Patriarchs, Philosophers, & Phlip Phlops

Work Out Your Salvation

Andy Madonio — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:31:37 +0000

Philippians 2:12 ESV - Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

work (Hebrew) = melakah – Strong’s 4399 (ref Gen 2:2)

מְלָאכָה = mem + lamed + aleph + kaf + he = water (power, chaos) + cattle prod, staff (prod, go towards) + ox (strength, leader) + arm, open hand (cover, allow) + window, fence (to reveal, to separate).

Therefore work in Hebrew could mean: to grow closer to your leader by allowing him to help you identify and separate out chaos.

129 of 167 occurrences of melakah in the bible are translated simply the english word “work,” including the work God did at creation (Gen 2:2-3). Five of the uses of melakah speak of workmanship, as in the skill and evidence of it, while building the tabernacle and all the ornate and specific furnishings (Ex 31 and 35). In addition, various types of things (nouns) are counted as melakah: property (Ex 22:8); the raw material used to build the tabernacle and furnishings (Ex 36:7); even livestock (Gen 33:14).

So, as Skip Moen points out in Taking Care of Business, work is not only a deed, but sometimes the means and the end result. Working out your salvation, or “keep working out your deliverance,” as the Complete Jewish Bible phrases it – is the melakah of being a disciple. It is the act of growing closer to our leader Jesus; the act of allowing him (via submitting) to teach us to root out chaos and to bring order to the world around us.

That is simply bringing the kingdom of heaven into our world, illuminating the darkness around us with the light from God’s place. It takes faith, belief in Adonai, and it takes melakah, hard work, actions that bring redemption.

“Pretty Woman” Orbison Spotted?

Andy Madonio — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:12:51 +0000

Could this be the writer of that wonderful hit “Pretty Woman” himself? I spotted this familiar face at Pasquale’s on Woodward Avenue the day after Thanksgiving 2011, while having lunch with out-of-town friends. This isn’t my normal type of posting, but I couldn’t resist.

These “spy” photos were taken surreptitiously, not paparazzi-like, so as not to disturb Roy, or any of his guests: Morrison, Joplin, or Hendrix. He was obviously trying to be inconspicuous, finding anonymity in the menu.

What do you think? Have a blessed 2012, and remember, Roy was created in the Lord’s image too.

Messiah Unwrapped

Andy Madonio — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:28:37 +0000

There is a Christmas present that is available every day of the year. It is a present of selflessness, of subordination, of stooping to the lowest; it is a present from one completely unconcerned with his reputation. This gift is revealed each time the Word of God is read, and its beauty and significance are never more striking than when the Torah is read in a Jewish synagogue.

Do they know the significance? Do they understand the many prophetic words of Isaiah?

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Do they know, or is the veil still firmly in place, preventing them from knowing the truth of their Messiah. Let’s look at the presentation of the Torah, the Word of God, as it is read in a typical Jewish synagogue. Their “handling” of their sacred text is a perfect picture of the Word made flesh that has come to dwell among us.

In a Jewish worship service, the books of the bible are contained in scroll-form in a curtain-covered cabinet called the aron ha-kodesh’ – the Hebrew name for the Holy Ark which contains the precious scrolls of the Torah, the first five books that make up what we call the Old Testament.

As these illustrations show, the scroll is beautifully “dressed” in the garb of the ancient high priest. Exodus 28 details the specifics of the clothing of the High Priest. His special clothing included a tunic (the Torah mantle, or covering), a belt (the sash around the Torah scroll, hidden under the mantle), a crown or turban (sometimes pomegranates on each wooden roller – eitzei chayim), and a breastplate.

When the scroll to be read is selected, it is reverently carried to the bema, the place of reading, and gently, like setting a child in a cradle, it is prepared for us to hear. This preparation consists of an “undressing” of the Word or, in the spirit of the Christmas season, an unwrapping of the gift, so that its contents can be revealed to men. Without this unwrapping, the inner secrets remain hidden, veiled, and unable to be seen by those who need the nourishment of the Word, the bread of life. Next, the covering, the mantle, the royal vestments of the king, are removed. Finally, the sash, a finely woven linen cloth, is taken away, revealing the simple lambskin scroll, upon which is written the eternal Word of God.

