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When Christ came into the world, he said,
"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."
When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
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This is the Epistle reading that will be read aloud on the fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C, according to the lectionary for the Episcopal Church. This will follow an Old Testament reading from Micah, where the prophet wrote, “And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of the Yahweh elohaw.” A Response will most likely come from Psalm 80, where David wrote: “Yahweh elohim of hosts, how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?” A possible Response can come from Canticle 15, which is the Song of Mary, which will most likely be read in the Gospel selection, from which is comes. Either place, Mary sang: “He [Yahweh] has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.” All will accompany the Gospel selection from Luke 1, which also says, “When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
In the NRSV presentation above, there is nothing written by Paul that says “Christ” (as “Christos”). Thus, it is an assumption made that replaces the name of the soul that is-was-will always be “Jesus” with his ‘last name,’ thought by the ignorant to be “Christ.” The only thing written by Paul is the third-person “λέγει” or “legei,” which says “he says.” This is then followed by Paul writing the first-person “εἶπον” or “eipon,” which translates as “I said” or “I spoke.” This makes one intuit a conversation held spiritually, where Paul writing “eiserchomenos eis ton kosmon,” or “entering into [in union] this ordered system” is speaking of Jesus having been a man of human flesh (born of a woman); but that concept misses the fact that Jesus of Nazareth (whom Paul never met physically … in the “world”) had come and gone, well before Paul sat chained in a Roman prison. Thus, the great importance of this spiritual conversation is it took place within Paul, so Jesus spoke of his “coming in union with the soul-flesh of Paul in the world,” leading Paul to then speak as Jesus reborn (“I said” as Jesus within).
In the "I said" aspect, Paul was quoting David's Psalm 40, verses 6 and 7, which literally say: "Sacrifice and offering not you did desire , my ears you have opened to ; burnt offerings and sin offerings , not you did require . then I said behold I come ; in the scroll of the book , written of me ." These words were written by David, which were divinely inspired by Yahweh, who he named several times before making these proclamations. David said he was raised up by Yahweh and all who are likewise so raised are blessed by Yahweh. For Paul to know this Psalm of David and say Jesus said this (he did not write "Christ" or Jesus"), Paul could have only known anything of what Jesus said by having become one raised up, as David prophesied, so Paul was Anointed by Yahweh (a "Christ") and reborn as Jesus. So, Paul wrote as Jesus, quoting David. This needs to be understood.
Because the translation services that take Greek Scripture and transform it into English paraphrases, which fit their preconceptions of what Paul was trying to say [refusing to accept it as divine Word], this translation misses the truth of capitalized words and the usage of “kai” as a marker word that denotes importance should be placed on that following that word’s placement. By taking capitalized words and diminishing their divine elevation intended to be read and blending everything together, eliminating comma marks to accommodate “kai” as a simple (therefore meaningless) “and” dilutes this translation to a state where truth is covered by misconceptions.
As I have said before, the writings in all the Epistles are so deep that it is quite difficult to get the whole truth from reading English translations. The truth is reduced to a warm breeze that wafts past one’s face, while a reader hurriedly tries to stumble through an Epistle reading. The translations become such long run-on statements that ordinary brains cannot follow, according to the rules of syntax they have been raised with, by which they learn to hear spoken words. All Epistle reading must be divided by punctuation marks, with all “kai” usage noted as that (not “and”), with the order of words maintained and all capitalization left intact. Because that never happens (anywhere but here), I will take the simple approach to discerning what Paul meant in these six verses, which means only telling you now the capitalized words written.
The capitalized words (by verse) are as such:
Verse 5: “Dio”, “Thysian”, and “Sōma”.
Verse 6: “Holokautōmata” and “Ouk”.
Verse 7: “Tote”, “Idou”, “En, ,“Tou” and “Theos”.
Verse 8: “Anōteron” and “Thysias”.
Verse 9: “Idou”.
Verse 10: “Iēsou” and “Christou”.
That is fifteen capitalized words. In addition to these are five presentations of “kai,” with three of them following a comma mark (a grammatical error, as implying “and and”), each of those three in verse eight, in segments following the capitalized “Thysias”. Those five uses of “kai” reflect this:
Verse 5 (following the word “Thysian”): “kai prosphoran ouk ēthelēsas ,” (leading to the capitalized word “Sōma”).
Verse 6 (following the word “Holokautōmata”): “kai peri hamartias Ouk eudokēsas .” (including the capitalized word “Ouk”).
Verse 8 (following the word “Thysias” and a comma mark): “kai prosphoras , kai holokautōmata , kai peri hamartias ,”
When the capitalized words and the segments following the word “kai” are put together in the order written (adding a dash to denote verse breaks), this is the result:
“Dio Thysian kai prosphoran ouk ēthelēsas , Sōma - Holokautōmata kai peri hamartias Oukeudokēsas - Tote Idou En Tou Theos - Anōteron Thysias kai prosphoras , kai holokautōmata , kai peri hamartias - Idou - Iēsou Christou”.
Without knowing anything relative to an English translation at this point, a viable English translation can be seen as most high and important to know. That English translation is this:
“Therefore Sacrifice [importantly] offering not you have desired , Flesh - Wholly-Burnt-Offering [importantly] all-around sins-of-self Not you-have-thought-it-good - At-That-Time Behold! Within Of-This God - Higher Sacrifice [importantly] of offering , [importantly] extermination , [importantly] concerning of sin - Behold! - Of-Jesus Of-Christ”.
