What In the Heck Is "Hell"?

Three words used for “hell” in the Bible:

1. Tartaroo - a word borrowed from the Greek world which was a reference to the place where angels were punished in the world of mythology.

2. Hades – A Greek translation of the Hebrew word Sh’ol – only word used for hell in the Old Testament and refers to the world of the dead, grave, pit, and sleep. The Gates of Hades is a physical place in the Decapolus where the pagan God, Pan, was worshiped.

3. Gei-Hinnom – A reference to The Valley of Hinnom. 2 Kings 23:10, “He (King Josiah) desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.”

Molech was a god that the people would sacrifice their first born child to by burning him or her in the Valley of Hinnom. King Josiah destroyed and desecrated the place so that it could never be used for anything other than a town dump, which it became and was still being used for in the days of Jesus.

People would take their garbage to the Valley of Hinnom in Jerusalem where a continuous fire would burn the trash. Wild dogs would fight for scraps of food. And as they fought they would make a high pitched whimper like fighting dogs do and their teeth would grind together. This was known as the “weeping and gnashing of teeth in Gei-Hinnom."

When Jesus speaks of a person being cast into hell, he is referring to the wasted life; a life which is good for nothing but the local dump. When we don’t follow God, we are like food that can’t be eaten, therefore we have become a rotten spot in the Kingdom of God, which is better off being thrown in the garbage where only wild animals will find anything of value in the waste that has become the life of a child of God.

Hell for Jesus and his followers was a literal place to which they could point and say, "That's all you are good for, unless you are doing God's will." For them, it was not a spiritual, after death place, but a very real and present, ever-burning, stinking place where wild dogs fought for the garbage.

In His dust,
Johnny

No One Can Afford You!

Reflection on my own behavior and attitude toward my work has led me to the following insights. I feel that they are helpful and should be shared with others.


When a person has a job, he or she can never be paid what they are truly worth, if they are truly worth being paid for the job.

For example: If you have a job that pays you $30,000 per year, work like you are being paid $60,000 and you'll never have to worry about losing your job.

Most people will work like they are not paid enough for what they do. That's the wrong attitude, because, if it's true that we can never truly be paid what we're worth, then no one can complain about not being paid enough.

We should be so good at whatever we do that no one can afford us, if they had to pay what we're worth.

On the other hand, if you're not being paid at least one half of what you're worth, which is double what the job should be able to fairly pay, then you need to find a new job or ask for a raise. The sad fact is that most people ask for a raise when they are only doing the amount of work they are being paid for rather than giving more than their job pays them to do.

I truly believe that Jesus agrees with me. As Paul says, “Do everything as if you’re doing it for God, and not for man” (Colossians 3:23).
Those are my thoughts. Enjoy.

In His dust,
Johnny

Shmikah

The first century followers of Jesus understood that to be a disciple meant that they had devote their lives to becoming like Jesus. Most Christians today are not disciples of Jesus. They are believers, but they are not disciples.

In the Jewish world, there were two kinds of rabbis. One was called a Torah teacher. Torah teachers were very learned in the Torah and were able to teach whatever the people understood and accepted as sound teaching from the Word of God. The second kind of rabbi was called a Master teacher. Master teachers could recite 365 pages of Scripture from memory and they were able to give new teachings or new interpretations of the Scriptures. For example, the Bible says that God’s people are not to work on the Sabbath, but it does not clearly define what “work” is. Defining these meanings was the job of the Master-teachers. Jesus was one of these rabbis who was able to give new interpretations. We know this because we read often in the gospels where Jesus says, “You have heard it said, but I say…” This is an example of giving new interpretations.

What gave a rabbi the right to give new interpretations? Rabbis who were able to teach new interpretations were those who had shmikah. The word that the English translators often use to translate the word shmikah is “authority.”

In Mark’s gospel we read that Jesus went to Capernaum and began to teach in the synagogue. And the Bible says Jesus taught, not like the Torah-teachers, but like one who had authority (shmikah). Jesus was a Master teacher, a rabbi with shmikah.

How did a rabbi get shmikah? It actually begins way back when Moses and Aaron chose the 70 judges in the book of Exodus. They brought all of the 70 together, placed their hands on the heads of each of them and declared that they had the authority to speak on God’s behalf when leading God’s people. After that, only a rabbi who was anointed by two other Master-teachers and declared in the presence of witnesses to have schmikah was considered to be a Master-teacher.

Rabbis would often be asked, “Where did you get your shmikah” just as Jesus was asked by the chief priest, Torah-teachers, and elders in Luke 20:1-3. “One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priest and the teachers of the law together with the elders, came up to him. ‘Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,’ they said. ‘Who gave you this authority?”

