Matthew: A Baby And A Jealous King

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Our regular Thursday feature at Bible Rebel is called ‘What’s The Big Idea’, where we’ll introduce and explore larger biblical themes and go deeper into biblical teaching through commentary, research, and even creative writing from guest writers.

We start today with a look at the book of Matthew and it’s major theme of the King and the Kingdom.

A Tale of Two Kings

In Matthew 2:1-3 we get a snapshot of the impact the birth of our Lord had on wicked King Herod and on the capitol city of occupied Judea, Jerusalem.

Matthew 2:1-3 (NIV):
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Do you see the contrast between the two kings there? The Magi asked about the one who had been ‘born King of Jews’ and they asked it of ‘King Herod’, the false king of Jews .

Craig Keener’s Socio-Historical Commentary puts it this way: ‘The “king of the Jews” title given by the Magi contrasts with Herod’s illegitimacy as a ruler, appointed by Rome rather than descended from Davidic lineage.‘

And from Matthew Henry’s Commentary: ‘Herod’s reaction reveals his fear and jealousy. Rather than rejoicing at the fulfillment of prophecy, Herod sees Jesus as a threat to his power.’

No wondered he was ‘disturbed’. He must have thought, “Who do these so-called Magi think they are coming up in here and asking me, the reigning King, about some other baby king? We’ll see about that! No one is taking my throne.”

Political Trouble

Matthew 2:3 – “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.“

We know why Herod was disturbed by the news of a baby king, but why was all Jerusalem also troubled?

From the Expositor’s Bible Commentary: ‘Jerusalem’s disturbance highlights the tension of living under Herod’s volatile leadership.’

‘Volatile leadership’ indeed.

The citizens of Jerusalem certainly had reason to be worried, because their ruler was known to be vicious and cruel – and those concerns were confirmed by his later actions when Herod ordered the execution of all male children who were two years old and under in the vicinity of Bethlehem, where the true King was born – a demonic level of evil that is almost unimaginable.

Questions and a Final Answer

The question of why a loving God would allow such evil to occur, doing nothing to stop the slaughter of innocents, is a subject to be explored in-depth in future ‘What’s The Big Idea’ posts.

I’ll conclude here by pointing out that Matthew 2:1-3 affirms that God does watch over His own and will bring His purposes to full fruition, even in the midst of a dark and dangerous world filled with evil kings and political turmoil.

And the one true King will return in due time to set the world right.

Latest Holy Land Updates – 12/17/24

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Israel’s Occupation of Syrian Buffer Zone

Israel has occupied a buffer zone within Syria, coinciding with ongoing Israeli military operations against Hamas in Gaza.

In Syria, the new rebel administration has expressed willingness to cooperate with the UN on humanitarian aid, and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have proposed demilitarizing Kobani to address Turkey’s security concerns. Despite these developments, efforts for a permanent ceasefire have failed. Additionally, countries like Qatar and France have reopened their embassies in Damascus, indicating a shift in diplomatic relations following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The discovery of mass graves in Syria has further highlighted the atrocities committed during Assad’s rule.

Meanwhile, Hamas remains hopeful for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza amid ongoing international efforts to resolve the conflict stemming from Hamas atrocities against Israeli citizens and the taking of hostages, including Americans, on October 7, 2023.
AP News

Discovery of Ancient Chinese Inscription in Jerusalem

Archaeologists in Jerusalem have uncovered a porcelain bowl at Mount Zion bearing the oldest-known Chinese inscription in the city. Dating back to the 16th century, likely from the Ming Dynasty, the inscription reads, “Forever we will guard the eternal spring.”

This finding underscores historical trade relations between Imperial China and the Ottoman Empire, with records indicating Ottoman delegations visiting Beijing and Chinese merchant colonies in regional cities like Beirut, Tripoli, and Jerusalem. The discovery highlights Jerusalem’s historical significance and its extensive trading connections.
New York Post

Vatican’s Nativity Scene Controversy

A Nativity scene in the Vatican featuring a manger draped with a keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian identity, has garnered significant attention. Unveiled on December 7 and crafted by Bethlehem-based artisans, the scene initially included the keffiyeh. However, by December 11, both the keffiyeh and the infant Jesus were removed, aligning with Vatican tradition of placing the infant on December 24.

