New Testament Archives - He Walks With Us

Made Himself God

³³The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
³⁴Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
John 10:33-34 (KJV)

Makest thyself God – I have often heard this verse used to support that Yeshua was God, but there are a few problems with that claim which I will outline here.

Why Did You Stop?

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Matthew 14:31 (KJV)

Doubt – In ancient Hebrew, the word “doubt” did not exist. Jesus, speaking Hebrew as He did with His apostles, would not have asked Peter why he doubted. In fact, Sefaria.org notes:

Safek (doubt) is a term of Rabbinic origin—it doesn’t appear in the whole of the Bible.

Where Eldership Often Fails

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
²Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
³Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock.
1 Peter 5: 1-3 (KJV)

Feed the flock – I often find this amazing that Peter saw it fit to remind the eldership to feed the flock. Is that not what is expected of their service simply by them being elders? I guess sometimes something happens to elders in positions of authority. Sometimes elders forget to feed the flock.

A Prayer for Little Children

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:13 (KJV)

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: – Although Yeshua gave profound insight and offered a depth of knowledge, He enforced a simplicity in worship. Just take a look at the Lord’s Prayer.

Spirit of Elijah

And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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 1:17 (KJV)

Spirit and power of Elias – What is the “spirit of Elijah” and what could he represent? This same spirit was something Elisha sought out and asked a double portion of it from Elijah. Elisha evidently saw the power and desired to serve the LORD with it. But what did it really represent? And how is John associated with it? Furthermore, how is it preparing the way for the Lord?

Selfish Ambition

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 (KJV)

Lay down his life – Really think about this verse. It has taken on a whole new meaning for me lately. Perhaps after my explanation, it will for you too. What does it truly mean to lay down your life for another? If it is the greatest display of love, should we not understand it completely? And not just understand it, but to actually do it. In a society where martyrs are not frequent, how do you lay down your life for someone else?

It’s About Community

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:21 (KJV)

Your – The word in Greek is hymōn which finds its root in hymeis, the plural form of this possessive pronoun. It is the word most often used in the Epistles and Gospels when addressing people. English translations of the Bible do not pick this up because they lack the differentiation between your (plural) and your (singular).

The Devil is in the Details

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (KJV)

Devil – Raised in a western Christian community, I imagine a red figure with horns and a long tail when reading the word, “devil.” I might even think of a dragon or serpent as symbolic representations of this word.

A Thorn in the Side

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
2 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV)

Thorn in the flesh – How many of us think we know what this means? We respond nodding our heads, of course, this is an idiom and our 21st century western worldview knows exactly what Paul is talking about. Right?

Drinking Blood

For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Revelation 16:6 (KJV)

Blood to drink – Is this right? God, the same God that instructed all men to never drink blood, turns around and gives these evil men blood to drink. Something is not adding up. Would God actively help people to break his commandments?