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Good morning bus riders!
Today is the second Sunday after Pentecost; but, like I said last Sunday, today is Proper 7, based on when the earliest Easter can occur. This year it is a late Easter; so, we jump from Trinity Sunday to the seventh Sunday set of readings scheduled in the lectionary.
In the Ordinary season after Pentecost, there is a fork in the road … so to speak. The fork establishes a “Track 1” and “Track 2” way for a church to reach the Christ the King finale of the lectionary year. Once a church picks which path it will take, it is expected to choose the same “Track” each Sunday, with no mixing allowed.
This means there are two Old Testament readings and two Psalms that accompany the Old Testament choice (either Track 1 or Track 2).
Here at the bus stop, I recognize the “Super Highway Track,” which means: If it is selected as possible to be read on one Sunday, then I talk about them all.
Today, I expect you to have read all seven reading selection (on the lectionary website), not just four.
The problem with modern Christianity is laziness. We are so comfortable in our ‘Egyptian’ style – poly-theistic worship of many gods (Mammon is always popular) – that the Moses in the wilderness setting … the, "What else you going to do out here in the middle of nowhere? seclusion is lost.
We are back in the hustle and bustle of slavery in the 'big city.' That means it is hard to focus on studying what Scripture for survival. Without a Moses around and without spiritual food falling like wafers from the sky, modern laziness means the challenge for salvation is to make the time to understand Scripture; and, that challenge is to put more than a couple of hours a week into being 'religious.'
So, there are no tracks I follow. I will talk about them all. The constraint of the bus schedule means I either talk fast, or hone each reading down to a tasty wafer-size bit of manna, so it becomes like a sampler platter or a smorgasbord.
In that regard, I write deeply about every one of the readings for each Sunday; and, I make them all available freely on my website (which you all have cards in your wallets to remind you of the address).
No one sets any expectations on how much one should study. Salvation is the same as paying to go to college. Everything is based on how much you want to accomplish. When graduation means Judgment Day for your soul, then it would be good to have put in more than the minimum amount of study.
With that said, last Sunday was Trinity Sunday, which means the Ordinary after Pentecost season is ALL about entering ministry with Yahweh as one’s Father, Jesus resurrected within one’s soul as His Son, and the connecting line of communication between those two being His Spirit. The three coming together within one’s soul makes one’s hosting body of flesh be judged (at death, in hindsight) as a Saint.
Only Saints can live up to the lessons that come during the Ordinary after Pentecost season … the longest season of the liturgical year.
Now, the First Kings reading is one that verses four through eight were read last year (Proper 14), which is Elijah under a broom tree. Last year, I saw that those verses tell of Elijah asking Yahweh to take his life, which Yahweh allowed. Elijah died; and, that is why he spoke with an angel twice.
The second time, Elijah was resurrected; and, placed within him – the angel he spoke to – was the soul of Jesus. This says Elijah was a most devoted priest before; but he was not Jesus reborn.
After Elijah died and was resurrected, we read, “He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.”
The “forty days and forty nights” was Elijah being just like the disciples of Jesus, whose soul entered them in the upper room – when they trembled with fear – so Jesus put them through ‘Saints Boot Camp,’ before letting them loose on the world.
In verse one, where we read, “Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword,” that sums up chapter eighteen, which tells of Elijah having a contest between him (and his faith in Yahweh) and all the other gods of Ba’al, who were served by 450 of Jezebel’s import priests.
There are 435 voting representative in the U. S. House of Representatives. Each of them acts like a priest, each serving the Ba’al of some political party, while all kneeling down before the many altars of political lobbyists. They serve many gods; but, none of their gods will ever come to their call for help. They prefer the shadows, rather than the exposure of broad daylight.
Imagine if Elijah was just some do-good person, one who got tired of all the lies of politicians and challenged them to a contest to tell the truth, which they would all fail miserably.
I imagine if someone like Elijah were to take out a sword and cut the heads off everyone in the House of Representative, news of that feat would put a death sentence on his head. That is what Jezebel did; and, that is why Elijah ran in fear.
It is why Elijah asked Yahweh to take his life … rather than let it be taken by some worthless, misguided government’s henchmen.
In the story we read today, after the forty days and forty nights, Elijah “came to a cave, and spent the night there.” We need to see the metaphor in that, where “a cave” is Elijah entering within his tomb, like Jesus was placed in the 'cave' of Joseph of Arimathea.
