of life. While Jesus was accepted to have been “the Christ,” when a soul is married to Yahweh and received His Spirit in the name of “Jesus,” then that one has likewise become an “Anointed one,” as a new “Christ” reborn.

Between the capitalized word “Lord” and the capitalized word “Jesus” is the lower-case word “hēmōn,” which translates as “of us” or “our.” The contraction of “us” or “our” strips away the realization that “hēmōn” is a first person plural genitive form of “egó,” which is a statement of being. That means “us” and “our” is a reduction from stating “ourselves,” where the word “self” means a “soul. As such, the four words can and should be seen as Paul stating, the “Lord of our souls is Jesus as our Anointment.”

When we read the translation above that says, “That though [Jesus Christ] was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,” the meaning is an Apostle, as a human being, is impoverished by sin. To cleanse a soul of sin, one must sacrifice the self-ego, which then leaves a human body with a soul that has an Advocate forever after present within, to enrich the person and keep it from returning to the poverty of a worldly domain. The illusion of riches from the world have been turned aside, placing one into a vow of material poverty, choosing Spiritual wealth. This is the dowry a human being must make in order to accept the proposal of marriage with God. Therefore, when one has become poor in worldly lusts, then one has become the resurrections of Jesus, as a Christ reborn of flesh. Therein comes the richness of the heavenly, entering the soul of the cleansed.

When Paul then finished this thought by writing, “so that by [Jesus Christ’s] poverty you might become rich,” this says that the resurrection of Jesus’ soul with one’s own soul makes one a Christ reborn. Jesus is the new “Lord” or King within one’s being [a nation or tabernacle], so one can “become rich.” These riches are not measured in material means, but in Spiritual gifts: faith, speech, knowledge, eagerness, brotherhood, love, and the presence of Jesus and the Christ as one’s new identity.

Still, Paul added his advice to the Corinthians, about this presence of Jesus and the Christ within, and how their vows of poverty could be “profitable for you” (“hymin sympherei”). The translation above – “for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something” – misses the point Paul made about “thelein.” That is a direct statement about the sacrifice made “a year ago,” which was that of personal “will, wish, desire, intend, and design.” Instead of Paul referencing the Corinthians’ “desire to do something,” as if he made a suggestion to rekindle their personal egos, he instead advised they “now finish doing it.” The Greek word written, “epitelesate,” means Paul recommended the Corinthians “complete, accomplish, and/or perfect” their submission to God’s Will.

Paul then explained this “completion” by writing, “so even as there was readiness to the will [of Yahweh to submit to], so also is the [readiness] to complete.” He then continued by saying, “if indeed the readiness is present, as if he might have acceptable, not as not he does not have.” The translation above says this as, “For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has– not according to what one does not have.”

The meaning is to submit completely to the Will of God, without question and without any personal desire for more gifts of God, seemingly brought on by the eagerness to serve God. In essence, this states a personal quest to be ranking higher among the men of God. A total commitment does not keep up with what other talents other Apostles possess. A total commitment to God releases all personal desires and accepts what God allows.

The translation above that states, “I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you,” the focus is on one feeling pains by not being able to help another, due to the limitations of Yahweh’s gifts bestowed. An Apostle is still feeling personal ego pains when they feel such pressure to perform as self, rather than as Jesus reborn. The literal statement coming from the Greek words written by Paul say, “not indeed to others ease, but for you affliction; but of equality,” where “isotētos” means, “equality, equality of treatment, and fairness.” One still bearing the weight of self-ego is equal to the one who has yet to sacrifice his or hers, such that one is attracted to another for the purpose of seeing one’s shortcomings before God, more than being able to see one’s self has become a hand of God on the earth.

This makes the advice of Paul to the Corinthians to be a recommendation to further their commitment to Yahweh, rather than as a way to see the inequalities among the Apostles as a measurement of one’s piety before Him. One must thank Yahweh for all His generosities and see His equal treatment of all His wives (males and females He takes human wives). Anything less than seeing this means more self-sacrifice is required.