So, who were the two people who had the authority to speak on God's behalf and declared that Jesus had that same authority? Jesus says after the teachers, priest, and elders asked him where he received his shmikah, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John’s baptism – was it from heaven, or from men,” which was half the answer. When Jesus came to the Jordon River for John’s baptism, John said, “Look everyone! The Messiah!” John is the first shmikahed rabbi to claim that Jesus has the authority of God when he speaks. The second authoritative person who declared the authority or shmikah of Jesus spoke when the heavens opened after Jesus’ baptism and said, “This is my son! Obey him! For I love him!”

Jesus is the only Master-teacher in history who received his authority to speak on the behalf of God from God himself. This means that when Jesus says something to his followers, God is speaking to His followers. All authority in heaven and in earth has been given to Jesus. To follow Jesus is to follow God. To obey Jesus is to obey God. To imitate Jesus is to imitate God.

When Jesus tells us that we must do something, if we are to follow him, then he isn’t giving us a suggestion. Either we love our enemy or we are not His followers. Either we feed the hungry or we go home. Either we help the sick or we stop pretending that we know what it means to follow Jesus.

Being a disciple is not synonymous with being a believer. Being a disciple of Jesus is to be an imitator of God.

A Christian Nation?

The subject of America being a Christian nation was addressed to me in an email by a friend. I was very glad to receive the opportunity to discuss the issue, as it afforded me the opportunity to begin to dig into my own thoughts on the subject. And the following paragraphs are the initial result of this quest.

Jesus' message was clear in that the "key" or "theme" of his message was "The Kingdom of God." The Kingdom of God was the people of God doing the will of God on earth today and together. If I go into a room, a store, a house, a country, I either bring with me the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of hell. God's Kingdom is brought with me when I obey the teachings of Christ whose words are literally God's words. Hell's kingdom is brought with me when I don't obey Christ's words to heal, help, serve, feed, et cetera.

We are to establish the Kingdom of God on earth as Jesus directed. With this as the case, to call ourselves a Christian nation is a lie at worst and silly at best. We are no more a Christian nation than the ocean is a Christian ocean. And I'm not sure that Jesus wanted us to create a Christian nation. After all, it was after the death of Constantine when all other religions except for Christianity were declared illegal that a nation of Christians who were persecuted became a nation of Christian persecutors.

I'm not as interested in being a Christian nation as much as I am interested in being a nation that accepts Christians who are free to enter and invite others to enter the Kingdom of God.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to discover what I think about this topic.

In His dust,
Johnny

Don't Give Up Your Kavanah

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican in Luke 18 is a message about kavanah. Kavanah is the Hebrew word for the sincerity of the heart in worship. Kavanah is what God looks for in those who worship Him. And, to truly understand the parable, you have to first be willing to open your mind to the idea (actually the fact) that Pharisees were not considered to be bad people in Jesus’ day. They were considered to be very obedient, righteous, God-fearing, Bible-studying, live-out-the-Word of God people.

The fact that Pharisees were held in very high esteem is what made this story so powerful. Christians often hear the parable with their thoughts of the characters being “The Hypocrite and the Tax Collector.” But, if Jesus were to tell this story today, he would expect us to picture these two people as Billy Graham and a porn star. Or, as the writer John Crossan said, “The pope and the pimp.”

Jesus speaks of these two people going up to the temple for prayer. In the original language of Hebrew, prayer meant “worship.” You and I will say that we are going to church to worship, but the Jews would have said, “We’re going to synagogue to pray.” Of course worship included prayer; it also included singing of praises and other elements of worship. In fact, when the Bible tells us that Jesus went out into the wilderness to “pray,” it literally means that he went out into the wilderness to “worship.”

Knowing this, we must also recognize that Jesus says they were both going up to the temple to pray, meaning they were both going to the temple to worship. This is a reference to corporate worship, meaning that this was a day when thousands of people were going to the temple to worship God.

The tax collector or publican was a public official for the Roman government. The taxes he collected went to support the pagan worship practices and many lined their own pockets as well. This caused the Jews to look at their Jewish brothers who were working for the Romans as idolaters and traitors. During worship, the tax collector would have been escorted out of temple through the eastern gate as soon as the symbols began to crash during worship. But the Pharisee, being seen as a godly man would have been able to get very close to the altar itself and pray.

The prayers of the two people in the parable are the powerful climax of the story, because the prayer of forgiveness plays a vital role in temple worship during the first century.

