Homily for the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – Naked and laid bare

Good morning bus riders!

I sent out the email to everyone on the list; so, I hope everyone took the time to read all the readings possible for today.

Remember, here I talk about all of the readings, including the Psalms. Since we don’t read everything out loud or hand out selected readings, we can spend more time explaining what things mean and why they are all read together on one Sunday.

So, with that said, let’s get to it!

This week we have a less clear thread that connects everything together. We begin with Job’s response to Eliphaz, who basically told Job his skin problem was evidence of wickedness.

The accompanying Psalm 22 sings out the verse Jesus said while dying on the cross, which is commonly translated as saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

From there we go to a reading from Amos, where the prophet told the leaders of Israel, “Seek Yahweh and live,” otherwise you guys are headed for ruin.

The accompanying Psalm 90 sings happily about serving God and enjoying His help in everything.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Hebrew-speaking (Jews) of Rome about everything being naked and laid bare, while adding that Jesus is the high priest.

All of that leads to a well-remembered Gospel reading, where a rich man came to Jesus and asked about being assured of going to heaven. When Jesus told him what to do, he walked away sad, prompting Jesus to say it was harder to get a camel through the eye of the needle than a rich man in heaven.

When I was studying these readings this past week, as always is the case, the closer I looked the more was exposed; and, it is that which is hidden that that becomes the connecting thread.

This is the meaning of Paul writing, “And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” That becomes the central theme for today.

I want you to make a mental note of that, because I’ll come back to it later.

Now, earlier I said the Job reading was his response to Eliphaz. Raise your hand if you knew that.

That is one of those hidden things that become exposed when you look closer.

If one goes to the NRSV translation website, one will find a heading that says, “Job Replies: My Complaint Is Bitter.” “Replies to who?” one should ask.

Clicking back to Job 22 then finds the heading, “Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great.” So, “Who is Eliphaz?” should be the next question.

A Wikipedia article says Eliphaz was the first visitor to Job (called a friend), who “appears as the representative of the wisdom of the Edomites.” They add the name “Eliphaz” means “El is pure gold” or “My God is pure gold.”

Here, it is important to realize that name is formed from the Hebrew word “eli” (which means “my god”) and “pazaz” (which means “to be agile,” but specifically describes finely crafted gold).

In the NRSV translation that we read, verse sixteen is shown to say, “God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.” In that, the Hebrew word written by the writer (Moses orated this story, many believe) that has been translated as “God” is “wa-el.” That is a combination of words that says “for god.”

But, the word “el” does not mean capitalization is demanded. Last Sunday, when we began reading from Job, we found “Yahweh elohim” being the specific naming of “Yahweh,” with Satan one of the “elohim” who met with Yahweh. They were all called the “sons of elohim” or the “sons of gods,” meaning they were created by Yahweh.

When “elohim” is understood to be plural, as “gods,” this can also be understood as “angels,” because “elohim” are purely spiritual. They are eternal; and, they have divine powers that are assigned to them by Yahweh.

Remember, I told you that the Hebrew word “satan” means “adversary.” So, the “adversary angel” was, of sorts, the angel or “el“ who tested the things created for perfection.

That means an “el” is one of the many “elohim.” As such, Satan is an “el” of the “bene ha-elohim” – the “sons of gods.”

All of this is written, but it is not translated correctly. That means we have to see what is there, rather than put our faith in someone unknown, who provides translations in English. That demands each of us needs to look closer, in order to find true faith. When looking closer, then that which appears hidden becomes exposed. It is “naked and laid bare.”

Now, I doubt anybody here took the time to read the Hebrew of Job 22, where Eliphaz told Job his wickedness was great. But in that chapter, one finds Eliphaz never once referred to “Yahweh.” Instead, five times he referred to a singular “el” (in different forms).

He said “hal-el” – “can the god.” He said “eloah” (twice), which is a glorified way of saying “el,” as both mean “god,” but not “Yahweh.” He used “el” and “la-el.” Those say “god” and “to god,” with “Yahweh” again not stated.

That which becomes exposed in this lack of stating “Yahweh.” When that lack is seen, then we know the focus is not on Yahweh, but the “god” that is Job.

The uses of “el” all point to Job.

Raise your hand if you believe you have a soul.

Without a soul your body of flesh would become a corpse. A body of flesh is dead, when not possessed by a living soul. Thus, your soul is the “god” of you.

Can you grasp that?

Good.

In Job we are told he was a “blameless and upright man,” which must be seen as because the soul of Job was married to Yahweh. That was why Yahweh bragged to Satan about Job not being a “man” that was like all the other human beings on earth, which were created on the sixth day. This means we need to realize the reason we read from Job is to see how marriage to Yahweh – becoming one of His “elohim,” as “angels in the flesh,” rather than purely spiritual entities – demands we be tested.

Job is a reflection of us, when our souls have married to Yahweh’s Spirit. We see a need to be tested by fire, to be strengthened and purified. Job is a story of a wilderness experience, just like Jesus experienced.

By realizing that, all the complaints of Job in this reading today are responding to Eliphaz saying his unsightly disease is a statement of his wickedness. The complaints are not about Yahweh having caused it. They are not about admitting to having been wicked. Instead, he is complaining about his soul no longer hearing the voice of Yahweh when he prays for answers.

The “el” Job is complaining about is his own soul. He wants to hear from Yahweh, so Yahweh will tell his soul what he did wrong that has made him to be seen as wicked. Job saw his plight as something he did. Not as something caused by Yahweh.

Now, in the accompanying Psalm 22, the very first verse is translated as crying out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

In the Hebrew written, repeated is “eli,” which is part of the name of Eliphaz. That name says, “my god is agility” or “my god is fine gold.” That is not speaking about Yahweh. That is saying Eliphaz was named for one of the “elohim” who created valuable things from the earth.

In Matthew 27 we read about Jesus crying out this verse from Psalm 22. Matthew did not write those words in Greek. If he had, the use of a capitalized “Theos” (meaning “God”) would have been a statement that Jesus blamed Yahweh. Instead, Matthew wrote the Hebrew that Jesus spoke, which was, “Eli, eli,”

Jesus was about to die and he began singing a Psalm of David.

Now, Matthew also wrote what some of the Jews around the cross also heard Jesus say “Eli, eli.” They said, “He calls for Elijah.” They heard Jesus sing that verse and they knew it; so, they had been taught to think Psalm 22 was David singing about Elijah.
The name “Elijah” means “Yahweh Is God,” or more aptly: “My god is Yah[weh].”

Those Jews then held up a sponge soaked in vinegar to Jesus’ mouth, saying, “Let Elijah come save him.”

I believe, especially when one sees Psalm 22 as a companion song to the Job 23 reading, that David was singing divinely about Job’s misery; since Jesus had yet to be born into the world. David also knew the name of Yahweh very well, often using it in his songs. However, for him to begin this song by crying out, “my god, my god,” he knew that “eli” was a cry about one’s soul.
David, in a divine trance that connected his soul to that of Job, could feel the inner suffering that a lost soul would feel. David himself would later know this lost feeling, after he sinned.

In verse two, David switched to “elohay,” which also means “my god.” He wrote, “Oh my god, I cry in the daytime but you do not answer.”

This was the cry of Job. The whole of the lyrics sing as David being divinely in touch with the soul of Job, knowing the pain and agony he suffered.

Still, “eli” is not Job blaming Yahweh. Both Job and David knew the name of Yahweh, and knew Yahweh was the Father of “elohim,” not Himself of that name. It it was meant to be that, David would have written the name “Yahweh.”

This, again, it the hidden being there right before our eyes, but unseen because of preconceptions and a lack of determination to see the truth. It is “naked and laid bare” in Hebrew; but one has to let Yahweh open your eyes to see His truth.

Now, in the reading from Amos, it immediately begins by saying, “Seek the Lord and live.” In reality, the song says, “Seek Yahweh and live.”

This is yet another clear statement that is hidden by a translator’s pen.

After that initial statement, Amos told the rulers of Israel that everything they were doing would be for nothing. Rather than life, they would find their evil deeds being punished.

Repeated in verses fourteen and fifteen, in the Hebrew is: “Yahweh ’ĕ·lō·hê-ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ,” which says, “Yahweh army of gods.” The NRSV says, “the Lord, the God of hosts.”

In those verses, Amos delivered the message of Yahweh that said, “seek good, not evil, that you may live.”

Amos was sent by Yahweh as His prophet, which means Amos was one of “Yahweh army of gods,” as one little “el” in that army or host. The message of Yahweh was to seek Him, because Yahweh is good. That was said by Jesus, to the rich man: “God alone is good.”

In the same words spoken, the implication was the rulers of Israel were not souls in that divine collection of Yahweh angels.

Instead, their souls were “’ĕ·lō·hê-ṣə·ḇā·’ō·wṯ” of some demon spirit. They had sought and found evil to be their Lord, as an “army of demonically possessed souls.” Remember, an “el” is a soul, which is a “god” over one body of flesh.

In the story of Job, the el who asked Yahweh for permission to tempt Job to the point of cursing his Holy Husband was Satan.

While Satan failed in his test of Job, Satan found lots of willing souls that would be sold into his possession, who were the rulers of Israel.

This is a lesson that is not written, but becomes exposed – naked and laid bare – when one stops being misled by English translations that are weak. It is a test of one’s commitment to Yahweh, to see who “seeks Yahweh and finds eternal life.”

This brings us to the accompanying Psalm 90, which seems to be completely out of place.

In verse thirteen we read, “Return, Yahweh; how long will you tarry? be gracious to your servants.” This (when Yahweh is seen written) says David sang as a “servant.” To be a “servant” or “slave” means to be subjected to Yahweh in marriage, as a soul united with His Spirit.

The song sounds like David’s soul knew only a moment not in touch with Yahweh seems like a lifetime; and, that has to be seen as the complaint of Job, not the warning given to Israel.

Then, in verse seventeen of Psalm 90 the NRSV shows, “May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.”

That makes it seem that Yahweh being upon one makes one prosper through ministry to Him. While that is a happy conclusion to end a song with, that is not the truth of what was written.

The Hebrew written by David here is: “hayah noam adonay elohenu.” That actually says, “let become the pleasantness “lords us gods.” This brings up the connection between “adonay” (the plural of “adon,” meaning “lords”) and “elohim” (the plural of “el,” meaning “gods”).

This says the plea of this song was for the “return” of one’s soul to be one with “Yahweh,” so the time spent waiting for that ‘return” will “become the pleasantness” that is ministry on earth for Yahweh.

This means “adonay” speaks of the responsibility given to the servants of Yahweh, as ministers, all of whom are His “elohim.”
As a companion Psalm to the Amos reading, Amos was an “adonay elohenu” – one of the “lords” of prophecy, who all were “us souls” of Yahweh. It also says the rulers of Israel were likewise “adonay,” as “lords,” but their souls were servants to a much lesser god.

Now, I found out in my research that Psalm 90 is read on three occasions (each time a partial reading, as it this one today) in the lectionary cycle. However, at no time is the ‘title’ of this Psalm stated.

Again, titles of Scripture are not part of the text, but they should be gleaned from the words written. Still, Psalm 90 includes verbiage written by David in his first verse, which is seen as instructions to the reader, thus not part of the actual song.
That written by David classifies as that “hidden made naked and laid bare” before our eyes; and, it is important to know what David wrote into the ‘title’ of Psalm 90.

In verse one, David wrote, “tə·p̄il·lāh lə·mō·šeh ’îš-hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm ’ă·ḏō·nāy,” which says, “A prayer of Moses man of elohim adonay.”

That says this song is a prayer; and, just like Psalm 22 was David channeling Job (although that was not written by David), Psalm 90 is David channeling Moses – divinely.

The problem with that title not being known is compounded when the English translators do not know how to handle “elohim adonay,” other than to translate it in the singular, as “God Lord,” all capitalized. But, that makes no sense to them.

So, the word “adonay” is cut off the title written by David and stated as the first word of verse one, so the translators have the first verse begin, saying “Lord ….”

That which is exposed and laid bare is David saying Psalm 90 was “a prayer of Moses man of gods who are lords” of Yahweh. It says Moses was a leader of leaders, all of whom were divinely married to Yahweh. Moses prayed, through David, for all the souls married to Yahweh to be teachers of His Word.

Thus, the concluding verse sings, “let become the pleasantness lords us gods,” where the proof of them being “lords” of divine marriage to Yahweh would be “upon us the work of our hands fixed.”

David was saying, as Moses raised within his soul, that Yahweh does not marry souls because they are pretty and fair. He marries them so they will become “lords” who influence other souls to also marry Yahweh. That is the unseen truth of “adonay.” With God’s help, that meaning is laid bare for all to look at and realize.

With that said, we move to the letter Paul wrote to the “Hebrews.” There are those (quite a few I imagine) that doubt Paul wrote this Epistle.

I remember a long time ago hearing an American Jew say, “Hebrew is a language, not a people. There are no “Hebrews.” There are Jews who speak Hebrew.”

In the New Testament, this letter follows one entitled “Romans.” As Paul was in prison when those letters were written, one can assume the Romans to whom Paul wrote were Jews and Gentiles; but it also means Paul would know the Jews were Jews, not “Hebrews.”

The people whose heads swell because academia has awarded them some gold star for research are those to whom Paul wrote [NRSV], “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

While that sounds good as translated, the truth is “divides soul from spirit” was not written. If you think about that, you have to ask, “How is that possible?” A soul is spirit. How can that be taken away?

The truth of that written says “dividing of soul,” followed by the word “kai,” which denotes importance to follow. That which follows is then importantly stated to be “spirit.”

Thus, Paul wrote that a soul can be divided AND that division is when a “spirit” is added to a soul.

That is Paul explaining what the “elohim” are, of all kinds, divine of Yahweh and demonic of Satan. A “soul” is the “god” of one’s body of flesh; but it needs to find salvation through Yahweh … like Job. Otherwise, it will be misled to ruin, like the rulers of Israel.

This makes me think Paul might have written a letter that only those who spoke Hebrew could read. Rather than address a letter to “Hebrews,” it was a series of documents written in Hebrew, as the Hebrew letters.

Once a scholar got his or her hands on that, then all of the Greek that sounded like it was written by Paul would be dissolved and washed away. That would explain why there is doubts as to who wrote this Epistle.

Paul then wrote, in essence, that unless one’s soul has been divided by the Word of Yahweh, which cuts like a sword with two edges, opening one’s soul up to receive His Spirit, nothing written can be understood. It is all foreign, doubtful, questionable, and unworthy of committing one’s soul to belief in it. Without God’s help, the truth of His Word is right there in front of one’s face, but hidden and covered from view.

When the translators then say Paul wrote, “ And before him no creature is hidden,” the word written (in Greek) that has been translated as “creatures” is “ktisis” (pronounced “ktis-is”), which can actually mean: “a creation [of divine work], or an institution, ordinance.” Thus, Paul wrote – of the Word – “before him no ordinance is hidden.”

In that, “him” is both a divided soul and the spirit of Yahweh, which have been married together, as One “him.”

That means, when one’s soul has been divided and Yahweh’s Spirit has married it, so one then sees through the eyes of Yahweh, every ordinance of the marriage vows (the Covenant) is crystal clear.

“all things now naked kai laid bare to the eyes of him to whom ourselves this divine utterance.”

When Paul then wrote, “Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession,” that speaks more about the dividing of soul and the adding of “Spirit.”

That says the soul divides and our body of flesh becomes a temple unto Yahweh. Into that temple comes a high priest. The high priest comes divinely, as a spirit – through the heavens. The name of that high priest is “Jesus” – a name that means “Yah[weh] Will Save.” The presence of that high priest with one’s divided soul says that body of flesh has been reborn as “the Son of God.” The word translated as “confessions” actually means one’s “professions,” relative to an “agreement.” That says the presence of Jesus within one’s soul makes that soul forever live up to the marriage vows.

When Paul then wrote, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin,” think about that in the terms of Job. It says we will be able to pass every test of our faith, once Jesus has come into our souls, after we agree to marry Yahweh – individually.

With this seen, we then move to the Gospel reading, where a man came and knelt before Jesus.

This story is told by Matthew and Luke, but it is only in Mark that we read “having knelt down before him.” Those words are importantly identified by the word “kai,” which is a signal that the “man who ran up” had previously been recognized as a follower of Jesus, as one “having knelt down before” in the “same” way as had all Jesus’ disciples. It does not mean the man prostrated himself before Jesus at this time.

In the question posed to Jesus, it placed focus on “life eternal” being an inheritance, which must be seen as a question that made “life eternal” be relative to being Jewish, not Gentile. That means the question can be a trick, to see if Jesus would say anyone other than Jews could “inherit life eternal.”

When we learn the man was rich (thus the difficulties the rich have in obtaining life eternal), we can intuit he was a Temple leader; and, Luke’s version calls the man a “ruler.” This would make him be a Pharisee (such as Nicodemus), which means his philosophical beliefs about “life eternal” involved Sheol, where souls would just hang out until the promised Messiah would come.

When the man asked this question, one needs to realize that Jesus was the Son, as a soul divided that had always been married to Yahweh. So, the heart of the man was immediately known to Jesus. So, Jesus knew the question was a trick.

The address, before the question, was “Teacher good,” where the word “Teacher” was capitalized, meaning Jesus was recognized for his Fatherly guidance on spiritual matters. Jesus did not respond to the question, but to the reference to his being “good.”

By saying, “No one is good but God alone,” that said the rich man was recognized by Jesus as not married to Yahweh. Thus, not only was the rich man not welcoming being taught by the one he had knelt down before, calling Jesus “Teacher,” but he had no stake to any claim for rightful inheritance from the Father, which would be a right to expect good things to come.

The failure of the Jews came from thinking Moses called their ancestors out of Egypt as the lucky descendants of Abraham (through Isaac and Jacob), who would rule the world as God’s children (heirs). Nobody could see anything beyond a special birthright to privilege having been bestowed to a race of people by Yahweh.

The question posed by the rich man has to be seen as him wanting Jesus to tell him he was experiencing the inheritance of God’s eternal promise of the high life, by being a young, rich ruler of God’s chosen people. What more evidence could Jesus need to answer, “What shall I do?” The rich man totally expected Jesus to say, “Keep doing what you are doing. You are as rich as any Jew I know.”

What the Jews misunderstood was marriage of a soul to Yahweh, which made their souls be joined with a special spirit – one that made them all become the Sons of God. Only that SPIRITUAL relationship [call it being Yahweh elohim adonay] would make them be human beings that were descendants of the Father. Abram had done that. Jacob had done that, when he was renamed SPIRITUALLY as “Israel.” Moses had done that when Yahweh told him His name at the burning bush. And David offered a prayer of Moses, as a man of such married souls, who would be the lords going forth and being fruitful and multiplying the number of the Sons of man, who all would have the right to claim an inheritance to life eternal.

The rich man was a Jew; but he certainly was not a soul married to Yahweh, thus he could not know good when he saw it. So, he was a long way from any ‘legal’ claims to inherit life eternal.

Jesus then reminded the rich man about his knowing “the commandments,” which Jesus then began to list. That made the rich man exclaim how he had kept all of those laws, since childhood.

Then we read that Jesus “loved him.”

That was the “love” of Yahweh for the soul of the rich man. Jesus knew the rich man was like a child at heart, so there was “love” for his inner desire. However, Jesus spoke from that “love,” saying, “You lack one thing.”

That “one thing” (if you can call it a thing) was Yahweh. All the memorization and compliance in the world cannot make one a wife of Yahweh. A child pretending to be a priest of Yahweh [and Nicodemus knew nothing of spiritual matters] is cute, but far from the real deal.

This is where the “one thing” the rich man lacked was stated by Jesus simply as “go.”

Jesus saying, “You lack one thing: go” is one of those cloaked statements that hold a wealth of meaning that is missed.
Raise your hand if you dwelled this past week on Jesus saying “go” to the rich man.

The Greek word written that translates as “go” is “hypage.” The word’s definition says, “to lead or bring under, to lead on slowly, to depart.” The word’s usage implies, “go away, depart, begone, die.”

The one thing the rich man lacked was dying of self. Because he was so much in love with himself, there was no way he was going to let some spiritual two-edged sword slice his soul open, being forced to share what all he had with some “spirit.”

Jesus told the rich man to kill himself figuratively; and, then that death of self-will and self-ego would lead to him selling everything he possessed, which his soul had previously been sold to gain, making his soul the possession of Satan.

If he died of self-ego, then he could become married to Yahweh and give spiritually to those whose souls were spiritually poor, like his was then.

If he died of self and became the Son of Yahweh, then he would be assured of a heavenly treasure … not material things that would go <poof> upon real death.

If he died of self-will, then he could be reborn as Jesus (a spiritual matter Nicodemus could not ever understand) and follow in the same footsteps, becoming a “Teacher” of “good.”

Alas, the rich man … like so many then, now, and forever … walk away sadly, having too much to let go of by dying of self spiritually.

Jesus then told his disciples how it would be easier to squeeze a camel through the eye of the needle, than get a rich man into the kingdom of God.