This is the purpose behind Paul writing, as translated above, “it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.” This is then based on “the present time” (“en tō nyn”) of the epistle’s writing, which is always the “time” of relevance, where one’s personal “abundance” from God, to meet the needs of others, is always relative to the needs of others being to a reflection of one’s own needs. As such, the equality exposed is in how one retains the sins of the world, rather than release them through completion of sacrifice.

The issue of equality is then found in Paul quoting from Exodus 16:18, stating, “The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” This is relative to the gathering of manna that was sent by God and the instructions given to the Israelites by Moses. This quote by Paul is then reference to the surrounding story in Exodus 16, where we read:

“Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

“The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.”

“Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

“However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.” (Exodus 16:15b-20)

This then becomes applicable to the talents and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as sent to God’s wives just as God sent manna to the Israelites. It also relates comparatively to the demands of the Passover, where the lamb was to be totally consumed, with nothing kept over in the morning. It says that which Yahweh gives is for His work being done, not up to the discretion of the recipient of His gifts. Thus, like the parable of the wicked servant who buried the talent given him, talents given by Yahweh are like manna from heaven so His wives are well-nourished and enabled to serve Him.

Paul was recommending that the Apostles in Corinth see the value of being given the food of Yahweh, through His High Priest Jesus, such that nothing being left over means Jesus will lead one to go all out for Yahweh. Just as manna was sent to be gathered in portions and measurements that equated to that needed by those who would be fed by it [one faithful servant was given five minas, another two], Yahweh [the Master] knows how much one needs each day. All that comes through the Spirit and is meant to be used. None can be wasted. The only waste is found in those who still retain self-ego and seek more than needed.

As an epistle selection for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry for God should be underway, this tells one the talents one should already possess. That must be faith that peaks from personal experience of marriage to Yahweh, feeling the presence of His Spirit and the resurrection of Jesus, making one be another Son of man – a new Christ. That must be the ability to speak in tongues and explain holy Scripture fluently. That must be the knowledge that comes from the Christ Mind, with the eagerness to serve God as Jesus reborn within one’s soul. That must make one realize a need for a brotherhood of Saints [all like the Corinthians, males and females transformed into Jesus, so all are brother in Christ – elohim] in a true Church of Christ; all are the resurrection of Jesus within. This reading says true Christians possess the love of God that confesses one’s soul has been married to God via the Spirit, made Sacred and Set apart by God as Holy. This part of Paul’s letter says the favor coming from having become Jesus reborn from above is for one to enter ministry and bring others to marry Yahweh, just as Jesus did countless times. Those characteristics define all ministers of God, which deems them Apostles and Saints.

Still, this message tells all who have submitted to the Will of God not to retain even the slightest sense of self-worth, as all value one has comes from God. It is not up to oneself to determine what one needs in order to serve others. One serves God, not others; so God will send you what you need and no more. This means a new minister for God still needs to search one’s soul for how one can give more to serve God.

In a ministry for the LORD, one will attract those who one should feed. The nourishment Yahweh gives is the Word of Scripture, explained by Jesus becoming one with one’s soul. The Scriptures then act as the body of Christ and is the manna from Heaven. One gathers what is needed daily, with the day before the Sabbath being the only time more than one’s day’s food is necessary to gather. A minister to Yahweh feeds those sent to him or her the meaning of His Word, until those others are matured and can gather their own manna from Heaven.

A minister sees equality in the sins of the world, not in the talents of the Holy Spirit. This means one cannot pass judgment on sinners, as one is also a sinner without being married to Yahweh. Therefore, all who profess to point out sinners in the name of Jesus are those who have gathered too much, with their words full of maggot and stinking to high hell.

