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Pronouns Metaphors Erros Part 22

 

Pronouns Metaphors Errors Pt 22

 

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Pronouns, Metaphors, and Errors

Message
April 12, 2015
Part 22

NKJ John 3:7-8
7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

NKJ John 3:9-10

9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

10
Jesus answered and said to him,“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”

NKJ John 3:11-12

11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

“Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”

Yeshiva ישיבה‎, literally "sitting( work that presses one to the tent)”; is a Jewish institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study.

Study is usually done through daily lectures or classes and in study companionship pairs, a unique feature of the yeshiva.

Today, I want to do something I have wanted to do for many years- -explore three specific responses to official“birthing” business from God involving an angel or Jesus; to see what kind of differences exist, if any, between them: from Zacharias, the father of John the Baptizer;from Mary, the mother of Jesus; and from Nicodemus, the nocturnal Pharisee.

1. Nicodemus responds to Jesus in John 3.9

“How can these things be?” [Accepted? Yes/No]

2. Zacharias responds to the angel in Luke 1.18

“How shall I know this?    [Accepted? Yes/No]

For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

3. Mary responds to the angel in Luke 1.34

“How can this be, [Accepted? Yes/No]

since I do not know a man?”

Let’s look first at Zacharias, then Mary, and finally Nicodemus.

Picture of the Angel Gabriel and Zachariah in the Temple

Luke 1:11-14
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a
son, and you shall call his name John.
14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

[This is probably the point at which the angel lost him.]

Luke 1:15-17
15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Luke 1:18
18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."

Greek for How shall I know this

I’m going to do a first, second and third derivative kind of thing with these responses, in order to capture the “attitude” of Zacharias and the others.

Let me explain…

By referring to derivatives; a first, second and third; I mean that we will build upon our understanding by going through each response three times, attempting to refine our translation by looking more carefully at the details during each successive pass through the Greek words.

description of image

this thing( the entire message)? (neuter gender)

Syntax: word1( word2)

Reads:word1 is put for word2

white space means “is put for” “this thing” is put for “the message”.

Implication: Zacharias questions the validity of the entire message.

2nd Derivative

In accordance with semantic domain:      relations involving correspondences;

what thing:       (neuter) an authority the law, a decree, an official document

will I come to know for myself (middle voice) using a corresponding      authority in order to verify this thing?

this thing?       this thing( this message)? very possibly with a pejorative( worsening) meaning

3rd Derivative

In accordance with( how does this correspond to)

what thing ( some other authority) [implied: other than you]

so that will I come to know for myself( in order to verify to my own satisfaction, middle voice)

this thing ( this ridiculous message)?

Paraphrase

How does this message correspond to some authority other than you by which I might eventually compare and verify this ridiculous message to my own satisfaction; because both I and my wife are well beyond our reproductive years!

not a cool way to address an angel of the Lord.

Implication

To the angel:

Maybe you got the wrong message; or the wrong Zacharias; or the wrong address; very possibly you got the wrong date, since we’d stopped praying that prayer a very long time ago. Please check your invoice; if this message really is for me, the timing is way off, it should have been delivered 40 years ago.

See Steve’s “tail of the times”…

Outcome

Luke 1:19-20
19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

20 "But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

This is an unusual affliction which demonstrates God’s creativity and timing in the manner by which He chooses to deal with his children on an“individual” basis.

Usually a person is mute as a secondary affliction.
Because they are unable to hear, they cannot monitor the sounds they make; they are mute, because they cannot hear.

Zacharias was rendered speechless, yet he was able to function, because he could still hear.

When God says, “Shut up!”, He means it.

Next..

Black and white drawing of the Angel Gabriel giving Mary the good news.

Luke 1:28-38
28 And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"
29 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30 Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Luke 1.31-33
31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

Luke 1:34-35
34 Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"

Greek for "how can this be"

description of image

2nd Derivative

2. in what way      in what manner

3. will it be?       will it happen by itself? (future middle)

1 This thing       This birthing event (not the message itself, and no pejorative likely)

3rd Derivative

2. in what manner       in what other manner

3. will it happen by itself?       will it happen; spontaneously, since I am definately not having sexual relation with any man?

1This birthing event       The entire process of giving birth to a baby

Outcome

Luke 1:35-38
35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36 "Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
37 "For with God nothing will be impossible."
38 Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

[Also, Gabriel’s delivery was a little more smooth.]

Success with messages about birthing…

it’s all about the delivery!

Next..

Picture of Jesus talking to Nicodemus

John 3:7-8
7 "Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

John 3:9
9 Nicodemus answered and said to Him,"How can these things be?"

