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Hello brethren!

Your old(er) pal JAL here.

That’s the title of the new 24-hour video produced by The Living Truth Fellowship and taught by yours truly, whose 45-year spiritual journey has brought me to the place of being privileged to set forth my ministerial piece de resistance (so far). And though you might find it hard to believe, many viewers say I am more hilarious than ever! If you were ever blessed by my teaching, you will LOVE this class!

The class stars Jesus Christ, The Star of God’s Show, as himself, and he is highlighted and exalted throughout, just as he is in the Word of God from Genesis 3:15 to the end, and in God’s celestial message (Ps. 19:4-6). He has never been "an absent Christ," and he longs for an intimate relationship with YOU. Honestly, this is the best tool I know of to build a solid biblical foundation for people.

So how is this class different from the Power For Abundant Living class? Good question. First, it is more compact—24 hours instead of 34. Second, it is more entertaining and has more quality graphics. Third, it is more biblically accurate in regard to the following topics (and more):

• Who Jesus Christ is, what he is doing now, and our individual fellowship with him.
• The Administrations in Scripture. Because Jesus did not know the Mystery (more accurately, “the Secret”), everything he said prior to his resurrection was based on what he read in the Old Testament and pertained to Israel, not to future Christians. For example, his John 3 statements to Nicodemus had nothing to do with the new birth that first came on Pentecost.
• God’s Foreknowledge and Man’s Free Will. This incredibly liberating truth opens many difficult sections of Scripture and is a huge key to loving God and making wise choices day by day.
• What is “Faith”? Pistis is not a participle, and does not mean “believing.” It is a noun that means “trust,” and to trust requires an object: a promise of God. Faith is not a force, but it accesses God’s force. Our thoughts directly affect nothing beyond our own skin, good or bad. You cannot murder your children by fearful thoughts.
• Living With the Sin that Dwells in You. Jesus is a complete Savior, which is why we can (and must) fearlessly face the subtleties of our inherent sin nature and defeat it. To do so is not to be “negative,” but rather realistic.
• The Resurrected Christian’s Hope is not a nebulous place called “heaven,” but rather kicking butt at Armageddon, living for 1000 years on a renovated earth, and then forever on a new earth.

Seriously, folks, One Day With The Creator is a fabulous tool you can use to re-invigorate yourself in the Word (if necessary), to build the Word in your family and friends, and to build lively, loving fellowships. 

Link to sample segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXKj85j47o0&feature=youtu.be

Link to Table of Contents: http://www.thelivingtruthfellowship.org/jtltf/images/books/ODWTC-syllabus.pdf 

Link to order the class: http://www.thelivingtruthfellowship.org/jtltf/bible-teachings/one-day-with-the-creator

I LOVE YOU!

John

Mark 10 - Blind Bartimaeus

Since we are coming into the season of our Lord’s Passion, I began to think about the records of Jesus on His way to Jerusalem for the last time. As He headed down the Jordan River valley He passed through the town of Jericho. The Jericho highway was the main road from the valley to the city, so this is the most likely place for the entourage to head up to Jerusalem.  The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell of this final entrance into Jericho and each speaks of blind men in some form that are healed.

Luke is different from the other two in that it records Jesus entering INTO Jericho while the other two gospels talk of Him leaving the town. Let’s have a look at Luke;

Luke 18.35-19.1
As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he called out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came near, He questioned him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And he said, "Lord, I want to regain my sight!" And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God. He entered Jericho and was passing through.

Here Jesus is coming into Jericho and a blind man hears about and begs for mercy. Jericho was called the City of Palms, for its oasis-like atmosphere and semi-tropical environment.  It was a main destination for the wealthy and many historians believe it was the wealthiest city in the Eastern Roman Empire. Because of this the beggars were relegated to the outskirts of the city, and could not come into the city where the “good’ people were. We see this here as the man cries out as they are entering into the town. Matthew records the record of Jesus as He has already passed through Jericho and is leaving the other side of the town to begin the arduous climb up the Jericho road to Jerusalem.