A minister for Yahweh sees the sins of the world reflected upon his or herself. That sin is not to be condemned or one condemns one’s marriage to God and the rebirth of Jesus within. One forgives the sins of others by repentance before God and Christ. This makes ministry for Yahweh the service of caring for other Apostles, so they do not mistakenly judge others wrongly.

Language, Mark, Teaching

Mark 5:21-43 – Do not fear, only believe

January 6, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” So he went with him.

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

——————–

This is the Gospel selection that will be read aloud on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 8], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This analysis was written and made public by this author in 2018. It is presented again with minor adjustments, as the same meaning then still exists today. This Gospel reading is important because it tells how faith is the power that heals, in more ways than one.

In this Gospel reading selection there are two healings. One is planned and one seems accidental. One is the daughter of a named man, Jairus, and the other is an unnamed woman. One character is a leader of the synagogue, while the other is a follower in the crowd. This contrast shows that faith is the common denominator linking both healings, not one’s position or standing in the world.

In other readings prior, the stories have mentioned Jesus traveling by boat across the Sea of Galilee. We read here that “Jesus had crossed again,” which means “the other side” was across from Capernaum. While it does not state the day of the week this travel by boat occurred, it becomes likely that Jesus, as a rabbi or teacher, set up his synagogue to be not a building, but the grassy land by the sea. This would accommodate Sabbath services, without conflict, if Jesus welcomed gatherings regularly when travel was permitted. In an open space Jesus could teach the meaning of the written text (from divine memory) and address the meaning with the crowd of Jewish followers, who would not be intimidated to speak by Pharisees and envoys of the Temple.

Notice the anchol symbols. Those were Roman funded docks.

By looking at this map above, which lists the places of harbors and anchorages of ancient Roman times, and realizing the need for a harbor to dock a large fishing boat of the type in which Jesus traveled, one can then see how Jesus chose a site of meeting that was not in Galilee. In the map above, one sees the land along the sea was in Gaulantios or Gaulanitis. That land was under the tetrarchy of Philip (Herod Philip II), the half-brother of Herod Antipas, who ruled Galilee and Perea. Samaria and Judea (to the south) were under the governorship of Pilate. Further to the south where Jesus sailed, Hippos was one of the ten autonomous cities in the region known as Decapolis. This means Jesus sought a place that was not where the Romans were openly persecuting the Jews and where the Temple in Jerusalem had little influence.

The element of Jewish cities can be seen in the listing of Bethsaida, Capernaum, and Magdala as places where synagogues would have naturally been. This map below shows how Bethsaida becomes the likeliest place from where Jairus would have been a leader of a synagogue. The crowd of people would have known where Jesus would preach, so they would have left from Capernaum, traveling through Bethsaida, where others would join the trek. The distance from Capernaum to Bethsaida is about 6 miles, and it was about that much distance from Bethsaida to the place of meeting (near a harbor). These distances would indicate Jesus met to preach on days other than the Sabbath, which could indicate Sunday sermons; and Jairus could have easily made it there in time to bring Jesus back quickly (within 4 hours total).

When we read that Jairus was “a leader of the synagogue,” it is important to know what that means. According to the meaning associated with the Greek word “archisynagōgōn” (“rulers of synagogue,” in the plural number), Thayer’s Greek Lexicon says of “archisunagógos”, “It was his duty to select the readers or teachers in the synagogue, to examine the discourses of the public speakers, and to see that all things were done with decency and in accordance with ancestral usage.” This means that Jairus had previously chosen Jesus as the teacher for Sabbath service.

Because we know that Simon-Peter, his brother Andrew, and Philip were disciples of Jesus from Bethsaida, it makes sense that Jairus was an elder of their synagogue. Jairus knew the healing power of Jesus from having witnessed it, perhaps when Jesus told the man with a withered hand to “stretch out your hand.” It is even possible that Jarius was the leader of the synagogue (which could have been in Bethsaida, after Jesus went to Capernaum) who had an unclean spirit that Jesus cast out. Either way or another way, this would explain how Jairus knew where to go find Jesus when his focus was on the health of his daughter.