Atonement was the ultimate purpose and goal of Temple worship. And the prayer of repentance would have been offered at the climactic and most important moment in the time of worship.

When the worshipers begin to gather, they enter according to their roles, positions, and standing in society. Gentiles would gather outside in the gentile court, Jewish worshipers would gather in the women’s court or in the court of the Israelites. And the priests would be in charge of conducting worship. The first part of worship would take place on a staircase inside the temple with music, liturgy, and possibly a short sermon. For the next element of the worship service the priest moved from the steps to the great altar, and as the people stood in awe of God, observing the musicians and the priests and Levites, the worship reached a climax with the Levitical coir chanting a Psalm with symbols crashing over and over. This is when those considered unclean, including the tax collector in this story, would have been escorted outside the temple.

Then the priest takes the lamb and he is standing with the knife in his hand. All of the music and chanting and the symbols crashing comes to a complete stop and the trumpet is blown. Then the lamb’s throat is cut, the blood is caught and spattered on the altar. There isn’t a sound in the temple. The lamb is slaughtered, its parts placed in a pan and carried to the fire. And the priest would say, “God, keep your promise that you will forgive our sins!” He says this as if he has taken God by the shirt collar and is looking God in the eyes with all of the tenacity of starving man, “GOD! REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE!”

Everyone is standing completely silent as the priest offers repentance on behalf of all the people worshiping in and outside the temple. Then another priest walks past the altar and up the steps to the Holy of Holies; he is standing in front of the altar of incense with his bowl of 21 different kinds of incense mixed together as he looks up and begins to pray, “God, hear your people!”

The people can’t see the priest, but as the priest stands and begins to pray, the people also begin to pray out loud as the way to the Lord has been opened. When the priest is done, he pours the incense on the coals and a cloud of steam and spoke rises up, it fills the temple courts along with the smell of incense and roasting meat, which is a vivid picture symbolizing God’s presence with His people who is able to hear every prayer. Thousands of voices are now lifted up as the people pray for forgiveness.

It is at this moment, when every worshiper is given the opportunity to admit thier wrongs in the presence of God, that the Pharisee, standing alone, close to the alter of God, is reminding God of his own righteousness, while the publican who is not even allowed in the temple, is standing far from the altar, beating his chest and crying for forgiveness.

This parable is the story of the truly righteous who has become self-righteous and the sinner who worships with kavanah. It is not the godly man, but the sinner who has come with the heart of worship.

How many times have we said, “I’m glad I’m not like the Pharisee”? As soon as we make that statement, we, like this good intentioned, godly man, have given up our kavanah.

In His dust,
Johnny

Thanks, Ronnie.

"Behold the turtle. He only makes progress when he sticks his neck out." (Unknown)

Grace and peace,
Johnny

"You Can Do Anything You Want to Do, As Long As You Were Created to Do It"

For the record, I would like to say that there are things that some people will never be able to do, nor should they be expected to learn how to do them.

For example, a blind person should never take driving lessons. This is not a criticism, but recognition of his or her inabilities. Blindness is an obvious inabilitiy, but everyone has inabilities, and those inabilities may not necessarily be considered flaws. For a blind person, he or she may discover that blindness is not a flaw, but a different opportunity with which to experience the world. The blind person should no more be taught to overcome his or her weakness of not being able to drive than a tall person should be taught to practice being shorter.

We wouldn't ask a high energy person to teach a class on how to be slow. High energy is actually the gift of that person and he should teach high energy people how to be great at using their high energy. Find somebody else to teach how to be slow. We wouldn't think twice about waiting for a jump master to teach us how to parachute, if a scuba diving instructor offered to take us up in a plane.

I think of this often when I think about kids in American schools where every child is expected to be an audible learner with a calm temperament who can sit and listen for long periods of time. The phlegmatic children with relaxed natures and a gift for audible learning are considered to be good, well-behaved children, while the sanguine or choleric children who are hands-on learners, highly social and energetic are suspected of having A.D.D. and have their parents given the recommendation to take the child to see a doctor. Eventually the child with natural high energy will learn to hide his or her true temperament while in school, out of the fear of failing or getting into trouble. The suppression of the child's true temperament will be forced to reveal itself in unhealthy, nervous tension. I don't think this is the answer.

Ultimately, ducks are ducks and eagles are eagles. I think that's true of people too. Each has his or her part to play, and each is to value the parts others play, without expecting to have to be able to play the others' parts.

The age of the "you can do anything you put your mind to" is quickly giving way to the age of "you can do anything you have been created to do as an individual with individual gifts, when you recognize and develop those gifts."

Grace and peace,
Johnny

"You are you and I am me, no matter what others insist we should be."

