Tag Archives: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 – You reap as you have been sown [Sixth Sunday after Pentecost]

January 24, 2026 R. T. Tippett Leave a comment

Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”

“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

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Here, in this pared down reading, a valuable conversation between Jesus and his disciples is omitted. They questioned why Jesus spoke in parables to the ignorant masses, because everything Jesus told those crowds flew well over their heads. The disciples understood the meaning (usually), but they wondered why Jesus did not speak in easy to understand language.

Jesus told his disciple that they had been allowed to understand by a higher power, due to their devotion to Jesus and his message. Paul explained that ability to understand as such: “You are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9a) Jesus told them, “Blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.” (Matthew 13:16) This means a test of one’s being “in the Spirit” is how well one understands Scripture – Torah, Psalms, Prophets, and Jesus parables.

When Matthew wrote, “Such great crowds gathered around [Jesus] that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach,” can you see the symbolism of a boat in Christianity? With Jesus sitting in a boat, was he not symbolizing how he promised to turn his disciples (James and John of Zebedee) into “fishers of men”? Do you realize the “bark of Saint Peter” is the symbol of a ship as the Church of Rome? Do you understand that the “nave” of a church is designed to symbolize the inside of a ship (upside down)?

Notice who is doing the rowing of the boat.

Jesus explained to his disciple by quoting Isaiah 6:10, where God told his prophet:

“For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:15)

The model that modern Christianity has adopted, which attempts to mirror the ministry of Jesus, is the trained disciples taking Jesus’ place in the boat, speaking in parables to the ignorant masses on the beach. This model is further reflected in how the “pulpit” is (by definition) “a raised platform in the bow of a fishing boat or whaler.” Of course, the pews become the white sandy beaches of a seacoast, where sermons drift over the listeners like warm and salty ocean breezes and the words sound as comforting as seagulls cawing overhead. The water becomes the barrier that keeps the masses from trying to act like a sea captain.

A “sermon” today becomes like a parable, when all listeners are expected to interpret metaphor, catchy phrases, and the life experiences of a priest-pastor-minister as comparisons to Biblical stories. Too often, an oration (12 minutes or 1.5 hours) is boldly spoken as if everything read aloud in church is being explained as it was intended to be understood. However, many sermons come across like someone saying, “I’m thinking of a number between 1 and 10,” or “1 and a million” – depending on the complexity of the sermon. It seems I frequently come up with the wrong number, or I get lost contemplating the values of only a couple of numbers in the range, before the sermon is over.

Whoops … another sermon flew over my head.

In a reading like the one from Matthew above, it seems clear to me that Jesus is testing the abilities of the masses to understand – without explanation. I imagine how then is like now; and I imagine when Jesus finished telling the Parable of the Sower, he rowed to shore and stood there shaking the hands of all the masses as they passed by. I imagine Jesus would hear things like this:

“Nice sermon rabbi,” says one.

“Thanks. What did the parable of the sower mean to you?” asks Jesus.

“Makes me want to go home and do some gardening,” is the reply, with a smile.

“Hmmm,” ponders Jesus, before asking, “Would you mind speaking from the boat to the masses next Sabbath?”

“Oh no, rabbi!” Jesus is told. “I could never do what you are doing. Besides, we love you being there for us. We love the imagery of your parables.”

The reason I imagine that today is because priests-pastors-ministers today read Paul and think Paul wrote to the ignorant masses, just like Jesus attracted. That assumes everyone sitting in the pews is filled with the Holy Spirit, because Paul would say some confusing things and then abruptly say, “But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

Yes!!! Thank yo brother Paul. I needed to hear that!

How often have you head a reading in church and thought, “Oh no. I hope I won’t be pointed out as a sinner in church today,” only to have the priest-pastor-minister kindly say, “But I’m not talking about anyone here today, because we are all filled with the Holy Spirit’?

Whew. That was close.

The news flash is this: Christianity is not about selfish contentment through absolution by berobed speakers. Christians are not filled with the Holy Spirit by eating wafers, sipping wine, or having their political persuasions stroked by the words of a sermon.

A Christian is Christ in a body that does not look like Jesus; but a Christian is Jesus reborn, through the Christ. This is what Paul said, when he wrote: “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”

You see, Paul was writing to those who were all filled with the Holy Spirit, so he could abruptly say, “But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.”

The crux of the matter is that being a Christian has absolutely nothing to do with what someone says or surmises, based on what someone believes. A Christian’s body is no longer ruled by sin … PERIOD. There is no need to recite a confession of sin, when one is truly a Christian. The actions of a Christian are only righteous. Therefore, a Christian is a Saint.

To be a Saint, one does the same things Jesus did. You go into the boat and preach to the ignorant masses. You teach those who believe you are a manifestation of the Christ to also be Saints. You pass onto those disciples, through their faith, a holy allowance to understand God’s Word. You understand that a refusal to welcome a test, in particular as to meaning of Scripture, means you are not a Christ, but one of the ignorant masses.

It is the either-or principle. The only gray matter in-between comes from being drawn to be near a Saint. However, since gawking and rubbernecking are common amongst the ignorant masses, just because they have eyes and ears does not mean they have a mind that can make sense of righteousness.

The ignorant masses represent every place where seeds of thought, like those being sown by Jesus in his parables, land and take root. The crack in rocks, where the seed grows into joy … for a short time … quickly fades away when the heat is on.

When they have to stand up to protesters at the state capitol, when the atheists are demanding laws that protect their rights, while trampling on the rights of the religious, they run away. Those parts of the ignorant masses that take root amongst thorns are those who are pathological sinners, looking for someone to accept their filthy selves as is, without demands for them to change. This is not merely the drug addicts and hookers, but also the pushers and pimps of all industries, who make a living using people so they can be rich. They only appear to grow when they think they have been washed clean of sin, simply by the fact Jesus came into the world 2,000 years ago. However, they quickly run away from all calls to righteousness, when sin becomes opportunity to do as one pleases.

The good soil can be in the crowd of ignorant masses. After all, that is where the disciples came from. Despite the allowances given to them they were still fairly dense, to much of what Jesus said to them. At the last Seder meal, they were asking Jesus to tell them the address for his Father, because it dawned on them that Jesus never told them what town God lived in. When Jesus was arrested and executed, all those brave disciples were trying their best to blend in with the ignorant masses. Still, they were good soil, because they had been tilled and prepared to give strong root to the seeds of thought Jesus gave them … through the Christ Mind from the Holy Spirit.

When those seeds of thought took root, the eleven grew into Saints. They were the first Christians, as Christ first returned in each of them, the day after he Ascended. By 10:00 AM on Pentecost Day, Christ returned in 3,000 others who were parts of the ignorant masses, but they were willing to be educated as to the meaning of that they worked so hard studying. So much of it seemed like questions without answers, because they were led by those whose roots were in bad soil.

What was then is still the way of today. People want a religion that is simple and easy. They want parables explained to them, so they do not have to figure anything out. If someone has told them what they want to hear and they happily go about thinking they are going to heaven (filthy with the sins they think are washed clean), only to have someone speak to them from the holy boat offshore:

“The kingdom of heaven has come near. Repent and follow Jesus,” the Saint says.

“I don’t believe you,” they shout. “If it says I am going the wrong way, then why doesn’t it say that in the Bible, or why didn’t some priest-pastor-minister tell me before?”

That is when you knock the dust off you sandals and say, “Have a nice life.” Then walk away.

P.S.

As far as parables go, you do known why Jesus told the disciple to do that when rejected by Jews who did not want to hear about permanent repentance being a requirement for entrance into heaven, right?

The ignorant masses are ignorant to anything beyond this world. They work so hard getting what they have gotten that they never want to hear anyone tell them, “You must give all that up and take a leap of faith.”

So, when they tell a Saint, “Scram!” it is polite to make sure the Saint does not walk away and take anything that the ignorant have sold their soul for … not even the dust from their doorstep. Leave it. They own it. The ignorant masses deserve everything this world has to offer them.

2 Samuel, Language, Teaching

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 – Preparing the high and mighty for their fall

January 18, 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!

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This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Sixth 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 8. If chosen, this will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, July 1, 2018. It is important because it tells how it does not matter how great one is or how great the strength of a nation is, 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 “brother” Jonathan. When this is read in the vacuum, without the story that leads up to this song realized, it can become misleading 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 happen, 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) was 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), but while 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 16 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 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” of “is slain,” and removes any question as if “fallen” can mean a simple fall that can be recovered from. The mighty have been slain, thus they have fallen.

This message would be one sung by new army recruits as they exercised their muscles, 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 LORD, than there were victories against those whose leaders (like Saul) has forsaken their LORD 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 the LORD on their side. Victories would only come when the Israelites had turned their backs of Yahweh elohim – the LORD of lords.

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. 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 had wives who met their sexual needs.

Another comparison is to blood brothers, those not related by swear an oath with the exchange of blood.

In this regard, one has to realize that David is pure in his actions to all people and totally led by God within. David was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel to be the replacement for Saul. That made David God’s chosen child, with God knowing the heart and mind of all His servants. Because Moses commanded laws be memorized and obeyed, the law that says a priest of the LORD 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 God. To serve God, one must show one’s devotion by abstaining from all sins, including all of a sexual nature. 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 LORD 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 had a religion that prepared them for fulfilling that 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 the LORD, but that requires a marriage commitment – till death do you part.

Homosexuality might be deemed good by some cultures (even some subcultures in this culture we live in today), but that disqualifies one from being a priest of the LORD. 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 the LORD. In effect, sin is a state of selfishness and homosexuality is pure selfish desires.

Many are sent, but only one is granted entry.

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 rulership, 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 then the arrows sent flying will come back upon one.

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 to avoid the bullets and swords of his enemies. To be an Israelite who is 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.

Oklahoma here, Alabama and others led the way.

To be in ministry today, in this setting of 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, living 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 militaries 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 official to guide us the right way; but they failed us as we failed ourselves. Our governors are incapable of straightening out the mess they have made.

Ministry 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 should be teaching the children this song of the bow, so they can prepare for the deaths that come to hero worship; but the lesson is long lost. It seems too lost for anyone to turn and face God 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!”