It is also important to know the meaning of the name Jairus, as named characters in the Gospels are not to have their name’s meaning overlooked. According to the Abarim Publications website, “Jairus” means: “He Enlightens, One Giving Light, He Will Diffuse Light, He Will Enlighten.” This meaning can imply “Jehovah Enlightens,” although there is nothing in the lettering of the name that states “Jehovah.” The name’s meaning is rooted in the Hebrew verb “jair” (אור), which means, “To be light, to give light, to shine.”

This name meaning should then be applied to the character of Jairus, as it shows he was a man who appreciated the truth of the sacred Hebrew texts and sought to shine the light of that truth onto the members of the synagogue he oversaw. He, therefore, recognized the truth and light that Jesus brought into the world, which led him to believe in Jesus as having been sent from God. Such faith would not come without some direct contact with Jesus prior, which affected him personally. Because Jairus sought out Jesus at a time of utmost need, one should assume that Jesus and Jairus had reached a good relationship of trust.

When we read how Jairus came to Jesus and “fell at his feet and begged him repeatedly, the Greek text leads to this act by Jarius by saying, “kai idōn auton,“ which simply states, “and having seen him.” By realizing the placement of a “kai” states importance to be seen in those following words, “having seen” goes beyond Mark saying, “Jarius spotted Jesus in the crowd.” I tells of a past relationship with him and Jesus, where “idōn” is then better translated as “having experienced.” The word “auton” is the third person singular pronoun, as “he, she, it,” but the “kai” brings out the importance of reading the word as “himself.” With the inclusion of “self” the meaning says the “soul” of “him” [“his soul”] had made contact with Jesus [“his soul” as well] before. It was then that prior “experience” that had Jarius prostrate himself before Jesus, as one would doubt he would not have done that to get a doctor’s help.

We then read that Jarius told Jesus, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.” This was a plea from a trusting friend and associate, more than being a demand or test from an elder prostrating himself before one who was proposing to be holy. While some Pharisees would scorn Jesus by demanding he prove his piety, even under the pretense of trying to trick Jesus, this plea by Jairus shows sincerity. That emotional plea for help was made from the heart of Jairus, for love of his little daughter and faith in God that he would be led to the true Son of God for salvation.

This should then be seen as why Jesus dropped everything relative to addressing a crowd of nameless Jews and went with Jairus. He went to save his little daughter for the glory of God. God enlightened Jairus to seek Jesus, so God could be proved through the Son. God likewise enlightened Jesus that this was an important call in his ministry.

As Jesus left to follow Jairus home, the crowd did not know why Jesus was leaving the meeting site, so they pressed in close to follow him. This is where the story exposes a woman who is among the crowd. We are told that she “had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse.”

The Greek wording, “rhysei haimatos,” says, “a flux [or flow] of blood,” which should be understood as a continual state of menstruation. While not stated, it should be assumed that the woman did not have normal periods upon her maturation from childhood; so, one can easily assume that was when she began to have feminine problems. I do not see this as a problem experienced by an older woman. Instead, I feel that she went from childhood’s immaturity to a state that transformed her at puberty.

This naturally occurs around the age of twelve in girls (give or take), so the timing of twelve years means she has not stopped hemorrhaging since she her first period began, meaning she was then twenty-four years of age. It is a loud statement that says she had suffered for as long as she was a child, prior to becoming mature. I sense this because the number of twelve years is stated twice in this reading, which makes that number significant.