Matthew 20.29-34 NAS
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!" The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" They said to Him, "Lord, we want our eyes to be opened." Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

 

From the record here, we can see that Jesus was on His way out of town and this time there were two blind men that cried out for mercy. The same scenario happens in that the people try to shush them but they cried out more until Jesus acknowledges them and they both receive their healing. So far in this one trip through Jericho we have seen three miraculous healings in the realm of sight. I would say that this is prophetic in that as He goes to Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus is about to open everyone’s eyes in more ways than anyone can imagine. The prophecy from the beginning of His ministry in Luke 4.18 is coming down the pike. Mark also records the exit from the City of Palms, but here we have one blind man only his name is given, or at first glance looks like his name.

Mark 10.46-52 NAS
Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" Many were sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped and said, "Call him here." So they *called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage, stand up! He is calling for you." Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus. And answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!" And Jesus said to him, "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

 

In the famous Rococo Library located at St Gallens, Switzerland, there are over 150,000 manuscripts of antiquity. The library was built by Gallus in the 7^th Century and was originally an abbey. Within the library is a document, written in 1600 by a lawyer turned Jesuit from Naples named Bernardino Realino. In this discourse written in legalese, he liberally uses the writings of Cyprianii of Carthage who had written about the life of Jesus in about 248 A.D. It this document he relates the story of the record of the death of Jesus’ earthly father, the story of Zacchaeus and the one in which we are discussing here, Bar-Timaeus.

One can see from the name given here that it is not really a name or surname but a statement of lineage. Bartimaeus or bar-Timaeus means literally the son of Timaeus.  Realino states that Tantautius the Arab had written that this healing of bar-Timaeus made quite a stir among the Romans, and that by the time Jesus had reached Jerusalem, the high standing that He had held had diminished greatly due to this event outside of Jericho. Realino tells us that the Tantautius writing states that the blinding of bar-Timaeus took place in 22 A.D. under the direction of the procurator Valerius Gratus. Gratus, an aristocrat, had a residence in Jericho complete with military guards and supplies. The steward of this residence was a man named Timaeus.

Timaeus had a 24 year old son named Infatius, who at the time led a raid on the compound to obtain weapons. He was attempting to become an arms dealer, making money by selling these weapons to warring factions in the Galilee area. It was strictly a business opportunity since his father worked in the compound. He was caught and was convicted of “profiting by sedition.” This was a crime not punishable by since he was Roman citizen, but his seventeen accomplices were crucified on the northern hill that overlooked the city. Only treason was punishable by death to any Roman citizen, which is why in the days of Jesus’ trial the final Pilate asked Him if He was “King of the Jews.”

Instead of crucifixion, Infatius had his eyeballs burned out with a red hot sword blade and was forced to where a red stained tunic to show that he had tried to profit from Caesar and the Roman authorities. He was not allowed to leave the Jericho area not was he allowed in the city ever again. Instead, Infatius bar Timaeus or bar-Timaeus as Mark calls him, was forced to beg for his survival outside the city of Jericho. When Infatius heard that Jesus the Messiah was passing by he called out for mercy, believing that this Galilean Roman Jew, the Messiah was destined to overthrow all Roman authority. When Jesus called him to come, what do we see bar-Timaeus does? “Throwing aside his cloak” he makes his way to Jesus. He throws off the symbol of his punishment by the Romans and declares to Jesus when asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?" Mark states that he wanted to receive his sight, but it is here that Tantautius says that Infatius declares, “I want to avenge my sight!” which is clearly a cry to the Messiah to avenge his punishment before the Romans when he comes into His kingdom. Either way he is healed.

The healing then provokes the Roman authority which until now in Jesus’ ministry were nothing but impressed and enthralled by Him. This action alone precedes Him to the capitol city of Jerusalem so that by the time He arrives there, all are against Him and He can then accomplish the final task He was sent to undertake; the redemption of all mankind. And now you know a little bit more of the rest of HisStory.

