religion – Page 399 – Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment.

John 10, Jesus, the good Shepherd, “I and the Father are one”.

John 8, The sinful woman, the validity of Jesus’ testimony, before Abraham was born, I am!

The verses 7:53 to 8:11 are not in the earliest manuscripts, but have been added later, maybe as late as around 1100 A.D. The stylistic differences hint at not being written by the apostle John. They did however exist as a separate document from the first century, and were added to complete Jesus dialogue at the feast of Tabernacles. The verses could have been placed elsewhere, since they break up Jesus dialogue at the Temple. However, they were at some time accepted as inspired and are included in most manuscripts (Textus Receptus).

“Go and sin no more”, Jesus last words to the woman, after not condemning her for her past but looking to the future.

John 7, Jesus teaching at the feast of tabernacles.

Technically it was Jesus’ half brothers, since Jesus was adopted by Joseph.

From Leviticus 12:³And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. It was an absolute command, and had to be performed on the eighth day, even if that was a Sabbath.

John 6, Jesus feeds five thousand, He is the bread of life, walks on the water and has the words of eternal life. Many disciples abandon him.

Five thousand men, not counting women and children.

Twelve baskets left over after all were satisfied!

The Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) is about 8 miles wide at its widest point.

“I am, not fear ye”

Some comments on “eat of my flesh and drink of my blood.” Jesus explained that the Word was his flesh, but he didn’t explain what the blood meant. The disciples knew from Genesis 9:⁴But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. ⁵And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. ⁶Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Jesus was clearly pointing to the future complete atonement on the Cross, but this was before the Cross, so how were they to get it? It did not make sense until fifty days after his death, burial and resurrection when the Holy Spirit came “like a mighty wind”.

Then it became clear that His flesh symbolizes the word of God and his blood symbolizes His sacrifice on the cross and saving us from all our sin.

John 4, the woman at the well, healing of the official’s son at Capernaum.

Richard Blanchard (1925-2004)

It would have been much easier to follow the Jordan River up to Galilee.There are two possible routes, both cumbersome.

Nobody draws water in the middle of the day unless they have to.

Jesus spoke in Aramaic, which makes the statement “I am” even stronger. Jesus claimed he is God.

As opposed to the previous “I am” Jesus said “I am” at many other occasions. These are normal I ams, and does not in any way imply divinity or eternity.

The last word is “cosmos”. Jesus really is the savior of the universe.

The piezoelectric effect of tears, a source of power?

The piezoelectric effect

of tears, this we must not neglect.

For the climate change cries

that bring tears to their eyes,

is power that powers their sect.

From wattsupwiththat

From the UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK and the “now if we can just keep people wailing about climate change we’ll have sustainable energy” department. Reports are that “weepy Bill McKibben” will be the first large scale electric tears generation facility. Eric Holthaus will be in the control group:

Irish scientists can now produce electricity from tears

A team of Irish scientists has discovered that applying pressure to a protein found in egg whites and tears can generate electricity. The researchers from the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick (UL), Ireland, observed that crystals of lysozyme, a model protein that is abundant in egg whites of birds as well as in the tears, saliva and milk of mammals can generate electricity when pressed. Their report is published today (October 2) in the journal, Applied Physics Letters.

The amount of electricity generated is negligible, but the emotional tension generated can produce strong emotional power.

John 1, In the beginning was the Word.

Alone in the world the New World Translation (Jehova’s Witnesses) claims that “the word was a god”. But then again, JW do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as one person of the triune God.

Tekna – teachable ones, not just sons

Verse 16 is very interesting. The second half reads in Greek “και χαριν αντι χαριτος” which literally translates “and grace instead of grace” King James translation reads “and grace for grace, which lost a lot in the translation. The first “grace” is in the accusative, the second in the genitive. A better translation would be ” and proactive, dynamic grace instead of grace more like mercy. The Old Testament concept of grace is more like mercy, the New Testament concept of grace is best expressed in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Isaiah 40:³The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Notice the world “sin” is singular.

There are many songs on “the Lamb of God”

Here is an example of the importance that the sin is in singular.

Daniel 5, the handwriting on the wall.

Nabonidus cylinders from Ur (around 540 BC) are noteworthy. The cylinders state:

“As for me, Nabonidus, king of Babylon, save me from sinning against your great godhead and grant me as a present a life long of days, and as for Belshazzar, the eldest son -my offspring- instill reverence for your great godhead in his heart and may he not commit any cultic mistake, may he be sated with a life of plenitude.”^[3]

The written Aramaic and Hebrew writings recorded only the consonants. The context determined what the words meant and how they were pronounced. Writing four words on the wall without context made it impossible to really determine what the saying meant, apart from inspiration from God.

Daniel 4, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a tree, cut down and restored.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts, absolutely.

18 Fontaine Nebuchadnezzar’s Vision of the Tree
Book Title:
L’histoire dv Vieux et dv Nouveau Testament :
Author: Fontaine, Nicolas, 1625-1709

Hebrews 12, Looking unto Jesus, God’s discipine, do not refuse God!

Proverbs 3:¹¹My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: ¹²For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. (KJV)