One has to grasp how a Jewish woman is deemed to be unclean when she has her period, such that she is banned from the synagogue until her period is over and she has completed the acts of ritual cleansing. This means this particular young woman had been forbidden from partaking of any official lessons and rites other Jews were allowed to attend; and, she was unable to be presented as a potential wife for a husband. She could not have children, making her barren. Her dowry had been spent on doctors who could prescribe nothing to correct her problem, and most likely her family had forced her out on her own, as a rejection of a daughter that had somehow sinned and was being punished by God. By seeing this state of being, it becomes her faith that sought a miracle cure, because she remembered the days of her childhood and the joy she felt being a chosen child of God. Her love of God then drew her to find Jesus.

It should then be realized that this woman’s having been banned from the synagogues, due to being unclean, also forbade her from having contact with a clean Jew. Because her bleeding was contained and mostly secret, she could join with a crowd of strangers and be relatively unnoticed. Contact with others who had hidden sins and covered abnormalities made her be one who was just another face in the crowd of the great unwashed. However, the unclean state forbid her, by Jewish law, from touching one of clean status, especially one who was a teacher of the Jews. However, touching the hem of Jesus’ garment was her way around that rule.

We then read, “She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.” This says that the woman had placed her faith in doctors, giving all the money she had, but her condition had only worsened. She had never seen Jesus before, only hearing others talk about his words and deeds. Her faith led her to believe Jesus was the one sent by God to save her, so she would not directly come and prostrate herself before the feet of Jesus, pleading her case while being unclean. Instead, she would come from behind, hidden in the crowd, and secretly touch one of the knotted fringes of his prayer shawl [Tallit] or his robe or tunic. His body would not be made unclean by personal contact.

When she did this, “Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.” The Greek word “euthys” means, “immediately, soon, at once, shortly, straightway, directly and forthwith.” There was healing the instant the woman touched Jesus’ outer garment. At that same moment that the woman knew she was healed, Jesus was “immediately aware that power had gone forth from him,” as the same Greek word “euthys” is again written. The woman “felt in her body that she was healed” at the same time Jesus was “aware that power had gone forth,” causing one to be healed.

Knowing “immediately” means Jesus did not have the foresight to heal. Healing happened with the woman knowing more than Jesus. The two were instantly joined through faith. It was that connection that was made between Jesus and the woman that was her touching God with her faith, such that Jesus felt that touch when the power of God passed through him to the woman. Jesus did not know who the power had touched, but he wanted to know who was in the crowd following him that had such faith in God. Therefore, Jesus asked, “Who touched my clothes?” He asked that question as if he had sensory organs sewn into the fabric of his clothing.

When we read of the disciples replying to Jesus’ question, saying, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” that meant there was plenty of incidental contact present. That meant Jesus was probably closely surrounded by his disciples, as they cleared a path for him to travel. This means it was quite probable that one of them had touched Jesus, if not once, then multiple times. If not them, then any number of people in the crowd could have touched Jesus out of their admiration. Jesus, however, knew this one touch was different from all the rest.

Jesus knew there was one whose touch caused God to reward his or her faith. So, Jesus “looked all around to see who had done it.” His inability to see who it was means Jesus was not the one who purposefully sent out healing power from his being.

We then read that “the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth.” In this statement, we have a parallel positioning made before Jesus that was made by Jairus. Jairus had done that as a clean Jew, begging Jesus to come save his little daughter. The woman then did it also as a cleaned Jew, whose body had been cleansed by the power of the water that is the Spirit of Yahweh. More than being ritually cleaned, she had been filled with the that Spirit too, made clean [Sacred by the presence of that Spirit]. Therefore, when Jesus heard her tell “the whole truth,” he said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease,” which was a blessing spoken to the woman by God, through His Son.