Excerpts taken from The Search. A historians Search for the Historical Jesus, by Dr. Ron Charles

Mark 3.16 NAS
He entered again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He *said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And He *said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He *said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately began conspiring with the Herodians against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

From the record we can see that it was the Sabbath day, a day set aside where no laborious work was to be done. Of course in any life there has to be exceptions according to circumstances that happen in all of our lives. Jesus confronts the Pharisaical thinking when he tells them;

Luke 13.14-16 
But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?” “And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

Another time He also says;

Luke 14.1-6
It happened that when He went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching Him closely. And there in front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy. And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.  And He said to them, "Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?" And they could make no reply to this.

He also confronted them with their own priestly duties that have to happen on the Sabbath.

Matthew 12.11
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath." But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions, how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are innocent? But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.

So from this we can see that there arise in all our lives a time when the Sabbath “law” might have to be broken in order to accomplish some good. Jesus uses the physical reference of taking care of the animals or the Temple duties, when in fact He is declaring a greater truth of taking care of people by bringing deliverance to them on the Sabbath day.

Back in Mark 3 we see this same truth being manifested here in the synagogue. From the reading it looks that since they knew Jesus’ reputation, they were waiting for Him to heal in the synagogue on the Sabbath. At first glance it looks as if they might have brought a “ringer” into the synagogue so as to tempt the Lord. There was a man there who had a withered man, and the religious leaders were all abuzz to see if Jesus would break tradition and heal the man. They were not concerned with the deliverance of the man, but they only wanted to catch Jesus at something to accuse Him.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Just who was this man, and why were they setting him up to help accuse Jesus. Luke’s Gospel tells us that the man’s right hand was the one that was deformed. The Amplified Bible tells us that that the hand was deformed due to an accident or disease. These would indicate that the man had some form of a curse by God upon Him and therefore if Jesus healed him He would be fighting against God. So not only could they accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath but they could also bring accusation against Him that He exalted Himself above God.

In Amman, Jordan’s University Archaeological Museum there is a manuscript from the 3^rd or 4^th century where a monk relates this story in  a sermon. In the manuscript he expounds upon his understanding of the culture and history around the time of this record in Mark. He tells the story of the construction of Herod’s Temple around 5 B.C. For this daunting task Herod enlisted 217 master stonemasons to assist in the project.  During this time Herod had a premonition that he would die before the completion of the Temple, so in order to get the work completed he asked if the stonemasons could work seven days a week. The over seer of the work, a priest named Jeshu ben See went  to the High Priest, Joazar to get his permission. Joazar agreed since it was the Temple that was being worked on. This work was something of benefit for the glory of God and Israel.

Herod died around 1 B.C. and never saw the completion of the Temple. His son Archelaus took over the work continuing Jeshu ben See as his overseer. Within a period of time the stonemasons had completed their part of the work. They were then enlisted then to work on the Fortress of Antonia where the seat of the Roman Government would have its administration. The governor at the time, Coponius, demanded from Jeshu ben See that the stonemasons would continue their Sabbath work. Jeshu ben See had no choice but to petition the new High Priest, Elazar (Joazar’s brother) for this. Elazar issued the Sabbath of Weeks proclamation, allowing the stonemasons to continue their work for 126 more Sabbaths. The Tower was finished, this proclamation expired and the stonemasons were all brought together for a celebration with their families.

When they were all together Jeshu began by honoring them for their work and diligence on the work of the Temple, but as soon as he had done that his true intention for the gathering was manifested.  He declared that the work on the Sabbath for the work of the Temple was allowed because it was a work of God. For the work of the Tower though they were condemned because it was for the Gentile Romans. With that Jeshu had all of the right hands of the master stonemasons smashed, thereby destroying any more means of livelihood. The eyes of their children were gouged out and one eye of their wives. The wives also had the fingers of their right hand cut off. The wives were then forced to work in the valley of Hinnom at the dump (Gehenna) for the rest of their lives. The children were to be beggars on the streets for their sustenance. Never again were any of them permitted to see each other again.