Is seems difficult to miss the import of these symbolic actions. The king allows himself to be handled by men, choosing to be divested of his royalty, placed as a helpless baby in the hands of the simple country folk of Galilee, the am ha aretz, the people of the land. For his message to be heard, this must be done; it is the only way, the perfect way.

As a disciple of Yeshua, these words penned by the apostle Paul are more meaningful than ever, describing this very same event, repeated in every Jewish synagogue, beautifully depicting the King of Creation subjecting himself to human existence, being unwrapped so as to fulfill everything written in Torah; fulfilling to the last detail the requirements of the Law of Moses.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In synagogue, when the Word has been revealed, at the completion of worship, it is redressed in its kingly attire, and placed back within the Holy Ark; a gift that is perfect for everyone, but often rejected, shunned and despised. But for those with eyes to see and ears to hear, the gift is “Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Thanks for unwrapping our precious gift, Abba Father.

(Illustrations courtesy of “Judaism – Rabbi Scheinerman’s Web Page.“

If It Feels Good . . . Is It?

Andy Madonio — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:53:40 +0000

N.Y. Times columnist David Brooks recently wrote about a lack of moral understanding among young people. The gist of his column reveals that young Americans don’t even understand what morality is, confusing it with feelings.

This sad fact is only slightly preferable to actually knowing what is moral and refusing to comply out of rebellion. Only slightly better – like getting kicked in the groin instead of poked in the eye.

In a revealing statement, Brooks writes, “Morality was once revealed, inherited and shared, but now it’s thought of as something that emerges in the privacy of your own heart.” An ancient prophet was quoted once about the purity of what emanates from the human heart when he said, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else and mortally sick. Who can fathom it?”

Mortally sick. And yet it is the wellspring of “morality” for many of today’s young people that Brooks writes about. He says further that many incorrect ideas regarding morality will “sort themselves out” as life progresses to marriage, raising children, and working every day in a job. There is some truth to the education provided by “real life,” as opposed to the fluff taught by insulated misdirected college academics. But understanding the true source of morality is really the key. Also, there were many terrible (moral) choices and decisions made that lead to the financial meltdown of 2008; choices made by mature men and women who desperately needed a clearer view of morality, and have clearly had enough time to “sort themselves out.” Like the contemporary young people in Brook’s piece, they simply didn’t know how to do the right thing.

Dennis Prager, in National Review Online, hits a bull’s-eye with the root cause analysis of this dilemma. “This latest study cited by David Brooks confirms what conservatives have known for a generation: Moral standards have been replaced by feelings . . . What is disconcerting about Brooks’ piece is that nowhere in what is an important column does he mention the reason for this disturbing trend: namely, secularism . . . One key reason is what secularism does to moral standards. If moral standards are not rooted in God, they do not objectively exist. Good and evil are no more real than “yummy” and “yucky.” They are simply a matter of personal preference . . . With the death of Judeo-Christian God-based standards, people have simply substituted feelings for those standards. Millions of American young people have been raised by parents and schools with “How do you feel about it?” as the only guide to what they ought to do. The heart has replaced God and the Bible as a moral guide. And now, as Brooks points out, we see the results.”

Chuck Colson, a defender of the benefits of living life with a biblical world view, says of ethics in society: “Our modern dilemma in ethics began with the French Enlightenment . . . Enlightenment thinkers believed that Christians were wrong about individual sin, that people were good, corrupted only by social structures. So reforming social structures would produce a perfect society. For 200 years ethicists have tried to create ethical systems without God. The result has been the dismantling of any objective standard of right and wrong, leaving the individual to act according to his or her own “personal preference.” But what happens when someone’s “personal preference” happens to be cheating on an exam? Or stealing?”

The prophet was right in his frightening description of the human heart. We can’t even define morality – right and wrong – without the baseline, which the Creator set in stone, and which we do well to remember.

Is the Crucifixion Immoral?