In what Jesus spoke to the woman, the Greek written by Mark states: “eipen autē , Thygatēr , hē pistis sou sesōken se,” which literally translates to say, “said to her , Daughter , this faith of you has healed you”. Here, again, like with Jarius “having seen him,” the words “eipen autē” say “brought word to herself,” where “self” again must be read as Jesus speaking “to her soul.” More than her ears hearing Jesus speak, her whole soul was listening; and, then Jesus called her “Daughter,” which is a capitalized word, heightening it to a divine state of meaning. This says it was Yahweh – the Father – speaking to her soul through Jesus, which lets the reader know the Spirit of Yahweh had married her soul. This then led to Jesus saying, “this faith,” where “pistis” means a persona experience (like that Jarius had found), not simple “belief.” Then, the words “sou sesōken se” say “of yourself [soul] has saved yourself [soul].” This means more than her hemorrhage ceased, due to her faith.

When Jesus addressed the woman as “Thygatēr,” “Daughter,” where the capitalization should not be discounted as being merely to denote the first word of a statement, the woman had just been made a Saint. A “Daughter” is then the equivalent to a “Son,” which Jesus of Nazareth was, in relationship to God the Father. The woman had just been announced as one with the same faith as Jesus. The use of the Greek word “sesōken,” translated as “has made you well,” more importantly says, “has saved you, has preserved you, has rescued you,” in more ways than simply being “healed” of a physical disease causing hemorrhaging. She was then sent out into the world with the “peace” of righteousness, which she would spread to all she would come in contact with in the future.

Still, while this title of “Daughter” was bestowed by Jesus to a woman who had been mature for at least twelve years, the dual meaning relates that woman with the “little daughter” of Jairus, who was near death and in need of Jesus’ help. We are told that Jairus’ daughter was twelve years of age, which means as long as she had been alive the woman just saved had been hemorrhaging. Add to that the possibility that the woman began her torment when she too was twelve years of age, then she becomes a reflection of Jairus’ “little daughter.” Both had neared death when they reached puberty.

Like the doctors that took all of the woman’s money, rewarding themselves for her troubles while giving nothing of value to her in return, Jesus reached Jairus’ house and found the daughter surrounded by people wailing and causing a commotion. While Jairus was a reflection of “enlightenment,” he was surrounded by those who would cloud that light. The people sent to him and who stayed at his home lacked faith. They went to tell Jairus, “Your daughter is dead.” They only saw one diagnosis with no cure. They laughed at Jesus for being weak of mind.

On the other hand, when Jesus told Jairus, “Do not fear, only believe,” Jairus maintained his faith in Jesus. Thus, when the people in Jairus’ house to whom Jesus said, “The child is not dead but sleeping” laughed, they were told to leave. The clouds that blocked the light were dispersed. The light of truth was free to shine.

With the disbelievers away, we read that Jesus “took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.” Those who were with Jesus were his disciples Peter, and James and John of Zebedee. They loved Jesus and had faith in his works. Jairus and his wife loved their daughter and had faith in the works of Jesus as well. Surrounded by those drawn to the light of truth, Jesus took the girl “by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about.” The girl was only sleeping.

The use of the Greek word “euthys” again appears, such that there was an instant connection made between God and the daughter when the words uttered by Jesus touched her being (her soul’s presence). More than his laying on hands, Jesus spoke the Word of Yahweh that healed.

Just as Jesus would say when news reached him across the Jordan that Lazarus had fallen ill, Jesus had said, “Lazarus is only sleeping.” However, when Jesus returned to Bethany, where Lazarus had been dead and buried after four days, the touch of Jesus’ voice to Lazarus’ being, “Come out!” had the same effect. Lazarus also “got up and began to walk about.” It was the Word that brought Lazarus back to life, just as it was the Word that raised Jairus’ daughter.

The symbolism of sleep-to-death and wake-to-life are seen again in this story. Death is a state of sleeping, whereas life is a state of wakefulness. The soul is the eternal spirit that gives life or death to a body. Life is more than a body that breathes air and death is more than a body that ceases to breathe air. The soul can only remain in a body of flesh that is capable of supporting human life. When the body has reached a point when a body is kept living, but not alive, the soul hovers near the body. This is a state of sleep, in a metaphysical sense. Should God restore the flesh to life, then the soul can return and a sleeping body (one said to have been dead) can again be alive. Therefore, when Jesus touched the hand of the little girl, her flesh was made whole and able to support life.