Greek for "How can these things be"

description of image

2nd Derivative

2. In what way (adverbial)      in what manner

3. are they presently able (middle voice)       do they have their own ability (middle)

1. Subject: these things       These events of people being born again ( likely pejorative)

4. to happen?        to take place?

 

3rd Derivative

2. In what manner       in what manner

3. Do they have their own ability (middle)       are they spontaneously able

1. These events of people being born again (likely pejorative)      these spectacular events of people being born again

4. to happen?      to take place?

Paraphrase

These spectacular events of people being born again, in what manner are they spontaneously able to take place?

Outcome

John 3. 10-11
10 Jesus answered and said to him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
11 "Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.

John 3. 12
12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

Implications

With God’s Word, there is always a“present-tenseness” to it, from our perspective. Even though spoken ages prior, His truth is as fresh and relevant as anything could possibly be today.

The full Godhead, glorious and wise, is the Author of this Word to us. We are to listen to it closely, trusting in its own validity, without adding to it our doubt and skepticism which comes only through disrespect and disbelief. We do well to remember that nothing, absolutely“nothing”, gets past God’s notice and awareness. So we need not ever think that He has abandoned
us.If it should seem that He is not near at hand, it’s because we have somehow pressed Him away from us. His witness is true, His understanding is complete, He knows what He’s talking about, and His words are as powerful in their authority as they are in their truthfulness. Nothing we could say to the Lord would surprise or shock Him, He’s seen and heard it all.Give consideration to the word of Jesus to Nicodemus, for yourself. If He is showing you things, and you are already trusting in Him for earthly matters, how much more glorious things will He show you of heavenly (Godly) matters, and enable you to grasp
an understanding of them and to partake of them. There are certain things( truth propositions) from Scripture that the Lord expects you to already know and to already have thought deeply about. The better the thoroughness and the quality of our
study of the Bible, the better we are prepared to receive greater things( blessings) from Him in the near( short range) and distant( long range) future.Well thought out( meditated upon) scriptural knowledge properly prepares us to make better
sense of our blessings, to recognize and appreciate them all the more.

Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment when they discover that it was just as the Word of God says; only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself. God is just, so He must punish sin; but He is also merciful, moreover gracious, and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice in order to purchase a place for you in heaven, which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life. A couple of more details from the Greek…

Jesus is the Christ,
Jesus is the Messiah,
Jesus is the Anointed One,
He is God Incarnate,
the Good Shepherd!

In order to pay the debt of our sins, He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father, where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father even unto the shameful death upon the cross in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith, believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work was His complete and necessary Atonement for your sins, in your behalf. Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being. Only the power of God can open your heart to the willingness to have the void within it filled with the presence of Christ by His Spirit.The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life. Only the life of His Spirit’s quickening of your heart will allow the Gospel message of salvation to even make sense to you, to truly “hear” the message and give you the ability, as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus, to recognize your need for forgiveness and restoration, and gain the desire of your heart to be favorably inclined to want to receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.If you have not done so before this moment, ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior, and ask Him to come into your life right now, and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing, thank Him for the gift that He is giving you, the one He paid for in full in your place, in Jesus’ name,
AMEN

 

Copyright April, 2015
Rev. Jim Craig
All Rights Reserved

Bibliography

Agnes, Michael and Charlton Laird (eds.). Webster’s New World Dictionary and Thesaurus. New York, NY: Macmillan, 1996.
Aland, Kurt, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren (eds.). The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed. Germany: Biblica-Druck, 1994.
Benner, Jeff A. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station, Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., 2005
Bullinger, E. W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible; Explained an Illustrated. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2007.
Chapman, Benjamin. Greek New Testament Insert. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977.
Dana, H. E., and Julius R. Mantey. A Manual of the New Testament. Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1957.

Louw, Johannes P. and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1989.
The ESV Study Bible. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2011.
Metzger, Bruce M. Lexical Aids for Students of New Testament Greek. Princeton, New Jersey, 1977.
Wikipedia contributors. "Xenophon." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Aug. 2014. Web. 19 Aug. 2014.
Wuest, Kenneth S. The New Testament; An Expanded Translation. Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1992.
Wuest, Kenneth S. (Revised, Donald L. Wise). The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, rev. ed. Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1982.
Walsh, J. Martyn and Anna Kathleen Walsh. Plain English Handbook: A Complete Guide to Good English, 7th rev. ed. Cincinnati, Ohio: McCormick-Mathers PublishingCompany,1977.

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