That was what the smallest gate to Jerusalem was called. A camel could get through that small gate, but not if it had a load of wares, owned by a merchant. If the shop the wares were to be delivered to was on the other side of the wall where that gate was, then the merchant would have to unload his camel, get the camel through the gate and tie it up. Then, the merchant would have to hand carry all the wares through the gate and reload them on the camel. Once at the shop, all the off-loading and carrying began again.

You have to be able to see how a lot of work was involved doing that.

A rich man, as Jesus had said, would have to do the same. Unloading all his possession would just be the first step. But, we read, the rich man “went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”

Believe me, there are not many people who would do as Jesus said.

I asked a ‘man of God’ once, “Whatever happened to the “All-in Church”? His reply was, “That didn’t work out too well.”

That is why we read, “The disciples were perplexed at these words” and “said to one another, “Then who can be saved?”’

Jesus heard them saying these things and then said a most powerful thing to catch hold of and remember always. He said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.”

Raise your hand if you are mortal.

Jesus did not say that Yahweh has to give up all His possession. Jesus said (in essence) what Paul wrote: “The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul.”

A mortal is an undivided soul, without Spirit. That means being without Yahweh. That means not having the power of Job, Amos, David, or most importantly Jesus, because one’s soul has become two merged as one: soul plus Spirit equals Yahweh elohim.

The disciples were not to that point yet, but they were headed that way.

That is why Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”

Remember how Jesus said to the rich man, “Go,” then “follow me.”

Peter was not saying he and the other disciples had been rich men. He was saying that what little they did have they had given up. It is hard to fish, collect taxes, or be politically active as a zealot, when you have quit your day job to carry tents, packs, and other camping accessories necessary, in order to go where Jesus leads.

Peter heard what Jesus said with the same mindset as had the rich man.

Everyone heard “follow me” and thought that means serve Jesus. So, the rich man was thinking, “No way I’m giving up the easy lawyer life to be some roadie for a traveling Teacher.” All the disciples were thinking, “I was promised lots of heavenly rewards for lugging all this stuff around; so, I’m still waiting to get rich.”

Raise your hand if you think Jesus saying “follow me” means believing Jesus is a religious rock star, so following him means carrying all his stuff around: crosses, car window decals, bumper stickers, bobble-head Jesus on your dashboard, whatever … being a fan of Jesus.

None of the characters in the reading from Mark today had divided their souls and received the Spirit. At that time, none of them had answered David’s prayer of Moses, becoming men of elohim adonay. None of them were at the point of having known Yahweh in divine marriage, only to have Him let Satan play games with his commitment in marriage.

None of them followed Jesus, at that time.

Following Jesus means more than being a groupie or a fan that buys tickets to all his concerts or movies. Making Jesus out to be something akin to idol worship is not what Jesus told the rich man and his disciples to do.

Following Jesus means being Jesus reborn.

Jesus knew that. He assured the disciples that everything they had sacrificed was known by Yahweh. They would all be rewarded as promised; however, Jesus added the caveat (seeing how Judas Iscariot was there) not to count their chickens before they hatched.

Jesus again said, “Many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

That says it is much easier to be rich in material wealth and physical possessions, because the world is the realm of things. Remember Eliphaz? His name means “One whose soul was sold for valuable things.”

The rich man had so much stuff, he felt in his heart that wealth meant God loved him. He was a devoted Jew; so, he was entitled to have “life eternal” at his beck and call. He was a descendant of some son of Jacob, so he thought he was inheritor du jour, deserving to be deemed first, based on how wealthy he was.

That view of religious piety means going to heaven last.

The Greek word written that translates as “last” is “eschatos.” That is the root word for “eschatology,” the study of last things … endearingly called the End Times.

That means “last” is when the world finally comes to an end. When you think about the longevity of a human being’s in one body of flesh, and realize the “last” still has not come, after two thousand years … well that says the rich man was set up for lots of reincarnation appearances. Hopefully, he found out hanging onto material things was not worth having to repeat the third grade … forever; so, he finally did as Jesus said do.

This is why Jesus said, the reward of self-sacrifice will be “in the age to come eternal life.” The “last” time in a human body of flesh will be Salvation of a soul, when it enters the kingdom of heaven.

And, with that, here comes the bus. So, I’ll end here.

Please think about the things I have said. There is more to following Jesus than listening to a sermon or sending a check to a church organization.

The whole concept of tithing … the ten percent model … is well and fine for the organizations that have payments to make: hired hand salaries, insurance benefits for hired hands, insurance premiums for church properties, etc., etc.

Giving what you can afford to give is not the lesson today.

Giving ten percent or what you can afford, even if all the time … that is what devoted mortals do. Anything less than one hundred percent is too selfish, and becomes the works of an undivided soul. Undivided means alone, without Yahweh, not being His elohim adonay.

Again, think about what I have said; and, look closer at the readings for today. Shoot me a question on email if you want to know where to look.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week ahead. I look forward to seeing you the next time.

Amen

Homily for the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Being made a little lower than angels

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone received the email with the link to the lectionary page and took the time to read all six, including the Psalms!

Remember, I talk about all of them, not just one or a part of one. So, with that said, let’s get started!

The first Old Testament option is from Job. Just a heads up, but Job will be an option for the next three Sundays also.

This past week I saw the Book of Job in a new light. We all know about the ‘patience of Job,’ but how many of you think your life will ever be as hard as Job’s was?

We certainly need to see Job as a reflection of who we should be, if we are to truly be called Christians.

The thing that dawned on me the most when I read the first two chapters of Job, was how twice it tells, “One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before Yahweh, and Satan also came among them to present himself before Yahweh.”

In that translation (where I have changed the text to say “Yahweh,” which is what was written), the words written that say “heavenly beings” are “bə·nê hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm,” or “sons the gods.”

Now the interesting thing in the translation as “heavenly beings” is the plural number of “beings.” That recognizes “elohim” as more than one; and, translators of Hebrew into English have some master directive that instructs them to take the plural “elohim” and make it the singular (and capitalized) “God.”

When “heavenly beings” are a way of saying “angels” – because, after all, who can deny the presence of angels? – then by saying they are “sons” says Yahweh is the Father of the angels … the “elohim.”

Does that make sense to you? Can you see that we are talking about a collection of “heavenly beings,” which are all eternal angels, none of which could be seen by human eyes as anything more than like a ghost?

So, seeing there is a gathering “before Yahweh” of these “sons the elohim,” we are also told this includes “Satan among them.” My question was, “Why was Satan allowed to come “before Yahweh”?” Satan was the fallen angel, right? How did he get there?

That made me see that the only reason Satan was named – and there are those who believe Moses was the one who first told the story of Job – was for the purpose of letting the reader know this series of events took place prior to the war between the angels, when Satan (he wasn’t called that by Enoch) was cast into the depths of the earth, forever forbidden from seeing Yahweh again, much less talk with Him.

That timing says Job was a Patriarch, which means he was descended of divine origin [Adam]. That can be deduced because Enoch wrote of the fallen angels and Enoch was a sixth generation of the “sons of Adam,” which would be “Sons of man.”

The reason Satan led a rebellion was he could not serve man [Adam], because his oath was to serve only Yahweh. So, Job could actually be Adam.

That was my dawning this past week.

A clue to this is when we read Yahweh tell Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears elohim and turns away from evil.”

For that to be a true statement – and Yahweh does not lie – then Adam, after the death of Abel and the banishment of Cain, would have been the only one like him on earth. When Adam turned 130 years of age, he was the father of Seth; so, at that time there would be more than one like Adam.

In that statement, after having shunned turning “bə·nê hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm” into “sons the God,” recognizing the plurality, we now see them back in the gutter turning “elohim” into the singular, as Job “fears God.”

Rather than fearing Yahweh, Yahweh was telling Satan that Job was “blameless and upright” because his soul was married to Yahweh and he feared losing that divine union. Thus, Job was a “Yahweh elohim,” as an angel created within human flesh; and, that angel inside Job knew to turn away from any “elohim” that came trying to influence him to get kicked out of heaven.

The story of Adam and Even was they were tricked once by the serpent – the wisest of the creatures in Eden – so, that would be the origin of the axiom: Fool me once, shame on you; but fool me twice, shame on me.

That says Job had been fooled once before, but never again. He knew what to be on the lookout for.

Now, in the reading today we hear Job’s wife tell him, “Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die.”

In that, once again, the translators of the English text have taken “elohim” and turned it into “God.” What she actually said was, “Curse the elohim and die.”

That says Job’s wife – she is ‘named’ “ishshah” the same as was Eve, meaning “woman, female, wife” – also knew what “elohim” were. It says she knew the disease Job was dealing with was because of “elohim,” who were “gods” or “angels” that enjoyed causing pain and suffering to human beings.

Keep in mind, when Job was the only one like him on earth, that says all the animal-like forms of mankind had no knowledge of “gods” or “angels,” much less know who Yahweh was. So, for Job’s wife to even say that, she was the compliment to Job, as his companion “Yahweh elohim.” If she were indeed Eve, she was telling Job [Adam], “Do what I should have done when that serpent came up to me. If leaving Eden means having to suffer death, then curse evil and die, rather than give in to evil and still die.”

When Job replied to his wife that she spoke like a senseless woman, that was a comparison to the mortal females created by the “elohim” on Day Six. The had no knowledge of “angels.” To them, death was nothing. For Job to say that, he was a “Yahweh elohim.” As a committed servant of Yahweh, Job was one of His “angels” in the flesh, one who had a ministry and purpose. He was meant to shepherd the mere mortals to know Yahweh.

Thus, Job asked, “Shall we receive the good at the hand ha-elohim, and not receive the bad?” That says Job recognized he (and his wife) were “hands” of Yahweh, as “the angels” divinely made by Him; and, to be given the “goodness” of Yahweh meant to withstand the “evils” of the world, in His name.

As the first of four Sundays when we will read more about this withstanding of evil in the world, it become essential that we come to know Job, up close and personal.

The name “Job” (although uncertain) is believed to mean “Returning.” In the sense that Adam fell from grace (along with Eve), one can presume that when he died he had met all the challenges of an evil world – remaining blameless and upright- so his soul “Returned” to be with Yahweh. That is the promise of divine marriage, for being a “Yahweh elohim.”

Still, it is this name that should be seen as Job being a reflection of Jesus, as the soul of Adam that would be “Returning” as a “blameless and upright” man, unlike any others in the world.

When we see Job, we need to see Jesus; and, when we see Jesus, we need to realize that the only way Job could withstand the punishment he withstood – much like the punishment Jesus would withstand many centuries later – is his soul was that of Jesus. Yahweh bragged on Job, because He knew His Son could handle anything thrown at him.

This is why we need to see ourselves as Job, because we must be just as married to Yahweh to survive the evils of our world. We have to be the wives of Yahweh that have given rebirth to Jesus within our souls.

Like Job, we need to be Yahweh elohim.

Now, the accompanying Psalm (26) to the Job reading immediately speaks of “integrity,” which is what the wife of Job asked: “Do you still persist in your integrity?”

Verse one of Psalm 26 is poorly translated, partly because it transforms “Yahweh” into “Lord.” It actually says, “govern me Yahweh so I in my integrity have walked.”

In that, the Hebrew word “ani” is a statement of “I,” or one’s own personal ego and self-will; but when it is Yahweh governing one’s soul, Yahweh becomes the “I” that gets credit for having walked with integrity. The “integrity” of Yahweh was the manner in which Job walked.

This makes the ‘theme statement’ of Psalm 26 be about a soul’s marriage to Yahweh. It is the “trust” that a wife has in her Husband – call that true faith – that keeps one from “wavering” in a path, keeping one “blameless and upright.”

When we read in verse two, “test me,” this makes a clear link to Job; but the word translated as “test” can be seen as “examine” or “try,” where an acceptable alternative is “prove.” This can then be seen more than some pen and paper testing – How many quotes from the Bible do you know? – to a ‘Forged in Fire’ smelting and hammering that ensures the proper strength and hardness has been forged.

When David then added, “examine my heart and my mind,” the word translated as “examine” here means “refine,” which is more of a test of purity, than one of strength. When “mind and heart” are seen as the motivators that leads one’s life, it is this refinement that gives one true “integrity.”

When you closely examine the text of all twelve verses in Psalm 26 – and I have posted an analysis of each on my website – they sing about David’s personal experience as a Yahweh elohim – an angel of Yahweh in human flesh – which knows what evil elohim offer. So, David tells the difference that is the result when one “turns away from evil.”

This then leads us to the reading from Genesis 2. The first two words of these selected verses are translated as “the Lord God.” The words clearly written are “Yahweh elohim.” Simply by the words spoken by Yahweh saying, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.”

The Hebrew word translated as “partner” is “neged,” which means “in front of, in sight of, opposite to.” (Strong’s) When “partner” is seen as the suggestion, then a use as “opposite to” would allow for a female; but “in front of” would means someone or something that could be touched. A pet would qualify as “in front of.”

Still, you have to ask yourself, “Who was Yahweh speaking to, if it was not the elohim that Job said assembled “before Yahweh,” those “heavenly beings,” those “sons ha-elohim”?

Who else would it be?

In the Book of Job, in chapter one, which is not read today (or ever in an Episcopal Church), there were two times Satan appeared before Yahweh, “among them” (the sons ha-elohim). In Job 1:10, Satan asked Yahweh [NRSV], “Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side?” The word translated as “fence” is “suk,” which means “hedge,” as fencing as we know it today did not exist back then.

Think about that: A hedge is like a wall of dense shrubbery. In Genesis 2, where Yahweh made lots of bird and beasts of the field for Adam (“man”) to name, with none of them being a suitable “partner,” Adam was in a “garden.” The word translated as “garden” is “gan,” which equally means an “enclosure.”

When Satan was talking to Yahweh about Job, he said Job was in a protected environment, which means no evil elohim were allowed into that space. That made Eden be much like Disney World, where it looked like it was real, but it was all fantasy.

This past week, when reading these verses, I saw for the first time that all the animals formed from the earth were given life that was not a soul given to the Day Six birds, beasts, and fish. Instead, these Seventh Day formations were the angels planned to enter into divine animals. They were the Yahweh elohim to who Yahweh was speaking.

The protective environment that surrounded Job, the one that Satan complained to Yahweh about, was a divine place to live. Those who were humans, birds, fish, and beasts of the field that were made on Day Six were simple souls [a low-level elohim], filling bodies made of the matter of the earth – which is all dead and void of life. Adam was an angel in flesh, which was more than a simple soul; so, he classifies as a “Yahweh elohim.” The Day Six humans looked like the elohim, because “in the image of elohim mankind, male and female, they were made;” but when they died those souls simply reincarnated in the next available baby born. When Adam lived in the garden named Eden, he was immortal, like a demigod.

For the first time I realized Adam did not breathe. Because he was an angel, he was eternal, placed within a body of flesh that was also eternal … as long as Adam only fed from the tree of life. The “tree of life” became metaphor for the presence of Yahweh, as a Yahweh elohim.

That meant none of the animals given to Adam breathed either. Eden was an enclosed space of matter, where angels of Yahweh were the only one’s allowed in. None of the negative things of day-to-day existence were part of that divine environment.

Who knows? Maybe after Satan complained to Yahweh about Job being ‘off limits,’ then Yahweh let Satan be the angel that was put into the animal formed from the earth, which was a serpent … the wisest of the animals in Eden?

The most important thing to catch from this reading in Genesis 2 is Yahweh elohim took “out of the ground and formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them.” All of them were a different species. None of them breathed. None of them needed to eat, drink, or make babies. All of them were angels in forms of matter.

The caveat comes when Yahweh sees it is time to make a female Yahweh elohim that is in the form of a human.

Now, if we listen to the educated science of archeology and we believe there were Neanderthals living alongside Cro-magnums, the two were similar but different. Some think there was some cross-breeding between them, which would mean their DNA was compatible. Still, they were two separate species.

That means it would have been possible for Yahweh to make a partner for man (Adam) that could have be genetically similar, but not the same as Adam. In that situation, there would be no need to put Adam to sleep. Nothing was said about making Adam go to sleep before he was presented a new pet to name.

Sleep has to be seen as metaphor for death. This means the angelic soul of Adam was removed from his body of flesh. Because flesh is dead matter without a soul giving it life, Adam was like Lazarus, when Jesus told his disciples he was only sleeping. The reason for Adam being removed completely from his flesh was so Yahweh could replicate every cell, with a modification done to each.

This says Adam was not physically developed to make babies. He was basically a child, even if his body of flesh had spent hundred of years developing. In Eden, time would have been different. Still, it would not be as simple as going down to the sperm bank and making a deposit, which could be used to fertilize an egg. Every cell of Adam’s body would need to be replicated and modified, because Adam was immature.

When we read that Yahweh “took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh,” the “rib” is the sex chromosome of each cell. The DNA of Adam’s flesh had a sex chromosome that was “XY.” Of those two “ribs,” the “X” was taken and duplicated in each cell of the flesh that would be for Eve. When this process was completed, a twin of Adam would have been made – thus of the exact same species – with the difference being Adam was male and Eve was female.

Okay, when we read that Yahweh “brought her to the man,” it is easy to get an image of a teen Eve being walked up to Adam, as if she were made as developed as was Adam, who could have been in Eden for quite some time already.

I believe it is important to see how Adam had the mind of a ten-year old, as a boy. All the animals taken to him were like pets. I see all communication between Adam and the animals as telepathic, where each could communicate with the other; but the question is were they brought as babies that would grow over time. Or, were they brought full-grown?

I think we have to see all new creations that were formed in Eden as following the same models we see today on earth. Babies are born; and, then they grow. Thus, I see baby Eve being taken and placed in Adam’s arms, with Yahweh saying, “Name your baby sister.”

There were no names stated, like from Adam comes Eve. Adam said, “from man comes woman,” where the Hebrew word for “male” is “ish” and the Hebrew word for “female” is “ishshah.”

This is important to see as coming from a child’s mind, as being brought a baby would be how a child would know babies come from a “father and a mother.”

How old were you when you knew where babies come from?

They used to say storks brought babies, from out of the cabbage patch. Still, we know Yahweh made Adam, so Yahweh was the Father; but who was the mother?

This becomes the question, “Did Adam have a belly button?” Many people say, “No.”

I think the answer to that question depends on whether or not you believe in Yahweh elohim and what “formed from the ground” means. A soul is masculine essence and the body of flesh is feminine essence. A Yahweh elohim could be a spirit of life within the earth, such as Mother Earth. If we believe Yahweh just scooped up a handful of clay and then breathed life into it, then Adam has no mother whatsoever. However, if we accept Adam’s Father as Yahweh, then we should assume Adam’s mother was equally an elohim, such as a goddess of fertility.

That would answer how Adam could say, “a man leaves his father and his mother,” but (again) the translation of “ish” as “wife” is iffy, at best. With Adam possessing a child’s mind, to say “clings to his wife” would better translate as “keep close to his female.” Adam holding his baby sister would have no concept of how to make a baby. He had to leave his flesh (die) because his body was immature. Adam had just been presented his “partner” or “helper,” which means one of his own species that was of the opposite gender. Adam was saying, “I have found my playmate that is not of a different species.”

Thus, the meaning of “they became one flesh” is they are the same. In the case of Adam, who was a Yahweh elohim in a special place that had hedges to keep the real world out and only the angels in flesh within, he then had another Yahweh elohim that was just like him – the same flesh modified. It did not matter what sex Eve was, because children do not know what adult sex means.

That needs to be seen when we get to the Gospel reading, where Jesus quoted from this reading in Genesis; and, then we hear him say, “bring the children to me.” Adult sex is not part of this lesson, as it should be read as pure innocence.

Now, the accompanying Psalm 8 begins by singing, “Yahweh our Governor, how exalted is your name in all the world!” Here, I have restored “Yahweh,” simply because that is the exalted “name in all the world.”

The word translated as “Governor” is actually a word like “elohim,” which is “adonenu,” saying “Yahweh of us lords.” Because elohim are souls married to Yahweh, thereby divine beings in human flesh, the aspect of “lords” can be seen as having a special purpose. David would be special as the King of Israel; thus he was one of “Yahweh’s lords.” Job was the same, as was Adam. The “adonenu” are all equally souls married to Yahweh, which means they all take on His “name” in that marriage.

Directly linking Psalm 8 to the Genesis reading is verse two, which is translated to say, “Out of the mouths of infants and children your majesty is praised above the heavens.” The Hebrew here can say, “out of mouth of children and nursing babies.” That image becomes a reflection of Adam holding his infant baby sister (fraternal twins), with Adam giving praise to his divine father and mother.

In verses six and seven David is making a reference to all Yahweh elohim, of which he was one and Adam and Eve were the first. It is what connects this Psalm 8 to the Hebrews reading, because Paul quoted those two verses.

David wrote [NRSV]: “You have made him but little lower than the angels; you adorn him with glory and honor; You give him mastery over the works of your hands; you put all things under his feet.”

Who was David writing about? Well, that answer comes from verse five, when he wrote “son of man” or “ben adam.” That says David knew Adam was the first “Son of man.” Paul knew Jesus was just like Adam, in that regard.