So many wonderful people are not recognized simply because they are in the wrong position or they are not allowed to live and work in their strengths. I have argued this truth for years.

I’m reading The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen R. Covey. In his book he shares the genius of Dr. R.H. Reeves on the subject of appreciating one another’s differences in order to synergize, rather than simply compromise, and develop highly creative plans together.

“The Animal School”

“Once upon a time, the animals decided they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a ‘New World,’ so they organized a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer, all animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming, better in fact than his instructor, and made excellent grades in flying, but he was very poor in running. Since he was low in running he had to stay after school and also drop swimming to practice running. This was kept up until his web feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school, so nobody worried about that except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but had a nervous breakdown because of so much makeup in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing until he developed frustrations in the flying class where his teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the tree-top down. He also develop charley horses from over-exertion and he got a C in climbing and a D in running.

The eagle was a problem child and had to be disciplined severely. In climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but insisted on using his own way of getting there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was valedictorian.

The prairie dogs stayed out of school and fought the tax levy because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to the badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful private school."

Valuing one another’s differences is important, no matter what organization, school, home, marriage, or job we are a part of.

Mercy is for the Merciful

In Matthew 18:23-25 we read of The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.

It’s not easy to have a clear understanding of many of the words of Jesus without a better understanding of the context, time, and place in which Jesus is teaching.

This story is a reminder that when you’re feeling sorry for yourself and you're thinking that nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant is a message about divine forgiveness exemplified in human relationships. God does not provide mercy to the unforgiving.

The amount of money that is portrayed by Jesus in this story is so ridiculously large that it had to have been heard as funny. I’m sure his listeners were thinking to themselves, “That is just silly that someone would owe that much money” which is how Jesus got their undivided attention to hear how this would all pan out.

Ten thousand talents was roughly equivalent to the national debt. No average worker could ever even dream of paying back that much money. A talent was equivalent to 6,000 denarii. To help you understand how much that is, Judea, Idumaea, and Samaria together would pay 600 talents per year, while the servant, an average working man, in this story, all by himself owed 10,000 talents. If this working man could work every day of his life, and save every single dollar, meaning he had no bills and didn’t even use money to eat, it would take him over 150 years to pay this back.

The enslavement or imprisonment of a person, and in many situations, the enslavement of family members for paying off debt is a reality for Jesus’ listeners as well. In fact, Jesus refers to this when he says, “Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly I say to you, you will never get out till you pay the last penny” (Matt 5:25-26; Luke 12:58). In 2 Kgs 4:1 a widow cries to Elisha, “Your servant may husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the LORD, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

The listeners of this story are amazed when Jesus says that the king forgives the debt and lets the man go free.

Then the twist comes when this same man who had an enormous debt forgiven by the king goes to a man who owes him what would be considered three months wages and he does not forgive the debt. The man who was forgiven then faces the judgment of being unmerciful.

I believe that we, as children of God, are to gorge one another with forgiveness; without it, we whither and die.
The ultimate goal of Jesus’ story is to remind his hearers of God’s compassion and willingness to forgive, as well as His unwillingness to ignore justice

Only the merciful are shown mercy.

Forever learning,
Johnny

God's Daughters

The ministry of women is as ancient as Eve. She was created to be a "powerful partner" and to be an encourager.

As a Salvation Army officer, the privilege of seeing women given the opportunity for meaningful ministry has been a true blessing, though there is still a long way to go.

Catherine Booth, who was the wife of The Salvation Army's founder, William Booth, was the author of many of her husband's sermons and her deep theological and spiritual sensitivity was an always needed balancing tool for her husband.

The lack of respecting the ministry of women in the history of the church has had many negative impacts on some branches of the church. For example, The Salvation Army, to this day, does not practice communion, as it was not accepted by female ministers in the beginnings of The Army's mission. Therefore, William Booth declared that we will not practice communion in order that we do not offend anyone needing to hear the gospel.

I believe that women have always been just as important as men in God's family, Kingdom, and ministries. It is very exciting to see the changes in the world of women's ministries and how our generally male dominated church is beginning to benefit from recognizing the gifts, talents, and offerings of God's daughters.

It's interesting to me that wisdom is always spoken of as "her" and "she" in the Bible. That Mr. Booth went to his wife for counsel, wisdom, and sermon writing should be expected, as a woman's sensitivity to the Spirit is a wonderful part of her creation.

Grace and peace,
Johnny

Life

When I was a boy growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, my brothers and I had a friend our age. I’ll call him Ricky.

Ricky had a little brother, whom I’ll call Timmy.