Andy Madonio — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:34:07 +0000

A recent post on the Stand to Reason blog addressed this challenge by some atheists. In a way, I admire the inventive creativity on their part to come up with this argument, but it seems like the type of challenge a nothing-to-lose defense attorney might confidently exhort – with absolutely no foresight to consider the unintended future consequences of victory. Yet on the surface, it raises some interesting questions that disciples of Jesus must be able to counter.

Here is an excerpt from the atheists’ claim:

“The atheist claim is that Christians support the unjust torture and killing of an innocent human being for their crimes. Christians believe it’s immoral to punish innocent people, yet we believe that God punished an innocent man, Jesus, for the crimes the rest of us committed. So they are attempting to say that Christianity’s core belief is immoral, therefore Christianity is an immoral belief system.”

Several key points are absent from the indictment, however:

1) No one on earth was cognizant of the action until after the fact. Even Jesus’ closest disciples were kept from knowing the truth at the time, so premeditation and culpability do not lie with those that stood to benefit the most from Jesus’ redemptive action.

2) The need to have some individual (human) die for the sins of another was instigated by the one who saw the need and eventually, at the perfect time, took action on his own. The “victim” of this action was the initiator, the instigator, the only one able to concoct and carry out the activity. Listen to the instigator’s own words:

“The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.”

3) Like a war hero who sacrifices his life for his comrades so they can live, Jesus chose to perform this action on anyone’s behalf who accepts his call to follow and imitate his life, as an apprentice or disciple. Again, the choice to sacrifice was the instigators, and no one else’s.

“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

4) Finally, the definition of what is immoral must be considered, but untold volumes would merely scratch the surface. Suffice to say that the definition of morality itself lies only in the contextual domain of the creator of the term. It is not some relativistic secular vacillating expectorant of the PC community of our day; it IS carved in stone, and will never change.

An Atheist Looses His Voice

Andy Madonio — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:20:53 +0000

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Update to “Atheist Loses His Voice” post: Yesterday, December 15, 2011, outspoken author, Vanity Fair contributing editor, and New Atheist Christopher Hitchens, died after his battle with esophageal cancer. He was 62 years old in this earthly life. One way or another, Mr. Hitchens now knows the truth to all the claims he has made regarding God and eternal life. I hope he was prepared for what he now sees. I hope I can be prepared, as Jesus told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Today, Mr. Hitchens has seen.

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When a man who lives by the skill of propagating ideas looses the primary means of delivering his stock and trade, it’s tragic, even if the product is disagreeable. For many of the Christian faith, they might see the esophageal cancer that has overtaken Christopher Hitchens as just punishment. But I don’t think Adonai, the Lord God, Creator of heaven, earth, and Hitchens himself, would agree – much to the atheist’s chagrin.

This upcoming January 2012 Vanity Fair article by the renowned New Atheist is very revealing, as is this one he authored six months previous in June 2011. The recent article is quite poignant, caustically tinged, revealing the extent this disease has affected Mr. Hitchens. I feel great sadness at any man being subjected to the dictates of the likes of cancer. As a creature created in the image of God, the cruelness of cancer is the ultimate descriptor of the confrontation announced, literally, “in the beginning.” The “heel bruising” Mr. Hitchens is now subject to has certainly hobbled his way through life, just as a real heel bruising would do. It is one of the most incredibly important joints God created, designed to carry the entire weight of the body smoothly and effortlessly with each flowing step; to harm the heel means to destroy mobility. The steps through life Mr. Hitchens now takes, once smooth and strident, are now filled with the pain inflicted by his recent cruel master, and yet this cancer may be the lever that finally fulcrums him into the position enabling his ears to hear his Creator speak lovingly to him.