To say, “[Yahweh] has made Adam but little lower than the angels,” David wrote “me-elohim,” where the English translators shift back to the plural, turning “elohim” (“gods”) into “angels,” just like the “bene ha-elohim” of Job was “heavenly beings.”

What that means is Eden was a little lower than the invisible realm of the elohim, but it was “angels” lowered into forms of flesh.

Because Jesus had not been born when David wrote this song, the “mastery over the works of your hands” means all the Yahweh elohim were ordered by Yahweh to serve Adam, assisting his “reign” on earth.

That would be the thing Satan could not accept. Satan tried to prove to Yahweh that all human beings were flawed and imperfect, thereby easy to lead to evil ways. The logic of Satan was, “Give me a chance and I will show you how this Job fellow will fail you miserably.”

Spoiler Alert! Satan failed with Job; and, Satan failed with Jesus too.

Now, in the Hebrews reading, Paul begins by saying, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets.” The “prophets” can be defined as “those persons gifted at expositing divine truth.” (Strong’s) When “divine truth” is spoken, we are always talking about Yahweh elohim.

Paul explained that, by saying, “[a prophet] is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.” An “exact imprint” means Yahweh incarnate, or Yahweh made flesh.

To preface his quoting from Psalm 8, Paul wrote: “Now [Yahweh] did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels.” To make all humanity bow down before elohim [“angels”], that would be against what Yahweh told Satan about Job: “He fears elohim [angels] and turns from evil.”

So, to quote David’s song about Adam being made a little lower than angels, who were themselves subjects to him, is the point Paul was making, about human beings needing to be led by another human being.

Now, Paul expanded on the translation that the NRSV did not make, saying “for a little while lower,” rather than “a little lower.” By adding “a little while,” this becomes a statement that says a Yahweh elohim, being in human flesh, only lasts a temporal amount of time.

Adam lived 930 years. Jesus live thirty-something years. In the grand scheme of the Days of Creation, both are only “a little while.”

Paul then directly compared Jesus to Adam, saying, “so that by the grace of God [Jesus] might taste death for everyone.” That does not means Jesus died for the sins of everyone. It says the death of Jesus allowed his soul to be free to be reborn in everyone … those whose souls would marry Yahweh, becoming His wives, thereby becoming the mothers who would become the wombs where baby Jesus would be reborn, many, many, many times over.

This needs to be seen in Paul then writing, “It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

Whenever the word “sufferings” comes up, Job should come to mind. Remember, I said to see Job as yourself. Likewise, we need to be reborn as Jesus; so, perfect salvation always comes “through suffering.”

Suffering is what reduces one’s self-ego to worthlessness. As long as you kneel before self as an elohim, when it is not Yahweh elohim, then it brings evil upon that soul. Without suffering, we will not turn away from evil.

Here, I see the bus is about due to arrive; and, I am just now going into the Gospel reading from Mark. I will understand if you have to leave. This homily will be posted in its entirety on my website; so, please find the time to catch up later, if you have to catch the bus. For those who can wait for the next bus, I will keep on talking.

In the Mark reading, Jesus had gone to the region beyond the Jordan, into the area called Perea, which was like Galilee in that it was under the reign of Herod Antipas. It was outside the jurisdiction of the Temple in Jerusalem. Still, there were “some Pharisees” that were following Jesus and trying to get evidence that could be used against him.

Wherever Jesus went and his disciples followed, he was in active ministry. So, for some Pharisees to approach Jesus about the issue of “divorce,” it was most likely at a synagogue on a Shabbat, after a reading of some scroll that dealt with marriage.

It must be realized that marriage back then was not like it is today in the Western world. A daughter was, in essence, a commodity that was sold. A price for a virgin was paid. A family with a son of age would arrange for a marriage and pay the price agreed; but all marriages were written contracts between a husband and wife, which allowed for divorce.

It might be that Jesus made a comment about marriage, suggesting that marriage was supposed to be a commitment forever, which would have prompted a question about the legality of divorce.

Because Jesus quoted from Genesis 2, saying, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’” That could have been what was read in the synagogue, prompting Jesus to add his comment that led to the question.

When Jesus said, “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate,” it is that last comment that is not found written in Genesis 2.

After Jesus made it clear his opinion, the Pharisees left and Jesus and his disciples went to the house where they were staying. The disciples were adding their own questions about why Moses would allow for divorce, but Jesus would say that should be avoided.

Raise your hand if you are divorced.

Divorce is almost expected these days. I divorced my first wife; so, it happens. Imagine how being told, “You are going to be married next month;” and, you have had little contact with the girl you are going to marry.

I imagine every one of Jesus’ disciples were married and had children. Certainly, they all had mothers; and, you know the jokes about Jewish mothers didn’t just start a couple hundred years ago. Those jokes always get laughs because Jewish mothers have always been very involved in running the lives of their children. For a man to be paired with a girl that turns out to be like dear ole mom that might make many males check the marriage contract and the divorce clause.

When Jesus explained to his disciples privately, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery,” that says physical marriage was for one purpose only – to make babies. To divorce over sex was adulterous.

While that sounds terrible, it means sexual pleasures are what adults know, not children. A child is the combined DNA of its father and its mother. Once a child has been made (an formation guided by the hand of God), there can be no divorcing the parents from that child’s DNA. Thus, divorce and remarriage is all about the sex, when children are the ones harmed (torn asunder) by divorce.

Now, in this regard, Joseph betrothed the virgin Mary because his wife died. Joseph had children from that prior marriage; but we can assume Joseph did not take a new wife because of divorce. Last Sunday, when we talked of Esther being the queen of King Ahasuerus, she was one of many; but none were divorced because they refused to dance for the king, arousing him to want sex. The same can be said about the seven hundred wives of Solomon (and three hundred concubines). A wealthy man could afford more than one wife.

As for Abram, who was married to Sarai, three times important men saw the beauty of Sarai and heard Abram introduce her as “My father’s daughter,” implying he and she were siblings. Three times the men were told Sarai was Abram’s wife, so they backed away. Still, whatever contract of marriage existed between Abram and Sarai, which could have said sterility was grounds for divorce, neither Abram or Sarai wanted divorce when childless. Abram did not know if it was him or Sarai that was barren. One way to find out would be to see if another man could impregnate her.

When you realize that the only reason for a man and a woman to marry is to make babies, then you can see that it is the babies that become the marriage contract. Divorcing and remarrying because of sex is adultery, which becomes a brain led by a lustful heart. To be caught in the act of having sex with someone other than one’s spouse, when married, meant women could be stoned to death. The motivation for having sex with someone other than one’s spouse would be because one of the partners in a marriage has a hardened heart and is using sex as a weapon, even if by withholding it.

When Jesus said Moses wrote a law that allowed divorce, he said it was because Moses knew men often have hardened hearts. When marriages are arranged and women find they don’t like sex or having babies, they can tend to let their hearts harden. Children are a natural heart softener.

Jesus said that to the Pharisees, because they saw themselves as the top Jews married to Yahweh, because they knew the law so well. They were in love with themselves and the wealth that came to them as lawyers. As far as being married to Yahweh, their hearts were quite hard. Jesus was telling them, “Be careful what you think about the divorce part of the marriage contract, because Yahweh might just tell you to hit the road; and, it will not be because of the sex. Being barren means they were not Yahweh elohim; so, that would be the truth of the grounds for divorce that Moses allowed.

Most likely, people in the house where Jesus and his disciples were staying overheard the conversation about marriage, divorce and children, so the women began bringing their children to Jesus for him to touch. The disciples saw this as a distraction and began to rebuke the women doing that. Jesus would have none of that.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.” This must be seen as Yahweh speaking through the Son; so, it was Yahweh speaking sternly to the disciples. This reflects back on the Genesis 2 story, where Yahweh brought a little child to Adam (the Son of man). By saying not to stop children from coming to Jesus, Yahweh said you are expected to be a child of God, in whom Jesus is resurrected. The kingdom of God is Eden, when heaven comes within one’s flesh.

To be a child of God means to receive the Spirit in marriage and then become Yahweh elohim, with the angel soul of Jesus merged with one’s soul, both in one’s body of flesh.

That become the union of Yahweh; and, therefore, “What God has joined together, let no man separate.”

Jesus then said to stop that transformation means “never entering” Eden, “never entering” the Promised Land of Salvation.

I will end with that. I want to thank all who let their bus come and go. I do appreciate your interest.

I hope everyone will hear these words spoken and let them soften your hearts for Yahweh. He has a marriage proposal for all who show promise as those who respect commitment.

The story of the ten virgins and the lamps with oil says Yahweh only marries virgins.

Since that is a Spiritual marriage and those marriages last forever and cannot be undone, if you have not yet been so married, then you are still a virgin.

Please, have a good week ahead. I look forward to seeing you all again next Sunday.

Amen

Homily for the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Praying properly

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I’m glad to see everyone is comfortable on the bus stop bench. I sent out the email with the link to the lectionary page, so I hope everyone had an opportunity to read all the lessons for today. There are just the normal six today; but remember, I talk about all of them, not just one, two or a catch phrase from just one.

So, with that said, let’s begin!

Rather than begin with the Old Testament reading options for today – from Esther and from Numbers – I want to start with the Epistle reading from James. James clearly presents the theme that runs through all the readings.

James asked questions, which should be heard as him asking you here today:

Are any among you suffering?

Are any cheerful?

Are any among you sick?

The answers to all questions tell everyone to pray.

When James said, “[You] should sing songs of praise if joy is in your hearts,” the Psalms of David are all prayers, in the sense that they are communications flowing through Yahweh’s Spirit. Most are songs of praise; but even the songs of lament – which comes from suffering – are prayers for strength.

When James said to confess your sins, this does not mean go to a Roman Catholic church and sit in a box and talk through a screen to a priest.

Confession is a talk with God, where you voice knowledge of wrongdoings and sincerely beg for forgiveness and guidance to avoid sins in the future.

Raise your hands if you have ever gone into a confessional box.

Confession is one of the “Sacraments” that is the core of the Episcopal Church. There are seven:

Baptism; Eucharist; Confession; Confirmation; Marriage; Ordination; and Last Rites.

All of those come from things written in the New Testament. What James wrote about, concerning confession, is in support of that “sacrament.”

The points made in divine Scripture, as James wrote, are not about going to another human being and thinking he or she can baptize with the Spirit of Yahweh,

or fill you with the body and blood of Jesus,

or absolve you of sins,

or give you vows that guarantee your Christianity,

or join your soul with that of another human being,

or give you more tests and vows to recite in order to be given the right to wear robes and bless water and wafers,

or to say a meaningful prayer that releases a soul to Yahweh.

Everything is a true Sacrament when it is between your soul and Yahweh.

That means prayer is the truth that is that relationship.

Raise your hand if you have ever dated someone before.

I’ve head news of speed dating. It would seem that some felt the need to make dating a sport for busy professionals, those people who don’t have much time to take away from work and waste it on things like wining and dining a sexual partner.

Can you imagine how well a date would go if you never talked?

If sex is the only reason for ‘hooking up,’ then the people’s government should legalize prostitution. The less said then the better, I guess.

In the New Testament, we read about the disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray.

Raise your hand if you have memorized the “Lord’s Prayer.”

The Jews have many prayers and psalms they recite. They have prayers for all occasions. The devout recognize times of prayer three times a day. During some times of prayer, some wear straps around their arm with prayers on them, as well as a headgear [a black box with Scriptural texts inside]. They have a book with prayers in them, to recite from.

One can see how that began long ago, so prayer was not unknown to the disciples of Jesus.

They just did not know if all the reciting of prayers worked.

Jesus did not tell them, “Write these words down that I am about to say and memorize them.”

Prayer must be heartfelt and a line of communication with Yahweh.

It begins by dating Him. It is talking to Him and listening to what He says in your thoughts. It is a relationship where two parties tell the truth and then live up to the truth.

Prayer then leads to the true Sacrament of marriage, which is when one’s soul becomes possessed by Yahweh’s Spirit. Through subservience and obedience, a soul becomes the submissive wife and Yahweh the dominant Husband. Out of deep spiritual love, soul and Yahweh speak to one another ALL THE TIME.

That is prayer. It is the marriage of Yahweh’s thoughts with one’s mind, so a constant flow of communication occurs.

James used the example of Elijah. Elijah’s soul was married to Yahweh. That divine marriage was the ONLY way the truth was known by James, that “[Elijah] prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.”

When James said “Elijah was a human being like us,” the “like us” part means those to whom James was writing. The “like us” meant Saints, all married to Yahweh, all reborn as Jesus, each an Anointed one of Yahweh.

Raise your hand if you could pray and cause three and a half years of drought.

In the Episcopal Church there are places for books on the backs of the pews. There are no Bibles in those places. There are hymnals and prayer books in those racks. Like the Jews, the mindset is to make a book of prayers be readily available for everyone to read from, with a prayer for all occasions prepared.

Everything about an Episcopal service is scripted, except the announcements and sermons. There is great comfort that covers Episcopalians, which comes from not having to think about anything. Just follow the routine, whenever one goes to church.

That is why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Rather than recite the prayers figured out by someone else, they wanted to know how to originate a prayer.

When one is reading prayers out of a book, one is winking at someone in a speed dating arrangement. Just say the same old lines and hope for the best.

When one takes the time to get to know Yahweh, where the conversation is not always one-sided – “Gimme this” and “I want this” and “I would like it if you did this for someone I know” – we are acting childish.

Children know to ask for everything when Christmas is coming. If they actually get more than one of the things they asked for, they are usually very happy.

Praying like children works happily, until you are no longer wishing for toys and candies. Praying to God to forgive every sin under the sun means one has become lost.

Last Sunday, James said, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.” Your “pleasures” means your adult sins.

When prayers are only for forgiveness, with no plans to stop sinning, the truth of Scripture is missed. Without the truth of meaning – which can only be realized by divine marriage of a soul to Yahweh’s Spirit – one has wandered away from Yahweh.

In that regard James said, “If anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Being “brought back by another” is done by prayer between true Christians, as the communication shared by the brothers in the name of Jesus Christ – which includes women and men.

By being a soul married to Yahweh, reborn as His Son [in both male and female bodies of flesh] means being the answer to the prayers of the sinful, those who seek redemption and salvation. Simply by becoming the hand of God on earth, your presence can touch someone sinking in a myriad of sins, bound for damnation. Without any need to express words of prayer, a wife of Yahweh [males and females] is the ‘life preserver’ the drowning need.

This is the truth of a priest holding onto the seven Sacraments, in that must mean that he or she is a soul married to Yahweh – a Saint – thereby one ordained by Yahweh into ministry.

Such a divine marriage is the truth of that Sacrament, as no priest can bring a soul into union with another soul.

One confesses sins to Yahweh directly, as only Yahweh can forgive sins committed.

Through a divine marriage, one does not retain ill-will against one whose actions have brought one persecution.

One is confirmed as a Saint through ministry by Yahweh, as His Son resurrected in the temple of one’s flesh.

One shares the body and blood of Jesus through recognition of the Passover, at the Seder meals symbolically; but as Jesus reborn, being the flesh and blood of Jesus shares that with all seekers who desire to also be a Saint. That is the truth of “Christianity,” as all members are a “Christ,” by their flesh being the temples in which the soul of Jesus has resurrected and become High Priest.

As for last rites, this becomes the heavenly host all singing songs of praise that a soul married to Yahweh – a true Saint – is forever released into His hands.

With this truth about prayer seen as a statement of one’s soul making a marriage commitment to Yahweh – the Covenant written within the walls of one’s heart, not memorized – we can now look at how prayer is present in the readings accompanying this Epistle reading from James.

In the story of Esther, who had been a young woman of Jewish faith in servitude in Susa [Persia], her prayer was unstated, yet answered when King Ahasuerus chose her as his queen.

We should not see Esther as some wise woman. That would be Solomon’s queen, his soul married to the goddess Wisdom. Esther was just a pretty young virgin who danced seductively before Ahasuerus and he said, “That’s the one!”

Talk about speed dating without words uttered but plenty communicated ….

Esther became queen because the prior queen was asked to come dance and arouse Ahasuerus, only for her answer to be, “Nope. Not doing it again.”

“Next!”

All of the history that put young Esther in the position to have horny Ahasuerus say to her, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request?” … Yahweh knew she needed to be in that position, at that moment, to answer the prayers of the faithful … prayers never uttered because few knew what was planned to come their way.

When Esther said, “If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me– that is my petition– and the lives of my people– that is my request.”

That was her prayer.

It was not a prayer to Yahweh, but a prayer to someone in power to make that happen.

You have to hear the youthful innocence come from Esther.

Esther then said, “If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.”

That was the truth coming from her lips. The Persians had defeated the Babylonians. The Jews in captivity had been allowed to live and go where they wanted. Mordechai and Esther and many other Jews chose to go to Susa and serve the one who had liberated them. The king benefited from that willing sacrifice of themselves. Killing devoted slaves would do greater harm to the king, than killing them because they still were free to worship their personal God.

For Esther to be so young and say those words, it was Yahweh speaking through her. Those words held the power of prayer in them, as they spoke truth of great wisdom.

See the difference in young Queen Esther and young King Solomon, when Solomon had acted wickedly and the voice of Yahweh came to him in a dream, asking, “What can I give you?”

Solomon asked for the forbidden fruit, that which gave him the power of knowing good from evil, but that which prevented his soul from entrance into heaven.

Esther asked for the fruit of the tree of life. Sure life comes with servitude; but what’s a little honest work, when the reward is eternal life?

Now, as the companion Psalm to this reading from Esther, verses two and three seem to be singing about the strength of David’s Israel, as a prayer that rejoices the strength amid enemies. Those verses say, “If Yahweh had not been on our side, when enemies rose up against us; Then would they have swallowed us up alive in their fierce anger toward us.”

While that works when looking at David’s Israel, Esther was the reality of a collapsed and ruined Judah and Jerusalem, “sold merely as slaves, men and women.”

In my looking deeply into the Hebrew of David, the words written that have been translated to say, “by our side” actually speak of a “our being committed to Yahweh.” That is singing of a strength that comes from divine marriage.

That which has been translated to say, “enemies rose up against us,” instead says, “when rise over us men.” To see that as what David sang, he said no matter where in the world a soul married to Yahweh is, the power of Yahweh is greater than anything man can bring.

That gives this Psalm great impact in what happened in the Esther story.

The metaphor of an uncontrollable flow that is the Spirit of Yahweh through His wives [males and females] goes outward as a presence affecting all that surrounds. It affected Haman’s anger [the bad guy in Esther], but it also affected King Ahasuerus with the anger of justice.

David’s song of praise – his prayer of rejoicing – says “We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.” That was the same prayer offered by Esther: The freedom to live.

The symbolism of a bird having escaped a fowler’s snare is an angelic soul flying away from the trap of the material realm, the cycle of reincarnation broken. A soul is free to live forevermore.

Now, when the Numbers reading is examined from a prayer perspective, it is easy to see all the selfishness in prayers that angered Yahweh and displeased Moses. They were begging God, saying “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

That is a prime example of James saying, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Still, because the Israelites led by Moses were (in essence) newborn babies that only knew how to cry when they were not getting their way, their prayers were going to be answered. Moses was just asking Yahweh, is it time to feed them or is it time to clean them?

The answer to the prayer was to show them what needed to come from “nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

The manna from heaven was spiritual food that appeared in physical form. By eating that daily, the brains of the Israelites were able to gain enough divine insight to understand why they were where they were, following Moses, Aaron, and Joshua, and not back where they had been, in Egypt.

This needs to be seen as a preview of where the Israelites would be hundreds of years later, when “sold merely as slaves, men and women.” The manna was a ‘baby food’ version of the Spirit, which freed the souls of the Israelites, so the lusts of the world no longer clouded their brains.

When we read, “Then Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to [Moses], and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.” That needs to be seen as what happened to young Queen Esther.

The seventy elders, plus Eldad and Medad, offered the truth in prayer. Just like Esther stated the truth as her prayer to King Ahasuerus, and that prayer was answered – once only – so too did the elders go about telling everyone in their tribes, “let my life be given me– that is my petition– and the lives of my people– that is my request.”

“Life” means eternal salvation of a soul. The people heard that message and trembled with fear.

Maybe that was heard by the other Israelites as asking, “Please shut up if you want your souls to go live eternally in heaven, because Yahweh hears your prayers before you cry them out loud.”

Now the Psalm that accompanies the Numbers reading is the same song of praise we read just two Sundays past. Today we only read the second half, beginning with the three verses that each name Yahweh twice.

We read the whole song before, as a counter to Solomon’s Proverb that praised wisdom as a woman to listen to. Now, we read it as a counter to the selfishness that comes when a brain is left alone to listen to the calls of such wisdom.

Verse seven sings, “the testimony of Yahweh is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.” That is a poor translation, as it better states, “testimony Yahweh confirm, making wise simple.” The elders were as simple-minded as all the crybabies in their camps; but when the Spirit of Moses was passed onto them, they became most wise. The spoke the “testimony of Yahweh” by “prophesying.”