Ricky and Timmy lived in a house down the street from ours. One particular Christmas around 1980 or 81 my brothers and I got an Atari 2600 with at least 10 new games, a bunch of other toys, and brand new clothes, which my mom charged on her credit card and paid back over the next ten years.

I remember being so excited, and I couldn’t wait to go out and tell everyone all that we got for Christmas.

My brothers and I went and visited our other friends, one house after the other, each showing off our new treasures. Then we went to Ricky and Timmy’s.

Walking into their house was strange. Immediately, the first thing that caught my attention was the floor, which was almost covered in grey sand. In their bedroom was a pile of old clothes that they used for a bed, and they had almost no furniture.

This was Christmas. Everything should be shimmering with lights and shiny decorations, with the smell of a Christmas tree and turkey or ham baking in the oven. Ricky and Timmy were alone in their house. Their mother wasn’t home. I’m not sure where she was on this Christmas day, but I do remember that they had presents.

Their presents weren’t like ours, with the smell of new clothes and toys, and the shine of freshly opened boxes and wrapping paper.
One of their presents was a board game that was torn on the corners, repaired with masking tape, and a small, black and white television with a coat hanger for an antenna. I don’t remember anything else.

I do remember that on a few occasions, Ricky climbed in our window of the porch that was made into a bedroom where we kept our Atari. He’d be in there about six in the morning playing video games.

Ricky was in jail about ten years ago, where my younger brother, who’d gotten into some trouble, saw him. Ricky said his little brother, Timmy, died of malnutrition. I’m not sure what happened to his mother.

I tell this story to remind myself, that no matter how rough I think my life can be at times, there are always those who have it rougher.

Grace and peace,
Johnny

What does it mean?

For two nights in a row, I dreamed that Ella was in danger of being hurt in a ditch. And in the ditch was a large cement drain pipe that ran under the ground until it protruded just a few inches into the ditch. The first night she and I were falling into the ditch together and she nearly hit her head on the drain pipe until, while in midair, I jerked her away by her hand just in time for both of us to land on the grass outside the ditch. The second night she crawled into the drain pipe, which happened to be flooded about 4 inches with tomato soup. I know…weird.

I think I know what it means. It means nothing.

Isn’t it nice when something means nothing? How often does that happen in real life? Everything always means something, no matter how big or how small the thing is.

It’s so cool to have a really bad dream like your spouse has left you or your baby fell in a ditch, only to wake up and learn that it was all a dream. There are a lot of people who wish their lives could be like that, hoping that they’ll wake up and it was all just a dream that meant nothing.

They'd love to wake up and remember that their real life is wonderful and means so much.

Sometimes all it takes to go from meaning nothing to meaning a lot, is a change.

I like change. Change can turn nothing into something.

Grace and peace,
Johnny

“Strengthening Faith or Dancing with the Devil?”

Speaking dangerously is something that more Christians would do well to dabble in. I have found that far too many believers become angry or even threatened by some of the thoughts and ideas of the classic writers and even refuse to read for fear of feeling that they are dancing with the devil.

Recently I read a definite classic by Rudolf Bultmann, of which I'm sure many have read, titled "Jesus Christ and Mythology." Bultmann's philosophy is very striking and thought provoking as his words would seem to challenge the reader to once again approach some of the questions many have during a point in life when a person begins to experience doubts about faith and God. Bultmann's "de-mythologizing" theory is very tantalizing in that it brings to the surface of those reading the book that many well-meaning believers have mythologized much of the ideals of Christianity.

When we tell our children that angels are watching over them, how much of our thoughts about that statement are steeped in myths of female, winged, gown wearing, glowing, ghost-like creatures hovering invisibly about the bed?

Some of Bultmann's thoughts are no doubt placed in the theological world of infamy, while at the same time there is much to his words that gives us cause to look deeper into what we believe and how we live as Christians.

In a general conversation, I spoke of this book to another Christian who not only did not want to read it, but refused to even talk about it. This brings to my mind that we, as believers, must not fear the thoughts of the classic writers who helped to shape and even challenge our Christian theology throughout history, ancient or more recent. It is through the efforts of the classic writers that we are able to galvanize our thoughts as Christians.

I wish that we would all dare to dabble in the dangerous. Faith is only as strong as it is able to stretch in and out of the safest and scariest of converstations, whether written or spoken.

Forever learning,
Johnny

"Get A Shovel"

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl in Matthew 13:44-46 has a deep and rich background in the Hebrew world, which has always been a reference to the teaching of God’s Word. Learning the Word of God was more valuable than anything that had ever existed; it was a hidden treasure that was meant to be excavated by every child of God, and nothing was more valuable.