In the tomb Elijah got in touch with his soul. The soul is the hollow or 'cave' within the flesh. That then makes “the night” be the death of Elijah, in the same way that all Apostles must sacrifice self, in order to connect with Yahweh. Just as Jesus died and was entombed, so too was Elijah.
The cave Elijah entered is like the one Moses entered and like the one Jesus entered when tested by Satan. Elijah in the cave becomes like the dreams of Isaiah and John, when they stood with a sea of souls before the throne, where angels and elders spoke to them.
In Elijah’s cave, Yahweh asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
Elijah responded that he had been zealous as a servant … meaning he had killed evil people out of anger. Elijah had acted like he was God’s presence on earth, when he was more like Saul … before he became Paul.
Yahweh told Elijah’s soul to return to his body and watch for Yahweh to pass by. Doing that, Elijah found Yahweh was in the quiet of silence, not in the wildness of all hell breaking loose.
Being possessed by Yahweh, being reborn as His Son, meant being “whole,” as the “closure” to the open-bottomed capitalized Omega symbol … which John wrote of in Revelation.
That “Closure” is the “Wholeness” that Jesus whispered to the souls of his disciples, when he entered the upper room. The “Quiet” of Yahweh is the “Peace” of Jesus being resurrected in one’s soul.
Elijah, for all his zealous love of Yahweh and all his anger and rage at the evil that had been brought into the land of Yahweh’s chosen people, still needed to find Jesus raising him from the dead of emotional attachment to his religion. He needed to die of human tendencies and be reborn as the Son of Yahweh … a Saint.
Now, this Old Testament reading comes with two Psalms sung along with it – Psalms 42 and 43.
The two Psalms sound like the same song, with Psalm 43 another stanza of Psalm 42. That showing as verse fifteen in Psalm 42 says the same thing as that showing as verse five in Psalm 43.
They both sing (according to the NRSV): “Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.”
The problem with this English translation is lost amid a total of twenty-one references to “God” is one lone reference to “the Lord.” Raise your hand if “God” and “the Lord” means the same to you.
<Look for all hands raised.>
The reality of the Hebrew written by David is he wrote “Yahweh” one time, but he wrote some form of “elohim” – including “el,” in the singular – twenty-one times [thirteen times in Psalm 42 and eight times in Psalm 43]. His references to “elohim” mean David was singing praise to his soul having been raised from dead by Jesus’ soul resurrecting in him.
It is this multiplicity of the word "elohim" that joins Psalm 42 and 43, more than the verses that sing praise to that divine presence within David's soul.
These two Psalms accompany the reading from First Kings because Elijah sacrificed his soul to Yahweh, who allowed Elijah to die and be reborn with His elohim being the angel raised within his soul – Jesus.
To not see that in this dual Psalm singing is to be blind to the truth that is right before your eyes, but unseen because of the priests of Ba’al cannot see it nor explain it. They can only read it, while offering divine Scripture as some bait to get monetary donations.
The sad thing about the one verse that is repeated, like a refrain in Psalms forty-two and forty-three, is the NRSV translation is appallingly wrong.
In three verses – Psalm 42:5, Psalm 42:11, and Psalm 43:5 – is written: “why are you cast down my soul? And why are you disquieted”.
Does that not sound like Yahweh telling Elijah to go outside the cave and find Yahweh as “quiet,” not loudness?
Does that not sound like Yahweh twice asking Elijah, “Why are you here?”
We read these two Psalms together – not a normal thing done – because they echo the prayer by Elijah to offer his life to Yahweh, before it is unjustly taken by false rulers. The use of “elohim” and “el” sings about the resurrection of Jesus, after the self-ego has been willingly removed.
Now, in the Isaiah reading, we read him crying out, “I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask, to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that did not call on my name.”
This is a reflection of Isaiah – a prophet of Judah – having the same difficulties with false leaders as did Elijah – a prophet of the Northern Kingdom, Israel.
In Isaiah 6 (read not too long ago), we heard of Isaiah’s dream, when his soul left his body and saw seraphim, one of which touched his lips with a hot coal from the altar fire. Isaiah’s soul then heard a voice cry out, “Who shall we send?” Isaiah responded to that call, saying “Here I am. Send me.”
That was when Isaiah was a youth, who sacrificed himself to serve Yahweh.