They knew the anger of Yahweh and they knew the displeasure of Moses, up close and personal.

David was singing a prayer about divine marriage in Psalm 19, not the knowledge that leads to selfish behaviors.

While the version translated into English does not show this, verse thirteen sings, “moreover from insolence refrain your servant, not let them have rule over me then I shall be blameless; and then I shall be empty of transgression much.” That is a prayer of confession, which requests righteousness replace one’s sinful selfishness.

Then, verse fourteen literally sings, “become present goodwill speaking from my mouth and be the meditation of my heart in your eyes; Yahweh my strength and my redeemer.” That admits the need to be divinely possessed, as were the Israelites who complained constantly to Moses. It sings of the love that leads to marriage being in their hearts [metaphor for souls], so they can see the truth, gain the strength of Yahweh’s presence and be forever saved in His name.

All of this leads to the Gospel reading from Mark. It seems to begin by John of Zebedee coming to Jesus, telling him he and the others saw some stranger casting out demons in Jesus’ name; and, they tried to stop him.

What is missed by this reading being presented like it is, is it is actually a continuation of the reading from last Sunday, when Jesus rounded up the twelve lead disciples and told them they needed to welcome a child [a boy] in his name.

In verse thirty-seven was Jesus saying, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” We need to realize that it was Jesus saying that, which caused John to think for a moment and then say, “That reminds me, Jesus. You’re saying “in your name” makes me remember how just last week we saw this guy saying he was in your name.”

What we all need to realize, reading this portion of Mark’s ninth chapter, is Esther was in the name of Jesus, just as were seventy elders of the Israelite tribes. James, and those to whom he wrote were all in the name of Jesus. Even Eldad and Medad became – a one-time happening – in the name of Jesus.

The name “Jesus” means “Yah[weh] Saves.” That means “in the name of Jesus” means “in the name of Yahweh.” That is what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Jesus then told his disciples, “Do not stop [one in my name]; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.” That says announcing being “in the name of Jesus” means one’s soul has married Yahweh, so it will be impossible to abuse that power. That power means one has become a servant of Yahweh and works as He directs.

That is why Jesus said, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” Those who are demonically possessed work against true Christians, whereas those in between are typically seeking help or completely ignorant of Yahweh [thus Jesus too].

By adding, “whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward,” that says the emotional help and assistance that comes from loving a brother [regardless of what human gender one possesses] will aid one’s soul.

That supports James’ saying, “if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” A “cup of water to drink because you bear the name of the Anointed one of Yahweh” says you do not try to stop another in Jesus’ name, but encourage him or her onward in ministry.

Jesus then stated a scenario that began by proposing, “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me.” Here, it is important to remember that Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve. While Judas would betray Jesus and end his life afterwards, he represents the one who “wandered from the truth,” destined to be a “sinner’s soul” that faced the “death” of reincarnation [or worse].

All of the scenarios then following, involving hands, feet and eyes, all involved the punishment Judas would receive. In that, the “hand” better cut off is the one that causes one to stumble by not offering help, instead offering harm. The “feet” reflect one refusing to walk a path of righteousness that comes when one is in the name of Jesus; and, the eye better plucked out is one that rejects the divine insight of Yahweh that allows one to see the truth of Scripture.

Rejecting Yahweh in marriage and choosing the sterility of a soul alone, one who is not reborn as Jesus, means drowning one’s soul into death. The millstone is a large, heavy stone used to grind the grain into flour, so it can be used for making food. Millstones are not good flotation devices. To have such weight around one’s neck, the symbolism is the weight of sin, meaning to reject being in the name of Jesus is to gladly placed a stone of death around one’s soul.

When Jesus said, “Everyone will be salted with fire,” salt must be seen as metaphor for life.

This is what Esther prayed for.

To be given “life with fire” is then the metaphor of the Spirit descending upon the tongues of the Apostles, like “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them.”

When Jesus then asked, “Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it?”

In chemistry, salt [NaCl – sodium chloride] is such a stable ionic compound that it never ceases to taste like salt. Therefore, “to lose its saltiness” metaphorically means to die.

The question is then, “If life is lost, how can life be returned after death?”

The only answers are: A. reincarnation; or, B. “to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.”

Therefore, Jesus suggested, “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Live and share life through love born of the Spirit.

The prayer of this lesson taught by Jesus is the same prayer made by Esther. “Let me and my people live.” It is the same answer given to those who selfishly prayed for worldly things, which is give them a one-time chance to see the truth of life.

James said it when he wrote, “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.”

This is when it is important to realize that when James truly meant when he asked, “Are any among you sick?”

The Greek word translated as “sick” is “asthenei.” It is a word that implies “diseased,” which should be seen as something incurable. In today’s society, where all kinds of poisons are deemed profitable for pharmaceutical companies and doctors and hospitals, disease has become a way for some to get rich, while many suffer and die.

When James wrote, “[The diseased] should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord,” the use of “ekklēsias” should be seen as a statement of an “assembly” of true Christians. That word was chosen, as opposed to using “sunagógé.”

The “elders” need to be read as those fully “in the name of Jesus Christ.” James said Saints would be those “anointing [the diseased] with oil,” so both the “sick” and “the elders” were all of the same “name” that gathered – Christians. This is the Sacramental rite of “unction,” which is typically called “last rites.”

James’ focus, when death is nearing a Saint “in the name of Jesus Christ,” was for other Saints to offer prayers of life for that Saint’s soul, that about to cross from the physical plane to the spiritual.

It must be realized that all souls will stand before Yahweh after death – thereby “the Lord will raise them up” – so prayers are not last minute prayers recited from a book of prayers. Unction is not to forgive a sinner, who selfishly held onto self-identity in life, rejecting all those who were in the name of Jesus.

That must be seen as the meaning, when James wrote, “anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven,” because all those sins occurred before one’s soul married Yahweh and welcomed the boy Jesus into their flesh.

With that, I see it is time for the bus to arrive. So, I will end with this note. Realize that prayer is less about selfishly asking for things not deserved. Pray to Yahweh so a line of communication is begun and turns into regular talks. When love has sparked one’s soul, one will yearn for the next time when Yahweh can talk to you and you to Him. This love leads one to do what pleases Yahweh; and, after a serious relationship has been established, then divine marriage can take place.

You do not know when your bridegroom will come; so, always keep the oil of faith in your lamps. Falling into sleep in darkness means your soul was only teasing Yahweh.

For those soul being called to the marriage altar, the next step is then pregnancy. The soul of Jesus is resurrected within one’s flesh, with one’s own soul taking a submissive state that welcomes that divine possession. Prayer is then conversations between your soul and the soul of Jesus, who speaks for the Father.

Prayer has to be for your soul to have life. Then prayer is for others in the name of Jesus to also have life.

Learn to reach that state of prayer.

Until next week, I wish all the best. Ponder what I have said until we meet again.

Amen

Homily for the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Giving birth to Jesus

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone had a wonderful week past and is all set for a new week ahead!

I sent out the email with the link to the lectionary page; so, I hope everyone has read all the readings for today. There is an extra one this week. Remember, here I talk about them all, not just a couple or only part of one.

So, with that said, let’s get started. The bus waits for no man!

The first reading is a rather long song that begins with the line, “A capable wife who can find?”

In the twenty-two verses read, there are twenty times “she” is written, with twenty-seven other words formed in the feminine possessive, where “her” is part of the translation into English.

This is after the first verse presents the Hebrew word “ishshah” and translates that as “wife,” which is the feminine form of “ish,” meaning “man.”

What’s interesting in the translation as “wife” is Genesis 2 and Genesis 3 uses the same word, identifying who was made from Adam’s rib. It was “ishshah” who the serpent influenced to eat the forbidden fruit.

In Genesis 4, this is where the translation says “Adam” – a word meaning “man” – “knew chavvah ishshah.” That word “chaavah” is where the name “Eve” comes about. The Hebrew word “chaavah” actually means “life.”

This means the word “ishshah” actually means “woman” or “female,” but when a “man” lays with a “woman” for the purpose of making “life,” the word “ishshah” means “wife.”

The Hebrew written by Solomon in verse ten can actually be translated into English to say, “a valuable woman.” It can also mean “a strong woman,” or “an efficient female.”

The use as “wife” becomes valuable when a “man’s” bloodline is to be kept “alive,” which comes through male heirs. Thus, all the traits listed by Solomon are not focused on the value of a woman as arm candy or a trophy.

In verse eleven, where the translation says, “The heart of her husband trusts in her,” where “husband” becomes a compliment of “wife,” rather than write “ish” as the male counterpart to a “woman” or “female,” the word written by Solomon is “be-lah,” which is a form of “baal,” meaning, “lord, owner.”

The first nine verses of Proverbs 31, which are not read, are given the “title” that says, “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him.” That means these twenty-two characteristics of “a valuable woman” came from a mother, told to her son.

Solomon heard those character traits and his great intellect saw that oracle as worth ‘re-posting’ or sharing as a “pithy saying.”

In verse three, King Lemuel’s mom warned, “Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings.”

Keep in mind how Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.

He must have struggled mightily looking for the one woman of value that had all the traits listed.

This is when one needs to remember that the “woman” that made Solomon’s life so great was his love of the goddess Wisdom. He prayed for the knowledge of good and evil and was promised the biggest brain the world would ever know. He wrote a love poem about wisdom being his bride.

Nobody knows exactly who King Lemuel is, but the Hebrew word “lem-o-ale‘” means “(belonging) to God” – focus on “el.” Some think that was a ‘code name’ for Solomon himself, which means his mother Bathsheba told him this. I am leaning towards the king being the demonic spirit that gave his little daughter wisdom to Solomon. That means “of God” could mean an “elohim” created by Yahweh, then cast into the earth after refusing to serve mankind as directed. But, who can say?

Still, in Solomon’s mind, he was the Master and Wisdom was his “valuable woman,” worth more than jewels.

Now, Solomon was a king; and, kings need queens. The value of a wife is then having male heirs. In Solomon’s mind, his being married to Wisdom brought him all the things he lusted for. Israel the nation of people became as shining star in civilization. Solomon was wealthy beyond the wildest dreams.

But …

Wisdom brought Solomon nothing but daughters, as everything in the material realm is feminine essence.

You would think, with a thousand wives and concubines under his wing, ole Solomon had to have sired at least a few hundred male babies. The question is then, “Who was the one that came from “a capable wife?”

The male heir a real female gave Solomon, Rehoboam, had a rise to the throne of Israel that was rejected. His choice dissolved that nation. The nation split in two, with Jeroboam becoming the King of the Northern Kingdom, known as Israel. Rehoboam became the King of Judah.

That is a statement that wisdom is like currency, in terms that mean you can’t take it with you when you die. Wisdom is less valuable than currency, because it is not connected to genetics and cannot be passed on as an inheritance.

Psalm 1 then becomes a counterbalance to all the praise that seems to be Solomon giving sage advice about what to look for in a wife, because Solomon was not doing that. Solomon was influencing all who read his prose and poetry … just like the serpent influenced Eve … to sell their souls for ideas: philosophies, sciences, and the arts.

Ideas are the whispers coming from an outside world. So, rather than stay within one’s soul and converse with Yahweh, one wants to know, “What’s on the other side of that Mountain, or river, or desert?” The people who were the children of Yahweh had been taken away from external influences, so they could talk with their God regularly.

Wanting to be like other nations meant experiencing how other nations lived. Doing that means not focusing on how Yahweh wants one to live … in His name.

David sang in verse one of Psalm 1, “Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked.”

As the first Psalm of David, one can imagine he was just a boy plucking on his harp when he wrote this.

The titles given to this song by translation websites indicate it sings of “Two Ways” or “Two Paths.” One is that of the “wicked,” a word translated four times in six verses. The other is that of the “Blessed” or “Happy,” who find “their delight in the law of Yahweh.”

To find “delight in the law,” means to be like Solomon said – be “a capable wife.” However, rather than being a slave to a human “lord,” David was a “wife of Yahweh.”

I imagine that when David wrote this song he was still not the king he would become. Saul was that king. Saul was the one who led people in Israel to “walk in the counsel of the wicked.”

Saul’s wickedness would split Israel, such that Judah would ask David to be their king. David’s walking with righteousness, as the “capable wife” of Yahweh, reunited the people as one nation. David’s Israel rejected external influences.

After David sinned late in life and sired a love child in Solomon, Solomon would return the nation to those ways they had followed under Saul. The children residing in the Promised Land then listened to the ideas of Solomon, who “walked in the counsel” of the goddess of wisdom. The goddess of wisdom is not Yahweh.

Thus, when David wrote a song about “Two Paths,” where one is righteous and the other is sinful, it says one either walks one way or the other. The “Two Paths” are clearly separate.

As to the path of righteousness, David compared that to being “like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.”

In terms of being “a capable wife of Yahweh,” David sang of one’s roots being put down near the source of living waters, which bears good fruit and produces true words of divine wisdom that never lose value. The scrolls of Moses and the songs of David became the leaves on the tree of life on earth. This becomes a real legacy that can be passed on through many generations.

Solomon’s praise of “a capable wife,” when thought to be the wisdom of women being owned and judged by their obedience to their ‘owner husbands,’ kind of lost it glow when the times changed and women stopped wanting to be defined in that way.

Solomon might have been rejected from the beginning, had he written in the preamble of verse one: “A song of Solomon’s love of goddess wisdom.” Back in the days when David had left behind many Israelites who were still devoted to Yahweh – the One God of Israel – such a header would have caused Solomon’s writings to be burned, had he stated the truth of his wisdom.

This is where the extra reading for today comes in. Rather than counter Solomon’s views of women as being a path of wickedness, there is an optional “First Lesson” that can replace David’s words with more of Solomon’s words. We can let Solomon be the counterbalance to Solomon.

Rather than Solomon writing about marrying a wife that leads one to a path of sin, let’s see how Solomon would judge what a valuable woman would be, from something else he wrote.

In the reading selection from the Wisdom of Solomon, it combines a verse from the end of his first chapter, with the first verse of chapter two, followed by eleven verses the lead towards then end of chapter two.

In verse sixteen, Solomon refers to the “wicked,” which can also translate as “ungodly.” That was one of the two paths David sang about. Therefore, Solomon also had an idea about how to determine who walked that path in life.

Solomon sang that the “wicked” “summon death,” “consider [death] a friend,” so that leads to “a covenant with him,” because being “wicked” makes the wicked “fit to be in [death’s] company.”

That needs to be read as Solomon’s self-assessment. By singing of a marriage [a “covenant” means the vows of commitment] that welcomes “death,” that is the result of marrying a goddess named “wisdom” and calling “her a valuable woman” or “a capable wife.”

The aspect of “death” is the opposite of eternal life. So, marrying “death” means not marrying one’s soul to Yahweh and being His capable wife, earning life beyond “death.”

Rather than lean on David to say Solomon was on a path of wickedness, let Solomon say it. Solomon was the one who “summoned death,” “considered death a friend,” married death’s daughter in “a covenant with death,” and was then “fit to be in death’s company.”

In Solomon’s first verse of chapter two, the focus changes. In this, he sets up the theme of the second chapter, which is “For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, “Short and sorrowful is our life.”

Because Solomon worships wisdom as his owned slave, his assessment of those who “reasoned unsoundly” are those who would challenge Solomon’s wisdom. To say “Life is short,” must be seen as a comparison between seventy years as a soul inhabiting flesh and a soul freed from the flesh for an eternity.

To say “sorrowful is our life,” that is to regret all the sins human beings inevitably get hung up in, needing to repent, because “life is short.”

Knowing that Solomon called out himself for walking a path of wickedness, we need to now see chapter two as being focused on those who would challenge his thinking; and, those would be the ones “Blessed,” whose “delight is the ways of the law of Yahweh.”

This says the bulk of Solomon’s second chapter of “Wisdom” is focused on the priests and prophets of Israel, who knew the Law and counseled Solomon that his ways were evil.

Kings don’t tend to like such advisors.

In verse sixteen Solomon said about such who would challenge him, “We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father.”

Without going deeply in what can be taken from this, it needs to be seen that Solomon was belittling priestly beliefs in self-sacrifice to Yahweh, such that a priest or prophet [such as Nathan] could hear the voice of Yahweh and be led by His commands.

Here, it is important to remember how Jesus told his disciples to call Yahweh their Father; and, Solomon was scoffing at that concept.

When Solomon then wrote, “if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries,” remember how someone shouted out at Golgotha as Jesus hung dying, “If he is the Messiah, then let God come save him.”

Solomon then went on to write, “Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”

That became the standard ‘test’ of anyone saying he or she could speak with Yahweh: Kill them.

This “First Lesson,” as the companion ‘reader’ to Proverbs 31, says Solomon established the mindset that said, “My way or the highway,” with his way of intellect being what David [and Solomon himself] called the ways of the “ungodly.”

This then leads to the Track 2 Old Testament reading from Jeremiah 11.

Jeremiah was one of those prophets of Yahweh who claimed to be “God’s child.” Because Solomon had established the guideline that said all kings of Israel needed to worship knowledge over Yahweh, Jeremiah was one who should have been tested by torture and insult.

The reason Jeremiah was sent by Yahweh to Josiah, the King of Judah, was all the kings after Solomon had been walking the path of wickedness. That path was leading them [Israel and Judah] to ruin.

This song of Jeremiah tells of his divinely knowing there was a plot to kill the messenger. He sang out, “Yahweh showed me their evil deeds.” The leaders of Judah were walking the path of evil.

So, Jeremiah sang, “I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter,” adding “they devised schemes, saying, “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit.”

In that, the “tree” would be that deemed to be the Promised Land – Israel and Judah. The “fruit” are the true priests of Yahweh … like Jeremiah, like David was, like Elijah, and like Jesus and his Apostles would be.

Jeremiah then sang, “Yahweh of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind.” This says Yahweh is the Father of many, all of whom allow Yahweh to judge righteously through them, so their hearts and minds are tested for true devotion to the One God.

The first most important Law, according to Jesus, is to love Yahweh with all your heart, all you mind, and with all your soul. That means true love that results in a divine marriage and the fruit that comes forth: one who walks a path of righteousness.

The companion Psalm to that Old Testament reading is Psalm 54. Today is the only day in the three-year lectionary cycle that Psalm 54 can be sung aloud in Episcopal churches. That, of course, is if the church is on the Track 2 path. That means these words might only be heard only once every six years!

As a counterbalance to the self-destruction Judah was bringing upon itself, from devising schemes and plots to kill the messengers of Yahweh [per Solomon’s sage suggestion], David had the forethought to sing, “the arrogant have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life, those who have no regard for elohim.”

Now, in the introduction to verse one, which is never read, David announced this song was written as a remembrance to when Saul was hunting him and had an army trying to kill David. Those were the “arrogant who had taken a stance against David,” as the “ruthless” commanded by the king who walked the path of the wicked.

The use of “elohim,” which does not say “God,” means those like David, who had married their souls to Yahweh, becoming His “capable wives” in the flesh.” David sang that neither Saul nor his army had any “regard for elohim.”

That has to be seen as a match for the lack of respect Solomon had, when he proposed torturing such devoted to death.

David sang out, “it is Yahweh who sustains my life,” which means the soul of David was forever promised Salvation. Still, Yahweh was not going to let the likes of Saul destroy David’s flesh.

In the story that accompanies this song, from 1 Samuel 26, that story tells of Saul being asleep, while camped in his hunt for David. David and an aide knew where that camp was, and snuck into Saul’s place of sleep and had the opportunity to kill Saul. Instead, Yahweh told David not to kill the anointed king; so, David took Saul’s spear and his jar of water and left. That was a message to Saul that said, “Your enemy has spared your life.”

Thus, in the song David wrote about that event, such that when he said, “those who have no regard for elohim,” the truth says, “not they have determined they have elohim before them.” Because Saul and his soldiers did not know Yahweh, they had never come to face those who were Yahweh in the flesh, as His elohim.

That says the wicked choose to kill the innocent lambs of life, while the righteous let Yahweh lead them to be examples of His compassion for His wives, letting the wicked kill their own souls through self-neglect.

David wrote the word “elohim” four times in seven verses, along with one use of “adonay,” which is another way of saying the “lords” of Yahweh. It is a word stating divine possession, in whom Yahweh is the lord of that flesh. Abimelech, the priest of Nob, was one of those who followed David, who along with 86 other priests there who served Yahweh as His wives. This story insinuates the Judeans of Ziph were those like David, who helped him in the game of hide and seek played with Saul.

The word “elohim” has been taken out of the vocabulary of Christians, as few are told they can be the wives of Yahweh, divinely possessed. It is easier to see Solomon married to wisdom, which made him be an “elohim” of the other kind – demonically possessed. The “Two Paths” are reflecting upon the “elohim” of the world, who then influence their followers – one way or the other.

James, the Apostle (who was the brother of Jesus, as both shared the same mother), was one in the long line of “elohim” that have married Yahweh. There have been more wives made capable by Yahweh than human wives and concubines in Solomon’s ‘harem.’

James asked a question in this reading today, which can be seen like the question posed by Solomon in Proverbs 31:10. James asked, “Who is wise and understanding among you?”