Jesus' message was The Message of the Kingdom. He taught of the priceless Way and Will of God. And the people who found the Kingdom, who found the Way of God, had indeed discovered a priceless treasure.

The church fathers, like Origen and Irenaeus taught that the pearl was Christ and that those who found Jesus had found the great Jewel. But in the context of Jesus’ teaching, it was the opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and learn to live the will of God that was the value of his invitation.

In Jewish tradition, the greatest treasure was the Torah, and people would give up land, flocks, crops, and gold to have the opportunity for deep study in the Torah of God.

“An ancient sage named Jose, the son of Kisma, said, I was once walking by the way when a man met me and greeted me, and I returned his greeting. He said to me, Rabbi, from what place are you? I said to him, I come from a great city of sages and scribes. He said to me, If you are willing to dwell with us in our place, I will give you a thousand golden dinars and precious stones and pearls. I said to him, even if you were to give me all the silver and gold and precious stones and pearls in the world, I would not dwell anywhere but in a home of the Torah.” –Brad H. Young, Parables, 210

The hidden treasure and the pearl both signify the Kingdom of God, which is the Word of God being learned and lived by the people of God. Jesus calls us to search for the treasures of the Kingdom, the Will and Ways of God and His people, and even to give up everything to know and live according to His priceless Word.

Jim Rohn said when we invite people to come and dig for the treasures of higher learning, many will say, “I don’t have a shovel.” He will then say, “Get you one” with their reply being, “Do you know what a shovel costs today?”

Jesus calls us to pay the price, no matter how expensive the shovel, in order that we may find the Pearl of Great Price that is His eternal Word.

Forever learning,
Johnny

People Are Like A Box of Whitman's Chocolate

Listening is such a needed attribute within the body of Christ. Often we are given the opportunity to share or be shared with, and the chance is missed for lack of interest or difference of opinion.

I love what one writer, possibly Stephen Covey, says, “First seek to understand, and then seek to be understood.”

Forest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.”

Life may not be predictable as we'd like it, but I think people are another story.

Most people are like a box of Whitman’s chocolate; the kind that does let us know what we’re going to get, if only we take the time to look inside the box before we grab or reject the morsels inside of one another.

Grace and peace,
Johnny

Was Jesus "Whacked" by the Mob?

The background of The Parable of the Tenants in Luke 20 has a sinister history which is very often unknown by the majority of those of us who read the Bible.

Often this parable is taught with the understanding that the "tenants/farmers" are the Jews, the "servants" are the prophets, and “others” refers to the Gentiles, non-Jews, or Christians. However, a closer look at the history of the Temple reveals that this parable is more likely a direct reference to the corruption among the Temple authorities and God's ability to remove and re-staff His Temple with new Levites and priests, such as the case after the destruction of the first Temple.

According to very important and reliable writings of antiquity, the background of the parable has to do with some Levite families. One particular family is that of the high priest, Ananias, who was a wealthy landowner. By the time of the Second Temple period, in Jesus day, it is well documented that many Levites were wealthy landowners, though they were not supposed to own land. This caused many Jews who were taught to give tithes (10% of crops and animals, not money) in order to feed the Levites and priests, to stop tithing, realizing that many wealthy Levites and priests no longer required being fed by the rest of Jerusalem’s farms.

Levites who were wealthy landowners were given great honor by the Jews because of their wealth and prestige. Unfortunately, this wealth led to oppression by some of these Levite families. When the priests (servants) came to receive from the tithes (fruit) provided at the Temple (vineyard), the Levites (tenant/farmers) would not give them their food and the priests would even be physically beaten and or killed by the slaves who were owned by the Levite and his family. Many of these priests simply starved to death.

The high priest, Ananias (tenant), would not give to the priests (servants) who came for food, which he was required to provide to the servants of the temple when they came to the owner's vineyard (God's Temple) for their fruit (food to feed their families).

Ananias is spoken of by the first century historian, Josephus, as “a supplier of money.” "Supplier" is another name for "robber," which is the title that robbers would call themselves. Josephus also says of the Levite family of Ananias: “Such was the shamelessness and effrontery which possessed the high priests that they were so brazen as to send servants to the threshing floors to receive the tithes that were due to the priests, with the result that the poorer priests starved to death” (Ant. 20.181).–Jesus’ Last Week, 69

Ananias and his family are characterized as a “mafia” who bullied the priests of the temple in Jesus day and began making a lucrative living off of the tithes of the people.

