Wow, this last Ask Pastor John session at the church was all about heaven. It began with the question about whether we will recognize each other in heaven, and spilled into other questions like: Will we all be the same age?; Will there be any handicaps?; How can I have joy in heaven if I know family and friends are in hell?; Why doesn't God forgive everyone and let them into heaven?; and Will there be animals in heaven?
I enjoyed this session and the audio recording is almost an hour long on streaming real audio. You are welcome to listen and leave comments here. No doubt our discussion may raise even more questions and we would love to hear those as well.
So, do you really know heaven as well as you think? Follow this link and listen in to our conversation.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Who am I? How do I know?
The question of who we are is central to our life. It is a question that everyone must face but is especially difficult for the average North American.
During our live session of "Ask Pastor John" we recorded the discussion about this question and came to some interesting conclusions. Check out our discussion and listen to the 'real audio' streaming recording.
You can discover who you are. You can begin to move into your true authentic self when you begin to understand where you came from and where you are going. Once you have this you can begin to live a better life with less frustration and more fulfillment.
Listen to the session and give us your feedback. I love to hear what others have to contribute to the great questions of life.
Pastor John
During our live session of "Ask Pastor John" we recorded the discussion about this question and came to some interesting conclusions. Check out our discussion and listen to the 'real audio' streaming recording.
You can discover who you are. You can begin to move into your true authentic self when you begin to understand where you came from and where you are going. Once you have this you can begin to live a better life with less frustration and more fulfillment.
Listen to the session and give us your feedback. I love to hear what others have to contribute to the great questions of life.
Pastor John
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Ask Pastor John TONIGHT 08 05 09
Tonight is another evening with Pastor John and your issues or questions. Since our last evening more people have been asking about where this is and how to get involved. So here is the information you need...
Ask Pastor John
2000 Crater Lake Ave.
Medford, Oregon 97504
7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Good news! The Air Conditioning as been repaired!
If you don't live in the Medford area, or just what your issue, question discussed in this blog, please drop me a note at: pastorjohn@clearwire.net
Keeping Seeking!
Ask Pastor John
2000 Crater Lake Ave.
Medford, Oregon 97504
7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall
Good news! The Air Conditioning as been repaired!
If you don't live in the Medford area, or just what your issue, question discussed in this blog, please drop me a note at: pastorjohn@clearwire.net
Keeping Seeking!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
"Touch Me Not"
Dear Pastor John,
I am still reading your sermons weekly and look forward to what you have to share. One question keeps coming to me every time I see this verse. Jesus telling Mary "do not touch me for I have not ascended to my Father". I know later he lets Thomas touch his wound to see it is real. But I don't understand why he won't let Mary touch him when she must be so excited to see him. Do you know why that is?
Great question! I have often wondered about that as well.
"Touch Me Not"
Matt 28:9 - And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and HELD HIM by the feet, and worshipped him.
Luke 24:39 - Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: HANDLE ME, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
John 20:17 - Jesus saith unto her, TOUCH ME NOT; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God (all quotes from the KJV).
The Greek used here actually uses the world TOUCH ME NOT in the Present Imperative in a prohibition. The present tense is properly used for expressing continued action. A prohibition in the present imperative demands that action then in progress be stopped.
Now, to apply the above to the beginning of John 20:17. The verse also includes a prohibitive, present imperative: me mou haptou. It would be better rendered as, "Stop touching Me." The point? A prohibition in the present imperative demands that action then in progress be stopped.
So Mary is already touching Jesus. But Jesus is commanding her to stop.
But why? Help in answering this question can be found by looking at the word rendered "touch."
The Greek word rendered "touch" in the KJV is haptou - "touch, take hold of, hold, to hold on to an object - ‘to hold on to, to retain in the hand, to seize, to touch, with the implication of relatively firm contact - ‘to touch.”
In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Merril C. Tenny summarizes the lexical connotations of this verb as: "The verb hapto does not mean to touch with the tip of a finger to test whether an object is real or not but to ‘clutch’ or ‘grip.’"