I imagine Solomon would have raised his hand, had anyone asked that question around him.

Unfortunately, James said wisdom is born of gentle works, not plots to insult and torture all who profess to be “servant elohim.” [His words, as “child” can equally translate as “servant.”]

James pointed out, “If you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts” then “Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish.”

Keep in mind that Solomon was long gone when James wrote his letter; but Solomon set the framework for all who would subsequently think wisdom like Solomon’s was akin to godliness. Instead, his wife wisdom was “earthly, unspiritual, devilish.”

James wrote, “Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.”

Jeremiah knew that too.

James went on to say, “You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts.”

They do that because people keep telling them, “You’re going the wrong way.” People do not like to be told they are wrong.

David said there are “Two Paths,” so when James said, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures,” he was suggesting that maybe it is time to go in the opposite direction. Maybe having everything you want is not the objective of life on earth?

The Big Brain direction does not bring satisfaction. It only brings disputes and arguments.

That brings us to the Gospel reading today, from Mark. Jesus and his followers were on the way back to Capernaum, where Jesus lived, having left the area of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, after they reached the area of Galilee, where the ruling elite of Jerusalem had a firm reach, Jesus told his disciples to maintain a low profile. Jesus said that because he knew there was a plot to kill him.

Here, we need to see the Temple leaders are bigger believers in the teachings of Solomon, than believers of David and the prophets. Solomon established the heuristic that says, “If he says he is able to speak to Yahweh, then insult and torture him to death. If he is telling the truth, then God will save him from a death sentence.”

So, we read Mark writing, “[Jesus] was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.”’

Mark then added, “[The disciples] did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.”

This is understandable, after Peter had rebuked Jesus for saying that the last time, leading Jesus to call Peter possessed by Satan.

Mark then wrote, “They came to Capernaum; and when [Jesus] was in [his] house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest.”

Here, it is important to recall James asking the questions, “Who is wise and understanding among you?” and “Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you?”

Here, it is important to place yourself among the disciples. As Christians, you are equal followers of Jesus. You see yourselves as those who want to serve Jesus; but you have inner questions, some doubts and concerns. You are afraid to say anything to him, because you feel inadequate.

In the chronology of Mark’s Gospel, the followers of Jesus camped outside Caesarea Philippi, while Jesus, Peter, James and John [of Zebedee] took rope, tents and gear and went on a hike up the high, snow capped Mount Hermon. Imagine you were there with them and you witnessed the strangeness that is now called “the Transfiguration.”

You do not know what to think. You saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus … knowing it was them before cell phones with cameras were invented … and then you heard the voice of Yahweh boom down an order: “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”

Then … <poof> … it was like nothing had happened. On the hike down the mountain, Jesus gives you an order: “Tell no one about what you have seen, until after the Son of man has risen from the dead.”

“Risen from the dead! What does that mean?” you would ask yourself, right?

Then, when you reach ‘base camp,’ there are some disgruntled locals arguing with the disciples and the followers left behind. This is because a man brought his son who had a demon spirit in him, which kept him from speaking, causing him to have convulsions. The disciples … who had been given the soul-spirit of Jesus, so they were intern ministers … could not heal the boy. The locals were angered because of that.

Jesus arrived and then healed the boy. In the healing, the boy died, causing the demonic possessing spirit to leave a dead body of flesh. When everyone feared the boy was dead, Jesus took the boy by the hand and “awakened him.” The boy’s soul returned to his body, but in a divinely elevated state of being.

The boy secretly became an “elohim,” because he had died and resurrected as a wife of Yahweh. I imagine Jesus also let his soul-spirit remain with him ever after.

Now, we do not read about that today, but the disciples asked Jesus, “Why couldn’t we do that?” Jesus told them, in essence, “You do not have the power to raise the dead. To do that you have to be fully married to Yahweh.”

In other words, the disciples still were not yet full-fledged “elohim.”

So, with this recent background known, it became only natural that the disciples would argue about recent events, which were Jesus talking about his coming death and their inability to cast out a demon spirit that refused to leave a host body of flesh, having totally possessed that soul. They were trying to figure out two paths to take.

First, since they obviously were not prepared to replace Jesus at that time, they argued who would be Jesus’ bodyguards and lay down their lives protecting Jesus from harm.

If they died, then Jesus could raise them.

Second, if plan A failed, then they argued about who was most ready to take Jesus’ place.

Rather than open their mouths and tell Jesus what they were thinking, they were going to take some responsibility upon themselves … just in case.

This is where you have to see the disciples like a group of overgrown children … like a church youth group … who can never really keep a secret, simply because their secrets can so easily be overheard. Jesus knew what they were arguing about; but when they would not fess up to their private conversations, he told them he knew.

Jesus said he knew by telling them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”

I won’t ask if any of you understands what that means, because this past week (for the first time) it came to me what this means. Before, I thought I knew, but (like the disciples) I wouldn’t firmly say anything. I knew I might be wrong.

The confusing thing before (in my mind) was the “servant of all” part. I can feel the closeness of this teaching in Jesus washing the feet of the disciples at the Seder meal. However, when I think I get the message, then Jesus brings in “a little child and put it among them,” as an example of this lesson.

When Jesus then told them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me,” that made me go, “Huh?”

“Okay,” I’ve thought before, “I get this too. It means we each need to become Jesus reborn; and, by being Jesus reborn we become part of the Holy Family, so Yahweh becomes our Father.”

But … how does that seamlessly relate to “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all”?

Then, this past week it struck me.

Raise your hand if you have a close relationship with your mother.

In these modern times, our mothers have changed somewhat from the way mothers were throughout antiquity; but, the key to connecting “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all” and “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me” is motherhood.

I remember watching a PBS documentary about people in the late twentieth century volunteering to see is they could survive a winter on the northwestern plains of America, living totally by the limits of technology in the 1880s. Five or six families were selected to be given land to homestead and prepare as farms, which would force them to grow food for themselves and their livestock, build houses and barns – everything – and be tested on whether or not that could store enough food to survive a harsh winter.

None of the families were allowed to make it past fall. They all would have died, along with their animals, because they could not do all the work involved to survive. Life back then was so much harder than it is today in America.

The thing I remember from that show was how that lifestyle separated the men and boys from the women and girls. In the interviews they had with the women, they were unanimous in saying the work was unequal for them. The women got up in the morning working and went to bed each night working to prepare for another day to come, with more of the same expected. It was more than they could bear.

That makes a woman be the answer to the question, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all?”

That makes a mother be the answer to the scenario that says, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

Keep in mind that Jesus was telling this to his all-male disciples. I also firmly believe that “the child set in their midst” was John the Beloved. The child to be welcomed was then to be a male; in the same way that Jesus welcomed his son into his life.

Still, to be reborn as Jesus, one must first become a wife to Yahweh and then become the mother of Jesus.

This becomes the truth of why this particular Gospel reading is set to be read along with Proverbs 31, which asks, “Who can find a capable wife?”

The answer to David’s song of who is “Blessed” and “Happy” because they “delight in the ways of Yahweh” is a spiritual mother – any soul whose flesh who has given birth to an “elohim” of Yahweh.

The mothers of a resurrected Jesus are those who make the truth of Solomon’s words shine, when he said, “they did not know the secret purposes of elohim, nor hoped for the wages of holiness, nor discerned the prize for blameless souls.” [Wisdom 2:22]

Mothers are how one sings like Jeremiah, “I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter,” willingly accepting the sacrifice of the past, in order to realize the future.

Mothers are the ways of David singing, “I will offer you a free-will sacrifice and praise your Name, Yahweh, for it is good.”

Motherhood brings about the state of being that James wrote of: “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.”

It is one who sacrifices self, in order to be a servant of all that is family to Yahweh.

Keep that in mind this next week. It does not matter what gender your body of flesh is. This motherhood comes from one’s soul. Whatever flesh you possess must spiritually be reborn as the Son of man.

I imagine girls fear pregnancy for the first time, just like Christians fear total sacrifice of self to God. But, it is why were are born into this world. It is our purpose in mortal life.

We are given life with the purpose of being a capable wife to Yahweh and becoming the mother of His Son.

I see the bus is pulling in now, so I’ll end here. I hope everyone has a great week ahead.

Until next Sunday, take care.

Amen

Homily for the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Being taught to teach

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope the past week has found everyone happy. I sent out the email with the link to the lectionary page; so, I hope everyone got to read all the readings possible for today. There is an extra one in there this week.

Remember, I talk about them all here, not just a few or only part of one. They are all important to know about; otherwise, why read them if not? Right?

We begin with a reading from Proverbs 7, which talks about wisdom as a goddess.

That is accompanied by Psalm 19, which sings praise about marriage of a soul to Yahweh and all the benefits of that union.

But, that might be overlooked, so a reading from Wisdom of Solomon 7 can be read instead. That tells of the nature of wisdom, comparing it to the moon, making Yahweh be comparable to the sun.

The alternative Old Testament reading comes from Isaiah 50, which he wrote after the people of Jerusalem were in captivity in Babylon. Isaiah sang praise that all hope was not lost, because Yahweh brings the tongue of a teacher with the ear of servitude.

Accompanying that is Psalm 116, where David sang praise for the blessing that is the redemption and salvation of a soul; again, this comes from a soul’s commitment in divine marriage to Yahweh.

The Epistle is again from James, where he spoke about being teachers. He told of mouths that speak poison if not controlled. So, he used the metaphor of a bridle and a rudder as necessary controlling additions.

Then, the Gospel is from Mark, where Jesus jumped all over Peter, telling his followers they either needed to be like him or hit the road to somewhere else.

In the grouping of all these readings together, the central theme – or the ‘silver thread’ – that connects them all is one that places focus on the duality of service to God Almighty.

By that, I mean there are two basic types of people in the world: those who worship Yahweh, the One God; and, there are those who don’t. Of that duality, today’s lessons focus only on those who say they serve Yahweh.

By that, I mean Christians worship God and Jesus. The rest of the world does not. Within the realm of Christianity is a duality that can be termed: the educated and the simple. All still say they worship the same religion, only differently.

For instance, Solomon was the King of Israel, which means he was the leader of all the people who knew Yahweh by that name. Solomon led the children of God who had been led by Moses to receive the Promised Land. Therefore, Solomon represents one whose writings – Proverbs and his Wisdom – were taken in by the people of Israel as the word of Yahweh, through their leader. Those were the educated.

Then, there is David, whose songs routinely are part of every Sunday’s readings. David was also a King of Israel, the father of Solomon. Still, there is the duality theme of today, as the Psalms of David sing the truth of Yahweh through a marriage partner – a soul committed to serve Yahweh – which is the opposite of Solomon. Those are the simple, who bow down in trust.

Isaiah must be seen as a prophet that was also a ‘wife’ of Yahweh, who symbolizes one sent by Yahweh to the wayward Jews in captivity. Thus, Isaiah reflects the duality of those who have deep faith in Yahweh, as opposed to those whose beliefs in Him led them astray, making them victims of the predators in the world who do not know Yahweh.

Jesus reflects one of absolute faith in Yahweh, with all the Jews of Judea and Galilee being led by leaders of the Temple, who were those with absolute faith in themselves, using Yahweh as a means to obtain success in their little world. The followers of Jesus reflect the duality within the Jews, where all knew Yahweh was their God, but they needed more from those who taught them.

James then is one in the line of David, Isaiah, and Jesus, who firmly held faith in Yahweh; but he spoke to Jews that were still caught between the rock and the hard place, one which was knowing the Laws of Moses, but being clueless in how to live a life that was adherent to those rules.

This means the duality spoken of in today’s lessons is the simple of faith verses the educated of belief.

In Proverbs 1, we read theses verses:

How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them.

In Psalm 19, where the translation reads: “The law of Yahweh is perfect and revives the soul; the testimony of Yahweh is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.” [My restorations of “Yahweh.”].

The reality is the place where the word has been translated as “innocent,” it can equally be translated as “simple.” The same Hebrew root word is used by both David and Solomon.

Then, that is also the case in Psalm 116, where we read: “Yahweh watches over the innocent; I was brought very low, and he helped me.” [Once more, my restoration of the name written – “Yahweh.”] The verse can equally say, “Yahweh watches over the simple.”

Can you see the dual focus that is placed on “the simple,” when Solomon and David both proclaim belief in Yahweh, but Solomon belittled “the simple” and David says Yahweh helps them?

Now, this same duality can be seen when Solomon routinely refers to “wisdom” in the feminine:

At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks.

(Proverbs 1)

Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she

renews all things;

She is more beautiful than the sun,

Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other, and she orders all things

well. (All from Wisdom of Solomon, 7 and 8.)

In chapter seven of the Wisdom, Solomon clearly paints a picture that equates the Moon – the goddess Luna or Selene – with the Sun – the god Apollo or Helios. That is accepting polytheism as normal, from an educated perspective.

In the Wisdom, Solomon wrote what appears to be an abbreviation that has been translated as “God” – inferring Yahweh, some think. But the truth of that word is it could just as easily be a word Solomon made up or ‘coined,’ to mean “gods,” from a polytheistic point of view.

How else can the King of Israel write of his love of a goddess? In his eighth chapter of the Book of Wisdom, he calls “wisdom” his bride.

David, on the other hand, speaks more metaphorically about the need for a soul to marry Yahweh, becoming His bride.

Can you see this duality in those texts?

Good.

When Isaiah’s song begins by singing, “adonay Yahweh has given me the tongue of a teacher,” his use of “adonay” must be seen in the same light as wherever the word “elohim” is written. The word “adonay” is the plural form of “adon,” such that it means “lords.” By his saying the “lords of Yahweh,” Isaiah is saying (in effect), “Because I am one of the gods created by Yahweh,” which is a statement about his soul’s divine marriage to Yahweh.

When Solomon wrote about marrying a goddess, such that he claimed “wisdom” was feminine, he was giving praise to his being one of the “adonay” of something lesser than Yahweh. By claiming “wisdom” to be his bride, he was in effect saying that his soul was the bride of Satan. That was the lesson of Solomon wishing for knowledge of good and evil, which is what the serpent suggested to ‘Eve’: If you eat that fruit, then you will become an “elohim” like Yahweh. [Genesis 3:5]

In that story, it is important to realize that both Adam and Eve [Man and wife] were “simple.” It was the serpent’s promise of them becoming like gods [“kê·lō·hîm”], from marrying “wisdom” [the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil] that got the two “simple” creatures kicked out of Eden.

This becomes the duality of which James wrote, which all begins by him saying, “Not many of you should become teachers … for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”

Isaiah knew that strictness, when he wrote, “adonay Yahweh has given me the tongue of a teacher.” That was not a gift from “the Lord God,” it was a gift that came from subservience to Yahweh, so Isaiah’s soul became one of His adonay and then possess the knowledge of Yahweh as a teacher. Isaiah knew his submission of self, in service to Yahweh – as one of His wives – meant he had to remain simpleminded, in order to teach the Word of God.

That is why Isaiah said he was given “the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.” The “weary” were those whose nation had fallen into utter ruin. That ruin had come upon the people who thought they were God’s gift to humanity, only to find the humiliation of realizing they were slaves to dominators.

Rather than be slaves to Yahweh – as His adonay – they became the masters of themselves, only to find out that didn’t work out too well.

It was Solomon who began teaching the Israelites how to turn away from Yahweh, their God, and begin to worship lesser gods of the world. Solomon, then in comparison, was like the serpent telling ‘Eve’ how great she could be … if she just broke one little rule and ate the forbidden fruit.

Just like Adam and Eve found out about eviction from Eden, the whole that was Israel when Solomon took the reins, was totally kicked out of their valuable property … in a trail of tears.

Thus, a word to the weary was Yahweh saying through one who did not reject holy matrimony with Him, “There is still hope for redemption and salvation.”

After all, the true “Promised Land” is eternal life for a soul in heaven. Being let back into Eden is the promise that Yahweh offers. Therefore, His teachers speak of being simpleminded, not all full of oneself.

Now, James was an Apostle, which means his soul was married to Yahweh, through his receipt of the Spirit. James was one of the “elohim Yahweh,” or another of the “adonay” Isaiah wrote of.

James was not sent into ministry by Yahweh, to serve Gentiles. He was only directed to expand the presence of Yahweh in the lost souls who were Jews. When one remembers that, one needs to realize how “teacher” was what the disciples called Jesus.

In John we read how Mary exclaimed at the opened tomb (to the ‘gardener’), “Rabboni!” That is thought to be Aramaic, more than Greek, meaning “my master, my teacher.” Also in John, not to long ago we read, how some of those who were fed bread and fish on the flood plain of the Sea of Galilee later followed Jesus to Capernaum, calling him, “Rabbi.” The word John wrote is more Hebrew than Greek, but accepted to also mean “my master, my teacher.”

The Hebrew root, “rhabbi” literally means “great in number,” which is relative to great many facts that come from Scripture, which only the smart Jews could spend time dwelling on and figuring out.

This past week I found out that the term “rabbi” did not begin until the first century A.D. [or C.E.], which was when Jesus walked in ministry. Still, the term meaning “great in number” was relative to ancient times, when the “father” was naturally the “teacher.” I saw how that knowledge applies to titles used in Christian denominations, where calling one “father” is not making one be equal to God. Instead, it is simply a title that says “teacher” of Christian theology.

The root of the Hebrew word “rav,” meaning “many,” is said to stem from the Biblical command to “be fruitful and multiply,” where the father and the mother bring forth children. It was then the role of the father to teach the children the way of righteousness, as descendants of the Sons of man. As far as discipline goes, a father is always stricter than the mother, which is a reference James made about “teachers.”

James wrote the Greek word “didaskaloi,” which means “instructors,” or “teachers, masters,” which has the same meaning as “rabbi.” Isaiah wrote the word “limmud,” which has been translated as “teacher,” but actually means “taught.”

This then points out how being “taught” is essential, if one is to then “teach.” This brings out the objective of teaching, where that taught must later be applied in life. It is the reason fathers teach their children, so they too can become fathers teaching their children, having been properly taught.

This is where Isaiah saying it was Yahweh who “taught” him means he was qualified to then “know how to speak to the weary.”

This has to be seen as what James meant when he wrote, “Not many of you should become teachers … for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” He was saying Yahweh – the Father – has to be the teacher, before one can begin to teach the meaning of Scripture to others.

One can assume that Jesse took on the role of “teacher” when he raised David, which led David to be devoted to his God. Once David became a king, he might have played the same role teaching Solomon; but neither Jesse nor David (by that time in his life, having greatly sinned) can be assumed to be the “teacher” James had, nor the “teacher” Isaiah had.

This is that duality of faith and belief. One is a teacher taught by the Father; and, the other is a teacher taught by the father. One comes with stricter controls, the other not so much.

In the Apocryphal book “The Infancy Gospel of Thomas,” Joseph hired “teachers” to try to bring little Jesus into line, so he would learn the ways of the Jews. One teacher tried to discipline Jesus and somehow that teacher dropped dead. A replacement teacher tried to teach little Jesus the letters of the alphabet, but Jesus began asking the teacher to explain why the first letter was shaped as it was and why it was the first letter, called “aleph.” That teacher quit, because he said Jesus knew more than he did.

Young Jesus was taught by the Father from birth. He could not be taught by lesser fathers.

When one sees how Solomon was also an impish child, with a strong will like that displayed by young Jesus, it is possible to see how Solomon had an advanced I.Q. at a young age. Learning basic things was too slow and too simple for his big brain. Thus, he refused to hear the voice of Yahweh asking him what he deserved (as punishment), saying he thought he should know good from evil. That meant Solomon turned away from Yahweh and began negotiating with Satan. Therefore, Satan was the one who “taught” young Solomon to desire the knowledge of the world and grow so he would take “wisdom” as his bride.

That makes Solomon the prototype for bad teachers, as far as those who James said would be held to “greater strictness.” James was calling for more good teachers, those who would be “taught” by Yahweh.

James wrote, “For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle.” That says, “To err is human.” However, it also says that James had the benefit all good teachers must have, which is the “bridle” that was Yahweh’s Son resurrected within his soul – Jesus.

Rather than wander aimlessly in life, being Jesus reborn gave one the tongue of a teacher, as the resurrection in the flesh of one taught by the Father. The addition of Jesus’ soul with one’s own soul was like putting a rudder on a boat. One could teach with purpose and direction.

When Jesus walked in ministry, he regularly faced bad teachers, who were the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, synagogue rabbis, and the Sanhedrin – the elite of the Temple. The ministry of Jesus included teaching them how bad they were at teaching.

James was referring to the same Jews, as the advent of Christianity meant continuing to teach the children the Father had sent the Son to teach. James was likewise a Jew like the many – those who were descendants of those who had faith in Yahweh, so a race [a nation of people] could continue being “Israelites” – or those who retain God.

To retain God, they had to be taught by the Father. The Apostles were the multiplication of Jesus in the world, given the tongue to do that; and, James was directed to serve the children of Jacob, to teach them become children of Israel.