If it cannot be us, then to hell with unity!

“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.

Lamentations, Language, Teaching

Lamentations 3:21-33 – It is good to wait for Yahweh

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

This I call to mind,

and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases,

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

Yahweh is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul that seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly

for the salvation of Yahweh.

It is good for one to bear

the yoke in youth,

to sit alone in silence

when [Yahweh] has imposed it,

to put one’s mouth to the dust

(there may yet be hope),

to give one’s cheek to the smiter,

and be filled with insults.

For adonay will not

reject forever.

Although he causes grief, he will have compassion

according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict

or grieve anyone.

——————–

This reading selection from Jeremiah’s Lamentations is the first optional “Response” that will accompany the Track 2 Old Testament option from the Wisdom of Solomon. There it is written, “God did not make death, And he does not delight in the death of the living.” If chosen, these readings will precede a reading from Paul’s second letter to the Christians of Corinth, where he wrote: “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.” All will accompany a reading from Mark’s Gospel, where the Spirit passed through Jesus, healing a woman, prompting him to say, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

In this song of sorrow, there are sets of three verses for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 19 and 20 [not included] fall under the heading of Zayin [ז], the seventh letter. The verses 31-33 then fall under the heading of Kaf [כ], the eleventh letter. In these thirteen verses, the NRSV [and thereby the Episcopal Church] has presented a capitalized “Lord” six times. In reality [as there are no capital letters in Hebrew] this assumption is based on Jeremiah having written different certain words, where that difference is not recognized as such, generalizing everything as “Lord.” One of those times is pure manufacturing, as a third person form of a verb is assumed to be “Lord,” when nothing so specific was written. The first four words written by Jeremiah can be capitalized as the proper name for God, which is “Yahweh.” The last reference [verse 31, but all verse numbers have been erased by the Episcopal Church] had Jeremiah write “adonay,” which could be translated as a lower-case “lord.”

Because it has been presented as “Lord,” I have restored the original Hebrew. It must be understood that the naming of Yahweh is a statement of a direct, personal relationship with Him. To call Him “Lord” is a statement that one believes in God, but has never known Him. When Yahweh becomes one’s “lord,” then one will cal that inner presence one’s “lord.”

Because this song of lament is sixty-six verses long, which is twenty-two sets of three verses, each set associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the missing two verses that lead to verse 21 need to be seen. They are translated by the NRSV as such:

19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall!

20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me.

In the Hebrew text, the word translated as “my soul” is written last in verse 20, rather than first, as the translation shows. The literal translation of this verse says, “remember remember, to sink down low within my soul,” where “zā·ḵō·wr tiz·kō·wr” is repeating the word “zakar,” meaning “remember.” This double statement reflects back on the use of “zə·ḵār-‘ā·nə·yî” in verse 19, which literally translates as “remember my poverty.” Those memories are of “roaming, restlessness, straying” [from “ū·mə·rū·ḏî”], such that the “wormwood and gall” are the bad experiences of past sins remembered.

By realizing that the three verses of the Zayin set all speak of memories of when a “soul strayed” away from Yahweh, one can see how verse 21 then sets up the following triplets, by saying, “This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope.” The colon mark is not part of the text, as all triplets end with the Hebrew letter samech [ס], which is “used to mark the end of a setumah” – a closed section [“parashah”]. Thus, “I have hope” has to be seen as Jeremiah having his soul given a promise of a future beyond the material realm, where “hope” equates with “salvation,” where “salvation” is dependent on fulfilling a promise made by a soul in return. That “hope” then comes from a soul marrying Yahweh and rising from “poverty” and “affliction” to the ability to withstand the present pains, because of the faith found in a promise.

The essence of a colon can be seen as why the Episcopal Church cut off the two verses that talk of the necessity of having sunk as low as a soul can sink, which is what leads a soul to beg for mercy and find the hand of Yahweh offering salvation, in exchange for becoming His wife and subject. They only want to focus on the ‘rebound’ that comes from “hope,” without placing focus on the sin that must be forever sacrificed, in order to gain “hope.” As the next triplet delves into that “mercy,” they are simply using one verse to set that up, rather than three.

Verse twenty-two then begins the triplet under the letter Chet [ח]. The NRSV translation shows, “The steadfast love of Yahweh never ceases, his mercies never come to an end,” where I have replaced their use of “the Lord” with the truth written. The translation shown is not what is stated, as the literal translation says, “the mercies Yahweh that not finished , that not accomplished his compassions .” There is nothing written about “love,” although “compassions” can lead one to think that is the intent. The Hebrew words “ṯā·mə·nū” and “ḵā·lū” are similar, as both can mean “completion” or “finished.” The word “kalah” expands that to “at an end, accomplished, or spent.” This then says the “goodness” or “kindness” of Yahweh are not “finished,” after those “mercies” have been extended to a soul that has been redeemed through divine marriage. Likewise, that “goodness” and “kindness” will continue, as they will not reach “an end,” because Yahweh’s “compassions” will forever remain with a soul in marriage. Therefore, to intuit “love” from this means the shared “love” of a Husband and a wife.

The middle verse of this threesome then is translated by the NRSV to say, “they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” While this gives the impression that “his mercies never come to an end,” such that “they” infers a soul can sin and sin some more, with Yahweh always extending “new” forgivenesses” every morning,” this is an absurdity. The omitted verse that tell of how low a soul went, before Yahweh was begged to save it, says the “endlessness” is the commitment a soul makes to receive the “goodness” of Yahweh. The word “goodness” is the opposite of “sinful,” so that which is “new” is the life led by a soul. The element of “morning” is when a new light of truth has come, removing a soul from darkness. The aspect of “faithfulness” says the soul and Yahweh both keep their commitments in marriage, with the intimate presence of a soul merged with the Spirit of Yahweh brings true faith to a soul, which is “steadfast, firm, and true.”

The final verse of the Chet segment is then said by the NRSV to say, “Yahweh is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Here the word “hope” is found, which matches the usage in verse twenty-one [“’ō·w·ḥîl”]. The literal translation has this verse begin with “my portion,” which is a statement about a soul’s “share” of the commitment that reflects “faithfulness.” That “portion” then says “Yahweh speaks my soul,” which says one’s commitment is then to do what Yahweh says to do, in order for that soul to remain saved. This is not unwilling force, but desires actions, where the “hope” of one’s “soul” is to be told what to do, to please Yahweh. With “hope” explained, this triplet is ended by a “ס.”

Verse twenty-five then begins the triplet under the letter Tet [ט]. The NRSV translation shows, “Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.” Again, I have made the necessary change to state that Jeremiah addressed “Yahweh,” not some unknown “Lord.” Here, the first word places focus on “good, pleasant, agreeable,” which is then attributed to “Yahweh to those who wait for him.” After verse twenty-four spoke of one’s “hope” to do one’s “share,” the aspect of waiting now says one does not act independently of Yahweh. Simply from having been graced with a desire to do “good,” one only does what Yahweh leads one to do. In that regard there is the element of “patience” that one learns as a wife of Yahweh, whereas impatience was the impetus to sin before divine marriage. Again, this is “soul” motivated, whereas before it was the flesh leading the soul into slavery to self. One learns what would please Yahweh – one’s holy Husband – so one “seeks” to do “pleasing” acts in the name of Yahweh [as a wife].

The middle verse in this set is then translated by the NRSV to say, “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of Yahweh.” Once again, the name Yahweh is written, but bastardized by translation. In two consecutive verses Jeremiah began with the word “towb,” where the focus in on “good, agreeable, pleasant.” Here, the element of “waiting” is translated, but that missing from the translation is the “anxious longing” that comes, when “hoping” to receive a direct command from Yahweh. The Hebrew word written, “chuwl,” implies a desire to ‘dance, writhe, or whirl,” because one’s soul wants so much to please the Holy Husband. It is this inner sensation that is the delight held by a soul, not the flesh, so it is “silent” and “quiet.” It comes from the promise of “salvation” to come, so the soul feels much like a child as Christmas or a birthday nears and there is a sensation of delight that cannot be made to come faster by speaking of it.

The third verse is this set is then said to say, “It is good for one to bear the yoke in youth,” where one more time Jeremiah began with the word “towb.”

Here, it is “good, pleasant, agreeable” for an adult use self-restraint. The Hebrew word “geber” means “man,” but it becomes asexual as “warrior.” Because “men” and “women” struggle with self-restraints ordinarily, as wife of Yahweh becomes a “warrior” that is in a constant war against the lures of the world. In the silence of patient time, it is easy to become distracted; and when the inner urges are feeling like one is anxious, it demands one who is trained to wear the “yoke” of responsibility and “carry” or “bear” the commitment that is the Law [one’s marriage vows to Yahweh]. Thus, the anticipation of a “youth” or one’s “early life” before divine marriage, must be set aside and managed, because of the promise of salvation. This set is then ended by the Samech letter [ס].

The Yod [י] triplet is begun by verse twenty-eight said to say, “to sit alone in silence when he has imposed it.” Here, the insertion of “the Lord” has been removed and replaced with the third person pronoun “he,” as Jeremiah did not specifically name Yahweh. Rather than simply read this verse as saying, “to sit along in silence,” the literal translation can equate to an intent that says, “let him dwell isolated without external influence.” This becomes typical of the Jewish isolation from Gentiles, not from seeing Gentiles as inferior human beings [they all are souls inhabiting flesh], but from seeing an incompatibility in beliefs keeps one adhering to Mosaic Law less likely to stray from that law, if one “dwells” amid others of like mind. In that, the inference coming from “nā·ṭal,” as “has imposed” or “has lifted” or “has born” by God, that ‘higher bar set’ is the Law brought down by Moses, which must be followed [“born”] without fail.

Verse twenty-nine than adds a second verse that begins with the condition saying, “let him.” From “let him dwell” we are led to “let him put” or “let him give.” The NRSV translates this verse as, “to put one’s mouth to the dust (there may yet be hope),” where there is nothing written that would place words in parentheses. To read “let him set in the earth” the inference is to be planted, where the addition of “his mouth” is less about ‘eating dust and more about a soul married to Yahweh becoming His voice place into the world. It is from planting apostles and prophets into the land that others can be led to also marry Yahweh. This extends the “hope” of one soul to “hope” for many souls.