Here in his sixty-fifth chapter … near the end, with Judah in captivity in Babylon … Yahweh is the one speaking through the lips of Isaiah. Thus, the dual “I am” needs to be heard as Yahweh saying, "I am in Isaiah."
In this reading from Isaiah, we feel that Yahweh is angry with the evil that are Judeans refusing to be Saints, while acting like they are holy because of Moses … long before them.
We read Yahweh say through Isaiah, “a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and offering incense on bricks; who sit inside tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat swine's flesh, with broth of abominable things in their vessels.”
This speaks of their practices being those of Gentiles, pretending to be priests of Yahweh.
Yahweh does not want garden vegetables sacrificed to Him. Ask Cain about how well that goes.
Those words hint of the Gospel reading, where Gentiles were swine herders.
The “broth” says the failure of Judah was just like the decline in Israel, where the Law was stirred in a cauldron with chunks of many lesser gods, chunks of tasty philosophies, and then served at altar rails as holy gruel.
This anger says Elijah was not wrong to kill four hundred-fifty priests of Ba’al. That just does not end the influence of evil. There are always four hundred-fifty more worthless souls ready to take the places of the dead. Likewise, killing all the House of Representative would just make more worthless politicians come forth and take their places.
The “quiet” that Yahweh led Elijah to find is then like Isaiah wrote:
“I will bring forth descendants from Jacob, and from Judah inheritors of my mountains; my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall settle there.”
When the names translated are presented as the meaning behind the names, this says “Supplanters” will become “Praise” of Yahweh. The Judeans, based on the meaning of that name, were supposed to be those who “Let Him Be Praised" (meaning Yahweh). They were, instead, those who praised themselves as almighty, because they made offerings to the One God.
None of them had placed their own souls on the barbie – as Elijah did when he asked Yahweh to take his life – so, none of their souls had been built on Jesus within. Without that inner quiet – the Purpose – Completion – Peace – and Wholeness of Jesus within one’s soul – there was only enslavement to foreign powers.
Babylon was like a return to Egypt.
The inheritance Yahweh spoke of (through Isaiah) means eternal life. It means Salvation, afforded by Yahweh. The name that goes along with “Yahweh Salvation” is “Jesus.”
Inheritance means being reborn as the Son of Yahweh, possessed by the soul of His Son … and that means inheritance brings one the servitude of ministry.
In the accompanying verses selected from Psalm 22, we hear David singing, “Save me from the sword, my life from the power of the dog.”
That is another of the poor translations that are offered by the priests of Ba’al. If asked to bring down their gods and explain what that means (a challenge of Elijah), then there would have to be a preset time limit as to how long ineptitude will be allowed, before the sword begins doing the lopping, for failing to produce spiritually.
This verse of David is singing (prophetically) of Elijah praying the same. There, the “dogs” were clearly Ahab and Jezebel. They had placed a death sentence of Elijah, making him be a ‘most wanted criminal,’ rather than a mighty prophet of Yahweh.
Just as Elijah asked Yahweh to take his life, David sang about the “dogs” he did not want to come wielding their slaughter knives, before a false altar. David’s metaphor sang out to Yahweh to take his soul and merge it with that of His Son’s. Not making that sacrifice leaves one's soul in the hand of a dog - oneself.
When the NRSV comes up with words that sing, “Save me from the lion's mouth, my wretched body from the horns of wild bulls,” this misses the symbolism of a “lion” and a “bull.”
Salvation comes with the mouth of the lion. That was Yahweh speaking through Isaiah 65. The revered fiction writer C. S. Lewis made the lion character Aslan be metaphor for Yahweh. The “horns of wild bulls” becomes metaphor for the idol of Ba’al worshipers. The dream story of the Golden Calf prophesied our modern times, when the high priest has degenerated into one who is led by the fears of the people, not the quiet of Yahweh. That prophecy foretold of the times when the leaders of the churches would give the people what they wanted, while getting to keep the gold as their own property … for Jesus.
If you question my cynicism about the churches of today, then I ask you to each read today’s reading from Galatians and explain to your own souls what truth is told in those words.
Those who put their trust in hired hands and false shepherds will be blinded to what Paul wrote to true Christians in Galatia, those who had Faith, not belief. Each was Anointed by Yahweh as a “Christ,” which means they were all Baptized by His Spirit and made Saints.
Jesus only enters the souls of Saints. Jesus does not apply for priest job openings offered by the Ahabs and Jezebels of the world, as if working in a temple or church is how one can call Yahweh down to do tricks for everyone.