Observing one doubt the voice and promise of Adonai so publicly brings to mind the story of Zechariah and his encounter with the angel Gabriel. Zechariah also doubted God and his words, and was struck with dumbness until his son John (the Baptist) was born. I can only hope Mr. Hitchens will use this time of silence and struggle (two things synonymous to a man familiar with previously smooth persuasive speech), and consider the quiet Voice that has been beckoning him for years. Those who are the most vigorous opponents of our Savior are often the most effective when they finally see the truth; this may turn out to be the case with Mr. Hitchens. Listen to his words from the January 2012 Vanity Fair article. It sounds like his Savior is helping him with his story:

“One thing that grave illness does is to make you examine familiar principles and seemingly reliable sayings. And there’s one that I find I am not saying with quite the same conviction as I once used to: In particular, I have slightly stopped issuing the announcement that “Whatever doesn’t kill me makes me stronger . . . Perhaps it does, or can, in matters of the emotions. I can remember thinking, of testing moments involving love and hate, that I had, so to speak, come out of them ahead, with some strength accrued from the experience that I couldn’t have acquired any other way. And then once or twice, walking away from a car wreck or a close encounter with mayhem while doing foreign reporting, I experienced a rather fatuous feeling of having been toughened by the encounter. But really, that’s to say no more than “There but for the grace of god go I,” which in turn is to say no more than “The grace of god has happily embraced me and skipped that unfortunate other man.” ”

I hope God’s preeminent grace can reach Mr. Hitchens in time for him to turn from his long-standing atheistic course and finally “speak” to his vast audience. I pray he yet has a message extolling the goodness and love of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; that he now understands the arm of Jesus is long enough to reach the dying, the destitute, the despairing, because it finally reached him, offering a secure grip on the Kingdom of God and a life eternal. I pray Mr. Hitchens would see the truth of the words, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Embracing the Cornerstone of those words would indeed make him stronger.

What Does Salvation Mean to You?

Andy Madonio — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:45:17 +0000

The Hebrew word for salvation is yeshua (ref. Gen 49:18). It contains the root word yasha, which is used extensively in the O.T. (Old Testament), and is the basis for the name of our Messiah, Yeshua or Jesus. So what does salvation (Jesus) mean to you? It’s important, because defining this for yourself is critical to your walk as a disciple.

Yasha is found over 200 times in the O.T., and in virtually all those instances, it speaks of saving, delivering, rescuing, or helping from some earthly menace – both physical (Exodus 2:17, Deuteronomy 20:4, Judges 2:16, Psalm 3:7), and spiritual (Psalm 119:41 as the root of teshua – salvation). This “saving”, therefore, is not an escape from this broken, evil, tarnished, sin-filled earth, because the Hebrew worldview steadfastly refuses to seek flight from this life by a transfiguration to Heaven. Rather, being very earthly-minded in terms of their role in God’s plan, they have a clear view of participating in the Lord’s redemptive plan as His agent right now, here, today!

The Hebrew for save is yasha – ישע = (right-to-left) yud-shin-ayin = closed right hand (grasp, hold, power) – teeth (devour, destroy) – eye (to see, perceive). This could mean, “the ability to perceive and deliver from destruction.”

Both the spiritual and physical aspects of salvation are found in the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:32-46 (red emphasis is mine).

Matthew 25:32-46 Complete Jewish Bible All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. 33 The `sheep’ he will place at his right hand and the `goats’ at his left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take your inheritance, the Kingdom prepared for you from the founding of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you made me your guest, 36 I needed clothes and you provided them, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the people who have done what God wants will reply, `Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and make you our guest, or needing clothes and provide them? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ 40 The King will say to them, `Yes! I tell you that whenever you did these things for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did them for me!’ 41 “Then he will also speak to those on his left, saying, `Get away from me, you who are cursed! Go off into the fire prepared for the Adversary and his angels! 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 a stranger and you did not welcome me, needing clothes and you did not give them to me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they too will reply, `Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, needing clothes, sick or in prison, and not take care of you?’ 45 And he will answer them, `Yes! I tell you that whenever you refused to do it for the least important of these people, you refused to do it for me!’ 46 They will go off to eternal punishment, but those who have done what God wants will go to eternal life.”

The scene is the end of the ages, when those destined for Heaven are sorted from those destined for Hell – obvious spiritual destinations. Look closely, however, on how the eternal, spiritual destination is determined. Is it not determined by the earthly actions done, did, and do – simply caring for the needy because our aim is to please the Lord? If the eternal is so completely determined by the temporal (temporary), what does this say for your actions on this fleeting piece of dirt we call earth? Look again at verse 37 – “The people who have done what God wants,” vs. verse 45, where the “goats” refused to do the same. They were not ignorant, they refused!