The thirtieth and third verse in this set is then translated to say, “to give one’s cheek to the smiter, and be filled with insults.” In this, there is a repeating of “yit·tên” as the initial focus, such that “let him put” or “let him give” is again the lead to the word translated simply as “smiter.” The Hebrew word “lə·mak·kê·hū” stems from “nakah,” which translates as “to the one who strikes him.” This becomes a reflection of an “attacker,” who must then be seen as either a Gentile [enemy of the Judeans, such as the Babylonians] or another Judean [friend or neighbor that disapproved with one’s refusal to be influenced to sin]. Thus, Jeremiah said the same as Jesus, as far as turning the other “cheek.” In effect, Jeremiah adding “be satisfied with disgrace” means the same as Jesus said.

When one is the “mouth” of Yahweh “on earth,” then persecution is an expectation. This releases one to try and isolate oneself from direct confrontations with enemies and neighbors. However, to correct a neighbor who has disgraced himself or herself by letting him or her know he or she has broken a Law, might cause him or her strike back in anger. Jeremiah wrote before the system of Judaism that return to Jerusalem after the exile; so, the ordinary Jew was less likely to strike back without legal repercussions. Still, the “full disgrace speaks as a double-edge sword. If one has indeed erred and someone slaps a cheek, then one must offer the other cheek as thanks for having been corrected. On the other hand, if one is slapped wrongly, then offer the “full disgrace” of a sinner, so he or she will strike in anger again, making the error of their ways more known to their souls later.

After verse 30 ended with a ס letter, verse thirty-one begins the last triplet of this reading. The NRSV translates it to say, “ For adonay will not reject forever.” Here, the mistranslation of “’ă·ḏō·nāy” as “the Lord” has been totally misunderstood [by Jews and Gentiles – Christians – alike]. When verse thirty is realized to work two ways, the use of “adonay” likewise works two ways. As “lord” of one’s soul-flesh being, the one who strikes in anger is “lorded” by self-will or [worse] evil demons. One whose soul has married Yahweh has Him as one’s “lord,” thorough the Spirit of Yahweh [which is not Yahweh directly]. Christians have the resurrection of Jesus’ soul with a host soul as this “lord,” which in Greek can be called “Lord,” but only as a title for that Jesus name within. Therefore, verse thirty-one says that even sins will not forbid a soul from being “rejected forever” or “cast off forever.” One casts oneself away from Yahweh, such that the freedom to strike twice will make that evil deed [sin] sink in and turn one back to Yahweh for salvation.

Verse thirty-two then says, “ Although he causes grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love” [NRSV]. Here, again, the use of “compassion” is mistaken as some human sense of “love,” like a mother forgiving her child’s sin, without punishment and calling that “love.” This verse literally begins by saying, “for though he causes grief,” such that “suffering” is a clear statement about punishment, it is that punishment that Jeremiah knew was the depths a soul could sink from having sinned. Without the ‘suffering” and “grief,” then no soul would ever turn away from sin. This, again, is relative to letting a sinner strike the other cheek, in “full disgrace.” That disgrace will bring about a complete lack of “love” from Yahweh – the Father. Therefore, the “compassion shown” by Yahweh will be to always welcome back a lost soul into His fold. That “compassion” comes with an agreement that cannot ever be broken.

The translation of “abundance” is misleading, as it again misleads one to think that the same soul can be forgiven countless times. The better translation says “multitude,” which is relative to the Judeans in exile, the reason for Jeremiah’s lament to Yahweh. Each and every repentant sinner, all of whom were severely punished for their sins, will be welcomed back by Yahweh, “according to” how the “multitude” agrees to divine marriage. This led Jeremiah to bracket “his mercies,” which actually means “his goodness,” such that the “abundance of compassion” is based on who decides to receive “goodness” into their souls.

The final verse in this reading is then said to state, “for he does not willingly afflict or grieve anyone.” Each of these last three verses has begun with the Hebrew word “kî,” which means “for.” In this, “for” is followed by “not he does afflict the soul.” The Hebrew word “mil·lib·bōw” stems from “leb,” which means “inner man, mind, will, heart,” such that “willingly” is a statement about the Spirit of Yahweh not taking delight or pleasure from punishing the wicked. No matter how bad a human body might feel pain and agony [the story of Job], a soul is never harmed or hurt in any way. A lifetime of physical pain is nothing more than a fleeting memory to a soul. Therefore, all punishment seen as Yahweh bringing pain to a sinner is an illusion, because all physical pain and suffering is one’s own soul’s damage done to its body of flesh [unless one is Job, the exception to this rule]; so, Yahweh repairs the damage a soul has done to itself, when one realizes the error of sinful ways.

As an optional reading that is the Track 2 response to the Wisdom of Solomon reading, it is clear to see that Yahweh did not Create in order to destroy. Jeremiah agrees with that insight by saying the only source for destruction comes from a soul that reject Yahweh in marriage. The omitted verses that tell of the depths of despair a soul can fall into, due to self-caused punishments, is why Yahweh is so compassionate and forgiving. A soul have been given life in the material world for the purpose of hearing the whispers that call it to return and be one with God. Religion has been Yahweh’s gift to the world; but Satan has distorted that gift by using trick of deceit to make those whispers harder to listen to, The message of Jeremiah’s lament says “hope” for salvation is the key to finding Yahweh, after becoming lost.

Language, Teaching, Wisdom of Solomon

Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 – Righteousness is immortal

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

God 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.

God 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.

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This is an optional Old Testament selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Sixth 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 8. If chosen, this will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, July 1, 2018. It is important because it states the wisdom that human beings – souls in bodies – are born for eternal life. If not for the lures of sin, everyone on earth would personally know God.

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 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 asked God for the gift of wisdom, was granted that wish by God; but Solomon was never the author of any wisdom he spoke.

All wisdom comes from God, flowing through one who is committed in their hearts to receive God’s thoughts. Therefore, the “Wisdom of Solomon” is from the same source, whether it flowed through a king of Israel, or a Prophet of the LORD before or after the fall of Israel and Judah, or an Apostle of Jesus Christ while being 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 become the foresight of the future, from a clarity generated by hindsight.

When this view is understood, God is known to be the author. With God 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 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 (according to the King James Version): “For God made not death: neither hath he pleasure in the destruction of the living.” The presence of a colon (rather than a comma) makes the second half of this statement be supporting details to the initial statement that “God made not death.”

This points out that God is the Creator, not a destroyer.

God brought forth life into nothingness. Death is not an intention of Creation.

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 God within one who rejects the destructive poisons planted by Satan. Righteousness is the human soul’s choice to make, by choosing God over Satan. The reward of righteousness is everlasting life with God.

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.”

“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 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 for ever; 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 trapping 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.

2 Corinthians, Language, Teaching

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 – Eagerness to serve God

January 18, 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.”

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This is the Epistle selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Sixth 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 8. This will next be read aloud in church by a reader on Sunday, July 1, 2018. 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,” which 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; but this 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 God. The level of “excellence” Paul knew the Corinthians displayed was the same as that coming from the talents that God gives to all His Apostles. 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’slove, and 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 Holy 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 God’s Will.

The next verse does not state that Paul was “testing the genuineness of your love against the eagerness of others,” but 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.

Paul then stated, “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, due to “the grace” (“charin”) Jesus Christ brought them as their personal “Lord.” That presence is sent upon all of God’s lovers in marriage, because God 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.

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 only a soul. The riches of the world have been turned aside, placing one into a vow of poverty. 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, then Jesus Christ comes from the richness of Heaven, 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 coming of Jesus Christ within one’s being is 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 Christ as one’s identity.

Still, Paul added his advice to the Corinthians, about this presence of Jesus 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,” which 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, but 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 God to submit to], so also 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, but in reality as 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 God’s gifts bestowed. An Apostle is still feeling personal ego pains when they feel such pressure to perform as self, rather than as Jesus Christ 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 as God on earth.

This makes the advice of Paul to the Corinthians to be a recommendation to further their commitment to God, rather than as a way to see the inequalities among the Apostles as a measurement of one’s piety before God. One must thank God 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, where 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:

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“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)

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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.

Paul was recommending that the Apostles in Corinth see the value of being given the food of Jesus Christ, which is sent to be gathered in portions and measurements that equate to those who will be fed by it. All that comes through the Holy Spirit is 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: faith that peaks from personal experience in Jesus Christ; the ability to speak in tongues and explain Scripture; the knowledge that comes from the Christ Mind; the eagerness to serve God as Jesus Christ; the need for a brotherhood of Saints in a true Church of Christ; the love of God that confesses one’s soul has been married to God via the Holy Spirit; and the grace of having become Jesus Christ reborn from above. 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 God gives is the Word of Jesus Christ. 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 the LORD feeds those sent to him or her the meaning of God’s Word, until they 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 God. Therefore, all who profess to point out sinners in the name of Jesus Christ are those who have gathered too much, with their words full of maggot and stinking to high hell.

A minister for the LORD 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 Christ. One forgives the sins of others by repentance before God and Christ. This makes ministry for the LORD the service of caring for other Apostles, so they do not mistakenly judge others wrongly.

Language, Mark, Teaching

Mark 5:21-43 – Your faith has saved you

January 18, 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.

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This is the Gospel selection from the Episcopal Lectionary for the Sixth 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 8. This will next be read aloud in church by a priest on Sunday, July 1, 2018. It 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.

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.” All of 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. Because Jairus sought out Jesus at a time of utmost need, one should assume that Jesus and Jairus had a good working relationship.

When we read how Jairus came to Jesus and “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,” 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 and then 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; and, 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.

The cycle of Jupiter is twelve years. It is thus a period of time that reflects the growth and development of human beings. Jupiter is also the ruler of religion (the Archer) and faith (the Fish).

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 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 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 and be unnoticed. Contact with others who had hidden sins and covered abnormalities made her one more in the crowd of the great unwashed. However, he unclean state forbid her, by Jewish law, from touching one of clean status, especially one who was a teacher of the Jews; but 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, meaning 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.