The stonemasons were then commanded that every Sabbath they were to spend it all day in their local synagogues wearing sackcloth of their now deformed right arm and hand as an example to all of those that break the Sabbath. They were to keep their heads bowed at all times, not raise their heads in public or look upon anyone. They were destined to beg the streets for their food.  The High Priest issued the Xena Reposa or Mason’s Disallowance saying that the proclamation had come directly from God in showing His displeasure with the stonemasons. These masons would have to live out their lives convinced that they were under a curse from God for their actions. The proclamation stated that this curse would continue for three generations, and if the mason chose to take his own life he would never receive forgiveness in the afterlife.

The hermit then states that this is one of the stonemasons that was at the synagogue where Jesus is attending in Mark 3. You can now see why the religious leaders were there waiting for Jesus to see if would heal the man. They knew according to the Xena Reposa that he decree was from God and the man cursed by God. Would Jesus interfere with God’s plan as set forth by a High Priest, God’s spokesman on earth? That’s just what they wanted. It had been around thirty years since this man’s right hand had been smashed. It was withered away, atrophied, and he could lift it. When Jesus asks him to stand out from the crowd He is contradicting the edict of the High Priest, where he was not to have public contact. Not only is Jesus supposedly standing against God, but also God’s representative here on earth.

Jesus confronts the whole scenario of malice from thirty years ago when he states;

"Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

And that is why we see that the man’s hand is restored. He once again has a hand that is whole as it had been years ago. Jesus makes the actions of the Jeshu and the High Priest as the acts that were contrary to the will of God, once again giving life to the destitute. We can also see why they now sought to destroy Him. Now you know the rest of HisStory.

He That Is Without Sin - The Woman Livia Caught in Adultery

We’ve all heard and some of us have read the story of the woman who was brought before Jesus and accused of adultery. She is thrown down before him as a ragamuffin and accusations are brought about that could result in her death by stoning. Let’s read what the evangelist says:

John 8.3, 4 
The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court,  they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act.

One aspect of this short intro that should stick out to the reader is that she was caught in the very act of what her accusers call adultery. We then have to realize that she must have been in the ACT with someone else for it to considered adultery. If so, then where is the other party involved here?

John 8.5
"Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?"

We now see that the quote or seem to quote a reference to the Law of Moses (the Pentateuch, one of the first five books of the Old Testament) that the woman should be stoned. Once again, shouldn’t we question that statement? Let’s look at what that reference really says!

Leviticus 20:10  ’If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Whoa, wait a minute. It says that both of them were to be brought forth and put to death! Deuteronomy also gives us some insight on the Law of Moses regarding this situation.

Deuteronomy 22:22 
"If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.

We can see from both of these references that the religious leaders were bringing deal with both of the offenders being put to death by stoning. This was not a pretty site and if anyone wants to see a quite realistic portrayal of this scenario, then you ought to get on video, The Stoning of Soraya M. I guarantee you’ll either fast forward or turn away from the screen. It was not a pretty site.

Now we have to ask ourselves what was the intent of only bringing the woman forward. We also need to understand that the King of glory knew His Father’s word well enough to no they were mistaken in the accusation by not bringing the other party.  John continues:

John 8. 6
They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground.

Being a Rabboni, these “nice guys” were trying to accuse him of the crime of not knowing the Law of Moses, thereby discrediting His works, like healing the sick, raising the dead and making the lame walk. Instead we read the fascinating statement of what Jesus did. He stooped down to the ground and wrote in the ground with His finger. Before we get to that I want to shed a little light on this from some archaic manuscripts about just who this woman was. This scenario comes from a manuscript entitled the Feast of Tabernacles, written by William III of Troyes sometime before 1490.

This scenario was just after Jesus’ rivers of living water declaration in the Temple, on the last day of the Festival of Tabernacles.  The High Priest was supposed to be the one making the declaration, but that is another story for another day. It is because of this usurpation of roles that the religious leaders wanted to kill Him. To do this they know of a woman who has been carrying on an adulterous, illicit affair in plain view.