So Mary was not just touching Jesus, she was holding Him, grasping Him, clinging to Him. Jesus is simply telling her to let go, enough is enough already.
Putting all the above together, if I was translating the first part of this verse, I would probably render it as, "Stop holding Me…" or possibly, "Stop clinging to me…."
So Jesus is being "held" in Matthew; He is being "handled" in Luke; and He is being "held" or "clung to" in John. So there is no contradiction between the Gospels. In fact, the only reason there is even an "apparent contradiction" between these passages is because of the rather poor rendering of the KJV.
Compare, however, the translation of the NKJV, "Do not cling to Me…." Even without using "Stop" this rendering still has the sense that Jesus is commanding that Mary cease what she is already doing. I doubt very much I would say "Do not cling to me" to someone who was not even touching me!
Jesus was OK with being touched to verify that He was real, but his comment that he had not yet ascended meant that a real intimacy with Him could only be achieved after He left and sent the Holy Spirit to live within our spirit. If he remained here in bodily form then the Spirit could not come. When He left in bodily form he then was able to enter into every person who believed on Him and received His forgiveness from sin.
This was always God’s plan because to limit Christ to one body rather than the Holy Spirit empowering and indwelling in Billions would hinder the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of many.
Pastor John
I am still reading your sermons weekly and look forward to what you have to share. One question keeps coming to me every time I see this verse. Jesus telling Mary "do not touch me for I have not ascended to my Father". I know later he lets Thomas touch his wound to see it is real. But I don't understand why he won't let Mary touch him when she must be so excited to see him. Do you know why that is?
Great question! I have often wondered about that as well.
"Touch Me Not"
Matt 28:9 - And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and HELD HIM by the feet, and worshipped him.
Luke 24:39 - Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: HANDLE ME, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
John 20:17 - Jesus saith unto her, TOUCH ME NOT; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God (all quotes from the KJV).
The Greek used here actually uses the world TOUCH ME NOT in the Present Imperative in a prohibition. The present tense is properly used for expressing continued action. A prohibition in the present imperative demands that action then in progress be stopped.
Now, to apply the above to the beginning of John 20:17. The verse also includes a prohibitive, present imperative: me mou haptou. It would be better rendered as, "Stop touching Me." The point? A prohibition in the present imperative demands that action then in progress be stopped.
So Mary is already touching Jesus. But Jesus is commanding her to stop.
But why? Help in answering this question can be found by looking at the word rendered "touch."
The Greek word rendered "touch" in the KJV is haptou - "touch, take hold of, hold, to hold on to an object - ‘to hold on to, to retain in the hand, to seize, to touch, with the implication of relatively firm contact - ‘to touch.”
In his commentary on the Gospel of John, Merril C. Tenny summarizes the lexical connotations of this verb as: "The verb hapto does not mean to touch with the tip of a finger to test whether an object is real or not but to ‘clutch’ or ‘grip.’"
So Mary was not just touching Jesus, she was holding Him, grasping Him, clinging to Him. Jesus is simply telling her to let go, enough is enough already.
Putting all the above together, if I was translating the first part of this verse, I would probably render it as, "Stop holding Me…" or possibly, "Stop clinging to me…."
So Jesus is being "held" in Matthew; He is being "handled" in Luke; and He is being "held" or "clung to" in John. So there is no contradiction between the Gospels. In fact, the only reason there is even an "apparent contradiction" between these passages is because of the rather poor rendering of the KJV.
Compare, however, the translation of the NKJV, "Do not cling to Me…." Even without using "Stop" this rendering still has the sense that Jesus is commanding that Mary cease what she is already doing. I doubt very much I would say "Do not cling to me" to someone who was not even touching me!
Jesus was OK with being touched to verify that He was real, but his comment that he had not yet ascended meant that a real intimacy with Him could only be achieved after He left and sent the Holy Spirit to live within our spirit. If he remained here in bodily form then the Spirit could not come. When He left in bodily form he then was able to enter into every person who believed on Him and received His forgiveness from sin.
This was always God’s plan because to limit Christ to one body rather than the Holy Spirit empowering and indwelling in Billions would hinder the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of many.
Pastor John
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)