Still, Jesus knew there was one whose touch caused God to reward their 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 Holy Spirit. More than being ritually cleaned, she had been filled with the Holy Spirit of God. 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.

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 clear 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 God 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), and just as Jesus was resurrected after three days dead, she 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 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 Holy Spirit, 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 the LORD 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 for others for half her life. One who has faith desires to be in touch with God. A minister to the LORD must know the value of having died of self, so one can be reborn as an extension of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. The innocence of a child must be returned 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 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 him or herself to God 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 the LORD.

Thanks be to God!

Genesis, Language, Matthew, Psalms, Romans, Teaching

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – Reaching the point of decision

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

Please read these verses that come from the readings offered for today. A sermon will follow.

Genesis 25:23-26

And the Lord said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the elder shall serve the younger.”
When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob.

Psalm 119:107-110

107 I am deeply troubled; *
preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.
108 Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *
and teach me your judgments.
109 My life is always in my hand, *
yet I do not forget your law.
110 The wicked have set a trap for me, *
but I have not strayed from your commandments.

Isaiah 55:11; 13

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Psalm 65:2-4

2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.

Romans 8:5-8

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law– indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Matthew 13:20-22

As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing.

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These are excerpts from the possible readings for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 10, Year A), which will be read aloud in Episcopal churches (those not out of business due to fear of viral disease) and/or broadcast via streaming video (live or recorded) displayed on Facebook (one of the elohim of Aquarian technology) on Sunday, July 12, 2020.

These excerpts are parsed from the whole, rather than present the whole. I cut and paste here to keep wandering minds from being confused by the surrounding verbiage, thus easily confused by the ramblings of a hired hand with a political agenda. If you read the words closely, you might be able to pick up the theme of duality, where “duality” means “an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something.” (Google #2)

This should become quite evident in the Genesis reading, as God told Rebekah she would deliver twins. The two fought within her womb, causing her great concern.

Psalm 119 sings of the troubles within the righteous, based on the opposition posed by the wicked, who set traps.

Isaiah sang of the differences present in the world (the duality), all which serves a purpose. He states the duality of a thorn and a cypress and a brier and a myrtle.

Psalm 65 sings of the human duality that is sinner and Saint, where the difference is based on who chooses to “hear prayer.”

Paul wrote to the Christians of Rome, telling them of two types of human beings: those who “set their minds on the things of the flesh” and those who “set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

Finally, Jesus explained his Parable of the Sower (to his disciples who asked for explanation – found from the missing verses in the reading), such that the seeds will always produce growths that are by design, but dependent on their environment. The duality is (basically) that of a failed purpose and a successful purpose.

The duality of these readings is reflected in the news of America today.

There is fear of a pandemic getting bigger! Oh my!

There is the Caucasian mayor of New York City standing with militant Negroes painting “Black Lives Matter” on a main thoroughfare, in front of a building named after President Donald Trump.

There is the media portraying the demands to defund the police as if that were some kind of logical idea.

There are the Communist Chinese persecuting the Chinese of Hong Kong, while addle-minded (and morally corrupt) Joe Biden is propped up like a stuffed puppet, whose strings are pulled by his keepers making him condemn Donald Trump (like a pot calling a kettle black).

Donald Trump is commuting the sentence of Roger Stone, with Nancy Pelosi introducing a bill to limit presidential powers of pardon (although not a hindsighted bill that would send heinous criminals pardoned by Bill Clinton and Barack Obama back to prison).

Meanwhile, the land is being scorched by oppressive heat and humidity, making wearing a mask in public sweaty, if not life threatening.

The list of terrible news goes on and on and on.

There will never be an end to the terrible news.

It is a purposeful trap played by the media (the duality of left and right wings flapping against one another in the womb of civil war).

It is the illusion of evil that attempts to replace cypress trees with thorns and drown out all ears that hear the voice of God within their minds, designed to turn human brains towards matters of the flesh.

Black lives are souls in colored flesh, are they not? What color exists in the ethereal realm?

Rather than be true priests of Yahweh and speak as divine Apostles – the Saints of true Christianity – hired hands, false shepherds and community organizers with clerical collars around their necks do not teach “stay the course – keep your minds in the Spirit.”

They cannot teach that which they do not know.

One in the pews, who likewise does not know the Holy Spirit within, cannot possibly realize a hired hand, false shepherd, or social justifier is poisoning their minds with propaganda. The blind have no way of knowing who else is blind, but pretending to see.

When I watch the news of the day for five minutes (given that the first four minutes are always commercials – which draw a different rise of ire within me), I cannot believe the world is allowing such things. I boil with hatred.

I turn off the television and go to the computer and log onto Facebook. I am rewarded by meme after meme of worthless clutter, with it being just like the news. I boil with the ineptitude of ‘friends’ thinking an evil world can be kept at bay by inane sayings, stupid jokes, and items of horrific news not shown on the television.

It is enough to cause such deep anger within that one wants to go into the streets shooting anything that moves.

[Calm down. Slow deep breaths. Count to ten.]

To hell with some priest promoting a new protest march on the police department, planning to walk arm-in-arm with the poor Negroes (from another part of town) whose hearts are filled with such deep hatred of Caucasians that they lust for someone – anyone – to set them off as they protest, so they can capture the raw emotion of violence on a smart phone video, which they can then post on social media to further inflame souls.

I don’t need a priest to further my anger that sin has taken over the world, aiding and abetting it by becoming priests.

When Jesus preached a sermon in parable that told of seed planted in good soil, that good soil is the Holy Spirit.

Our souls are the seeds.

Nothing material, physical, or fleshy human – or even American national, including any and all political philosophies coming from the physics of human brains – is the intent of Jesus’ words.

Good seed is ONLY THAT GROWN IN HOLY SOIL – as Saints reborn as Jesus Christ.

From the words of Isaiah, who wrote a song about the ones who will become good seed, the purpose of evil is to tempt.

God knows evil is in the world. God sent His Son Adam to be the first priest to open hearts and minds to the dawning of knowledge of good and evil. To preach about that knowledge, Adam had to experience that evil is as forceful as a suggestion – an idea – a whisper that asks, “Why don’t you go ahead and do it?”

Our souls are born into bodies of flesh that are bound to die. That element of death is our ultimate fear in this world. We fear death when we should only fear God – or losing God’s alliance, by turning away from God. With God within one, death becomes a joyful event.

God knows the world loves to bring death to scattered seeds – before they have any chance of doing anything good. That is the metaphor of birds eating them as soon as they are scattered. The symbolism is souls being reincarnated into a repeating of lost life in the death of flesh.

God knows souls are placed in races and in places that offer little in the way of guidance towards the light of Christ. That is the metaphor of rocky ground. Those souls planted might rejoice when they see the light; but that joy is short-lived, before reality throws a soul back into the darkness of the world.

God knows souls will be sown into fertile places, where Satan will be free to sow his seeds of evil alongside. That is the metaphor of the thorns [the duality of Isaiah’s cypress].

Does that not smell like the ‘freedom of Democracy’ and the governments of Republics?

No ‘slaves’ are sent out into the fields to pull the weeds up, which are there to choke the life Spirit out of good seeds, turning fertile ground into Satan’s paradise.

If a ‘slave’ was to do that, then the good would be destroyed with the bad. That is the meaning of the Parable of the Weeds. God told the “slaves’ “Let them all grow until the harvest [End Time], when a sorting will take place. Meanwhile, get the fire pit started.”

Does the news in the media not tempt one to go yank the hell out of the weeds, while stomping all over the innocent lambs that live in those neighborhoods – all the big cities run by fools that promote selective anarchy (only evil has the right to be unfettered by laws)?

The good soil that a seed is planted in is Jesus Christ.

Jesus was a human being, born of the earth. Adam was formed of dust, given the soul of Spiritual life that would reincarnate from the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Son of God is the Son of Adam. An Apostle is adopted into that Soul-Spirit state of being, as the fertile soil that again holds Jesus Christ.

The good soil today is a Saint that teaches other seeds of souls: “Turn off your televisions and computers. Look away from the evil in the world and look to God and Christ within. Be reborn as Jesus Christ!”

Alas, where is the good soil today?

The fertile soil of America is full of weeds, all of which are preaching insanity, trying to choke out the good of the United States of America and replace it with the evil of a philosophy that is whispering, “Why don’t you go ahead and do it?”

Jesus showed us how powerful evil is when he told Satan, “Get behind me!”

Jesus showed us how the demon named Legion begged not to be sent away from the flesh, crying out, “Send us into pigs!” Jesus gave those demons who possessed one man that freedom; but, then the pigs ran off a cliff and drowned.

Evil has no power other than the power you allow it to have over your soul and flesh.

Fallen angels still have to do the will of souls trapped in dust and clay. God ordered it. However, God did not tell them they could not tempt; and, that temptation serves a purpose in God’s overall plan.

Those who hear prayer will become stronger than the winds of suggestion. They will be able to resist temptation.

When David sang:

“Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.

Each individual is a house of the Lord. Each Saint becomes a temple for Jesus Christ.

The Israelites were taken away from the world (Egypt) and taught to live together as one separate people, not mixed and not promoted as equal to the evil of the world.

When David was pure of heart and had the Christ Mind, so too did the people of Israel. Evil always surrounded them. Evil always challenged them. It was God who always led His righteous to stand and defeat evil.

Still, defeating evil will never make evil be eliminated from the world. Evil will always be a test of righteousness.

When David was still a boy, he volunteered to go to battle against Goliath. His courage was God within. With God’s help he slew the evil beast and brought the fear of Yahweh into the hearts of people who had been led by evil.

The Israelites were a nation where evil was always trying to be weeds of growth within their land. The weeds were destroyed, pulled from their midst, just as a good gardener will keep weeds controlled. The Israelites did not attempt to eradicate evil from the whole world, as they left the weeds of evil to grow in the places where the Israelites did not live.

The Jews today still try to live in cloistered places, to keep non-Jewish thoughts from infiltrating their safety zones. That becomes the model of salvation for America today.