Knowing this Hebrew view of salvation, how now shall you live?

What Is God Like? A Disciple!

Andy Madonio — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:56:22 +0000

(Concept taken from Hebrew Word Study blog, by Skip Moen, 01OCT11)

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth.” So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” Gen 1:26-28 CJB

What am I created for? What did God intend for me to do on this earth? What is my job as a disciple?

Three words from this passage are key: Image, likeness, and rule. All are used for the first time in the bible in Genesis 1:26, and all reveal much of what our task is.

1) Rule – Hebrew radah – ה ד ר [resh-dalet-hey] = head-pathway-behold, which could mean, “the path to the highest is revealed.” All of the 27 usages of this word in the bible deal with human rule. As the passage indicates, he planned on us ruling over what? Fish, birds, animals, creeping things – not other humans! Our actions in ruling or exerting dominion were to reveal the image of our creator, not some inherent power within ourselves.

Skip Moen defines the possible word meanings for image and likeness as:

2) Image – Hebrew tselem – ם ל צ [tsadi-lamed-mem] = hook-staff-chaos, which could mean, “control and authority over chaos and desire.”

3) Likeness – Hebrew demuth – ת ו מ ד [dalet-mem-vav-tau] = path-chaos-nail-sign, which could mean “the path securing a covenant over chaos.”

Image and likeness both tell a different story in word pictures than one might have initially thought by understanding their common definitions. They tell us more of how are we to act and do, than what we simply look like.

A) We were created with power to positively impact His creation.

B) We are the pathway to assure life over destruction – we choose between them!

C) We are to be the controlling factor over chaos and desires.

D) We are to bring God’s covenant rule to our world.

How will you decide to live, understanding that we are created in His image (tselem) & likeness (demuth)?

What will you do, in practical terms every day, to appropriately model His image?

Relationship – An Important Aspect of Living in God’s Kingdom

Andy Madonio — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 18:23:23 +0000

A serious-minded believer in Jesus, one who desires to be a disciple, ought to honestly ask themselves, “Why would I want to be a part of this community that God calls the church?”

Then, they ought to patiently listen for the answer.

S. Michael Craven, in his Truth In Culture weekly commentaries describes the church’s “assignment” as the ambassador for the Kingdom of Heaven as threefold:

- One, the church demonstrates what life looks like under the reign of God within a distinct community.

- Two, the church serves the world by making disciples, doing justice, and meeting human needs through compassion and mercy, thereby setting right what sin has set wrong.

- Finally, the church proclaims the message of the risen Christ as the only means by which one may enter the kingdom of God.

Those are lofty but important tasks. Demonstrating what life looks like for those residents of the Kingdom of God is part and parcel to making disciples, and discipleship is as much knowing our King as doing what He did when he was here – doing justice, meeting the never-ending needs of everyone suffering under this fallen world, showing mercy where cruelty has taken up residence, and basically destroying the effects of sin. If we are successful in demonstrating and serving (which we have great difficulty with in Western societies), then proclaiming the message Jesus brought and gave to us is much easier.

Why is it so hard to effectively demonstrate and serve like we are actually residents of the Kingdom? Why do only 9 percent of self-proclaimed believers in Jesus operate within a biblical worldview? I believe it’s due to our failure to selflessly relate to virtually everyone around us – we can’t stop fretting about us. Unbelievers aren’t part of a faith family, so they are excused, but disciples of Jesus have no excuse. Again, S. Michael Craven has the key – relationships:

Jesus’ invitation is to enter the kingdom of God. Practically, this means we are saved out of our alienation from God and others and into the community of God’s people. Recall that the Great Commission given by Jesus was to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit …” (Matt. 28:19 ESV). Jesus is stressing the conversion of individuals through relationships (i.e., make disciples) . . . There is a profoundly corporate sense to the gospel of the kingdom.

