Tag: religion

January 21: Read through the Holy Bible in a year.

John 14:1-14 records the events of the hour after the Passover meal before they all depart to Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples he is going away to prepare a mansion, more precisely a dwelling place for them. Thomas, always questioning him, asked him “How can we know the way?” And Philip added “Show us the Father“. Jesus answer? “Believe in me“.

Genesis 40 deals with dreams. Joseph’s two fellow cellmates in prison each had a dream, Joseph interpreted the dreams that the cup-bearer would be released and restored to his former position, while the baker would be hanged on a tree.

In Genesis 41  Pharaoh himself had a dream, and Joseph was released from prison to interpret the dream. It dealt with seven years of plenty and seven years of famine. Joseph interpreted the dream so well that Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all affairs of Egypt. The seven years of plenty came and good harvests filled the storehouses. Then came the seven years of famine.

Psalm 8 has been set to music many times. Even I have sung it many times, both as a choir number, and the first verse as an introit. Looking for the music I found a far better, very free rendition of the Psalm, this one by Marty Goetz.

January 20: Read through the Holy Bible in a year.

John 13 begins the last 24 hours before the crucifixion of Jesus. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet before the Passover meal, a task normally performed by the lowest servant. During the meal he announced his betrayal, and then he gave the disciples a new commandment “love one another”. He also predicted Simon Peter’s denial.

Genesis 38 tells  the story of Judah and Tamar. One of the rules of the Old Testament is that if a man dies without producing an heir it was the duty of his brother to try to produce an offspring to his widow. Onan shirked this responsibility, and that was the sin of Onan. Tamar was thus still barren, so she tricked Judah into committing adultery. You can read it for yourself. Judah finally confessed: She is more righteous than I.

Genesis 39 then picks up the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. The story is a classic, and for doing the right thing, Joseph is falsely accused and thrown in jail.

Psalm 7 is a shiggaion, a dithyrambic ode of David. I would love to hear what the music to this Psalm sounded like.

January 19: Read through the Holy Bible in a year.

John 12:20-50 . Some Greeks came to Jesus and Jesus prophesied  about his being “lifted up, and draw all men to himself”, and some believed. Many Jews also believed but kept quiet for fear of being kept out of the synagogues.

In Genesis 36 is recorded the genealogy of Esau and the rulers of Edom.

Genesis 37 tells of Joseph’s dreams, outrageous as they were they made his brothers jealous, so they sold him into slavery to Potiphar in Egypt.

January 18: Read through the Holy Bible in a year.

John 12:1-19 begins the last week before the Crucifixion. It is important when this happened, so I have inserted a piece on the correct dates for Passover and the Holy week. Jesus was anointed at Bethany, on Sunday and, as prophecised, he rode on an unbroken donkey colt in the triumphal entry.

Trouble started in Genesis 34. Dinah was violated by an uncircumcised person, two of her brothers executed revenge on not only the violator but every male in the whole town, killing them all. Jacob said: “You have troubled me to make me a stink among the inhabitants of the land.” And so trouble started.

Genesis 35. Jacob returned to Bethel, got rid of all the idols and built an altar. Moving on from Bethel, Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, a birth so hard Rachel died in childbirth. Finally it tells of the death of Isaac.

Matthew 13:31-58, Jesus’ parables on the kingdom of heaven: the mustard seed, the yeast, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net; and a prophet is not without honor save his own town.

Matthew 13:31-58, Jesus’ parables on the kingdom of heaven: the mustard seed, the yeast, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net; and a prophet is not without honor save his own town.

 

January 17: Read through the Holy Bible in a year.

John 11:45-57. Because Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, the ruling Jews were worried that Jesus would become ruler and then the Romans would destroy their nation. This lead to Caiaphas’ inadvertent prophecy “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

The sons of Laban were displeased, so in Genesis 31 Jacob fled from Laban. However, as Jacob, wives and children all were set to depart, Rachel stole Laban’s idols. Laban found out the idols were missing, pursued Jacob and caught up with him. Laban looked for the idols, at no avail, Rachel had hid them under the saddle of her camel and sat on it claiming she had her period. Finally Laban gave in, said farewell to all and he and Joseph established the Mizpah.

In Genesis 32 Jacob, schemer as he was, prepared to meet Esau. He figured Esau wanted to kill him, so he split up his company in two, and gave instructions to his messengers on what to say to make Esau less vindictive. Then the Jacob family crossed the Ford of Jabbok. On the other side they camped for the night, and Jacob wrestled with an angel of God and prevailed, but got a limp in his hip. God then gave Jacob a new, spiritual name, Israel.

And in Genesis 33 Jacob finally met up with Esau, and it turned out that Esau rejoiced to see Jacob and all his children.

Matthew 13:1-30, Jesus’ parables on the kingdom of heaven: the sower, the wheat and the tares.

Matthew 13:1-30, Jesus’ parables on the kingdom of heaven: the sower, the wheat and the tares.