Some of the manuscripts here use the Greek word anakom for the woman, which was used for a woman of Roman high society. By Jesus making the condemnation of this woman we would be putting himself at odds with the Roman government. Only they had the right to meet out capital punishment. William explains the background of this woman. She was the 22 year old daughter of Plinius Coponicus, who was the Roman Governor of Peraea. It was common knowledge of the day that this Livia, as was her name was having an illicit relationship with Justus the married adopted son of Annas the former High Priest. This would make Justus the adopted brother of the present High Priest, Caiaphas.

According to William, this section of John (7:53 – 8:11) was not included in some of the earliest biblical manuscripts. Bible historians of the 4^th through 10^th centuries believed the story of Livia was added by a disciple of John in the 3^rd or 4^th century or by Jerome in the 4^th century. The Roman historian Practicus was also the court historian for Plinius Coponicus that he was in Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles. He then states that Practicus, mentions a Galilean rabbi, the adopted son of the Roman Senator of Britannica, would was also a Roman citizen. He does not mention him by name, but in all likelihood this was Jesus, who was adopted by Mary’s uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, who in fact was the minister of mines, a Roman Senator in what is now Great Britain, for the Roman Empire. This would also make Jesus a Roman citizen, by adoption.

William states that Practicus tells of Livia being taken from the eastern chambers of the Temple in the midst of sexual fornication and set before this Roman Galilean Rabbi. This Rabbi did not defend Livia, but instead he challenged those that had brought her to take her life only if they had no sin in themselves. When this story began to be included into the John narrative around the 4^th century, the words, “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more,” were not read for fear of presenting Jesus having a lax attitude toward sin.

Of course this is the writings of a medieval scribe who did not have access to all of the knowledge base that we do today in the age of digital information. We should ask the question though of just how many manuscripts that have we never seen has either been lost or stored away in some forgotten hole? Too often we discount the wisdom of the sages of old because they were lacking in technology. What they lacked in technology caused them to excel in study, language and perseverance.  I thought this was an interesting historical corroboration to one of the “now” most well-known records in the Scriptures.

If we go back to the record in John, we see that in the midst of all the accusations and confrontations Jesus stoops down and began to break the ground with his finger. The New American uses the Greek word here which means “to break” while the King James is translated from the word grapho - “to write.” While there was all this commotion, Jesus was breaking the ground up with his finger and writing something. Bullinger says that he was most likely writing down the curses prescribed by the law as set forth in Numbers 5.11-31. There is a problem with that section of scripture though, in that the woman was NOT caught in the act. We know here that Livia was caught in the VERY ACT.

Others have surmised that Jesus was just doodling. I don’t think that is a valid act here for the Son of God. Since He only did what He saw the Father do (John 8), He most likely was seeking His advice in this matter. One of my professors of Theology taught us that He could have been writing the name or names of God as a way of seeking help.

Prov 18:10 The name of YHVH (Yahweh) is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and is safe.

Either way, just think about what was going on around Him while He stooped down seemingly ignoring them. How many of us when we are instructing our children get upset when they begin to do other things and ignore us as we are speaking. Don’t we tell them to look at us and stop doing what they are doing? These religious leaders were “hell bent” on getting rid of Jesus, and quite possibly Livia, since she was bringing a stain to the High Priest’s household. You can also now see why they dd not bring the man Justus with her. After seeing what the Father wanted done He stands up and makes this declaration, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Then He stoops down again and writes some more, until everyone but He and Livia are gone.

His statement to her was not new, as the Rabbi School of Hillel was teaching the concept and the spirit of the statement. Even before that the Stoic philosopher, Lucius Annaeus Seneca was arguably the first to state in his writings that, …if one is to fully understand the law of forgiveness, then one cannot be first to cast a stone, if he too has that deficiency or fault that itself would be worthy of stoning…

So now you know some of the rest of the story…

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Excerpts taken from The Search: A Historian’s Search for the Historical Jesus, by Dr. Ron Charles.