OOPS OF THE DAY ~ February 16

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Oops of the Day

In the story of THE PRODIGAL SON, the older brother had every right to not forgive his younger and lazy brother who finally came home, but only after spending all their father’s money.

Luke 15:11-14 – Luke 15:22-25 – Luke 30-32

Fact of the Day

No!   It was much more than that.  It was jealousy, greed, and a desire for all vs nothing. 

  1. As the oldest son, he was going to inherit their father’s entire estate.  Remember when his father told him, “All I have is yours”? And the younger son did not ask for his half of the inheritance; he just said his part.  All younger children got only token gifts. 
  2. Yet the older son resented one little party given to his brother. 
  3. Their father thought his youngest son was dead; the older son acted as though he wished his brother was dead.
  4. And, by the way, the story teller did not say the younger son sinned with prostitutes.  That is what the older brother said.

 

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OOPS OF THE DAY ~ February 16

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Oops of the Day

Zebedee, the father of James and John, was betrayed by Jesus when he recruited his sons along with his fishing partners, Peter and Andrew, so that his fishing business would fail.

Luke 5:4-11  –  Matthew 27:56  –  Matthew 20:20-21  –  Mark 15:40  –  Mark 16:1-8  –  Matthew 8:20  –  Luke 9:58

Fact of the Day

No!  Just before recruiting them, Jesus performed a miracle of catching so many fish at the wrong time of day that Zebedee’s nets were about to break.  It was a message to Zebedee that his fishing business would do fine. 

In fact, Zebedee’s wife, Salome, traveled with Jesus and his mother sometimes, probably donating funds (since he did not have any) and helping with the women and children.

She certainly had enough money to partner with the other women in paying for expensive spices for his “embalming”.  Rabbis Joseph and Nicodemus had already bought 76 pounds of spices (at that time valued at some $200,000) and the five women brought even more.

 

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OOPS OF THE DAY ~ February 15

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Oops of the Day

Joseph, Jesus’ step-father, died while Jesus was still a child.

Matthew 13:2  –   Matthew 13:55-56  –  Luke 4:14-22  –  John 6:42John 19:25-27

Fact of the Day

No!  After Jesus was grown, began his ministry, and moved to Capernaum, he visited his hometown in Nazareth and preached there. The people said, “IS (present tense) this not Joseph’s son?”  IS (present tense) not his mother’s name Mary?  ARE (present tense) not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?  ARE (present tense) not all his sisters with us?” 

His step-father apparently died between his visit to Nazareth during his ministry and the crucifixion.

 

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SURPRISE OF THE DAY ~ February 13

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Surprise of the Day

THIS IS A CORRECTION OF MY POST ON JANUARY 9:

Jesus first went to the temple when he was 12 and had celebrated his bar-mitzva

Luke 2:31-42  –  Matthew 2:19-23

Fact of the Day

No!  Bar-Mitzva was first recorded in history in the 13th century in France.  Jesus’ parents went to the temple every year.  The likely reason they did not take Jesus until he was age twelve was that cruel King Archaelaeus was so mean.

 “After Herod [the Great] died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went from Egypt to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in the province of Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the province of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.”

Based on Jesus probably being 2 when Herod sent the soldiers to kill all boy babies 2 and under, Jesus was actually born BC 6.  Herod died in BC 4. So, when Joseph took Jesus back to Palestine, he was about age 4.  One of the first thinks Herod’s successor, Arhaelaus, did was  order 3000 worshipers to be killed right in the temple. So, Joseph took Jesus up to the province of Galilee and to Nazareth where he would be safe.

But young king Archelaus kept getting worse, So, the same year Jesus turned 11, Caesar banished Archelaus to Vienna, Gaul.

FINALLY, it was safe to take Jesus to Jerusalem the following year when he was 12.

 

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SURPRISE OF THE DAY ~ February 8

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Surprise of the Day

When Jesus came up out of the waters of his baptism, the Holy Sprit descended on him, and God announced he was his son.

Mark 1:9-11 – Matthew 3:16-17  – John 1:12-13 – Acts 2:38 – Galatians 4:5 – Ephesians 1:5 – Hebrew 1:10 & 13

Fact of the Day

Ever since then, when we do what Jesus did that day, the same thing happens to us.  When we come up out of the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit descends on us and we are then his sons.

Amazing privilege.  Check it out.

 

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SURPRISE OF THE DAY ~ February 7

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Surprise of the Day

At the end of Jesus’ great commission, just as he was rising up to heaven, he said,   “I will be with you to the end of the age.” 

Matthew 27:29

Fact of the Day

In the original Greek of the New Testament, that word, age, can also be translated, “I will be with you to the end of ETERNITY.”

 

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OOPS OF THE DAY ~ February 6

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Oops of the Day

The crown of thorns was arranged neatly in a perfect circle with long, bare thorns everywhere.

Matthew 27:29

Fact of the Day

No!  First, it is nearly impossible to fold a branch in a perfect circle.  Try it.  Second, it was spring, not winter.  There were leaves on the bushes and often flowers. A crown of thorns with just leaves on it would imitate Caesar’s crown.  A crown with leaves and flowers on it would mock Jesus (but also be the last thing of beauty he wore).

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OOPS OF THE DAY ~ February 5

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Oops of the Day

Caiaphas, the High Priest, and Ananus (his-father-in-law, high priest before him) who both condemned Jesus,  believed in everything in the Old Testament just like any other priest.

Matthew 26:3-4  –  John 11:47-53  –  John 18:24-26  –  Acts 4:1-6  –  Acts 5:17

Fact of the Day

No!  High Priest Caiaphas was son-in-law to Ananas, the former high priest and was brother-in-law to Ananas’ two sons.  They were all Sadducees, the ruling elite of the day.  The only part of the Bible they believed was the Law of Moses and used it in a secular sense, not religious.  According to Josephus, they believed once a person dies, they go out of existence. They did not believe any of the prophets (including the poetic prophecies) which make up most of the Old Testament). They were basically atheists.  

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OOPS OF THE DAY ~ January 31

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Oops of the Day

Only a priest or bishop can touch the bread of the Lord’s Supper.  Common worshipers are not allowed to touch it with their hands because it is so holy.  The priest or bishop has to set the bread on the tongue of the worshiper.

Matthew 26:26  –  Acts 20:4-8

Fact of the Day

No! Jesus handed the bread to his apostles and told them to break off a piece to eat.    He did not break it off for them nor did he set it on their tongues.  He just handed it to them. Further, years after Jesus died, a group of Christians met together on the first day of the week “to break bread”.  (In Greek “met” was a religious meeting.) They broke off their own pieces of bread to eat during their Sunday religious meeting.

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SURPRISE OF THE DAY ~ January 30

Things in the Bible not really in the Bible ...and a few surprises

Surprise of the Day

Amazing things happened after Jesus died and after he came back to life.

Matthew 27:54  –  Matthew 28:2

Fact of the Day

There were two earthquakes within three days of Jesus’ death. The first one occurred the moment he died. The second one occurred the moment he came back to life.

WOW

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