What Paul wrote in these seven verse read today is the truth of the meaning behind the word “Christianity.” Paul wrote one must be a “Christ,” in order to be a “Christian.” Being a true Christian means being possessed by Yahweh, which demands self-sacrifice, in order to know faith. That personal experience comes from being Jesus reborn. Being Jesus reborn means entering ministry in his name.
This reading is very deep and very profound. If you want to consider yourself a Christian, you must read what I have posted. You believe what your soul, in your flesh, tells you to believe. However, to be a Christian, you have to know the truth; and, the NRSV does not make that clear.
The clothes of the Christ are like the robes washed in the blood of the Lamb – AND – the man possessed by Legion wore no holy robe, because he was covered in evil spirits. To wear the robes of righteousness, one must die of self and be resurrected as the Son.
Now, in this letter is a series of “not can be’s” that Paul wrote. The NRSV presents those as this: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female.”
That is another atrocious translation into English; but it is not hard to generalize that as saying there is no human traits associated with having faith, becoming a Christ, and putting on the robes of a Saint.
Still, the part that says, “there is no longer male or female” needs to be addressed. The Greek text literally translates to say, “not can be male kai female”. The presence of the word “kai” must be read as a signal that “female” is important to grasp.
When the placement of “kai” is seen as a stop point, Paul wrote, “not can be male.” This says a soul in a body of flesh with male genitalia cannot be seen as an equivalent to Yahweh or the soul of Jesus, as ALL elohim are the essence of masculinity. Souls in a body of flesh "not can be male" spiritually. The flesh prevents that.
When that is understood, then Paul wrote to the true Christians in Galatia – who understood what he meant – saying no human being – male or female – is a god. A body of flesh “not can be male.”
When you see what is said by Jesus about being bridesmaids, that has nothing to do with human genitalia. Paul wrote ALL who become true Christians realize, “I am female," thus a bride to Yahweh. ALL souls in bodies of flesh are meant to become His wives in the most holy of matrimonial ceremonies. Yahweh is the male, as the Husband and the Father. Souls in human flesh (regardless of gender) are female, meaning they must open wide and receive the Spirit. As wives, they are meant to become the mothers of Yahweh's Son.
Again, I urge everyone to read my verse-by-verse – segment-by-segment translation of the Greek into acceptable English – that makes this so much easier to discern. That read aloud in Episcopal Churches or read silently in the many different English versions of Galatians 3:23-29 is hidden from casual view. It requires divine assistance to see the truth appear.
You have to understand this, like did the Galatians who received the letter. Otherwise, oneself cannot truthfully call oneself a “Christian.”
This brings us to the Luke reading for today. It clearly speaks of demon possession.
Belief in that means belief in divine possession must be just as accepted; and, one should realize that means marriage of a soul to Yahweh’s Spirit and the resurrection of Jesus’ soul within one’s soul.
To believe in demon possession means belief in the Trinity, which we discussed last Sunday.
In this reading selection, it is read today from Luke; but the same story is found also written in Matthew and Mark.
In all three of those Gospels, this story follows the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. This succession of events says the storm blew the boat off course and in that process, the boat became damaged. That intuition explains why Jesus got off the boat onto the Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee.
I saw this connection this past week, for the first time.
When we read, “Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him,” this says the disciples were the ones who were going to fix the sail or the hatches or whatever forced them to land there. They were not headed there; so, Jesus left the disciples behind at the dock, while he went ashore.
Now, on my post about this lesson, I put pictures of two maps, one that shows the towns of the Decapolis [Ten Cities]; and, I explained how many scholars believe the place that best fits the description in Scripture is Hippos. There was a Roman-built harbor there.
The word “Gerasenes” is not a known place; but the word means, “those who come from pilgrimage or fight.” This must then be seen as a “country” where “Jewish pilgrims remained,” while also meaning such “pilgrims there would have to fight” to remain there, because that “country” was Gentile – Greco-Roman primarily.
This means Jesus did not hang out by the boat, while it was being fixed, because he knew the boat had landed there for the purpose of him meeting this man possessed. This then explains the storm as necessary, in order to direct the boat to a place the disciples ordinarily would not sail to; and, that says the possessed man was so devout a Jew [as “a man certain”], even while possessed, his prayers were sent to Yahweh and heard by Him.