When James pointed out “the tongue is a fire,” this should be realized as the same “tongue” given Isaiah, while also remembering how Acts 2:3 says, “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.” James was then saying that the “tongue of a teacher,” as Isaiah said “the tongue of one taught,” means having the ability to transform listeners, by touching their hearts and souls.

James saying “no one can tame the tongue– a restless evil, full of deadly poison” relates back to his saying “all of us make many mistakes.” This means James was referring to the Jewish teachers [rabbis] who still did nothing towards setting the hearts and souls of Jews on fire for Yahweh. Rather than enhancing their religion, they were killing it.

Poison is a deadly weapon. Loose lips sink ships.

Solomon was the one whose ‘insight’ about the worship of goddess Wisdom, such that he belittled the “simple” as the “fools [who] hate knowledge,” said “the complacency of fools destroys them.”

In the wisdom that says, “Hindsight is 20/20,” that says everyone who followed Solomon’s lead and marched to Babylon as a Judean slave was a “fool,” because their complacency in devotion to Yahweh led them to be utterly “destroyed.”

If only Solomon had foreseen that and taught that lesson.

When the Apostles were the “teachers,” as wives of Yahweh reborn as His Son Jesus, their tongues taught the truth. Christianity took hold and spread like wildfire.

The Roman emperor Constantine saw the power of Saints and wanted to organize it, with Rome eventually becoming the capital of a new empire. That transformation began to put out the flames coming from the tongues of true teachers who had been taught from the Master.

By the time the sixteenth century rolled around, the goddess wisdom had been free to whisper into the ears of people who began to question their religious overlords. The Renaissance – a French word meaning “Rebirth” – came; and, the Age of Reason was born. Science became the Solomon of that age.

This is where it needs to be understood what James meant, when he wrote “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.” It is important to know why he added the questions, “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree yield olives, or a grapevine figs?”

That says the duality of simple and wise is the lesson of serving two masters. Jesus said that cannot be done. [Matthew 6:24]

When Jesus was at the well having a conversation with a Samaritan woman, he said, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” He was not insinuating the well (a source of fresh water) could yield “living water.”

The “teachers” that would be more greatly restricted in what they could teach – like Jesus and an Apostle as Jesus reborn – could only “give living waters.”

The Jews, of whom James wrote a warning, were not even wells of knowledge supplying drinkable water. The spiritual water they served up was either salt water or brackish water.

With the advent of the Age of Reason, when more and more are now planning on making wisdom their bride, having thrown Christianity out like dirty bath water, go into any church today and listen to a sermon. You will hear brackish water (at best) being served in sips. Whenever leaders of churches venture onto the political platform stage, everything offered is then pure salt water.

The fruit of the vine that is Scripture comes from the tree of life. It is impossible to get the fruit of truth from the other tree, where politics and social agendas are the fruit of knowledge, with good and evil being what keeps one from simple obedience and compliance from love.

Brackish sermons spew from the mouths of those who are cursed by Satan. It rolls off tongues that are born of “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” It certainly does not come from Yahweh or His Son resurrected in that flesh. One does not want to spit out the truth, which always tastes sweet and pure. The truth never changes; it is the living waters Jesus spoke of.

This makes the Gospel reading from Mark vital to fully understand. It is a well-known reading, but few are able to preach the truth about what Mark said. Therefore, Christianity languishes in the same miserable state as did Judaism, when this event occurred.

Because Christianity has reverted to be just like Judaism was then, when Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” Jesus is asking all who proclaim to be Christians today the same question.

Who do you say Jesus is?

When the disciples said, “John the Baptist” and “Elijah” and “one of the prophets,” all those answers were saying, “They think you are a man of flesh and blood who is one of a kind, and irreplaceable.”

After all, John the Baptist was who Peter and Andrew followed, before Jesus. That says Jesus had charisma.

Elijah was the greatest of all prophets of Israel, who never died and was expected to return some day. So, saying Elijah was like the expectation of someone whose flesh never got old and died.

To say “one of the prophets” was a way of knowing the history of the Israelites and knowing Yahweh periodically would send some one of a kind guy … to special people, in order to guide the people back to adherence to the Law. The prophets, however, were only sent to the V.I.P.s and unheeded, for the most part.

The answer I think many Christians would give today would be, “God. Jesus is God incarnate.” So, to say ‘Jesus’ is to say ‘God,” without ever having to learn the name ‘Yahweh.’”

When Jesus heard those answers, you have to realize that none of them are right, because being half-right is like a mouth spewing forth ‘brackish water’ not fresh, “living water.” That means most Christians would do the same. Jesus is not God incarnate, or Jesus would not refer to Yahweh as “Father.”

Remembering that “father” is the meaning of a “rabbi” or “teacher,” that needs to ring a bell that says, Jesus is a teacher being taught by the “Father.” Jesus in the flesh was an adonay of Yahweh, same as Isaiah.

Because Jesus knew all his disciples were wrong, when asked who the people thought he was, when Jesus asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” you need to hear a collective “gulp.” That is because the disciples thought exactly like “the people.” The answers they gave stated who they thought Jesus was.

This is where the written text of Scripture is not like a Hollywood television movie or sitcom script, where there are asides that tell the actors what to do between saying their lines. After Jesus asked his disciples that question, you need to imagine a long, pregnant pause. You should get to the point of anticipating Jesus adding, “I’m waiting” or “Maybe you didn’t hear me,” before the next word of Mark’s text is read.

All of the disciples were feeling guilty for having followed Jesus and given answers that said they were all still just like “the people.” By naming special people, they were like special themselves, from just being close to a superstar. That guilt left them speechless.

Then the Spirit moved into Peter, causing him to blurt out, “You are the Christ.” The Greek text of Mark shows, “Sy ei ho Christos.” So, the Greek word written [“the Christ”] means the same as the Hebrew “mashiach” [“the Messiah”]: “Anointed one.”

Now, I want you all to think for a minute about what Peter said.

The obvious answer than nobody gave before, when asked, “Who do the people think I am?” is “Jesus of Nazareth.” Nobody said, “Jesus,” the name given to Jesus before he was born, told to Mary by Gabriel, a name that means “Yahweh Will Save.”

Nobody said that.

The Spirit moved Peter to say exactly what most Christians today would say: “You are the Christ.”

People today say that routinely. They say it like the last name of Jesus is “Christ.” They say if without knowing “Christ” is Greek for “Anointed one.”

To say Jesus is the “Christ” is like saying, “Jesus is God. You know, Jesus Christ. The one and only.”

Now, when Peter said, “You are the Anointed one,” Peter knew what the Hebrew word “mashiach” meant.

In 1 Samuel 16:12-13, the Hebrew text says, “Yahweh told Samuel to “mashach” David,” as the one of Jesse’s sons He chose. Then we read that Samuel “mashiach” David with oil from a horn. So, David was an anointed one by Samuel – a prophet and judge of Israel. Still, David was an Anointed one of Yahweh, because verse 13 adds, “and came the Spirit of Yahweh upon David from that day forward.”

If 1 Samuel were to be written in Greek, it would say David was Christ.

To think Yahweh can only Anoint one human being is then playing like Solomon and being married to the goddess Wisdom. From a high and mighty position of ‘most wise’, Solomon would say Yahweh is some peon god. Solomon would then determine who and how many souls of human beings Yahweh can Anoint.

Christians today, being taught by the tools employed by the Age of Reason, quickly forget all of the Old Testament [it is Jewish, after all] and think Yahweh is so old and weak that He can only Anoint one soul, which He did two thousand years ago, with none since. Therefore, Wisdom tells us Jesus is the one.

Because Peter blurted out something he did not understand – although it was absolutely the truth – Jesus then “sternly ordered them not to tell anyone.”

It becomes important to realize that mouths of human beings make lots of mistakes, like thinking “Jesus Christ” is the name of God. Therefore, it is best they just keep their mouths closed. They need a bridle. They need a rudder placed on their brains.

Okay, raise your hand if you have ever been sternly told by your father not to talk about something.

You have to see Jesus teaching his ‘little children’ like a ‘father’ would. Being firm does not mean a father hates his children. That is how one needs to see this next part, when Jesus “began to teach them that the Son of man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

I want you to think about those words. Hear them as if Jesus were a father telling his little children WHY they should not tell anyone who Jesus is. They should especially not tell anyone “Jesus is the Christ,” because Jesus is going to suffer, be rejected, die, and resurrect.

Because the father had just dressed down his children as a way of saying it was important not to talk about things they did not know, the father was then assuaging some tender feelings by explaining why he spoke sternly to them.

Raise you hand if your father ever did something similar to you – something like, “I know you don’t understand all this now, but believe me when I say that it will make complete sense to you later in life, when you grow up.”

Well, after explaining this, I imagine without tears running down from his eyes or his body shaking like a leaf, one could expect the disciples to take a sigh of relief and be at ease. However, it was in that calm that Peter was overcome, once again.

After having momentarily been possessed by Yahweh and made capable of giving an answer that not even he knew was coming, Peter was again possessed. This time it wasn’t so good.

We read, “Peter took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke him.”

Raise your hand if you ever got a failing grade on a test and saw it as the result of bad teaching, so the F was all the teacher’s fault. Raise your hand if you asked him or her out into the hall, to tell them what you thought.

Well, that was what happened then. Just like Peter had been the star student one moment, he became the class know-it-all the next.

When we read Jesus say, “Get behind me, Satan!” do you think that was just Jesus calling Peter names? Or, do you think Jesus only spoke the truth; so, his calling Peter Satan was a clear statement that Peter had been demonically possessed?

When Jesus then said to Peter, “You are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things,” that says before Peter’s mind had been set on divine things. Yahweh entered his mind and told him to say, “You are the Christ.” Now, Satan had been tapped on the shoulder by Yahweh, saying, “Your turn.” So, Satan had fun and made Peter act like a fool.

Jesus was not commanding Peter, as Peter was just an unassigned soul, not yet a complete elohim of Yahweh. Jesus was commanding Satan to stay away from his child, because his soul belonged to Yahweh, and then become the flesh of Jesus reborn.

Here is when you recall how Solomon was telling everyone to set their minds on wisdom things and rebuke everyone who acted simple minded. Peter acted like he had some wisdom that just needed to spew out of his mouth, like some salty water.

After Jesus and Yahweh set this whole show up, to make a vivid point, Jesus called out to everyone who was part of the Jesus road experience. He told them all the famous (for Christians) line: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

When he said “followers” he knew everyone then (just like most everyone now in modern times) was a groupie of Jesus. That made everyone there little more than the people in the towns where the show entered – the people who came were thought of as fans of a superstar. The people, like all those there, loved being close to Jesus … but not a one of them thought he or she would ever be able to keep the show on the road, if Jesus were to die … even if they had a clue what “after three days rise again” meant.

Few teachers today dwell on the part of that famous quote that says, “let them deny themselves.” A “self” is a soul. To deny one’s soul means to sacrifice it so Jesus’ soul can come in. When Peter spoke the truth, he “denied himself” and Yahweh took control. Likewise, when Peter rebuked Jesus, he spoke like a bad teacher, having denied his soul, allowing Satan to speak through his mouth.

To deny oneself means to change the way you are.

Raise your hands if you – males and females – see your father in you.

Raise your hands if you graduated from some school and then later reached some point in life when something a teacher told you long before came back to you, as pertinent to that moment. Like an ‘aha moment’ of remembrance.

The point of fathers teaching their children and the point of teachers in general teaching children is to prepare selves to teach others. That is the meaning of Jesus saying “follow me.”

It certainly was not meant as being a fan of Jesus, forever sitting in a pew listening to things Jesus said, with none of them ever leading one to “grow up” and stop being a child. When one grows up, one denies the child and become the father; one denies the student and becomes the teacher.

Probably the least preached lesson of this reading from Mark is Jesus saying, “Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

You cannot be a child forever. You cannot be a student forever. In order to be a follower, you have to be “taught” and then you have to “teach.”

The ones who follow the Solomon recommendation and marry the goddess Wisdom are the ones who wear robes and pass out wafers today. They had someone (if not themselves or their parents) pay a lot of money for them to get diplomas and advanced degrees, in order to get hired as a priest, pastor, or minister. Still, with all that education, none of them are churning out Saints these days.

That speaks for the education they received. They laugh at the simple minds and the fools that have no desire to be up on the altar with them.

They are why James warned, “Not many of you should become teachers.”

Instead, they are fans of “Jesus Christ,” none of them caring to call their God “Yahweh.”

They are going against Jesus’ stern instruction not to tell anyone who Jesus is. Pointing to Jesus as the man who lived in the past, telling everyone who listens, “Jesus is the Christ,” is saying, “I am not Jesus. I am not the Christ reborn.”

That is a tongue speaking that has not been taught to give a word to the weary. That is a mouth that has no bridle that has denied itself, so Yahweh can speak through it.

To follow in those footsteps as a true teacher of truth, one has to be Jesus reborn; and, for that to be possible, Jesus had to die and resurrect in those whose souls have married his Father.

The bus is arriving now. So, I’ll stop.

Please think about what I have said this coming week.

I wish everyone a productive week ahead.

Amen

Homily for the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – For richer or for poorer

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone had a good week just past; and, I hope you reflected on what I said last Sunday. There will be no checking of homework, so feel free to breathe easy.

I sent out the email with a link to the lectionary site; and, I hope everyone read the selections set aside for today. Again, I talk about all of them, no opting out on any, because they all share a central theme that needs to be discussed.

What I want to do now is act like a Baptist minister, somewhat. I want to call on everyone to ‘open their cell phones’ (not Bibles) and click on the lectionary link. I want you all to bring up the Proverbs reading for today. Raise your hands when you have that on your phone screens.

Good.

What I want everyone to do now is notice how none of the verses are numbered. Only at the top does it state the text below comes from verses 1-2, 8-9, 22-23. Do you see that?

Good.

You will notice there is quite a spread in the verses, with gaps between them. In all, Proverbs 22 has 29 verses, but only six are read today.

In divine texts, such paring and rejoining can be done and still provide a divine message, without the need to read everything in between. In divine texts, everything is meaningful; but that depth of meaning can be cut and pasted together, in order to still reveal truth.

This is what has been done with this narrowing of Proverb 22 into six verses.

Now, when one looks up the definition of “proverb,” one finds: “a short pithy saying in general use, stating a general truth or piece of advice.” (An Oxford Languages definition, provided by a Google search.)

In Proverbs 1, first thing, Solomon’s writings were said to be “proverbs.” The Hebrew word for that is “mashal” (in the singular).

A “mashal” is defined as “a short expression of Hebrew wisdom.” In this case, it can be refined to a “short expression of Solomon’s wisdom.” The Wikipedia article calls it “allegory,” as parables, like fables and adages.

In my mind, Solomon’s wish for a big brain makes him what they call “part of the problem,” not “part of the solution.” Therefore, his “short pithy sayings” come more from an egotistical brain, than from his soul being a servant of Yahweh.

I made mention of that when we read the Songs of Solomon. His mind was in the lovey-dovey gutter when he wrote sensually. However, Yahweh was still able to use Solomon’s words to depict the love relationship that is necessary between a soul and Yahweh.

That same view of Solomon needs to be seen in his “mashal,” or “misluh” (in the plural).

Only seven of Solomon’s thirty-one chapters of pithy sayings – which are said to contain 3000 bits of wisdom – are addressed by the Episcopal lectionary. Today is one of the seven. That speaks of Solomon not playing a huge role in teaching Christians to marry their souls to Yahweh.

I want you to realize this. It takes work to understand all divine Scripture. It demands divine insight to understand the allegory and parables of the Holy Bible. It requires a lot of patience to comb through the self-absorbed words of Solomon to find the nuggets of truth that Yahweh produced through a soul not in love with his God.

In this reading of six verses from Solomon, the first two verses set up a theme that the other four verses add to.

Verses one and two say: “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. The rich and the poor have this in common: Yahweh is the maker of them all.”

In an egotistical fashion, Solomon takes delight in his name being that of all-powerful King of Israel, where he has more than just gold and silver to his credit. He can do anything he wants, never having to work a day in his life.

He then equates his opulence as opposite that of the impoverished – all of whom were made that way by Yahweh [the truth of what is written].

I will let you read the other four verses at your leisure, but Solomon’s great worldly brain echoes all the philosophies that exist today, which love to play Robin Hood, because the poor people of the world need the rich to look after them.

In the same way that Solomon’s mind was below his waist-line in the Songs of Solomon, so are his pithy sayings about the rich and the poor … only more directed to the rear.

Yahweh can be seen emanating from these words when one wrestles against the egotism of Solomon to find the nuggets of truth that affirm what Jesus said about the rich and the poor.

The difference is a value system that is spiritual, not material. Solomon was like some Socialist politicians around today, one that wants to buy votes by giving free money to the poor, knowing they will still be poor, but more likely to vote Socialist in the next election.

Spiritual wealth being shared, as the responsibility of the spiritually rich to help the spiritually poor, is the truth. In that regard, the spiritually poor are those like Solomon.

That is the message that needs to be gleaned from this parable about the rich and poor.

Now, in the accompanying Psalm 125, David sang, “Show your goodness, Yahweh, to those who are good and to those who are true of heart. As for those who turn aside to crooked ways, Yahweh will lead them away with the evildoers; but peace be upon Israel.”

That was a better way to express the difference between the rich and the poor, as it sings the truth of the differences being between good and evil.

In Psalm 125, David sang again of marriage, that between a soul and Yahweh, as stated in “those who are true of heart.” The aspect of “true of heart” says Yahweh’s Spirit is one with one’s soul. It is only from this marriage that “goodness” can be “shown.”

The metaphor of “like Mount Zion,” where David sang about the “the hill” of “Yahweh [that] stands around his people,” that says one’s soul has been elevated by the presence of Yahweh within, so His all-encompassing presence has come through divine marriage.

That speaks the truth of one who is spiritually rich.

In the optional Old Testament reading from Isaiah, his thirty-fifth chapter is after the fall of Jerusalem and Judah and the captivity of the people. That collapse and ruin was due to the people and their rulers being spiritually impoverished. At that time, the ‘rich and famous’ were the Babylonians, who were just as spiritually poor as the Judaeans they defeated.

Isaiah, however, sang from his soul’s divine marriage to Yahweh, telling those who lost all their material possession that they still have the potential for redemption.

When Isaiah sang, “Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear!” one again finds “heart” the focus. The “heart” is the soul. A soul that fears is one void of Yahweh. That is why Yahweh commanded, “Thou shall only fear Yahweh,” by being one of His “elohim.” A wife of Yahweh can only fear losing her Husband, with “wife” meaning souls in the flesh.

Being spiritually rich means to be an elohim of Yahweh. Being materially rich, but spiritually poor, means to be an elohim of some demonic spirit.

Thus, Isaiah sang out, “Here is your elohim. it will come with vengeance.” That was their new slavers, their new masters they had to bow down before.

Still, materially poor did not prevent one from becoming spiritually rich. So, Isaiah sang, “will come the benefit of elohim” that will be a soul’s “salvation.”

In that, the translations provided on the lectionary website are incorrect; so, I urge all to go home this week and look at the truth of the Hebrew text, using the BibleHub link I provided earlier.

We are called to become spiritually rich as Yahweh’s elohim, rescued from being elohim to the sins a harsh world forces upon one.

Isiah then painted a picture of the “benefits,” also called “recompense.” The blind can see, the deaf can hear, the lame shall leap, the mute shall speak, and the dry will be watered.

All of that is metaphor for the talents of the Spirit that comes from marriage of a soul to Yahweh.

Saints see the truth. They hear the truth. The live the truth. They speak the truth; and, they teach the truth.

None of that is possible without being married to Yahweh … without being one of His elohim.

Now, that lesson from Isaiah is accompanied by Psalm 146, which the translation shows “Lord” written eight times. We like to assume “Lord” means God; and, the truth of that says one’s soul is indeed married to the only God that matters, so submission to that God makes that God be one’s “Lord.”

Each time, however, David wrote “Yahweh,” which is the proper name of the God his soul was married to. To be like David, one must also come to marry divinely and call your personal God by His proper name.

Psalm 146 is ALL about the “benefits” or “recompense” of making that commitment that makes one spiritually rich.

When David wrote his songs, Israel was spiritually rich. When David sinned and left behind a boy who would be a king, married to self-idolatry, all the wealth of spiritual benefit was exchanged as material rewards. In the end, Isaiah would sing there is still hope.

In Psalm 146, David began and ended by singing, “Hallelujah!”

Raise your hand if you know what “Hallelujah” means.

Well, some would have you think it means “Praise the Lord,” but those are the ones who substitute “Lord” for “Yahweh.”

Ever since Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker made the “Praise the Lord” network be all about getting rich on religion as a business, the acronym “P.T.L.” became “Pass the Loot.”

The word “Hallelujah” is actually two Hebrew words put together: “hallu” and “Yah,” where “Yah” is short for what?

Right!

The word “hallu” or “halal” means “shine,” which becomes a way of stating “praise.”

What came to me this week, when I contemplated Psalm 146 and “Hallelujah,” was David not telling people to stand up and cheer for Yahweh. Instead, he was telling the readers and singers of his song, “I stand married to Yahweh and his light shines through my body of flesh, through the acts He leads me to do.”