The fork in the road is upon us. America either becomes an evil nation, at which point the good seed will be destroyed or choked out for the most part by the weeds of evil. Or, America will be led by someone pure of heart and mind [like a Saintly David reincarnation], who will expel the evil from all power of influence in the nation. Evil will beg to be cast into pigs again.

Whichever way it goes, the path to the future will be drenched in blood.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Human blood spilled is only more of the world returned to the world. The soul cannot be killed; but, a soul can either be recycled back to the world in a new body of flesh, or it can rejoice in being placed in an exclusive neighborhood where only good souls exist – Heaven.

To reach that destination, one must first be planted in the good soil of Jesus Christ, becoming a Saint.

2 Samuel, Language, Teaching

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 – Realizing why David decided to make Jerusalem his city

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

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.” So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before Yahweh, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inwards. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

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This is the Track 1 optional Old Testament reading choice for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 9], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If chosen, it will be accompanied by a reading from Psalm 48, where David sang: “Let Mount Zion be glad and the cities of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments. Make the circuit of Zion; walk round about her; count the number of her towers.” These will precede the Epistle reading from Second Corinthians, where Paul wrote: “to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.” All will accompany a reading from Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus said, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”

These seven verses make a rather simple statement that David became King of Israel. The complexity of what is stated before, which culminates in this coronation is assumed to be known; but few take the time to ponder what happened in the first thirty years of David’s life that led to this crowning. There is duality stated in this reading that goes over most heads: the thirty years prior; and, the forty years after. Few pick up on the repeated number found in the Old Testament, which is “forty years.” Forty years was the time of wandering in the wilderness under Moses’ lead. Forty years was the times of good that came from Yahweh answering the prayers of the people for help, after having suffered for forty years from having fallen away from Yahweh. David’s reign says he was like a judge sent to right an Israelite wrong once more.

Another duality is David ruling as king in two places: Hebron and Jerusalem. That too goes well over the heads of those sitting [or standing] in Episcopal churches when this reading is selected for reading. Few know where Hebron is, in relationship to Jerusalem. Fewer know the name Hebron means “Place Of Joining, Alliance.” Fewer still know the name Jerusalem means “In Awe Of Peace, Teaching Peace.”

Because verses six, seven and eight have been omitted from this reading, no one is taught that Jerusalem was not the first place of David’s rule because that place was still possessed by the Jebusites. In the whole time of the Israelites coming into Canaan as their “Promised Land,” they had to fight and defeat peoples who resisted that possession of land that had been theirs [or no one’s] prior to the coming of the Israelites. This constant battle was why the number “forty years” is so significant in the history of Israel. Still, in that possession the Jebusites had never been defeated and Jerusalem was their fortress city. The omitted verses tell confusingly of a confrontation between the Jebusites and David, prior to his “occupation of the stronghold and naming it the city of David.” We read the confusion that says, “David built the city all around from the Millo inwards,” but nobody really knows what a “Millo” is.

This becomes my focus now, as I want to present the three omitted verses and bring this element of transition from Hebron to Jerusalem into the picture. I feel the reason we read “David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years” is very strongly related to knowing the history of the Jebusites and their fortress that was Jerusalem. This history then is still in play today.

Verses 6-8 are translated by the NRSV as this:

“The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.”

Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David.

David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates. ”Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

Twice in these three verses is mentioned “the blind and the lame” [from “ha·‘iw·rîm wə·hap·pis·ḥîm,” rooted in “ivver” and “pacach”]. This seems to be some taunt that has been seen as the Jebusites telling David that their fortress could be defended by “the blind and the lame” and still beat back all challengers. That is not the case, and Hebraic scholars have said that was references to Isaac [blind in his old age] and Jacob [who walked with a limp after wrestling with himself, before being named “Israel”].

In this history that goes back to Genesis, it is said that Joshua defeated all the peoples of Canaan, except the Jebusites. That has led scholars to say everything about the Book of Joshua never happened; or, if it did happen, it was later history and not truly relative to the judge Joshua, who took the Israelites into Canaan. In last Sunday’s lesson, the Book of Jasher was said to only be named in Joshua and 1 Samuel, with no record of that book in Hebrew libraries. If that book is false, then so too is the Song of the Bow. This inability to prove what is considered canon Scripture should be seen as an argument for “believers,” which makes a defense for those of “faith;” and, that is the truth of why the Jebusites were never defeated in battle, not even by David.

The Wikipedia article “Jebusite” states the following:

“rabbinical sources also argued that as part of the price of Abraham’s purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs (Cave of Machpelah), which lay in the territory of the Jebusites, the Jebusites made Abraham grant them a covenant that his descendants would not take control of Jebus against the will of the Jebusites, and then the Jebusites engraved the covenant into bronze; the sources state that the presence of the bronze statues are why the Israelites were not able to conquer the city during Joshua’s campaign.”

The article then goes on to add:

“The rabbis of the classical era go on to state that King David was prevented from entering the city of Jebus for the same reason, and so he promised the reward of captaincy to anyone who destroyed the bronzes – Joab performing the task and so gaining the prize.”

“nevertheless David (according to the rabbis) paid the Jebusites the full value of the city, collecting the money from among all the Israelite tribes, so that the city became their common property.”

While all of this is one scholarly debate opposed to others of scholastic mind, all representative of doubters, little of true faith, this misses the Jebusites telling David, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.” That seems to be David giving instructions to raise a champion to defeat the Jebusites, which is then named as Joab. Joab, whose name means “Yah Is Father, Whose Father Is Yah,” was the nephew of David and far from being a champion of Israel, especially since David was named king because he was their champion.

The point of the Hebrew text stating: “śə·nōw śə·nu·’ê ne·p̄eš,” which translates as “hated hate the soul,” the depiction of Isaac as one “blind” and Jacob as one “lame” says those two patriarchs represented the weakness of the soul that leads the flesh to make all the wrong decision. Blind Isaac chose the deception of Jacob as the one to bless in error, while the “limp” of Jacob reflects how many mistakes he regretted from his past, before his soul was saved through marriage to Yahweh. As such, “souls hated from hate” was the curse of defeating the Jebusites, as the agreement made with Abraham – cast in bronze – said the caves possessed by the Jebusites was where the soul of Israel [a name that means “He Retains God; God Is Upright”] hides unseen. To defeat that soul was to be led by a soul that made mistakes – sinned.

It cannot be forgotten that Abram was visited by Melchizedek, the king of the Jebusites who never died [he ascended to heaven], and blessed.

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

In this blessing, Melchizedek said [in Hebrew] “bā·rūḵ ’aḇ·rām lə·’êl ‘el·yō·wn , qō·nêh šā·ma·yim wā·’ā·reṣ .” This literally translates to say, “blessed be Abram god most high , possessed of heaven and earth .” That means Melchizedek had the power to touch Abram with the Spirit of Yahweh, so Abram’s soul became a “god most high,” which is akin to being one of the “elohim” of Yahweh, such that Abram “possessed” a “Lord” over his soul in the flesh [“heaven and earth”] that was akin to one of the “adonay.” In short, Melchizedek made Abram be forever recognized as a Saint; and, it is from that anointing [in the same manner Samuel anointed David] that Jesus was deemed to be “a priest in the order of Melchizedek.”

This means Melchizedek was the Spirit of Yahweh in the form of a human being on earth.

When one realizes Genesis 3:24 states, “After [Yahweh] drove [Adam and Eve on the serpent] out, he placed in front of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life,” the “cherubim” can be seen as the Jebusites. According to the etymology of the word “cherub” is “likely borrowed from a derived form of Akkadian: karābu “to bless” such as kāribu “one who blesses.” [Wikipedia “Cherub”] In that, Melchizedek gave a blessing to Abram.

Abraham is said to have bought the “Cave of the Patriarchs” or the “Cave of Machpelah” to be his place of entombment for Sarah. Abraham would also be buried there, along with Isaac and Rebekah, and later Jacob. The location of that cave was in Hebron. The word “Machpelah” means “doubled”, “multiplied” or “twofold,” where the cave purchased by Abraham was multiple underground tunnels. In the recent news is the elaborate tunnel system under the earth of Gaza. There are also elaborate underground tunnels under Mount Zion and Mount Ophel. In was in a stable cave in Bethlehem that Jesus was born. It was in a cave when God passed by a hiding Elijah. All of this makes it likely that the Jebusites were the rulers of the underground, with David finding out the Cave of Machpelah had an extension that reached seventeen and a half miles north, joining with the caves of Jerusalem.

The rabbinical scholars saying that Abraham was forced to make a covenant with them, because the cave Abraham purchased [made from a Hittite] was in the territory of the Jebusites, the field paid for [four hundred shekels of silver] must have been Hittite land, on which the cave opened. Since Abraham did not pay any Jebusite for the field, the underground network of caves would then be the territory of the Jebusites. That meant Abraham would have to reach two agreements for the same land: one for the field on the surface; and, one for the caves underground. This says the Jebusites (in essence) ruled the underworld, which becomes metaphor for the “front” to the “Garden of Eden,” where the “tree of life” represents eternal life in heaven.

When this reading states, “At Hebron [David] reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years,” this says David was already the King of Judah when the Israelite elders approached him to be the king who would replace Saul’s heir Ish-Bosheth, who reigned after his father’s death, for two years. Thus, Israel had already been separated from Judah, because Judah broke from Israel to make David their king, prior to Saul’s death. Because Saul wanted to kill David, Judah broke free of his rule and let David rule them instead. Therefore, after Israel had been left with no king and no heirs, they sought to unite with Judah, so all the land of the Twelve Tribes would again be under one king.

It is that duality that was Judah and Israel being joined as one nation that makes me see a parallel to the naming of the Cave of Machpelah, where a “twofold cave” becomes symbolic of two souls leading one nation – one body of flesh. Because Hebron was where one cave entrance led to the soul of Judah, Jerusalem must have been where the soul of Israel was entered. The ‘capitol’ of Israel under Saul was Gibeah, which was three miles north of Jerusalem.