When Jesus said, “Get up!” speaking for the Father, the soul was rejoined with the rejuvenated body and she rose. This is a rebirth.

This awakening of the soul occurs in each reincarnation, where the Father tells a soul to be reborn anew. In one who has been eternally saved by the Father, the death of the body means the soul “Gets up!” in Heaven, leaving the body of flesh behind. Still, when this little girl got up after she had a body that was once no longer able to support life, just as when Lazarus rose from a longer death (when the ‘silver cord’ connecting the hovering soul to its body is severed after three days dead). It is the same as Jesus being resurrected after three days dead. The daughter of Jarius had been reborn for a Spiritual purpose in the worldly domain.

When we then read that Jesus “strictly ordered [the parents and his disciples] that no one should know this, and told [the parents] to give her something to eat,” this was because everyone present in that girl’s room knew she had risen from her deathbed. Jesus knew by the Mind of Christ that telling people, “Jesus raised my little daughter from death” would cause evil to raise its ugly head. A plot to kill Lazarus would surface after news spread that Jesus had raised him. The little daughter needed to be fed Spiritually by her parents, for her to live for God – taught the Word sent by He Who Gives Light. Therefore, Jairus and his wife and daughter were told to keep this truth within them; and all would do so, as all were made Saints by the presence of the Spirit of Yahweh, which came upon them all due to their faith.

As a selected Gospel reading for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry to Yahweh should be underway, it becomes vital for one’s faith be as strong as was Jairus’ and the woman whose hemorrhaging had kept her faith from being a blessing upon others for half her life. One who has faith desires to be in touch with God. A minister to Yahweh must know the value of having died of self, so one can be reborn as an extension of God’s Son, as Jesus resurrected within another body of flesh Anointed by Yahweh, as His Christ. The innocence of a child must be returned to a soul, for one’s faith to be put to use.

We read the request of Jairus, “Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live,” and think Jesus had a healing touch that was a gift of God. However, we never see how Jesus laid his hands on the woman who was healed. Jesus told her, “Your faith has made you well.” Jesus held the hand of Jairus’ daughter when she got up, but Jesus was not holding the hand of Lazarus when he came from his tomb. It was the voice of God that spoke, commanding their souls to act with faith. Without faith in the one seeking healing, having someone lay on their hands will have the same effect as going to a doctor: you spend all you have and get no better.

The real meaning of the request by Jairus, which was heard by God and known by Jesus, was “Come and make my daughter be your hands on earth, so that she may be saved and alive with faith.” This is the prayer a minister has to make to God, when one offers himself or herself [self = soul] to Yahweh as His bride (regardless of one’s human gender). We have to die of self so that our flesh can be renewed in the hands of Jesus Christ. Jesus must lay his hands within ours, while we step aside as servants to God.

A ministry to the LORD then means that no matter how overcome with amazement one becomes, witnessing the miracles of God that occur around one, one is not to become boastful and proclaim, “Look here at what I have done!” A miracle is a private and personal matter. A miracle uplifts one’s faith.

Still, to God a miracle is just another day’s work done through one of His servants. People of faith simply “Go in peace” to serve Yahweh.

Thanks be to God!

Explaining the Readings

Tag Archives: Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

1 Samuel 17: 1-49 – The faith that slays evil

1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16 – Facing the challenges of ministry

Job 38:1-11 – Where were you when God was Creating?

2 Corinthians 6:1-13 – In a day of salvation

Mark 4:35-41 – Let us go across to the other side

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 – Hidden from the wise and intelligent; revealed to newborns

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 – The Song of the Bow

Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 – Of life and death

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 – A marriage that makes Jesus one’s Lord, as Anointed by resurrection within

Mark 5:21-43 – Do not fear, only believe

The Episcopal Lectionary Discerned