This community is not merely the social gathering of a people with common beliefs and values, but rather a people who display proof of God’s redemptive work in the world through obedience to Christ’s commands. This proof flows forth from converted individuals whose transformation is authenticated through their interaction with each other. This community, the church, is intended to bear testimony to the restoration of fellowship with God and each other—a community of self-sacrificing love and support that stands in stark contrast to the fallen world. Jesus himself established this as the authenticating fact of our faith when he said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 ESV).

As Americans, we enter the church with nearly overpowering individualistic inclinations. We come with and cling to expectations and demands that are centered on ourselves. We want people to talk to us but we are unwilling to talk to strangers. We have a myriad of personal preferences that we impose on the church about worship styles, music, and the like. We grade the pastor on whether or not he has met our needs through his sermon. And we certainly aren’t interested in anyone getting in our business! We don’t humbly submit to one another. We argue and divide over inconsequential issues. We attack those outside our theological framework and we rarely listen to those with whom we disagree. Often our attitudes and actions toward each other are shameful and bring disgrace on the name of Christ.

“We want people to talk to us but we are unwilling to talk to strangers.” That one sentence is chilling to me. If a first-time visitor or a long-time attendee in a church experiences that, and I have seen both happen – too frequently, we have failed to be Jesus’ disciples, and the question we must ask ourselves that I opened this post with now seems acute:

“Why would I want to be a part of this community that God calls the church?”

Good question. Ask it of yourself, then consider how others would answer.

100 Questions Jesus Asks That You Must Answer

Andy Madonio — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:58:34 +0000

The bible is a story of life and truth, but did you ever realize you are in it?

In this blog by Monsignor Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington, is a very challenging exercise. I encourage you go through it thoughtfully, slowly, and contemplatively, asking at least some of these 100 questions of yourself, your spouse, your bible study group, your neighbor, your pastor, your rabbi, etc. An honest attempt will cause churning of both cranial and spiritual juices – always a good thing.

Msgr. Pope perceptively states, “One of the bigger mistakes people make in reading Scripture is that they read it as a spectator. For them, Scripture is a collection of stories and events that took place thousands of years ago. True enough, we are reading historical accounts. But, truth be told these ancient stories are our stories. We are in the narrative . . . As the narrative we read unfolds, we are in the story.”

He goes on to make comparisons to the actions, thoughts, faults and repercussions of biblical characters and reminds us wisely that we have mimicked their lives and should learn the deep truths that are portrayed. The questions are, of course, in the link, but I couldn’t resist also adding them below directly. Answer them honestly and faithfully to gain the most from the exercise. Msgr. Pope is spot on in saying they key unlocking the gospels is simply to, “Answer the Question!”