The element of “hate” that was in the conversation between David and the Jebusites, especially relative to his “soul,” can only be Satan, or any demonic spirit that would possess human beings. Saul would have been such possessed, as was read in the 1 Samuel 18:10a [the fourth Sunday after Pentecost Track 2 option], “The next day an evil spirit from elohim rushed upon Saul, and he prophesied within his dwelling.” That says Saul was possessed by the hated hate soul that was demonic. It reduced a king of Israel to being blind and lame. Thus, there was no taunt that said even the blind and lame could defend Mount Zion [under which was a labyrinth of tunnels from which one’s soul would be judged as either worthy or unworthy]; it was a promise that even David [anointed by Samuel and filled with the Spirit of Yahweh] could not enter the Garden of Eden before death.

This says the motivation for David to move his ‘capital’ in Judah to a place that was not possessed by Israel was pointless, which makes no sense at all. The unstated purpose for that move was a symbolic statement that said Israel was to be known as the “front of the Garden of Eden,” which demanded it forever be divinely possessed by Yahweh or it would become a land defended by the blind and the lame. The ‘siege of Jebus’ [a name that implicates a “Threshing-Floor,” meaning “Trodden Underfoot, He Will Trample Down”] was not a battle, but a simple relocation … as long as the Jebusite realm underground was kept separate from the city of David that would be built above ground.

In support of this motivation, Abram told the King of Sodom, after Melchizedek had blessed him, “hă·rî·mō·ṯî yā·ḏî ’el-Yah·weh ’êl ‘el·yō·wn , qō·nêh šā·mā·yim wā·’ā·reṣ,” which says, “I have raised my hand to Yahweh god most high , possession of heaven and earth .” In that, “raised” means spiritually elevated, with “hand” means become “a hand of Yahweh,” as an “elohim,” so his soul was “possessed spiritually and physically” to serve Yahweh only. David was possessed in the same way, so his move to the land of Benjamin, away from Judah, to the tomb where Israel would live or die as divine or blind and lame, such that Jerusalem would be where Israel and Judah would thrive together as one, or split apart as two.

When verse 7 [omitted from the reading] says, “Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David,” the “stronghold of Zion” [“mə·ṣu·ḏaṯ ṣî·yō·wn”] can equally say, “the snare of tradition.” The Hebrew word that has been translated as saying, “and nevertheless took” [“way·yil·kōḏ,” rooted in “lakad”] actually is used figuratively as meaning “entrapping men.” By seeing entrapment is consistent with the use of a snare, such that “Zion” means “Tradition” [in one sense], David placed Israel in a siege by locating his capital in Jerusalem, setting the trap for all future Israelites to come, which said, “Live the tradition of giving your souls to Yahweh in marriage, or suffer the defeat of being caught in your own wrongdoings.”

When we read, “David built the city all around from the Millo inwards,” the Hebrew word “ham-mil-lō-w” is given proper name status in translation as “Millo.” The lower-case spelling, as “millo,” refers to “earthwork, mound, rampart or terrace,” with the website Abarim Publications stating the name meaning of “Millo” comes from the verb, “to be full or be filled.” Still, no one is sure what the word truly means, making its presence in this verse confusing. It forces one to ask, “Why is this written?”

By looking more closely at the Hebrew written, a literal possibility emerges that says, “and dwelt David in the net [snare] , and proclaimed it excitement of David ; and built David on every side , from filled in household .” While it certainly can be realized that the place known as “the City of David” is a walled in small portion of Jerusalem, which can be where David had a house of cedar and had steps set into the steep rock incline of Mount Zion, that pales in comparison to how David moving his capital to such a precarious place, where not even Saul had considered attempting, that David did so with an attitude of “excitement,” which he “proclaimed” by his sheer confidence as a Son of Yahweh, so “on every side” of Jerusalem would all the Twelve Tribes be built united as one, with one sole purpose as servants of Yahweh. Thus, the “Millo” is not a rampart and not something built of stone, but the hearts of every Israelite “filled in” with a Spirit of commitment, as a “household” of Yahweh.

When one looks at the miniscule area of Jerusalem that is determined to be the “City of David,” even in its height of newness and works of architecture as a fortress or stronghold, there is nothing about it that would justify the Hebrew that follows, saying “And David went on and became great, Yahweh elohe tsaba [gods angels] fellowship.” There is absolutely nothing “great” that the stronghold that became the City of David, as the only thing “great” was Yahweh and His angel souls whose fellowship with David and all Israel made them “great.”

Strategically, the height of Mount Zion is the lowest of all the hills of Jerusalem. The Romans would later demonstrate the advantage of controlling higher ground, as Jerusalem’s walls were easily overcome by catapults situated on the surrounding higher mountains (Mount Scopus in particular). This military weakness makes the millo inconsequential as some form of a “natural rock formation.” The height of Mount Olivet makes it a simple task to look down on both Mount Zion and Mount Ophel; and David was no military fool; so, for him to choose the lowest hill as a place to defend he was listening to the Jebusites. Without having Yahweh’s blessing, going to the highest mountain would not stop an empire from overtaking everything, when those defending were blind and lame. Going to the lowest height meant always please Yahweh or get ready to lose it all.

As a reading option for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s personal ministry to Yahweh should be underway, one should see this reading personally. The elders of Israel should be seen as one’s body (“Look, we are your bone and flesh.”) being in need to be ruled divinely. The reign of Saul means a body that had been ruled by all the fears and anxieties that come from trying to stand strong in a world that is a never-ending challenge, offering one battle after another.

The death of Saul means oneself has reached a point of decision, where the ego (the elders) has surrendered to God. When you want God to become your King, then you become Jesus resurrected. David was the ‘prototype’ of Jesus within one human body, as he was one soul leading a nation of souls to be like him – married to Yahweh. Jesus is the ‘David’ of Christianity.

To reach that state of commitment, one has to have done some things good and been rewarded. The self has “led out [one’s body] and brought it in” to the cheers and admiration of others. One knows what is right and good, but one has bowed down to the gods of evil (“elohim rū·aḥ”) on many occasions, because they say, “Serve self, not God,” which is so much easier to do. Leading a parade of warriors, like David, or leading a band of disciples, like Jesus, is hard to do without special talents provided by Yahweh. It is the talent Saul lacked, which is what all righteous leaders have. One needs to be blessed, as was Abram by Melchizedek. One has to commit to marriage to God, so He sits on the throne of one’s soul [a heart], commanding the brain that sits at the head of the body.

The palace of self is where one has ruled and it is where one has become comfortable; but God will call the self to seek Jerusalem within, the City of Jesus Christ. Hebron can be seen as one’s church, where one becomes active as a leader; but one needs to conquer the Holy City of Jebus and make oneself a fortress that serves the One God above. In that development, one will take the natural formations that exist and strengthen them inwardly. New paths will open before oneself, which one needs to fortify and dig deeper to explore where God wants one to develop.

Ezekiel, Language, Teaching

Ezekiel 2:1-5 – Taking a message of Yahweh to those who ruin souls

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

He said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the adonay Yahweh.” Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.

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This is the Track 2 optional Old Testament reading choice for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 9], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. If chosen, then the accompanying “Response” will come from Psalm 123, where David sang, “Have mercy upon us, Yahweh, have mercy, for we have had more than enough of contempt, Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, and of the derision of the proud.” Both will precede the Epistle reading from Paul’s second letter to the Christians of Corinth, where he wrote: “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” All will accompany a reading from Mark’s Gospel, where it is written: “[Jesus] called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.”

I wrote about this reading and posted my opinions in 2018, the last time this optional reading came up in the lectionary schedule. It is available on this website. The value then still applies today, so I welcome all to read that post. However, in my contemplations of the Track 1 option from Second Samuel, when David became king over both Judah and Israel after Saul was killed and no heirs of his still lived, those new insights I found coming to me have shed new light on the true reason this reading being an optional choice that mirrors that reading; and, that is the direction I will now take with this selection from Ezekiel.

First, let me state that I have made adjustments to the reading above, so the truth of what Ezekiel wrote is no longer covered up by erroneous translations. The first verse says nothing about who the third person speaker is, although it certainly be assumed [correctly so] to be Yahweh, the Husband of Ezekiel’s soul. Rather than inject that direct name, I have replaced the third person as “He said.” In verse four, Ezekiel wrote “adonay Yahweh,” which has been incorrectly translated as “Lord God.” That translation misses the point of Yahweh speaking to Ezekiel, because Ezekiel was one of Yahweh’s “elohim” [“gods” via Spirit possession]. The plural of ‘elohim” [of the singular “el”] is matched by the plural “adonay” [of the singular “adon”], where the “lord” of Ezekiel was the Spirit of Yahweh. Thus, “lords of Yahweh” is the true intent, not “Lord God;” so, I have returned the Hebrew text, rather than allow the error to stand.

In my ‘epiphany’ from discerning the meaning of the Second Samuel reading [2 Samuel 5:1-10], it became apparent that David moved his capital from Hebron to Jerusalem for one specific purpose and one purpose only. The omission of three vital verses makes this purpose more impossible to see, since the inclusion of those verses makes it possible, but still very difficult. It forces one to understand why the Jebusites had not been defeated in battle, after nearly a thousand years of occupation in the Promised Land of Canaan. The reason David moved to the ‘stronghold’ of their position was to replace them as the overseers’ of Israel. David would force all the Israelites to become the equivalent of the Jebusites, as all needed to marry their souls to Yahweh forevermore or become the blind and the lame incapable of retaining that land.

When David died, he had sinned and broken the Covenant with Yahweh. The child of his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba would become his lone heir to take over his kingdom. Solomon would lead Israel and Judah to become idolaters of material wealth and accepting of foreign philosophies, beginning the end promised by David making Jerusalem the capital of the union between Judah and Israel. After Solomon died, the two again split into separate nations. By the time Ezekiel was a prophet whose soul had married to Yahweh, the nation of Israel had already been scattered to the four corners of the earth and Judah had fallen, with only Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon still fighting against the Babylonians. This is when Yahweh spoke to Ezekiel in this reading.