Therefore, Yahweh sent His Son to respond to those prayers.
Where the NRSV translates: “For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs,” this actually says the man did not wear an outer robe. An outer robe would have distinguished him as a Jew, perhaps even a teacher or rabbi.
Rather than say, “he did not live in a house,” the Greek says, “within to dwelling not he did abide.” That says his soul (“within”) was possessed (“to dwelling”), but the soul of this “certain man” resisted that possession. We are told “not he did abide,” which says his soul would not join with those possessing spirits. It says they controlled his flesh, but not his soul.
When we read, “but in the tombs,” that actually says, “on the other hand within to those to tombs.” This means the possessing demons were souls of the dead that refused to accept Judgment. Instead, they possessed this lost pilgrim in that country.
It is important to see that the possessed man “cried out” when he saw Jesus, spiritually knowing his help had arrived from Yahweh. That arrival was the answer to his prayers; which then led him to “fall down before Jesus,” in a prostrated position of reverence.
It was the demon spirit leader who said to Jesus (literally translated), “Why to me kai you , Yah Saves , Son of this of God , of this Highest ?”
Rather than think the demon spirit knew the name “Jesus,” he could determine the soul of Jesus was Yahweh’s Savior, as the Son of God, where the addition of “Highest” says the demon spirit knew Yahweh was above all lesser gods, angels, and spirits.
When we read that Jesus “commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man,” the following words placed in parentheses [not written in the Greek text] needs to be understood.
The words the NRSV translates, which say “For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds” are referring to prior events that made the man’s body become wild, even more so when the locals placed his body in chains and shackles.
I see this as prior attempts at exorcism, none of which worked. The demon spirits would pretend to be calm, so the locals (non-Jews) would claim a victory and release the man. Then, his demons would make him run wildly into the desert.
This can be seen as a reflection of the way Elijah ran in fear, when he heard Jezebel had promised his execution. Jezebel thought she had the powers to exorcize a man she thought was crazy. Both Elijah and this man prayed to Yahweh to remove the fear demons that possessed them.
When we then read, “Jesus then asked [the demon spirit], "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss,” this speaks of the fallen angel Azazel (a.k.a. Lucifer, or commonly Satan). To be that leader of lost souls, that speaks loudly that this “certain man” was a devout Jew. To ruin his soul would be a fine prize; so, Satan called in his minions to help torment the man … like Satan did to Job.
When the demon spirits helping Legion said, “Do not order us back into the abyss,” that was where they had been sent by Yahweh, when the fallen angels were punished.
When Jesus allowed those spirits to enter a herd of swine, the swine were then souls that would rather kill themselves, than be possessed by demon spirits. They ran down into the sea and drown themselves.
That drowning then released those demon spirit and lost souls to Yahweh for Judgement; and, they were all sent to their appropriate places.
When the swine herders ran to tell the people in the city, that is the same thing the Roman slave owners did, when Paul (as Jesus) cast out the spirit Python from the slave girl. The people of the town market depended on the girl's prophecies to make money. Likewise, the people of Hippos depended on pigs for sale; but the story of Jesus casting out the demon that had possessed the man kept them from getting angry and mistreating Jesus, like the people in Philippi did to Paul and Silas.
Their fear led them to politely ask Jesus and his disciples to leave; and, they did. That says they were not there for any other purpose than to cast out the demon from ”a certain man” who prayed to Yahweh for help.
When we read that the possessed man asked to go with Jesus, that says he asked to be a disciple and follower. When Jesus told him, “No,” that says the man had been possessed by the elohim of Yahweh – a duplicate soul of Jesus – so his future was immediate ministry. The disciples were still in training.
Thus, that “certain man” was possessed by the soul of Jesus and ready to be sent into ministry. He never allowed the demon spirits to take possession of his soul, meaning (like Job) he was an upright man being tormented by Satan. He becomes a model for all of us today.
I see the bus has arrived; so, that is all I will say.
Please take time this week to put more time into saving your souls, by delving deeper into what is truly written. You are like the possessed man, unable to wear the robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, because so many demon spirits are driving you crazy. They make you think you don't have time to study Scripture. Attempts to force-feed you religion makes you want to run wildly into the desert and hide.
Still, the demon spirits of bad translations should have you all praying for the truth to come to you and save your souls.
You have to seek, before you can be found.
I look forward to seeing you again next Sunday. Do take good care of your souls until then.
Amen
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