Please, browse the many free commentaries available on https://www.katrinapearls.com/blog
[Note: This is one of a series listed under the heading: Wordie Post." It was originally posted on the Word Press blog entitled "Our Daily Bread," found at rtippett97@wordpress.com. The changes at Word Press are similar to those on Twitter and Facebook, where I was posting to an empty space. That was because I began and maintained that blog as one of their free offerings. When their force to change to a paid blog website did not move me, they cancelled their "Reader," so posting on Word Press has become like a caged animal at the zoo, where only workers occasionally toss the animals a bite to eat. Word Press [et al] is like what I imagine life was like in the satellite countries of the Soviet Union: meager, bleak, spiritless. So, I am transferring those forty articles here.]
--------------------
In three of the Gospels Jesus is shown to have been rejected in Nazareth. Only in Luke’s Gospel does some depth appear, relative to this rejection. In all of the three Gospels, Jesus said that “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” (Mark 6:4) Even John [who did not write about the rejection in Nazareth] quoted Jesus saying, “A prophet has no honor in his own country.” (John 4:44)
Only in Luke’s Gospel did Jesus say more to the Nazarenes, when they rejected him. In Luke 4:25-27, Jesus spoke about two of the greatest prophets, Elijah and then Elisha. In that story of rejection [not as clearly seen], the two greatest prophets of Israel [the Northern Kingdom, thus the nation in which Nazareth was when those prophets lived and walked the earth] did nothing to help the Israelite people.
Here is what Jesus said:
“in truth now I say to you , many widows existed within those days of Elijah within this Israel , when was closed this sky upon years three kai months six , when happened a famine great upon all the land ; kai advantageous for none of them was put forth Elijah , for as much as not towards Zarephath of this of Sidon , advantageous for a woman , a widow . kai many lepers existed within this Israel upon of Elisha of this of prophet , kai not one of them was cleansed , forasmuch as not Naaman this Syrian .”
In the words of these three verses, Luke placed the word “kai” at four places. The first use of “kai” seems innocuous enough, as simply being the “and” that connects three “and” a half years; but the importance says absolutely nothing was done to aid anyone in Israel for three years. Only when the drought and famine was six months from being ended [with Elijah’s help from Yahweh] did Elijah do something outside of Israel, in Zarephath of Sidon. In that, the name “Zarephath” means “Blast Furnace” or “Workshop For Smelting And Refining Metals.” The name “Sidon” means “Fishery” or “Hunting Place.” Still, the point is Elijah was called by Yahweh top go to Phoenicia, not Israel.
As for Elisha doing something for a Syrian [Naaman], he did not physically meet Naaman. He sent word to him what to do. The name Naaman means “Pleasantness,” which says Elisha saw his request as worthy of Yahweh’s help.
All of this Biblical history recited by Jesus, to Galilean Jews who knew the same stories, says the two greatest prophets in Israel’s history [which included the history of Nazareth] did nothing to bring miracles to the land; but, the reports of Jesus were miraculous. It was with Jesus having a history [as brief as it was at that time] of healing the sick and working miraculously that meant nothing to the Nazarenes. Even feeling the power of his words when he read from the scroll of Isaiah, they were hellbent towards rejecting a local boy as the fulfillment of their beloved prophets.
This argument given by Jesus is less about the rejection that Jesus faced in his hometown and more about the natural way of human beings, which is to reject any and all reasons to stop sinning and live righteously. The Israelites living when Elijah and Elisha were prophets rejected their presence by welcoming all the freedoms to sin, sin, and sin some more, which came from the other priests. The people loved everything approved by the priests of Ba’al, so the people loved having those priests around.
Even though Elijah would challenge 450 priests of Ba’al to a fire-starting contest, pitting the true God Yahweh against all the false promises of people wearing robes and high hats, proving charlatans to be just that, Yahweh igniting the altar fire for Elijah did little to sway the people to admit their sins and turn to Yahweh. After Elijah had the 450 priests of Ba’al killed, the people probably went to Ahab and Jezebel and asked them to kill Elijah. That would be just in their minds; and, then they could get back to the pagan rituals the outside priests had introduced, which the people loved so much.
Well, when one remembers that Jesus never spoke for himself, but always what the Father told him to say, Yahweh was not only telling the Nazarenes of Galilee that people prefer rejecting prophets. Yahweh sent Jesus KNOWING human beings will sell their souls every second of every hour of every day, rather than welcome Yahweh into their souls and give up everything worldly for Him. Yahweh was COUNTING ON REJECTION.
It would be rejection that would have the panty wads of Jerusalem plot to have Jesus killed. They did that even though Jesus produced more miracles that had ever been produced in the lands of David’s Israel, from the day Joshua led the Israelites to first set foot there. Yahweh – His omniscient self – KNEW rejection was coming to Jesus. Jesus had to make a point first, before going to his ‘hometown.’
Jesus had to be rejected AND killed, so his soul could be released to be the soul that would resurrect in willing souls that loved Yahweh. Those were initially called Apostles, but the word that fits best today is Saints. All of the first Christians were Saints. Only a Saint would be nailed to a Roman cross, stoned to death, beheaded, or put in an arena to be ripped apart by hungry wild animals. Fake Christians would quit, denounce God, and go home before anyone could pick up a large stone or fashion a cross to use against them.
The importance of this reading is it slaps the West in the face, especially the land of America the Great [building back better with free disease fears for everyone]. The 450 priests of Ba’al in Elijah’s day are more numerous in the filthy ole U.S. of A. today. Heck, there are priests for every Hollywood star, numbering over 450 alone, who regularly have their worshipers kneeling before their altars that are multiple media formats. Their tweets are worshipped daily. Throw in all the little gods of professional sports, where parents send their firstborn males and females to the temples of athletics, in order to make an unholy dollar off their offspring. Those little-g gods number in the many thousands. Add in politicians, drug lords, organized crime webs [gambling, prostitution, drug, u-name-it] and Elijah would have to spend a month killing all those priests. AND the people would hate him even more today for doing it.
Ain’t rejection grand?
Imagine how much of a chance a saint has in his or her ‘hometown,’ saying, “I am not speaking for myself. I speak for the Father; and, because Scripture prophesies Jesus, then I fulfill those prophecies by being reborn as Jesus. I speak the truth, verily I say.”
Do they still make guillotines?
When you realize ALL the religions of the world [none excluded] have long ago turned their backs to Yahweh [thus the world has gone to hell in a handbasket], there is no hope that a singular Messiah-like human being will ever again walk the earth, getting people to believe in him [or her], by seeing him [or her] working miracles. That act has come and gone.
The RCC killed off all the true Saints with the Inquisitions; and, now they wallow in the filth of having murdered the last true pope [JP1], replacing him with a false shepherd [a Commie at that!]. The only hope now for a soul is to do it yourself.
Let Yahweh know you love Him. Loving Jesus is making Jesus a lower-g god out of the Son. Love Yahweh. Become the Son reborn. Yahweh will give you the gift of Jesus, which means making your soul give birth to His Son.
To love Yahweh, you have to reject yourself.
Think about that.
Commentaires