In verse one, where Yahweh tells Ezekiel, “O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you,” the truth of what is written says this: “to me son of man stand on your feet , and I will speak to you”. In that, the Hebrew written says, “ben-’ā·ḏām,” which has been translated as “o mortal.” In reality, Yahweh is making a statement about the soul of Ezekiel being related – “to me” [“’ê·lāy”] – not only as a wife but also as a “son of Adam.”

This should be understood as a statement of divine priesthood, where Adam was the first divine priest of Yahweh sent to earth, such that the soul of Adam was resurrected within Ezekiel’s soul. Jesus was likewise a “son of Adam,” as THE SOUL OF ADAM resurrected in a divinely impregnated child that grew into the “man” Jesus. Ezekiel was a soul in a body of flesh [a “man” – “adam“] that had submitted to Yahweh in holy matrimony, where the presence of Yahweh’s Spirit then allowed the soul of Adam to be joined with the soul of Ezekiel, making Ezekiel an “elohim,” whose “lord” [“adonay”] was Adam.

When we read the command to “stand up on your feet,” it is easy to get the impression that Ezekiel was asleep and dreaming. While that quite probably could be the case, the deeper meaning says the “feet” of Ezekiel was his body of human flesh. As such, “stand” [“‘ă·mōḏ”] means “make a stand” or to be “attentive,” as “a servant.” Therefore, the element of “I will speak to you” says the “attentive servant” [Yahweh’s wife Ezekiel] will take the “stance” that will be whatever Yahweh has His “servant say,” which is what prophets do.

In verse two we then read, “And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me.” The word “ruach” is translated as “spirit,” and that must be realized as the divinely possessing Spirit of Yahweh. The Hebrew text begins this verse with “wat·tā·ḇō ḇî rū·aḥ,” which says, “he entered me spiritually.” It was that entrance that was the marriage of Ezekiel’s soul [also “ruach”] with the Holy Spirit. It was this Spirit that “spoke inwardly” to Ezekiel. Thus, it was the soul of Ezekiel that “heard him speaking to me,” after his body of flesh had become “upright in the name of Yahweh.”

At the end of verse two is a “פ” or “pe,” the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. This marks the end of a “petuhah,” which akin to marking the end of a paragraph. As such, the first two verses are stating the marriage of Ezekiel’s soul to Yahweh, which made him become a true prophet, beyond the experience of visions he had, described in his first chapter. Chapter one begins by stating Ezekiel was thirty years old when he first had visions. Now, at the beginning of his second chapter, Ezekiel is telling of the marriage of Ezekiel’s soul to Yahweh, after receiving the communications of Yahweh first as a marriage proposal. The “pe” marks that holy union had been accomplished.

Verse three then begins in the same was as does verse one, where Ezekiel wrote, “he said to me son of Adam,” again identifying him as being separated from those he was born of. Ezekiel was the son of a “kohen” or one born into the Aaronic priestly line. It is such priests who Yahweh then told Ezekiel, “I am sending you to the sons of Israel.” Rather than saying the “people of Judah,” when Ezekiel was a Judean and the nation named Israel had long before been overrun by the Assyrians, one should realize that Yahweh was speaking to the soul of Ezekiel as a “son of Adam.” Because of Judah having been lost, with Jerusalem under siege, Ezekiel was needed to be a messenger to the priests of Aaron – the Levite lineage that had brought down the Kingdom of Judah through mismanagement. Ezekiel was chosen because those “sons of Israel” had failed.

This failure is then stated as being because the Judeans [and Israelites] had come “to [be] a nation rebellious that has rebelled against me they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.” That defines Judah as being representative of all Israel, where the name “Israel” means “He Retains God” or “God Is Upright.”

When David destroyed the bronze covenant between Abraham and the Jebusites [the keepers of the gate to Heaven and the Tree of (Eternal) Life], it was up to each individual to become “He (who) Retains God” and “God Is Upright (within one).” Ezekiel had become an example of what that meant when he stood on his feet filled with Yahweh’s Spirit.

After David sinned and died, then the Aaronic priests had totally failed to rebel against bad kings, instead, they were found supporting bad kings against Yahweh. That says they followed in the footsteps of “their fathers,” those who chose to have kings to lead them (to be like other nations of Gentiles). Rather than rebel against those who sought that rebellious spirit, the Temple priests chose to support the elders and leaders who ruled against the Covenant that married their flesh to Yahweh. David was Yahweh’s Anointed King of Israel, who removed the ‘middleman’ Jebusites. Those “elohim” would no longer act as Yahweh’s liaisons, by possessing the Aaronic priestly line and maintaining contact with Yahweh indirectly.

Verse four then begins by explaining, “for sons severe faces and strong souls”. The translation that says “The descendants are impudent and stubborn” is too weak to clearly express what Yahweh told Ezekiel. The Aaronic priestly line – the Cohens – had become the “sons” of rebellion against Yahweh, who not only did not wear the “face” of Yahweh as His priests, they also made Yahweh appear to be a “hard” and “severe” god that made life miserable for them. In addition to that “face” of self worn falsely, they declared themselves [where a “self” is a “soul”] as having the power of God behind them, because they were His “children” and had been given Canaan as theirs. Thus, that strong self-ego was the destructive power created by their own minds that acted like Yahweh against them.

Verse four then concludes with Yahweh telling Ezekiel, “I am sending you to them , and you say thus to them as the voice of Yahweh’s lords by marriage [“adonay Yahweh”].” That to be said to the priests of Judah as what Yahweh had just said, about their destruction being self-caused. Ezekiel was to make it clear to them that everything going wrong was due to them playing gods on earth and not wearing the “face” of Yahweh as one of His priests must.

Verse five then says, “and they , whether they listen , or whether they refuse , for they a house rebellious will know , that a prophet has been among them”. This rather clearly says that Ezekiel will speak to them and their souls will know Yahweh has spoken to them through one of His prophets. That presence of Yahweh would have been felt surrounding Ezekiel, so they would listen to what he says. While listening, they still would refuse to act on what they heard said.

Because they have become a house that is rebellious, they would continue to act in rebellious ways that were against Yahweh [and therefore against the message of Ezekiel]. They would not be able to remove this knowledge from their souls, when their souls would go before Yahweh in judgment. They would then remember everything Ezekiel had said to them, as their personal sins accepted before would become known to be why their own souls would be condemned.

As an alternate reading option for the story of David making Jerusalem the capital of the union between Israel and Judah, which would temporarily bring all under the name Israel, the whole was still under a human king. The ‘defeat’ of the Jebusites was really Yahweh commanding David to negate the ‘middleman’ arrangement, where an external earthly presence [albeit divine] held the responsibility for the souls of Yahweh’s chosen people, this reading from Ezekiel tells how everyone must “stand on their own two feet,” responsible for one’s own soul. Each would then be required to have his or her soul be individually married to Yahweh.

The message sent to the “sons of Israel” is the same message sent today to the churches of Christianity and their “sons of Israel.” In that demand, “Israel” means each true Christian is now held responsible by truly being able to claim of oneself: “He Retains God” and “God Is Upright.” The message is the same, if anyone teaches Yahweh is a hard and stubborn God, who hates to let human beings have their way, then he or she will be punished severely when their Judgment Day arrives.

The same result is always expected from those who have nothing to gain from relinquishing power as a priest of God. When none of them actually wear the face of Yahweh to lead others to do the same, the only power they will ever know is temporal and worldly. They will hear themselves being called out by the prophets, but they will never do as told. They will stay the course of false shepherding, leading more and more away from marriage to Yahweh, helping all nations to rebel against Him.

As a reading on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when one’s own personal ministry should be just like that of Ezekiel, the message is short and sweet. Listen to the voice of Yahweh telling your soul it must marry Him and receive His Spirit. Then it will be time to stand on your feet and walk the path of righteousness of a ministry that follows. Anything less is failure and will be judged as such.

2 Corinthians, Language, Teaching

2 Corinthians 12:2-10 – The messengers of Satan become thorns in one’s flesh

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

I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

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This is the Epistle selection to be read aloud on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost [Proper 9], Year B, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This will follow either the Track 1 pair of readings from 2 Samuel 5 and Psalm 48, where David became King of Israel and occupied Jerusalem and then sang, “Trembling seized them there; they writhed like a woman in childbirth, like ships of the sea when the east wind shatters them.” If that pair is not selected, the Track 2 will offer a pairing from Ezekiel 2 and Psalm 123, where Yahweh called to Ezekiel to become His prophet and tell those lost how to be found; with David singing, “To you I lift up my eyes, to you enthroned in the heavens.” All readings will accompany the Gospel reading from Mark 6, where Jesus said, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.”

I wrote deeply about this reading and posted a very informative analysis [which can be read on this website] in 2018. It reflects upon the language that is clearly speaking of an out of body experience [OBE]. I conject that the “person in Christ” along with Paul was Barnabas; and, the experience happened after they had been stoned by angry Jews and left in a heap, presumed dead. While in that state of being near dead, their souls left their bodies; although they would return to life, physically recover and continue their ministry.

I strongly urge all who are truly invested in their Christian education to read what I wrote in 2018 by searching this site for the name and number of this reading. Based on insights I have just recently had come to me, based on the other reading preceding this one – from Second Samuel and Ezekiel – I will now add to what I posted three years ago. Nothing written in 2018 is invalid because of these new findings; but I see no need to repeat those views that have already been stated, which are also most beneficial.

In the Greek that was written by Paul and translated as “was caught up to the third heaven” and “was caught up into Paradise” a form of the word “harpazó” is used each time. That word means “to seize, catch up, snatch away.” As such, “was caught up” denotes Paul and his fellow in Christ “were seized by force, in an open display of force.” [Strong’s Definition and HELPS Word-studies] This does not mean both displays of force came from the same source, especially since one was relative to “third heaven” and the other to “Paradise.”

The evidence of this comes when Paul clarified the first forcible taking as coming from “this such a thing as far as a third spirits.” Here, the words translated as “third heaven” are making a statement about the “third” of the angels [the “heavenly”] who rebelled against Yahweh and were cast down into the earth. The meaning must be seen as Paul saying it was human beings whose souls were under the influence of these demonic angels that forcibly attempted to stone Paul and Barnabas to death, for the things they were preaching in ministry. Therefore, evil influences forced both souls to leave their bodies of flesh.

