Tag: blasphemia

Mark 14:55, 56, 61b-64 – Christ the Messiah

Posted on by Will

55And the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, and found none. 56For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies were not alike. 61bAgain the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64You heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death.

Truth to Learn

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.

 

Behind the Words

The word translated “Christ” is the Greek word christos, meaning “the anointed one.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew meshiach, or Messiah. The Jews believed the Messiah to be the Son of God (making Him equal with God) and that He would come as a ruling king.

The word “blasphemy” is transliterated from the Greek word blasphēmia, meaning “verbal abuse of the most slanderous kind, particularly anyone claiming equality with God.” By claiming Himself to be the Christ, Jesus was saying that He is God and the anointed one for whom the Jews had long been waiting.

 

Meaning Explained

The night that He was arrested, Jesus underwent trials before the Jewish political rulers. Annas had been appointed High Priest more than twenty five years earlier. This was a position which the Jews believed was retained for the remainder of the High Priest’s life. The Romans, however, chose to change High Priests more frequently. After Annas questioned Jesus, He was sent to Caiaphas who was the High Priest then recognized by the Roman government. He gathered the Sanhedrin, the religious rulers of the Jews, to judge Jesus’ case.

By Jewish law a person could not be convicted of a capital offense unless two separate witnesses could independently corroborate the charge. When Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin could not find two such witnesses (because they were all lying) and Jesus made no defense against the charges brought against Him, he asked Jesus directly, “Are you the Christ?” When Jesus admitted being the Christ, He was claiming that He was God in the flesh. This claim of being God was recognized by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin whereby they accused Jesus of blasphemy, which was a capital offense for the Jews.

The most interesting part of this exchange is the fact that the Messiah was standing before the religious rulers of the day claiming to be who He really is. And, they condemned Him to die for it.

 

Application

Who is Jesus to you? Is He simply a historical figure, a good man who did great things and was executed on a cross? Or is He the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, the Lamb of God who gave up His life to pay the penalty for your sins and mine?

Your answer to this question is the most important one you will ever give, and it has eternal consequences!

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2019 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:31 – Grieving Actions

Posted on by Will

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, along with all malice.

Truth to Learn

These are things which make God sad. Let’s not do them!

 

Behind the Words

The word “Bitterness” is the translation of pikria, from pikros which means “that which is unpleasantly sharp or extremely distasteful.”

“Wrath” is from thumos, which is from the verb thuō, meaning “to move violently, like a strong wind.” The word thumos refers to “a violent passion of the mind.” This describes the outward violent expression of the anger that is within.

The word “anger” is from orgē, which we saw back in verse twenty-six. Orgē refers to “excitement of the mind.” It is the inward feeling that sometimes is expressed outwardly as wrath.

“Clamor” is translated from the noun kraugē. This is from the verb kradzō, which is onomatopoeia (a word that mimics the sound of its meaning, such as “meow”) for the loud, coarse cry of a raven. Kraugē, which can be used in a good or bad way, is used to describe the clamorous outcry of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:23), the fearful cry of the disciples who saw Jesus walking on the water thinking Him to be a ghost (Matthew 14:26), and to Stephen’s loud declaration of forgiveness for those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60).

The words “evil speaking” are from blasphēmia, which refers to “slanderous verbal abuse, attacking someone’s reputation.”

“Malice” is translated from kakia, derived from kakos which refers to “that which has no worth” or “that which is bad.” It refers to the internal quality as opposed to the outward expression or effect (which would be the word ponēros).

 

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse the Apostle Paul commanded us to stop grieving the Holy Spirit of God. Allow me to point out here that you can’t grieve a “thing.” You can only grieve a person who possesses emotions. This is evidence to us that the Holy Spirit is one of the three that makes up the Trinity or the Godhead. He is one God but three persons. Why does Paul talk about grieving the Holy Spirit rather than the Father or the Son? Because, as Paul told us in the previous verse, the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a seal and guarantee of our salvation. He somehow lives within us and is a constant witness to our thoughts and actions.

In today’s verse Paul expands on some of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Because He can’t be taken away from us, the Holy Spirit is ever present when we exhibit characteristics of our sin nature. When we act bitter, saying things that are sharply unpleasant to others, it grieves Him. When we get angry for the wrong reason and let it explode into an outburst of wrath, it grieves Him. When we are loud and clamorous, stirring up hate and resentment in others, it grieves Him. When we verbally attack others, impugning their reputation, it grieves Him. In fact, when we do anything “bad,” The Holy Spirit of God is grieved.

 

Application

None of us wants to cause sorrow for those we love and who love us. Since we possess the Holy Spirit of God at all times, let’s put on the “new man” and not grieve the One who has sealed us, who preserves us until our redemption is completed. Our reason for obedience is not to preserve our salvation, it is to please Him who saved us and who loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Mark 14:55, 56, 61b-64 – Christ the Messiah

Posted on by Will

55Now the chief priests and all the council sought testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but found none. 56For many bore false witness against Him, but their testimonies did not agree. …  61bAgain the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" 62Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." 63Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "What further need do we have of witnesses? 64You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death.