To “Praise Yahweh” means to be married to Yahweh.

In the same way that Jesus said, “Peace to you,” that was never meant to be some catch-phrase greeting, but a statement that says, “Let the Peace of Yahweh enter into your soul.” Therefore, “Hallelujah” is not a command to say anything.

It is a statement of being that says, “I Shine Yahweh” in my being.

Now, all of this leads us to the words of James, who must be seen as a soul married to Yahweh, just like David. That means the truth of Yahweh flowed through James onto paper, so we can read it today [translated into English, often poorly].

James brings out that theme of the rich and the poor.

James presented the reader with this scenario and question:

“For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a

poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the

fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say,

“Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves,

and become judges with evil thoughts?”

In essence, James was saying that judging other human beings by whether he or she is rich or poor is evil thinking.

That says Solomon – as great as his big brain was – was led to evil thinking, simply by sitting in his opulence of power and judging that Yahweh made the rich and the poor for a reason. Solomon knew he was more than materially rich, because he had been born with a name – “King.”

People who judge by material status are spiritually poor.

In the “optional” verses, James gave the example of people pretending to be righteous dudes as those running around saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” We certainly hear that today as a popular slogan for Socialists to force laws to suit their agendas. Right?

James then went on to point out that there are a myriad of laws that equally have to be followed, with all of them bearing the same weight; in the sense that if one law is broken a whole holy house of cards collapses.

James spoke as a devout Jew that married Yahweh and became Jesus resurrected within his soul; so, James knew all about the failures of collapsed holy houses of cards, those built on sayings about the law, not the doings of the law.

That led James to ask us today, and this question is always relevant: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?”

The Greek word for “faith” is “pistis.” The same word means “belief.” Do you know the difference between “faith” and “belief”?

I’ll tell you. “Belief” is putting trust in something someone told you, without ever testing that you have been told for validity. “Faith” is knowing something is true, from having ‘been there, done that.’

The key word there is “done.”

You can “believe” Yahweh is your “Lord” all day long, until the cows come home; but, if your soul is not married to Yahweh, there is no way in hell you are ever going to be able to do all the things you say you believe in.

That is why James ended this reading by writing, “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

Do you understand what that means?

I’ll tell you. “Dead” means only being a soul in a body of flesh that is going to die sometime. Without a soul being married to Yahweh – being one of His elohim – death will come and Judgment will be the truth:

You did some things good. You did some things bad. Therefore, you do not gain access

into the eternal realm of heaven, because the bad you did keeps your soul out.

Therefore, back your soul goes … into a new baby body of flesh.

The whole point of Christianity is being taught to marry one’s soul to Yahweh; and then, teaching others souls to do the same.

Like David sang – Hallelujah! – you teach as you are taught, by shining Yahweh so others can have His presence shone upon them.

Loving your neighbors as yourself becomes a statement about Shining Yahweh, not about pointing out the faults of others. If others are full of faults, they should not be your neighbors.

Lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas, as the saying goes.

Speaking of dogs …

That brings us to the Gospel reading from Mark.

When I read this reading this past week, I saw it in a new light. I saw why Jesus went from Jerusalem, following the Passover-to-Shavuot season of pilgrimage, to the region of Tyre and Sidon [modern Lebanon].

I saw in my mind’s eye the imagery of Cleopas and his wife Mary walking the road to Emmaus when that time of festival had ended. Jesus walked with them, appearing as a stranger. I saw Jesus (and his disciples) walking north with a family from that region, who (like Cleopas and Mary) became so enamored with the spirit of Jesus that they asked him to walk further with them.

I saw how Jesus had passed on his soul-spirit to each of his disciples, sending them out in internship; and, then they assisted Jesus in the feeding of the five thousand, as apostles who had the soul-spirit of Jesus within them.

When Mark wrote [literally from the Greek], “From there (Jerusalem) now having risen up (in divine ministry), he departed into the region of Tyre and Sidon,” I saw that as Jesus spreading his soul-spirit to a distant place where Jews lived among Gentiles.

When I read, “He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice,” I saw that for the first time as the soul-spirit of Jesus entering a household in a way that no one could tell was there, beyond those who Jesus spiritually possessed. I saw that “household” as the first interns of Christianity. When Jesus would physically leave them, his soul-spirit would remain with them forever. Their souls would become married to Yahweh because of having been touched by his presence.

While Jesus was there and his new family of Jews went out into their village, they shone Yahweh. People inquired how they became that way; and, they said, “Jesus.”

That led to a Gentile woman (a Syrophoenician) to seek Jesus out, because her daughter was filled with an unclean spirit. Mark wrote, “she came and bowed down at [Jesus’] feet” and “She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter.”

That caused Jesus to seemingly become cold and aloof, saying, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.”

Then, when the woman replied, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs,” this conversation is one of those that few explain. It becomes one of those ‘holy mysteries’ that are best not discussed. That becomes the proverb: Let sleeping dogs lie.

For the first time I clearly saw the truth of this exchange. The clarity made it possible to see why Jesus would then say, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.”

For the first time I saw Jesus and the Gentile woman speaking from the same page of a script. They were mentally linked, psychically, speaking the same divine language; and, the conversation we read was that way from the beginning. When Jesus spoke of dogs, he was not referring to her or her daughter. Likewise, the woman did not hear Jesus calling her and her daughter dogs, because she knew exactly who the dogs were. Both spoke of dogs while meaning the Jews.

When you realize that, Jesus told the woman that she was a seeker who searched for him. She did not seek Jesus for herself but for her child. She did not restrict who she should seek help from, because of rules and customs. She was, therefore, a child of Yahweh in a world that saw her as nothing but poor.

Jesus spoke to her as deserving to be fed spiritual food, as a seeker. The children who seek Yahweh deserve to be fed the bread of life sent by Yahweh.

As such, Jesus had just left Jerusalem not long before, when he had confrontations with Pharisees and scribes, who were the dogs of judgment. Jesus had made his presence known before them, but they had rejected all intake of him, as spiritual food.

That means the Gentile woman knew full well how all Jews were dogs, because her statement said that whatever morsels of truth about divine Scripture the rulers of the Temple of Jerusalem let accidentally slip from their overstuffed mouths [the table of the rich], those crumbs were ravenously gobbled up by the little dog Jews who waited under them. The poor Jews ate up spiritual food so fast that there was nothing left over to be shared to anyone else.

“For saying that,” said Jesus, who knew the two of them were on the same page of thought, the woman was filled with the spiritual food that was the soul-spirit of Jesus – the bread of life. So, that divine presence was immediately passed on to her daughter; and, “the demon has left your daughter,” Jesus said.

That exchange painted a clear picture of the rich and the poor, such that the Solomon-esque Temple elite saw Yahweh as the great one who created the materially rich and the materially poor, for the purpose of letting the rich give alms for the poor, from time to time, to justify having much more than they needed.

Jesus taught the truth of the spiritually rich giving to the spiritually poor. Both became equals, not still separated by class status. The spiritually rich lost nothing in giving; and, the spiritually poor received everything their souls ever wanted. That is the truth of Christianity.

When we then read Mark telling of Jesus leaving Sidon and going to Decapolis, a region east of the Sea of Galilee and north of Perea, that was most likely to the port just south of where Jesus had his ‘synagogue by the sea’ – in the city of Hippos.

The place called Kursi is just a few kilometers north of Hippos, and that was where Jesus cast out the demons of Legion, which begged to be sent into swine. Once possessing pigs, the porkers all then ran and jumped off a cliff into the sea and drown. That event took place in the region of Decapolis.

It should be realized that Decapolis was not a region heavily populated by Jews, although they did live there. When Jesus cast out the demons in the man in Kursi, he was asked to leave and not come back, which was a sign that the possessed man was a Gentile, not a Jew. The man wanted to follow Jesus after being freed of demons; but Jesus told him to stay and preach to his people.

That event occurred before the feeding of the five thousand; and, Mark wrote of that event, saying, “The man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:20)

Seeing how that event had spread the news about Jesus and the fact that Jesus had held regular teachings from the mount by the sea, just a little to the north of there, says Jesus was already known by the time he reached Hippos (probably sailing there by boat, from Capernaum).

The part of Mark’s Gospel that tells of a deaf man with difficulty speaking brought to him says two things. First it says that Jesus went to stay with someone he knew in Hippos, who most likely had become soul-spirit touched by Jesus before, just like the man in Sidon [a Jew]. Second, it also says that this Jewish family then went out into their village and began telling others that Jesus – a name they knew – was there visiting them.

Here is where the rich and poor element comes up again.

The Jews were taught that birth defects or illnesses, especially that which deformed the flesh, had been judged by God as sinners, as physical evidence of sins committed. This means the subclass of Jews – those not the Temple’s elite – were further divided into clean and unclean, which was the physical wealth of health and the physical poverty of disease. Thus, the whole family who brought a ‘sinner’ to Jesus to be healed was just like the Syrophoenician Gentile woman who came to Jesus, as all were poor. All were rejected by those they lived among as in the ‘unclean’ class – the poorest of the poor.

Jesus [thus Yahweh] saw them as being severely malnourished from a lack of spiritual food.

When I contemplated the Greek words of Mark, I saw Jesus doing nothing after this family brought the deaf man to him. In the same way that Jesus never even saw the Gentile woman’s daughter – but she was healed by the woman receiving the soul-spirit of faith in Yahweh – Jesus was not the one we assume took the man aside and made noises and spoke one word.

In the translation that says, “[Jesus] took [the deaf man] aside in private, away from the crowd,” I saw this in the same light as before, when Mark wrote, “[Jesus] entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there.”

More than Jesus being discrete and secretive, those are statements that the soul-spirit of Jesus entered others. Thus, taking the man “aside in private” is God-speak that says Jesus became one with the deaf man. Being “away from the crowd” [in Greek] actually says Jesus was “received” by the man, in a way that was not possible for “the crowd” to perceive.

When I saw this in this light, the fingers, ears, spit, and tongue were all those body parts of the deaf man, with the soul-spirit of Jesus within his body of flesh, controlling his actions. Jesus was not touching him physically, only spiritually … from within, not without.

That means it was the deaf man who looked up, sighed, and then it was Yahweh who spoke through his mouth, saying, “Be opened.”

When I saw that, I immediately recalled Jesus spiritually entering the upper room and breathing upon his followers in hiding, saying “Receive the Spirit.” To “Receive,” one must be “Opened.”

Yahweh then healed the deaf man and corrected his speech, as a way of divine marriage, which could only come from the man having faith, despite his being rejected (along with his family) as a sinner. His faith and the faith of his family led them all to Jesus, having believed because of the preaching of the man whose demons had been cast out of him by Jesus.

When the story of Mark then says, “Jesus ordered them to tell no one,” this is not about trying to keep Jesus a secret. The family had come to see Jesus because the man healed of demonic possession (who every knew was crazy) had spoken out. Telling people was ministry!

Jesus told them not to tell others to wait for Jesus. He was telling them to become the hand of Yahweh, as Jesus reborn, just as Jesus had sent his apostles out in ministry. To tell no one means Jesus taught them as he would James. His command was to do unto others as you had wanted Jesus to do unto you.

Faith without works is dead. Faith with divine works is eternal life!

A Saint does not talk about how spiritually wealthy he or she is. A Saint just does what Yahweh says do; and, that means freely share the spiritual wealth.

Thus, when Mark wrote, “the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it,” that speaks of the birth of Christianity.

In terms David would use: Hallelujah!

Praise Yahweh.

Well, I see the top of the bus down at the stop light, so I’ll end now. I hope you ponder these things I have said today.

I hope everyone has a good week ahead.

Amen

Homily for the fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – A double-edged sword

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone had a great week and received the email with the link to the lectionary site and read all the readings set aside for today.

Remember, I don’t brush any of the readings aside, running away from the true message that some sermon orators are too afraid to speak about. Hired hands can always get fired; but I don’t get paid to stand here and I pass no plate among you either.

So, with that disclaimer, let’s get started!

This past week, as I wrote commentaries about each of the six reading selections for today, I found myself using the term “double-edged sword” a few times. That is how I see the theme for today. It is a form of duality, where each reading can cut two ways.

A perfect example of this is seen in the Song of Solomon. Overall, the Song of Solomon equates to Israelite erotica. Although the words are flowery metaphor, it is easy for me to see how Solomon was known to have seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. I can imagine every ‘date’ he had led to him saying, “I’m a poet, if you didn’t know. Would you like for me to read you some of my poetry?”

Over the past Sundays, I have talked about the dream Solomon had, where Yahweh asked him what punishment he deserved, for breaking Mosaic Laws relative to high places; but Solomon heard the question as asking what gift he should receive, for being a boy king. I said it was Satan who promised Solomon the wisdom that allowed him to know good and evil, not Yahweh. Then, we read how Solomon orated at the grand opening of a temple in his honor, while entombing Yahweh and the Ark within stone walls. I warned about falling in love with Solomon, simply because he was a King of Israel.

Now, it is easy to see how that wisdom (along with wealth and pretty things girls love to be given) made Solomon a slick tongued lover boy, who knew what was good for getting the ladies into bed with him. That intent can be seen as somewhat wicked.

That is one way the Song of Solomon cuts. However, the true reason we find the Song of Solomon in our Holy Bibles is the same words written by Solomon have higher meaning; meaning I wonder if he could tell was coming through.

The verses read today are those of a dialogue, which chapter two sets up as being between the male lover (Solomon) and the female lover, where the plan is marriage. As such, the divisions of the verses are set up as the bridegroom’s speech of love, followed by the bride’s speech of love. One translator of the Hebrew into English denotes the verses read today as being “The Bride’s Adoration” of the bridegroom.

It seems to me that the intent of marriage for Solomon was to have sex with a woman legally, so the female would not be written off as a conquest of lusts. That falls in line with Satan having given Solomon a mind that could make the ladies swoon. The concept of marriage was little more than a legality that made it all okay. However, the cut that goes the other way is this love song is clearly (to me) singing about the love of a soul in a body of flesh, longing to unite with Yahweh.

Solomon was an elohim, one possessed by a demon, rather than Yahweh. Still, the demon is a creation of Yahweh and it does whatever Yahweh says to do. So, if Yahweh knows Solomon wants to write a love poem, Yahweh has the right to command the demon to lead Solomon’s brain to choose words that can cut two ways.

The reason the elders of the Episcopal lectionary, those who wisely chose what readings should be grouped together from Sunday to Sunday, selected these verses is they were led by the influence of Yahweh. The Song of Solomon verses read today are the only verses from his whole love poem that are read aloud in Episcopal churches; and, they are only read today and one other Sunday during the after Pentecost season, in Year A. These verses are chosen because they cut to the right, as words that should be sung from one’s soul towards a desired marriage with Yahweh, seeking to receive His Spirit.

The bride’s adoration means every soul in human flesh is feminine, with Yahweh the masculine essence who penetrates a soul and impregnates it with the soul of Jesus. Thus, we should all be longing for that time of togetherness. We should desire to be reborn in that holy name.

The accompanying Psalm, which are verses from Psalm 45, is clearly a love song written by David. David also was an elohim, but his soul was married to Yahweh, so there is no question that Yahweh’s words flowed through David as he composed his songs, while plucking his harp.

In verse one of Psalm 45, David wrote lyrics that said, “my tongue shall be the pen of a skilled writer.” That says David had never been promised great wisdom or wealth, by a voice in a dream; but David had both, simply from marrying Yahweh and letting Yahweh’s Mind lead David and all the Israelites. David admitted his words in this song came from a divine source.

In verse two, the NRSV translation has David singing, “You are the fairest of men; grace flows from your lips, because elohim have blessed you forever.” In that, David is singing about the beauty of a masculine essence, which is translated as “fairest of men.” That masculine essence is Yahweh, as He is the Bridegroom and His is the Spirit that penetrates the soul bride. David was thus a young bride, as a soul in a body of flesh, such that all flesh is feminine essence and makes a soul take on that gender identity.

The word written by David is elohim, not “God.” That word says David was recognizing his soul-flesh was one of many brides married to Yahweh; and, all of the Yahweh elohim had been “blessed” with eternal life. Solomon, on the other hand, as an elohim married to a demon spirit; so, he only had wisdom and wealth … until death did all that part from his soul. There was no “forever” for Solomon.

Still, in David’s Psalm 45, he referred to the fragrances of love, which symbolizes the sweet smells of nature, which unseen (like the Spirit of Yahweh) flows and surrounds a soul. He sang “All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes, and cassia, and the music of strings from ivory palaces makes you glad.”

Similarly, Solomon sang, “The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

While Solomon’s brain was seeing images of a woman in bed, talking sweet nothing to her bridegroom, Yahweh was using words like “arise,” which means a soul saying to Yahweh, “lift my soul up to you and take my soul forever in your love.”

Because David is readily seen to be a soul married to Yahweh, due to his history saying Samuel anointed his head with oil, as Yahweh poured out His Spirit upon David’s soul forever, we read his love song – and it is identified as such – and we intuit his words as singing about Yahweh. We do not feel that same divine application of interpretation when we read the Song of Solomon. His words keep our minds on the carnal plane. However, David’s love song can equally be read on that same level. If these songs were not identified by their authors, just read aloud in a public place, it is difficult to determine them as sacred texts. That makes it apparent how the words written can have two different meanings.

From these songs of love, the optional reading from Deuteronomy 4 seems to be a complete turn-around. It is selected verses that tell of Moses preparing the Israelites to receive their Promised Land. He was reminding them to adhere to the laws taught to them; and, he told them to forever teach their children to abide by those laws.

As far as love songs go, Moses spoke the words of wisdom that recognizes the initial attraction, that which leads to the desires causing a couple to jump right into bed together, as changing over time. While infatuation ignites a flame, with the special union or marriage comes a contract of commitment.

The marriage vows most commonly read when two human beings make a promise of commitment – forever – speaks of “for better or worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” That says, “Hey guys, you are young now and the figs are blooming and everything looks sexy and delectable; but marriage is not about a one-night stand. It is a commitment that does not envision divorce.”

Solomon must have had his lawyers draw up prenups that said he was only getting married for sex; but when the novelty wore off, the wife would have a room at the far end of the palace, where she could raise any children that came. End of agreement.

To have so many lovers, Solomon could not have chased after one more than once or twice. As a boy, he entered into an arranged marriage with an Egyptian princess, which was taboo. He allowed his wives to import their religions and built temples to some of their gods in Israel. His views of marriage were slack.

That would be a reflection on how much he cared about the Covenant Yahweh told Moses all the Israelites had to agree to when their souls married Him. When Solomon locked the Ark and the Covenant in a stone mausoleum, he was symbolically saying, the Covenant is dead.

Moses said, “Give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that Yahweh elohe of your ancestors, is giving you.” In that, Moses was reminding them of the commitment made in marriage, by the souls of their forefathers – the Yahweh elohe – that they were expected to also be – AND – they were expected to teach their children’s children to also marry their souls to Yahweh and also become His elohim.

His use of “live” [from “chayah“] is one of those two-way words. Human life is temporal, when a soul is born into a mortal body. Spiritual life is eternal, beyond the death of a body of flesh. So, “you may live to enter and occupy the land of Yahweh [as] elohim like your ancestors” means the potential is for eternal life in heaven: a greater reward than some hot, arid land in the Middle East.

The song of love has turned to a song of everlasting love, which is the truth of commitment. Moses said, “keep the commandments of Yahweh eloheka with which I am charging you” … “You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!”’

Think about that for a moment. Ask yourself this: If Solomon was taught to be married to Yahweh, to become one of His elohim and depend on Yahweh to bring forth the wisdom and discernment of the Mind of Yahweh – the “Christ Mind” – wouldn’t his song flow from the tongue of Yahweh?

The Song of Solomon cuts two ways. One way is too sensual and carnal. Only when one holds these verses up to the light of truth can the tongue of Yahweh be heard.

Now, the accompanying Psalm to this reading from Deuteronomy is Psalm 15. In the first verse David posed two questions, writing: “Yahweh, who may dwell in your tabernacle? Who may abide upon your holy hill?”

In those two questions, one needs to remember the stories read on past Sundays about David. In one, we saw him dancing wildly before the Ark, as it was moved into the City of David.

Prior to that, when David was named King of both Israel and Judah, he took Jebus, which was also called Jerusalem. He made that fortress his place of government. It was the “hill” known as Ophel, leading up to Mount Moriah, which the second question needs to be seen as focusing on.

In Psalm 45, the accompanying love song to the Song of Solomon, in addition to announcing that was a “love song,” David also stated in the first verse that the psalm was one of those dedicated to the “Sons of Korah.” Korah, if you recall, was the cousin of Moses, who led a rebellion against Aaron and Moses, because he wanted to have more responsibilities – as a High Priest – in the Tabernacle.

Yahweh caused the earth to open up and swallow Korah; but because he had “sons” it can be assumed he did not completely go away. We are told Samuel was a descendant of the sons of Korah; and, Samuel was the great prophet who anointed David, who spoke with Yahweh. That is why I see the sons of Korah as the Yahweh elohim that Yahweh made become the watchers of the Israelites, as well as the monitors of the Ark, after Moses released them and Joshua led them across the Jordan River. I believe the sons of Korah lived underground, as servants of Yahweh.