A Palestinian official confirmed the removal without providing an explanation. The Vatican reiterated the adherence to tradition, while the Israeli Embassy did not comment on potential complaints regarding the keffiyeh. Pope Francis has reiterated his call for peace and recognition of Palestine’s struggles and is scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican soon.
AP News

Watchdog Alert: Is Legal Pot A Good Thing?

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Elton John says legalizing marijuana was a mistake

There’s an interesting news piece on CNN reporting on Elton John’s view of weed.

In an interview with Time magazine as part of their Icon of the Year coverage, the legendary singer shared his thoughts about the legalization of cannabis in parts of the US and Canada.
“I maintain that it’s addictive,” he said. “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned—and I’ve been stoned—you don’t think normally.”
“Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”

This is a bigger deal than it appears at first blush. Sir Elton is a living legend with tons of influence globally, and his statement about marijuana addiction and it’s effect on one’s thinking abilities is worth noting. Is the cultural landscape as it relates to marijuana legalization shifting?

School shooting at Wisconsin private Christian school

What a brutal, sad, and tragic day on Monday. One student dead. A teacher dead. Teen shooter dead. Six more injured.

Fox News report and updates here.

There are lots of questions that come to mind about this horrible incident, but the obvious one is: Why does God allow this kind of evil to happen?

The world is a dark and broken place. Evil is real. It’s all too obvious that the ‘Christian’ designation on a school, or church, or person doesn’t provide an automatic exemption from the harm our spiritual adversary always seeks to inflict.

God can and does protect his people, but that requires an intentional applied faith through ever vigilant prayer on OUR part.

We are also advised to be wise as serpents. It is reported that the Wisconsin Christian school doesn’t have metal detectors or a school resource officer.

Fellowship Of The Nons

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Anyone who knows even a little bit about the Bible and the history of Christianity knows that it was the religious leaders of the time, along with their secular allies, that were responsible for the killing of the prophets, the reformers, and even the Son of God himself, Yeshua our Messiah.

The religious leaders. The wolves in sheep’s clothing. The whited sepulchers. The vipers. The religious leaders.

There is no new thing under the sun. Fallen human nature and the rot of man-made religion hasn’t changed since they murdered the prophets, burned the ‘heretics’, and tortured and crucified our Lord.

That is part of the reason why I do not subscribe to a modern denominational creed of set of doctrines. I don’t think that modern day Evangelicals, or Baptists, or Lutherans, or Catholics are going to burn anyone in the town square – it’s just that I don’t trust organized religion.

I’m non-denominational. I’m a ‘Non’. And there are a lot of others just like me, in fact more and more folks are fleeing traditional ‘churchianity’ every day. Why? More on that in future posts.

Here’s my one and only creed, which I’m happy share with my brothers and sisters in The Fellowship of the Nons:

Creed of the Fellowship of the Nons

Our living God is a loving God and the Bible is His revealed word and will.
Our hope and eternal salvation relies entirely on the work of God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.

A huge part of the purpose and reason for the Bible Rebel blog is stated in our mission:

“To examine and question the assumptions of religious tradition and provide a resource for information and inspiration for people of faith who have become dissatisfied with an increasingly lifeless and empty ‘churchianity’.”

Erasing Jesus: Chapter 1, Part 1 – Flea Market

p.s. tryon2 Comments

Here is the first in series called ‘Erasing Jesus’ by p.s. tryon. Bible Rebel publishes guest pieces, including research articles, opinions, and other assorted material as a regular feature. If you have something that fits with our mission that you would like to submit, please feel free to contact us for consideration.

The flea market was packed with men and women with babies in backpacks and strollers and family dogs, older couples carefully negotiating the crowds, some with canes, the serious junkers hustling and pushing their way to tables, hawkers with the usual handmade crafts trying to appear oh so unusual, food trucks selling coffee, coffee milkshakes, those amazingly delicious mini-donuts, tamales, Asian food, and good ol’ hotdogs. I’m never hungry ‘till I smell it.

I come not just to find hidden treasure but also the vibrancy, the bustle, the cacophony of sounds. I can ride this river anonymously, flow along the ever- changing current and savor its fair flavor. Be unnoticed in a surging sea of humanity.

So I was unprepared when the old man, stained fisherman’s hat sitting sloppily on his long grey hair, hunched in his chair next to some mediocre paintings, singled me out.