When Paul then clarified the second “forcible snatching,” he wrote: “into this Paradise.” In that, the capitalized Greek word “Paradeison” is written, which elevates the meaning to a divine level of understanding that must be recognized. Thus, a word that simply means, “a park, a garden, a paradise,” or (from ancient Persian) “enclosure,” the capitalization makes this be a reference to the Garden of Eden.

In the same way that Paul and Barnabas had their souls forcibly separated from their bodies of flesh, stoned by instruments of Satan in the worldly realm, their souls were then forcibly sent to a place that is part of the worldly realm that has been prepared by Yahweh for pure [clean] souls still in possession of a body of flesh. Whereas neither Paul nor Barnabas were taken as bodies of flesh to this place [because those bodies lay stoned, bloodied and appearing dead], they saw each other’s soul as if still in possession of the bodies of flesh they each recognized as one another. Thus, Paul wrote [twice], “whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows;” saying that because their bodies were so real in this vision that it was impossible to tell the difference between reality and an illusion.

When Paul then wrote he and Barnabas “heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat,” the use of “ēkousen arrēta rhemata” goes beyond “heard things that are not to be told.” The words actually translate to state, “heard [God’s voice as an] unspoken message.” That says the voice of Yahweh filled their souls with insight, beyond what a brain would limit one’s soul from hearing. It says the lesson of Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden likewise did not hear Yahweh speaking to them through audible means. They too “heard the unspoken.”

The next segment that follows this, as “ha ouk exon anthrōpō lalēsai,” then confirms this, because rather than saying “that no mortal is permitted to speak,” those words translate as saying, “which not possible a man [one of the human race, thus a soul in a body of flesh] to tell.” The reason “a man” is unable “to tell” what was “heard in unspoken message” is the brain is uncapable of recalling everything that can be exposed divinely to a soul. It is not so much ‘secret stuff’ said by Yahweh, as much as it is the limitations a body of flesh keeping it from processing that which is beyond conscious memory capabilities.

If Paul and Barnabas had been told secrets that could never be told to anyone else, then Paul would have been breaking some unstated pact with God by writing this to the true Christians of Corinth. For him to then write, “I will be speaking the truth,” that says everything his soul “heard [from God’s voice]” would only be the “truth.” As the “truth,” it would be foolish for Paul to know “truth” and then be told to keep it to himself. The purpose of ministry is to spread the “truth of Yahweh,” so others will hear “the truth” and be led to their own close personal relationship with Yahweh. By being the messenger of the truth, it would be wrong for others to desire a relationship with Paul, as if he were the source of the truth, when the source of all truth is Yahweh.

Paul then exposed that what he “heard in the unspoken message” was “kai these surpassing excellence of those unveilings.” This says the boiled down “truth” was not to be “elated,” not “surpassing excellence.” The truth of the Greek word written [“hyperairōmai”] said Paul was not to become “arrogant” or “self-important” from having so much revealed to his soul. It wasn’t that Paul could not tell anyone the truth he was told. Instead, it was Yahweh telling Paul not to get the ‘big head’ [I like to call this “Big Brain Syndrome”] and start running around like a pope, cardinal, bishop or Episcopal priest waving a wand over all sinners, saying ”You all get to go to heaven now. That’ll be $100.” Knowing what is true and then acting all high and mighty about it is not why Yahweh shares His truth.

All truth told to Paul was given to him for the purpose of exposing it, with the caveat being along with the truth comes the thorn in his flesh. The Paul who physically walked from town to town preaching the truth was the Paul would often be seen as coming himself as a “messenger of Satan.” This is like how the scribes told Jesus his healing and other miracles were due to Beelzebub possessing him. Certainly, Paul was not a “messenger of Satan,” because he had been told the truth and he wanted to please Yahweh by spreading the truth; and, he did just that. Still, some of the people who Paul told the truth to came out with stones and condemnations for having broken the law, so he would be arrested from time to time, if not stoned to death. Jesus knew this same affliction.

The reason this “thorn” was placed in the flesh of Paul was to keep Paul from ever turning into some flimsy excuse for a priest of Yahweh. To be a priest in the flesh meant to know rejection in the worldly domain, because being in the Garden of Eden meant being a soul separated from its body of flesh. If returning to the world of sin were to become some false expectation of Heaven on Earth, then there would never be any motivation to marry Yahweh, receive His Anointment as Sacred and Set apart as Holy, becoming a body of flesh where His Son Jesus could be resurrected. To be Jesus reborn, one had to always know the pain of the thorn that was being rejected as a prophet of Yahweh, because Satan’s messengers would always bring torment to the pious.

When verse eight says, “Three times I appealed to the Lord about this,” the Greek word “Kyrion” must be read as Paul recognizing the “Lord” of his body of flesh was Jesus. The general title of “Lord,” as a capitalized word, gives it the divine elevation as Jesus being the “Lord” of all Saints ever born into the flesh. The use here says Paul’s soul separating from his near death body allowed that soul to hear the voice of Yahweh, who was not his “Lord.” Yahweh was the Husband of Paul’s soul, thereby his “King.” Jesus was the physical “Lord” that Paul prayed to after returning to life; as pain was not a sensation felt by Paul’s soul in “Paradise.” After visiting Eden and hearing unspoken lessons of faith, Paul returned to life and ministry; and, it was after that return that he prayed to “Lord” Jesus for help.

The use of “tris,” as “three times,” is both a number of times Paul “begged,” but the symbolism of “three” must also be seen as a reflection of “a third,” where the fallen angels become the challenge facing all who have married their souls to Yahweh and been reborn as His Sons. The number “three times” says all times when the thorn of Satan’s messengers caused pain to pulse through Paul’s body, Paul begged Jesus to make it stop.

Dude, one thorn? Tell me when they put a crown of thorns on your head.

For Paul to then write that Jesus said to his prayers: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness,” it must be remembered that Jesus only spoke what the Father commanded him to say. Thus, when a soul is in its body of flesh, in a conscious state of existence and divinely possessed by the Spirit merging Jesus’ soul with one’s own soul, prayers to Yahweh go through the Son. Thus, Yahweh answers through the Son, who resides within one’s flesh. This makes a closer inspection of the Greek of what Jesus said to Paul be worthwhile.

Rather than being the fourth word and in the lower-case [as the NRSV translation shows], the first word spoken to Paul is a capitalized “Arkei,” which divinely elevates the root word that means, “ to assist, suffice” (Strong’s Definition) and “I keep off, assist; I suffice; I am satisfied” (Strong’s Usage) to a meaning that divinely says “(It is) Enough.” This means Jesus told Paul is it “Enough for your soul to be given the favor of my presence” [from “Arkei soi hē charis mou”]. In that, “soi” must be translated as “yourself,” where the “self” part must be understood as the “soul” that was Paul’s in his flesh. Therefore, no matter what pain Paul’s body of flesh felt, it was “Enough” of “Sufficient” for him to know no harm had come to his soul, because Jesus was there with his flesh.

When the second segment of this reply by Jesus says, “for power is made perfect in weakness,” the literal Greek can be read as saying, “that indeed ability with suffering brings fulfillment.” This then led Paul to tell the Corinthians, “So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

There, the actual first word written is “Hēdista,” which is capitalized and therefore elevated to divine meaning that is missed by showing it as an inconsequential lower-case word that says, “more gladly.” The divine meaning says Jesus told Paul “suffering brings fulfillment.” That made Paul immediately realize the presence of Jesus within was “Most pleasing” and no thorns in his flesh could ever take away from that superlative of “gladness.” For that reason, Paul would “boast about his sufferings, so his flesh could remain covered [like a “tabernacle”] in the Anointment of Yahweh, as one reborn in the name of Jesus Christ.

This led Paul to then conclude this chapter by writing, “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” In that, rather than contentment, Paul expressed his own “pleasure” or sense of “goodness” that came to him by way of “suffering, injuries, violence necessitated against him, persecutions and all distresses, which came because his body was representing one Anointed by Yahweh, as Jesus resurrected. Paul declared for however weak his flesh was, his soul [from “eimi” meaning his “existence”] was empowered with eternal life.

By seeing this message of Paul becoming clearly stated, it certainly becomes an appropriate companion reading fro the Gospel of Mark that has Jesus rejected by the Jews of the synagogue in Nazareth. The same rejection Paul faced, Jesus had faced long before. Still, this reading speaking of “the messenger of Satan” makes this be appropriate for the reading that had David move to Jerusalem, breaking the agreement that had been set between Abraham and the Jebusites.

The Jebusites must be seen as the keepers of the faith for Abraham’s descendants, so as long as Jerusalem remained theirs, Israel would be deemed holy land. David took that automatic blessing away, forcing the Israelites to forever marry their individual souls to Yahweh and be led as His wives, or suffer demonic possession that would reduce them to “the blind” and “the lame.” Those who stoned Paul and Barnabas, like those who rejected Jesus in Nazareth. In the same manner, the collapse of Judah witnessed by Ezekiel all came to be because after David sinned and died there was no longer a holy land to protect them.

As a reading selection on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when each and every soul should be married to Yahweh, been Anointed as His Son reborn, in divine possession by the soul of Jesus, a ministry like Paul’s should have begun and be ongoing. This reading says suffering is to be expected. Still, as long as one has met all the preconditions of Sainthood, then the presence of Jesus as one’s “Lord” will “Suffice” and the reward will be “Paradise.

Explaining the Readings

Tag Archives: Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 – You reap as you have been sown [Sixth Sunday after Pentecost]

2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 – Preparing the high and mighty for their fall

Lamentations 3:21-33 – It is good to wait for Yahweh

Wisdom of Solomon 1:13-15; 2:23-24 – Righteousness is immortal

2 Corinthians 8:7-15 – Eagerness to serve God

Mark 5:21-43 – Your faith has saved you

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – Reaching the point of decision

2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 – Realizing why David decided to make Jerusalem his city

Ezekiel 2:1-5 – Taking a message of Yahweh to those who ruin souls

2 Corinthians 12:2-10 – The messengers of Satan become thorns in one’s flesh

The Episcopal Lectionary Discerned