Worth noting, is the fact that purchasing sacrificial animals from the temple would not have been a reason for Jesus’ aggressive behavior since Deuteronomy 14:25-26 makes provision for purchasing offerings.

The issue of Jesus behavior is much, much bigger than stopping people from selling or buying offerings. Anyone in earshot of Jesus telling The Parable of the Talents knows exactly to whom he's referring. After all, all of Jerusalem is frustrated and disgusted by corruption of the Temple authorities.

Imagine everyone's surprise when Jesus takes on the Mob. This could lend an explanation to the illegal trial and the fact that no one tried to stop him in the Temple.

Forever learning,
Johnny

Make Life Happen!

This is such a strange world that God has created. I can almost taste the irony as I stretch my way through life, too often never really lifting my feet from the past. And, though I pass through the years, I never really touch down on the future.

Every day I feel less and less up to the task of seizing the day. My crystal-blue eyes are tired from the strain of concern. My mind wonders around the pool of regret. And my heart beats faster to keep me ahead of the negative pulses that struggle to weigh me down. This, I believe, is a spiritual crisis. And I want to capture it. I want to grab it by its throat and stand on its chest. So, I have. I am not allowing it to talk to me. Instead, I am talking to it. And, what do I say?

I yell into its eyes, “I have been given goals, dreams, and visions for life that only I can prevent--Not You! And I'm not about to stop them!”

I know more than I ever knew before. I dream vividly at night, and I look forward to the day. And my heart is not as soft as it once was. There is no fear of man or the tools of intimidation that are used to restrain the tenacious. Instead, I seek out the bully, stand on his turf, and look into his eyes. There’s nothing that he can say or do that is able to turn back my relentless pursuit to drive my dreams on the roads that have been paved for the plans laid out for me.

There have been those who have labored to convince me that life is something to let happen. But I am convinced that life is better suited for those who make it happen. The less inspired is heavily disturbed by the unrelenting quest of the determined. That is why paradox attempts to define my way by convincing me that I can reach for the stars that have fallen onto the ground. “After all,” says Mr. and Mrs. Underachiever, “Stars are stars, even when they have fallen.”

Don’t believe it. Those aren’t dreams; they’re compromises.

Spend time dreaming real dreams, and then go after the dreams—the high, far, far-away dreams; the dreams that don’t allow your feet to stay where they are, while you stretch out your hands.

As Jim Rohn so wisely says, “Life is short, even at its longest.”

So, live life like you are the one chosen to prove to God that life will not be wasted when He gives it to human beings.

Grace and peace,
Johnny

Which Matters Most--The Goose or the Egg?

Pity parties are strange occasions. But there’s just something about life that brings them on when we least expect them. Maybe it’s the weather change, a time of year, a holiday. Who knows what causes them? But sometimes there’s something that brings out our negative feelings without warning.

I believe that one reason some people get down is because of a lack of encouragement, recognition, and affirmation for who they are and what they have been created to do. People begin to feel like commodities, rather than valuable assets.

There is a great story called Aesop’s fable that is the story of a man who owned a goose. One morning he went out to the pen to get the eggs from the goose and found a golden egg. At first he thought that it was ridiculous to think a goose could lay a golden egg, so he simply threw it to the side. Then he thought about it and said to himself, “What if the egg really is a golden egg?” He took it to an appraiser and found out that it was pure gold.
The next morning the man went out to the goose’s nest and there was another golden egg. Morning after morning, the man would rise early and run out to the nest to find another golden egg.
Eventually, the man became incredibly wealthy. He also became very greedy and impatient. When he could no longer stand to wait until morning for his golden egg, he took the goose, killed it, and tore open its belly to get all the eggs at once. Of course, there were no eggs, and he had ruined the producer of his riches.


Sometimes we treat people like the man in Aesop’s fable treated his goose—we don’t really care about the geese, only the eggs that they produce.

The moral of the story is obvious: Don’t destroy the people, in order to get what you want out of them. It’s the people that are the true treasure.

How often are we pressed to pursue encouragement, due to a lack of appreciation for who we are as people? I would venture to say that in the church, we are too often asked (not overtly) to hide our strengths and keep our accomplishments a secret, lest we be heard as boasting.

What a shame. We should be shouting from the rooftops when we discover our purpose and our gifts.

I'm picturing that goose running out of the pen, screaming, "I laid a golden egg! I laid a golden egg!" and the man saying, "Stop bragging! Get back in that pen, hang your head, and make out like you lay the same kind of eggs as every other goose, or they'll think you believe you're better than them."