100 Questions that Jesus asked and YOU must answer:

And if you greet your brethren only, what is unusual about that? Do not the unbelievers do the same? (Matt 5:47)
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan? Matt 6:27
Why are you anxious about clothes? Matt 6:28
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye yet fail to perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? (Matt 7:2)
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? (Matt 7:16)
Why are you terrified? (Matt 8:26)
Why do you harbor evil thoughts? (Matt 9:4)
Can the wedding guests mourn so long as the Bridegroom is with them? (Matt 9:15)
Do you believe I can do this? (Matt 9:28)
What did you go out to the desert to see? (Matt 11:8)
To what shall I compare this generation? (Matt 11:6)
Which of you who has a sheep that falls into a pit on the Sabbath will not take hold of it and lift it out? (Matt 12:11)
How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and take hold of his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? (Matt 12:29)
You brood of vipers! How can you say god things when you are evil? (Matt 12:34)
Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? (Matt 12:48)
Why did you doubt? (Matt 14:31)
And why do you break the commandments of God for the sake of your tradition? (Matt 15:3)
How many loaves do you have? (Matt 15:34)
Do you not yet understand? (Matt 16:8)
Who do people say the Son of Man is? (Matt 16:13)
But who do you say that I am? (Matt 16:15)
What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life and what can one give in exchange for his life? (Matt 16:26)
O faithless and perverse generation how long must I endure you? (Matt 17:17)
Why do you ask me about what is good? (Matt 19:16)
Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink? (Matt 20:22)
What do you want me to do for you? (Matt 20:32)
Did you never read the scriptures? (Matt 21:42)
Why are you testing me? (Matt 22:18)
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred….the gift of the altar that makes the gift sacred? (Matt 23:17-19)
How are you to avoid being sentenced to hell? (Matt 23:33)
Why do you make trouble for the woman? (Matt 26:10)
Could you not watch for me one brief hour? (Matt 26:40)
Do you think I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than 12 legions of angels? (Matt 26:53)
Have you come out as against a robber with swords and clubs to seize me? (Matt 26:53)
My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me? (Matt 27:46)
Why are you thinking such things in your heart? (Mark 2:8)
Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed rather than on a lamp stand? (Mark 4:21)
Who has touched my clothes? (Mark 5:30)
Why this commotion and weeping? (Mark 5:39)
Are even you likewise without understanding? (Mark 7:18)
Why does this generation seek a sign? (Mark 8:12)
Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and still not see? Ears and not hear? (Mark 8:17-18)
How many wicker baskets full of leftover fragments did you pick up? (Mark 8:19)
[To the Blind man] Do you see anything? (Mark 8:23)
What were arguing about on the way? (Mark 9:33)
Salt is good, but what if salt becomes flat? (Mark 9:50)
What did Moses command you? (Mark 10:3)
Do you see these great buildings? They will all be thrown down. (Mark 13:2)
Simon, are you asleep? (Mark 14:37)
Why were you looking for me? (Luke 2:49)
What are you thinking in your hearts? (Luke 5:22)
Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I command? (Luke 6:46)
Where is your faith (Luke 8:25)
What is your name? (Luke 8:30)
Who touched me? (Luke 8:45)
Will you be exalted to heaven? (Luke 10:15)
What is written in the law? How do you read it? (Luke 10:26)
Which of these three in your opinion was neighbor to the robber’s victim? (Luke 10:36)
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? (Luke 11:40)
Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbiter? (Luke 12:14)
If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest? (Luke 12:26)
Why do you not judge for yourself what is right? (Luke 12:57)
What king, marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king marching upon him with twenty thousand troops? (Luke 14:31)
If therefore you are not trustworthy with worldly wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? (Luke 16:11)
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God? (Luke 17:18)
Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? (Luke 18:7)
But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth? (Luke 18:8)
For who is greater, the one seated a table or the one who serves? (Luke 22:27)
Why are you sleeping? (Luke 22:46)
For if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry? (Luke 23:31)
What are you discussing as you walk along? (Luke 24:17)
Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter his glory? (Luke 24:26)
Have you anything here to eat? (Luke 24:41)
What are you looking for? (John 1:38)
How does this concern of your affect me? (John 2:4)
You are a teacher in Israel and you do not understand this? (John 3: 10)
If I tell you about earthly things and you will not believe, how will you believe when I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3: 12)
Do you want to be well? (John 5:6)
How is it that you seek praise from one another and not seek the praise that comes from God? (John 5:44)
If you do not believe Moses’ writings how will you believe me? (John 5:47)
Where can we buy enough food for them to eat? (John 6:5)
Does this (teaching of the Eucharist) shock you? (John 6:61)
Do you also want to leave me? (John 6:67)
Why are you trying to kill me? (John 7:19)
Woman where are they, has no one condemned you? (John 8:10)
Why do you not understand what I am saying? (John 8:43)
Can any of you charge me with sin? (John 8:46)
If I am telling you the truth, why do you not believe me? (John 8:46)
Are there not twelve hours in a day? (John 11:9)
Do you believe this? (John 11:26)
Do you realize what I have done for you? (John 13:12)
Have I been with you for so long and still you do not know me? (John 14:9)
Whom are you looking for? (John 18:4)
Shall I not drink the cup the Father gave me? (John 18:11)
If I have spoken rightly, why did you strike me? (John 18:23)
Do you say [what you say about me] on your own or have others been telling you about me? (John 18:34)
Have you come to believe because you have seen me? (John 20:29)
Do you love me? (John 21:16)
What if I want John to remain until I come? (John 21:22)
100. What concern is it of yours? (John 21:22)