You there! he called. I tried to ignore him but I couldn’t push through the slow crowd. You there! He yelled more insistently, pointing a gnarled finger my way. As I tried to step away from his small tent set-up, someone pushed through on my opposite side and shoved me closer in front of him.

Yes, you! he said roughly, in the manner of someone used to speaking with authority. I want to show you something. You are the one!

Puzzled and amused at this point, I gave him my attention. He rose shakily from his chair and said, Over here! Humoring him, I followed him toward the back of his tent where a picture of the face and shoulders of the typical American Jesus was perched on a chair, cheap gaudy gold tinted frame and all.

I want you to have this, he said. He picked up the frame with care, and held it out for me to take.

I’m sorry, I don’t….He ignored me and winked.

No charge. It needs a good home. But I have one suggestion. Hang it where you will see it every day. Will you?

It was the urgency in his voice, the smile and the congenial wink that motivated me to accept the picture. As far as I know, there was never a picture painted of Jesus of Nazareth while he was on earth, and I was not a believer in hanging imagined renditions of him in my house. I could pitch it in the dumpster when I got home. But when I did get home, I actually hung it my bedroom, giving the memory of the old man at the flea market a little bit of honor before I got rid of it. Maybe not the dumpster. Maybe the second hand store.

To be continued…

We Are Watchdogs

Rick Tryon2 Comments
image from Korhan Erdol pexels.com

In my post from yesterday about the Church of Satan I mentioned that paying attention to the culture and world around us is our responsibility as watchers on the wall. That’s a big part of the mission of this blog.

I like the ‘watcher on the wall’ metaphor, but as I’ve been thinking about it I actually prefer the term ‘watchdog’, because a watchdog is a guard, an alarm, a defender, and a loyal friend all rolled into one. A watchdog is always ready and able to warn us, but also to fearlessly defend us from attack if necessary.

What are we as watchdogs tasked with watching over?

  1. First, each of us has to guard our own hearts and minds from the self-debilitating influences of a dark and broken world and from the wicked, deceitful intrusions on our lives and souls by our adversary and adversaries.
  2. We are tasked with being watchdogs over our families and homes from the very real dangers of our times.
  3. We must also be guardians of our sacred faith and it’s undiluted message and purpose.
  4. We are called to be watchers over our communities and neighborhoods.
  5. And finally, we are sentinels over our nation’s culture and our way of life as Americans.

Are you a watchdog? Are you ever vigilant for the things that matter? Are you ready bark loudly and clearly when threat and danger are approach, to bare your teeth and let that dawg out if necessary?

That is the mission and purpose of the Bible Rebel blog and all of our future projects.

Watchdog Report: Church Of Satan

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But of course the ‘Church of Satan’ has a website. And of course it includes a ‘latest news’ page.

Part of our responsibility as watchers on the wall is to notice such things and monitor their impact on our faith, our families, our culture and society, and our hearts and minds.

In the latest news from the Church of Satan website I noted a promo for a book by Thomas Denis called Survival—How Becoming a Satanist Saved My Life. Yeah, probably not on a book that would be on very many Christmas gift idea lists, right?

Anyway, Mr. Denis says this about his book: Survival—How Becoming a Satanist Saved My Life is my autobiography on how living the Satanic philosophy gave me the strength not only to survive significant abuse of every imaginable horror, loss, suicide, family addiction and sexual assault, but also succeed at levels that would have been impossible to achieve without the Satanic philosophy. I have travelled the world, am a community leader and a leader in a major corporation, and have enjoyed the hedonistic lifestyle.

So the ‘Satanic philosophy’ gave the author the strength to survive a bunch of horrible stuff – suicide, sexual assault etc. – which all originate from Satan in the first place? Doesn’t make much sense.

I’m not sure what community Denis is a ‘leader’ in but I’m sure glad I don’t live there while he’s enjoying the ‘hedonistic lifestyle’ and worshipping the father of lies.

Powerful Beyond Measure

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On Tuesday I posted a brief video, ‘The You Miracle’, in which I referenced a quote from Marianne Williamson.

Here is the quote from which I drew excerpts:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we our powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness which most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson
Excerpt from:
A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles“

While there’s a lot of truth and good inspiration in Williamson’s observation here, I would disagree that the “the glory of God” is “in everyone”. Yes, all of mankind, each one of us, is meant to reflect the image of God, but due to our fallen nature we have to rely on Him to fill us with His spirit and light in order to shine it forth.