In this, the first capitalized word is “Dio,” which can be seen as “Therefore.” To realize this as a divinely elevated meaning applied to “dio,” one needs to know this about the word: It is a conjunction delivered from “dià” and “hos.” Those two words combine to mean “which across to the other side.” As such, “Therefore” becomes a word that looks to the future, rather than looking to the past (stated as “because”). Thus, “Therefore” is divinely elevated as a prophecy of what can be, based on leaving the past causes behind and going instead towards that which lies before. That can then be seen reflected in the words of Paul telling others to repent and become the rebirth of Jesus of Christ.
To go to that future demands “Sacrifice.” Here, the word “kai” says the offering made to Yahweh must be a rejection (“not”) of that which one has lived a lifetime desiring. This means one has not previously desired to marry Yahweh. Instead, one’s desires have been self-motivated. This means the word “not” places focus on self-sacrifice, as one is willing to give up self, in order to serve Yahweh. This is the sacrifice a bride makes to her husband, when she totally submits herself to the will of the one herself has been sold to. To become a wife of Yahweh, one must agree to His Covenant (the marriage vows) and serve Yahweh completely, which means complete self-sacrifice and all that one seeks to please oneself.
This then says the motivations for selfishness is the “Flesh.” As a soul animating a “Body” that otherwise is dead matter, waiting to return to the earth and be dead again (releasing the soul), the soul becomes entrapped in the desires of the “Flesh.” This can then be seen as what Satan knows about all souls in “Bodies,” as where that “Flesh” leads the mind follows. The more one’s desires are met, the more one wants to desire and seek self-pleasures. These then become addictions, which are sins of the “Flesh.”
This means one must totally submit oneself (a “self” equates to a “soul”) in “Sacrifice,” so one’s “Flesh” is not just partially singed, but a “Wholly Burnt Offering,” placed upon the altar of sacrifice to Yahweh. This total burn importantly means everything surrounding oneself (soul), including means mental longings for sins of the flesh. This means a willingness to sacrifice and no longer seek the gratifications of sin (“Not”), all of which one once thought was good. One must “Not” see any good in sin anymore.
Once one has come to this point of complete “Sacrifice” on an altar of fire that purifies the soul, “At that time” one is able to “See!” One is no longer a soul married to one’s “Flesh,” because one is now on “Of This” that is “God.” Instead of being oneself alone in the “Body,” one has become a Son of “God,” as one “Of This God,” one’s Husband and one’s Father. One’s soul has become a possession of “God.”
When Yahweh (“God”) becomes one’s Father, then one has been made “Higher” in a divine presence. This is the elevation of His Spirit, but also the pregnancy of His Son’s soul within one’s own soul. This is the Advent message of being pregnant with Jesus. The presence of Jesus then reflects one becoming a “Higher Sacrifice,” because Jesus was a “Higher Sacrifice” so his soul could be resurrected in each and every soul of Yahweh’s wife-souls. The death of Jesus on the cross importantly becomes the “offering” that allowed his soul to be free to be reborn within one’s own soul. That death on the cross and release of Jesus’ soul means the ”extermination” of his flesh, so his soul could enter and become Lord over countless other souls animating flesh. Jesus on the cross reflects the lamb offered upon the altar fire, to become a wholly burnt offering for the sins of others. Each sinful soul must also sacrifice of self as did Jesus, but Jesus sacrificed himself (at the will of the Father), so his freed soul could enter the souls of past sinners and cleanse away their past sins, while keeping those souls from forever returning to sin again. Thus, the importance of Jesus dying on the cross is concerning others no longer sinning, because of his soul born into them.
When this happens, then “Behold!” A new self has been born. It is the resurrection of the Son of God in a new body of flesh. It is then this rebirth that makes one’s soul be “Of Jesus,” because the soul of Jesus possesses one’s soul. Jesus in possession of that soul-flesh makes one become the Son of God reborn on earth, in different flesh than he animated before. This presence is due to the outpouring of Yahweh’s Spirit into the soul of His wife-souls, so each is equally Anointed by God, thereby a Christ or Messiah. When one’s soul is “Of Jesus,” then one’s soul is also “Of Yahweh’s Anointment,” another “Christ” possessed by God.
After seeing this coming simply from the capitalized words and the segments begun by the word “kai,” go back now and reread this NRSV translation and see if it says this. This is what Paul intended true Christians (those who were fluent in Hebrew) to see. In this reading, twice is found the capitalized word “Idou,” which means “See!” or “Behold!” The NRSV is not a mechanism designed to have that ability to see. It is only souls that can “Behold!” the truth. “See!” for yourself if you can “Behold!” the truth.
As a reading set aside for the fourth Sunday of Advent, when Jesus is supposed to be reborn in the wife-souls of Yahweh, the question is now: Are you one of those wife-souls? The point of Christmas is not to celebrate the one-time birth of Jesus of Nazareth, born of a young woman in the little town of Bethlehem, over two thousand years ago. The purpose of recognizing December 25th each year – when the darkness of winter and the shortness of daylight is recognized (Northern Hemisphere), the point of that date makes Christmas all about oneself. It asks the question, “Have you reached your depths of despair, enough to sacrifice the old you, to be reborn as Jesus?” Christmas is all about you becoming Jesus reborn. Anything less is all about self and running to show your friends all the delights you wished for in the material world have become yours. Was anything under the tree a promissory note that said your soul was saved?