Truth to Learn

Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.

Behind the Words

The word translated “Christ” is the Greek word christos, meaning “the anointed one.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew meshiach, or Messiah. The Jews believed the Messiah to be the Son of God (making Him equal with God) and that He would come as a ruling king.

The word “blasphemy” is transliterated from the Greek word blasphēmia, meaning “verbal abuse of the most slanderous kind, particularly anyone claiming equality with God.” By claiming Himself to be the Christ, Jesus was saying that He is God and the anointed one for whom the Jews had long been waiting.

Meaning Explained

The night that He was arrested, Jesus underwent trials before the Jewish political rulers. Annas had been appointed High Priest more than twenty five years earlier. This was a position which the Jews believed was retained for the remainder of the High Priest’s life. The Romans, however, chose to change High Priests more frequently. After Annas questioned Jesus, He was sent to Caiaphas who was the High Priest then recognized by the Roman government. He gathered the Sanhedrin, the religious rulers of the Jews, to judge Jesus’ case.

By Jewish law a person could not be convicted of a capital offense unless two separate witnesses could independently corroborate the charge. When Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin could not find two such witnesses (because they were all lying) and Jesus made no defense against the charges brought against Him, he asked Jesus directly, “Are you the Christ?” When Jesus admitted being the Christ, He was claiming that He was God in the flesh. This claim of being God was recognized by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin whereby they accused Jesus of blasphemy, which was a capital offense for the Jews.

The most interesting part of this exchange is the fact that the Messiah was standing before the religious rulers of the day claiming to be who He really is. And, they condemned Him to die for it.

Application

Who is Jesus to you? Is He simply a historical figure, a good man who did great things and was executed on a cross? Or is He the Christ, the Son of God, the Savior, the Lamb of God who gave up His life to pay the penalty for your sins and mine?

Your answer to this question is the most important one you will ever give, and it has eternal consequences!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Ephesians 4:31 – Grieving Actions

Posted on by Will

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Truth to Learn

These are things which make God sad. Let’s not do them!

Behind the Words

The word “Bitterness” is the translation of pikria, from pikros which means “that which is unpleasantly sharp or extremely distasteful.”

“Wrath” is from thumos, which is from the verb thuō, meaning “to move violently, like a strong wind.” The word thumos refers to “a violent passion of the mind.” This describes the outward violent expression of the anger that is within.

The word “anger” is from orgē, which we saw back in verse twenty-six. Orgē refers to “excitement of the mind.” It is the inward feeling that sometimes is expressed outwardly as wrath.

“Clamor” is translated from the noun kraugē. This is from the verb kradzō, which is onomatopoeia (a word that mimics the sound of its meaning, such as “meow”) for the loud, coarse cry of a raven. Kraugē, which can ge used in a good or bad way, is used to describe the clamorous outcry of the crowd demanding Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 27:23), the fearful cry of the disciples who saw Jesus walking on the water thinking Him to be a ghost (Matthew 14:26), and to Stephen’s loud declaration of forgiveness for those who were stoning him (Acts 7:60).

The words “evil speaking” are from blasphēmia, which refers to “slanderous verbal abuse, attacking someone’s reputation.”

“Malice” is translated from kakia, derived from kakos which refers to “that which has no worth” or “that which is bad.” It refers to the internal quality as opposed to the outward expression or effect (which would be the word ponēros).

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse the Apostle Paul commanded us to stop grieving the Holy Spirit of God. Allow me to point out here that you can’t grieve a “thing.” You can only grieve a person who possesses emotions. This is evidence to us that the Holy Spirit is one of the three that makes up the Trinity or the Godhead. He is one God but three persons. Why does Paul talk about grieving the Holy Spirit rather than the Father or the Son? Because, as Paul told us in the previous verse, the Holy Spirit has been given to us as a seal and guarantee of our salvation. He somehow lives within us and is a constant witness to our thoughts and actions.

In today’s verse Paul expands on some of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit. Because He can’t be taken away from us, the Holy Spirit is ever present when we exhibit characteristics of our sin nature. When we act bitter, saying things that are sharply unpleasant to others, it grieves Him. When we get angry for the wrong reason and let it explode into an outburst of wrath, it grieves Him. When we are loud and clamorous, stirring up hate and resentment in others, it grieves Him. When we verbally attack others, impugning their reputation, it grieves Him. In fact, when we do anything “bad,” He is grieved.

Application

None of us wants to cause sorrow for those we love and who love us. Since we possess the Holy Spirit of God at all times, let’s put on the “new man” and not grieve Him who has sealed us, who preserves us until our redemption is completed. Our reason for obedience is not to preserve our salvation, it is to please Him who loves us!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2012 Will Krause. All rights reserved.