We have to stand out. God has given each of us a specific purpose. To borrow from Zig Ziggler, we are all created to be "meaningful specifics," not "wondering generalities." I don't think we should have to hide our gifts or have our bellies torn open for the goods. We are just to be who God created us to be, doing our specific part and being appreciated for who we are as individuals, without being ripped apart by greedy, hasty people. Instead, we are to encourage one another daily with care, concern, words of affirmation, love, and celebration for the person whom God created.

Grace and peace,
Johnny

Stuff Them Like An Ox!

To be a student is something that is very valuable. It has been said that learning is the key to maturity. Sadly, there are far too many people who have no love of learning.

In my experience, those with the most disdain for new information are those with the least appreciation for constant intellectual and practical growth. This may sound redundant, but as Louis Armstrong said, "There are some who, if they don't know it, you can't tell them."

Over and over I have heard people with very little education say, “Be careful how educated you become. Those who are more educated tend to think more and do less,” which is nowhere near true. The educated are by far the majority of leaders, philanthropists, educators, and greatest contributors to society.

There is also an attitude among many that the educated should live a life of false humility, almost apologizing for all that they have learned. But this is not an accurate reflection of God's attitude toward education.

God has always valued education for His people. It has only been since the days of the Great Awakenings and the birth of the evangelical church that education has been treated as a virus. Praise God for the recent spike of interest among the evangelicals.

The ancient Jews valued learning so much for their children that the rabbis would say, “Under the age of six we do not receive a child as a pupil; from six upwards accept him and stuff him (with Torah) like an ox” (B.B. 21a). –Abraham Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud, pg 175

The ancient rabbis also emphasized the importance of learning during childhood by saying, “If one learns as a child, what is it like? Like ink written on clean paper. If one learns as an old man, what is it like? Like ink written on blotted paper” (Aboth IV. 25).
–Cohen, pg 175

The education of children was a top priority in ancient Jerusalem. The following is a collection of ancient quotes which help us to see this passion of God’s people:

“’Touch not Mine anointed and do My prophets no harm’ (1 Chronicles 16:22)—‘Mine anointed’ are the schoolchildren, ‘My prophets’ are the scholars.’

‘The world only exists through the breath of schoolchildren.’

‘We may not suspend the instruction of children even for the rebuilding of the Temple.’

‘A city in which there are no schoolchildren will suffer destruction’ (Shab. 119b).” –Cohen, pg 173

Clearly, God’s people in the days of Jesus believed that no child should be prevented from sitting at the feet of a rabbi. This is probably the reason Jesus was so firm with his young disciples (between the ages of 16-25), when he told them not to prevent children from coming to him (Matthew 19:14). This is also what made it possible for Jesus at the age of 12 to sit and question the rabbis at the Temple when he was left in Jerusalem. Jesus’ questioning of the scholars was common for children to do. What was not as common was the extent of Jesus’ knowledge as a gifted child (Luke 2:46-47).

Knowing the impact of God’s Word on a culture, why do most Christians continue to teach biblical education inside the establishment of church buildings alone? It would seem that those of us who claim to be the disciples of Christ would be emphatic about “stuffing our children like an ox” in every building, especially the home.

"Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long" (Psalm 25:4-5 NIV).


Forever learning,
Johnny

Difficult People

The following is a list of the seven patterns of difficult people as given by Dr. Robert M. Bramson in his book, Coping with Difficult People.

Hostile-Aggressives: these are the people who try to bully and overwhelm by bombarding others, making cutting remarks, or throwing tantrums when things don’t go the way they are certain things should.
Complainers: complainers are individuals who gripe incessantly but who never try to do anything about what they complain about, either because they feel powerless to do so or because they refuse to bear the responsibility.
Silent and Unresponsives: These are the people who respond to every question you might have, every plea for help you make, with yep, a no, or a grunt.
Super-Agreeables: Often very personable, funny, and outgoing individuals. Super-Agreeables are always very reasonable, sincere, and supportive in your presence but don’t produce what they say they will, or act contrary to the way they have led you to expect.
Negativists: When a project is proposed, the negativists are bound to object with “It won’t work” or “It’s impossible” All too often they effectively deflate any optimism you might have.
Know-It-All Experts: These are those “superior” people who believe, and want you to recognize, that they know everything there is to know about anything worth knowing. They’re condescending, imposing (if they really do know what they’re talking about), or pompous (if they don’t), and they will likely make you feel like an idiot.
Indecisives: Those who stall major decisions until the decision is made for them, those who can’ let go of anything until it is perfect—which means never.

This should be looked at in two areas:

1. Who is the difficult person in my life?
2. Whose difficult person am I?

Grace and peace,
Johnny