When you can at least get that concept, the questions posed by David about the Tabernacle and the hill are questions about “Who can become Yahweh elohim?”

Can you see that?

When Moses addressed the people, he called them “Israel.” That is a sword that cuts to the left as the name of a nation of people, whose souls are married to the land and to the material realm. The cut to the right says all the people hearing Moses speak were “He [Who] Retains God.” All who retain God are Yahweh elohim, meaning the intent in Moses telling them, “take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life,” says they must be married to Yahweh, as His elohim, so He will keep their commitment always on their minds and always in their hearts.

This then says Psalm 15 was chosen to be read along with this focus on the commitment of divine marriage, by David singing out questions that are relative to this commitment. Whose soul cares so strongly about serving Yahweh in His Tabernacle that he will make Yahweh take notice of one’s desire to “dwell in his tabernacle” and “live in the hill of elohim”?

David sang in verse 4, “In his sight the wicked is rejected, but he honors those who fear Yahweh.” The rejection must be seen as relative to divine marriage.

When Solomon heard Yahweh ask, “What shall I give you?” Solomon was so egotistical he asked to be as smart as God. That attitude did not sit well with Yahweh, so Solomon’s soul was rejected. Yahweh turned over the conversation to Satan. Solomon had no fear of Yahweh whatsoever. He felt he was superior to Him; so, he thought Yahweh had come to him to bow down before an imp.

David then sang out, “He has sworn to do no wrong and does not take back his word.” In that, the double-edge of “sworn” means, cutting one way, it is a “curse” uttered upon oneself. In the other way, the same word means a vow of marriage sworn to. One receives Yahweh’s Spirit in marriage; or, one rejects that divine union.

We hear those lyrics when the Old Testament choice is the reading from Deuteronomy 4. The only way to forever remember the commitment made to Yahweh – which is stated in His Commandments of marriage – is to have those rules written on the walls of one’s heart (i.e.: one’s soul). For that to happen, a soul must swear to love, honor, and obey Yahweh.

Say, “I do” and mean it … live by those words.

When Jesus said, “You cannot serve two masters,” that means you cannot halfway serve Yahweh, while halfway serving Satan (or self). There is no in-between in divine marriage, just as there is no almost pregnant. You either are or you aren’t.

The sword cuts cleanly, one way or the other.

This then leads us to the Epistle reading from James. He began by saying, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

In this, the words “giving” and “gift” have to be seen as what Paul termed the “gifts of the Spirit” [“pneumatikōn”]. The confirmation of this comes from the word “perfect,” where only Yahweh is that; and, Yahweh comes from “above,” meaning a much higher state of existence.”

James’ reference to “the Father of lights,” which come with “no variation or shadow,” says the light of truth is certainly the foremost gift given by a bridegroom to His brides. The light of truth is brightly lit, with no dim places. In legal terms, the truth is ‘black and white,’ with no gray areas.

The Covenant is, with no negotiations. Still, to understand what the words in it mean … well that requires a soul get some divine assistance interpreting. Wisdom alone [a.k.a. intelligence] is not enough. Ask Solomon.

This needs to be seen in terms of the Laws of Moses, which Moses told to those who were Yahweh elohim [all who were “Israel”], “do not forget the things that your eyes have seen,” and “do not let slip from your mind” what laws you agreed to maintain.

When a marriage agreement turns into some written document that lawyers ponder, trying to come up with loopholes and ways out of commitment, then one has forgotten what was shown and let slip all that matters.

The warning Moses gave must be seen as one unheeded, at least as far as “make them known to your children and your children’s children” is concerned.

The history of the Book of Judges is two generations trying to be committed, followed by two generations becoming more and more uncommitted. The up and down led the elders to go to Samuel and demand a king, to be like other nations.

Other nations means being like what Egypt was modeled after. There were no Yahweh elohim in Egypt. Other nations have kings who are not Yahweh elohim. Why else leave Egypt and go some place where people who were not Yahweh elohim already lived?

Saul was not one who remembered the warnings of Moses. David had to come slay the giant, to remind the Israelites what that name meant – Those Who Retain God – Yahweh elohim. However, David became sinful and then Solomon was born, never being taught to remember the Covenant of marriage.

In the Gospel reading from Mark, some Pharisees and scribes confronted Jesus about his disciples not washing their hands before eating. Jesus heard them mutating the Law, which was written for those who entered the tabernacle and attended to the Ark – the Levites. Jesus quoted Isaiah to them.

Jesus said, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.”

That was Jesus reminding those supposed holy men that they were supposed to be married to Yahweh. They were supposed to become His elohim, and do like David sang: “Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart.”

The Pharisees and scribes were full of blame. They routinely went around criticizing others, just as they accosted Jesus. They were, as the saying goes, the pot calling the kettle black. They could not speak the truth from their hearts, because none of their souls had married Yahweh.

The quote from Isaiah was to the King of Judah, as Yahweh speaking to those who led Judah to ruin through His prophet. A prophet is a Yahweh elohim.

Isaiah spoke to them as Yahweh, because those rulers and scribes had forgotten what Moses said. They read the Song of Solomon and got sexually aroused. They read the scrolls and misinterpreted what had been written. They too were like the little boy king Solomon, who deserved a whipping for having broken the laws of Moses, egotistically thinking he was all-wise and able to make up the meaning of the Word … to suit his needs.

Israel collapsed because they forgot the warnings of Moses. Judah collapsed for the same reason. The returning Jews had become the illegitimate step-children of the self-imposed legal authorities, whose stronghanded nonsense was supposed to keep ruin from ever happening again.

Their glorious Temple, refurbished in honor of Herod the Great, would be demolished not too long after some Pharisees and scribes told Jesus his disciples were sinners.

The Pharisees and scribes thought they were religious. They criticized Jesus because his hungry disciples ate grains with unwashed hands. They were insinuating that Jesus was not religious, therefore neither were his followers.

James wrote, “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.”

Isaiah spoke as Yahweh saying to the kings of Judah, “Your religion is worthless.”

Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and scribes saying, “Your religion is worthless.”

When James followed that statement by saying, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

The Pharisees and scribes cared for nobody other than themselves and whoever could fast-track their climb to financial success. Thus, there was nothing pure and undefiled about them.

The sword cuts two ways. Your religion is either worthless, or you are a Yahweh elohim, whose religion is pure and undefiled before God, the Father.

It is not half of one and half of the other. It is all or nothing.

Jesus told the crowd that surrounded the Pharisees and scribes, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.”

Jesus was not talking about grains being unwashed, or hands being unwashed. He was not talking about the ideas that lawyers come up with when reading Scriptures. He was not talking about an arranged marriage, where a pure and innocent daughter would be given away in marriage to a tax collector.

Jesus was not talking about anything that manifests in the material world – that which is external.

Jesus was talking about everyone who stood by listening to him – those having a soul. A soul is not part of the physical world. A soul is imprisoned in a body of flesh, trying to find its way out of the material realm, so it can return to be with Yahweh.

What Jesus was saying was the people of Galilee and Judea – the Jews – were taking into their souls demonic spirits. They were becoming married to sinful lusts and pleasures. They were fearing everything external to them, rather than only fearing their soul losing the presence of Yahweh.

Jesus was talking about the double-edged sword of carnal pleasures verses spiritual joys. He was pointing out how commitment to a divine marriage meant understanding the intent of the Law, without every having to think about what the Law means. Jesus was saying the ways of righteousness would come as a gift from Yahweh, so a blameless life, doing what is right and speaking the truth, comes as natural as Isaiah telling a King of Judah, “your religion is based on merely human rules they have been taught” by sinful idiots.

You have to grasp this that Jesus said as being a reference to the dangers of becoming a demonic elohim, by receiving the spirit of Satan as the controller of one’s body of flesh. Thus, Jesus said, “it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.” Those are not the deeds of a Yahweh elohim.

When Mark ended this reading selection by telling us that Jesus said, “All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person,” “evil things” becomes a statement about demonic possession.

Moses reminded those who retained God in their souls to always remember the marriage vows that join one’s soul to Yahweh … in divine possession. It is a lesson that still matters today.

The bus is coming, so I will close quickly. We live in a carbon-copy world as did Solomon, David, Moses, Isaiah, Jesus and James. We call ourselves Christians, when the sword of that name means nothing or everything.

The value of our religion is how much we invest into it. The only way to be all-in is to submit one’s soul fully into marriage with Yahweh. Each soul has to make this eternal commitment to divine marriage. That marriage comes with a stipulated Covenant, which cannot be broken once commenced. We need the gifts of Yahweh to keep the fire of desire always burning.

Keep my words in mind as you go through your work week. May Yahweh smile lovingly into your hearts and souls until we meet again.

Amen

Homily for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Dedicating a temple unto Yahweh

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone had a great past week and you all received the email with the link to the lectionary page and have read all the readings assigned for today.

Remember, I talk about them all, not just one, two, or three. I even talk about the psalms!

So, let’s get started!

The first Old Testament reading comes from First Kings and follows last Sunday’s reading when Solomon had a dream and was promised great wisdom.

If you recall, I said the language written about that promise says, “It pleased adonay that Solomon had asked for this. And elohim said to him.” I pointed out those two words, without “Yahweh” means it was Satan who was pleased, not Yahweh. Because Yahweh had been mentioned asking Solomon a question – because he had broken some tabernacle rules by offering sacrifices and burning incense in high places – the question “elohim inquire what shall I give you?” was about punishment, not free gifts.

Remember how I said that question from Yahweh was not about giving gifts, but giving deserved punishment?

An elohim is an entity that is a creation of the hand of God. Angels are elohim and saints are elohim, as “Yahweh elohim.” However, elohim can also be demonically possessed.

Cain was an elohim who welcomed Satan and turned away marriage of his soul to Yahweh.

When Yahweh saw Solomon breaking rules set by Moses, after being told by his father David to obey all Mosaic Law, Solomon was a soul who had welcomed Satan in marriage, rejecting Yahweh.

David made a point of telling his young ‘love child’ about dangers to his pending realm. After David died, Solomon made sure three men were executed, such that their deaths secured his kingship.

When Solomon misheard Yahweh’s question about punishment, egotistically hearing it as a question about a free divine gift, Solomon wanted to be forewarned about everything … like daddy David had done for him … so his young mind asked to be able to discern good and evil.

We call that asking for the forbidden fruit; but such fruit comes highly recommended by the serpent … the craftiest of all the elohim created by Yahweh.

With this refresher about last Sunday’s lesson, today we find that Solomon has ordered the building of a temple of stone. He began that after four years as king. It was completed seven years later. So, Solomon was twenty-something in the reading today.

His speech makes it seem like he is fulfilling the commands of Yahweh, told to his father David by his prophet Nathan.

That, if you recall the lessons from five Sundays ago, when David had the idea to make a house of cedar for Yahweh, Yahweh appeared to Nathan and told him to tell David:

“When [David’s] days are fulfilled and [David] lies down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (2 Samuel 7:12-13)

That, I said, was God talk … divine language … that sounds like it says Solomon, when it really says Jesus. The key hint comes from the words that say “his kingdom forever.”

Solomon did not live to be as old as David. Israel divided after Solomon died, so neither Israel nor Judah lasted “forever.” Far from it.

The interesting thing about this elaborate speech by Solomon, where he repeated saying, “your servant David my father,” Solomon kind of threw in a tidbit about his commitment to Yahweh, saying, “Regard your servant’s prayer and his plea, Yahweh elohim.” That says Solomon publicly proclaimed to be a soul married to Yahweh … like dear ole dad.

The problem is that was a lie, because had Solomon’s soul been married to Yahweh, he would have no need for great wisdom. Solomon would know what Yahweh meant when He spoke to Nathan, telling him to tell David at no time did Yahweh want a fixed building.

The mobile “house of Yahweh” to come would be a body of flesh. Just as the body is the temple of the soul, the soul is the temple of Yahweh … or Satan … depending on if the soul is like Adam or like his son Cain.

The caveat in this reading today is Nathan. Nathan was still the prophete de jour, so Yahweh should have told Nathan to tell Solomon, “You misunderstand the concept of the Ark and the Covenant. No buildings of cedar. No buildings of stone. Only houses of flesh.”

Because Nathan was not telling Solomon what Yahweh meant, it seems the last time Yahweh spoke to Nathan was when Yahweh told Nathan that David was metaphor for the man who stole a poor man’s little ewe lamb, killed it and cooked it up for some visitor.

That would mean when David sinned and received the condemnation of Yahweh and was told, “[Yahweh] will raise up trouble against you from within your own house,” Nathan was a part of that “house.” That says Nathan ceased being a conduit of Yahweh after David died, no longer able to lead the king and the kingdom.

The confirmation of this insight – that Solomon building a temple of stone was not what Yahweh wanted – comes from the other Old Testament reading for today. The reading from Joshua says what a true “house of Yahweh” is.

Joshua was a judge of Israel. Joshua was a true Yahweh elohim. Joshua was led by Yahweh, spoke directly with Yahweh, and he thus led the Israelite people in their conquest of the native peoples who were resistant to the Israelites taking possession of the land Yahweh promised His people.

In the reading today from Joshua 24, he has convened a meeting in Shechem, with all the leaders of the Israelite people asked to attend. The Tabernacle was erected there and the Ark was safely inside. Shechem was given to the Levites as their portion of the land – like a city-state – as Shechem would be where they would maintain that holy ground.

In other words, Joshua did what Solomon would do many centuries later. The difference is Joshua told the Israelite leaders that the power of Yahweh that was in the Ark would rest in Shechem, which was a central place within the area of the Twelve Tribes – like the heart of Israel. But, setting the Ark into a fixed position would free each and every Israelite’s soul to serve whatever or whoever they wanted.

In the language of Joshua 24, he referred to both “Yahweh elohim” and to “elohim.” Joshua told the Israelites it was up to each individual, as to who each would serve, be it the “elohim” of Egypt or the “elohim” of Ur (where Abram came from originally).

Given that freedom – which must be seen as being allowed by affixing one space in the land for the Tabernacle and the Ark – Joshua told everyone there, “as for me and my household, we will serve Yahweh.”

The significance of what Joshua said is this. The Tabernacle, with the Ark and the Covenant inside, was placed in the heart of the land; but the land was earth. Earth is dead matter, without life. To worhip the land meant the land named “Israel” became their elohim.

Yahweh was really only atop the Ark when it moved with the people. Once the people moved away from where the Ark stayed put, it was up to them to become tabernacles, with the Ark of the Covenant meaning their souls had married Yahweh. After that holy matrimony, Yahweh still moved wherever the people moved.

That was why Joshua called the leaders of Israel to attend and hear what Yahweh had led him to announce.

Joshua said he would remain a Yahweh elohim; and as such, he would teach all within his realm of responsibility to also give their souls to Yahweh and become His wives and servants. The “household” of Joshua meant Joshua’s gathering or assembly, was his synagogue.

After Joshua said that, all the other Israelites said (basically), “We have seen the power of Yahweh lead us here. We too will remain Yahweh elohim.”

That is the truth of the name “Israel.” It means “He Retains God.” A true Israelite is one who is a Yahweh elohim.

If you go over what Solomon said, he never suggested all those who attended his ‘grand opening’ of the temple named after him must be married to Yahweh. He wanted everyone to be like him. He was the King of Israel after all, with Israel then reduced to simply meaning a nation led by a king. The Ark was in Israel’s heart, but Israel was a dead nation if the people were not Yahweh elohim.

In essence, Solomon was interring the Ark of the Covenant in a mausoleum. He was burying Yahweh. His dedication speech and his prayer should be read as a hip-hip-hooray for Solomon. If the New York Times had been around back then, the headline would have read, “Yahweh is Dead. Long live the King.”

The Psalm that is attached to the First Kings reading about Solomon is Psalm 84.

Psalm 84 is another of those written by David, which are dedicated to the “Sons of Korah.” We last read a song dedicated to those sons when we read Psalm 48, back on the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, when Saul died and David became the King of Israel and Judah.

Korah was a cousin of Moses, who led a rebellion against Aaron and Moses, because he was a Levite that only was assigned to wash pots and pans in the tabernacle; and, he wanted to be a high priest, like Aaron.

That rebellion was squashed by Yahweh. The earth opened up and swallowed Korah, with all his rebels killed.

Because Korah had sons, he didn’t die. He became the patriarch of the elohim who would forever be the watchers of the Ark and the Tabernacle. Because he had so much fervor for that holy place, Yahweh put that energy to use, as a servant of His.

David knew that, so he wrote songs dedicated to those elohim of the tabernacle. Psalm 84 is thus called [by those who give the psalms titles] “How lovely are your dwellings!”

In this song about the “tabernacle of Yahweh,” David sang, “Happy are they who dwell in your house!” He added, “Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way.”

In this song of praise, four times David sang about “Yahweh of hosts.” In verse seven he sang, “Yahweh elohim of hosts.”

A “host” means both an army and all the angels. So, it is an army of angels. Still, in a song about the dwellings of Yahweh, the “hosts of Yahweh” includes the Yahweh elohim, like Joshua, like David.

This means the elders of the Episcopal Church, who arranged that the reading from First Kings be tied to a reading os Psalm 84, knew that when Solomon locked away the Ark in a temple of stone, it becomes important to sing praises that the Ark was not in Shechem, nor in Jerusalem, but in one’s heart and soul.

That great power is moved into that place when one’s soul marries Yahweh and His Spirit becomes the ruler of one’s soul.

When this is seen, one can then look at Psalm 34, which is now the third Sunday in a row that Psalm 34 has been attached to the optional Old Testament reading. Today, verses 15 through 22 are connected to the story of Joshua telling the Israelites to choose who their souls will serve.

In six of the eight verses, Yahweh is named. David sang, “The eyes of Yahweh are upon the righteous; The face of Yahweh is against those who do evil; and Yahweh redeems the life of his servants.”

All of that sings praises from a soul that has married Yahweh. Those receive the gift of divine insight. Those lay down the face of self-importance and rise wearing the face of Yahweh.

In return for that sacrifice of self and servitude for Yahweh, the souls of the righteous earn eternal life.

The Covenant is one’s personal marriage vows with Yahweh. The Ark resides within one’s soul. One’s flesh has become the Tabernacle. Yahweh moves where that body of flesh goes. Yahweh remains with the soul when the flesh passes away.

Solomon stood on holy ground and praised himself as the son of David. He had the gift of wisdom that equates to brain smarts; but he did not have a lick of devotion to Yahweh in his being, so he wore his own face and never saw all that was possible from the Mind of God.

It has to be from this perspective of Yahweh elohim being those whose souls have made their bodies of flesh become temples (or tabernacles) unto Yahweh … not some worldly talent or addiction … that one reads the words of Paul, where he wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Take note that Paul specifically warned to prepare for “the wiles of the devil,” where the Greek word translated as “wiles” means “scheming, craftiness, deceit.” The serpent was the craftiest of the creatures created by Yahweh; and, it was his “deceit” that led Adam and Eve (and itself) to be banished from the heavenly realm.

Solomon wore none of this armor written of by Paul: No belt of truth around his waist; no breastplate of righteousness; he wore no sandals in which to walk proclaiming the Gospel of peace; he held no shield of faith in Yahweh; he wore no helmet of salvation; and, he carried no sword that was Yahweh’s Word.

When you get down to looking at what Paul listed, he was naming the dress of a high priest, one set in place to guard the tabernacle and be able to stand on such holy ground.

David wore a line ephod when he danced wildly before the Ark, as it entered Jerusalem. He demonstrated how little a king of a nation was before the Ark of the Covenant.

Solomon dressed like a king (I imagine), looking stately (at age 23, maybe). He offered prayers for the people, like he thought what he was doing was ordained by being king, that making it his right to act priestly. He offered sacrifices and burned incense in high places, while wearing the robes of a spoiled royal brat.

Paul warned us today, when he said, “our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Solomon fit that bill then; but does not the Pope of Rome (however many they have these days)? It says “our struggle is not against enemies of the flesh,” because our struggle is against the enemies of our souls. Those are the ones who rise to positions of power, decreeing souls turn away from Yahweh.

Can you see Paul was like Joshua, and not like Solomon?

Seeing this explanation of “Yahweh elohim,” which is vastly different from being demonically possessed, as a worldly elohim, listen carefully to what Jesus said to those who hounded him in Capernaum:

“Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”

Jesus was like Moses, like Joshua, like Elijah, even like David before he was allowed to sin and his kingdom could be cursed to ruin. Jesus was a “Yahweh elohim.”

All I listed were spiritual food from which the people of their “houses” were fed. They ate the spiritual bread of a divine soul, listening to divine teachings, watching divine miracles, and witnessing how the presence of a judge or prophet filled their souls and bodies with the same spirit of service to Yahweh.

They ate that spiritual food until the divine Spirit of Yahweh was poured out upon their souls, such that they became imbibed with the blood that is the Spirit. It is the blood of relationship to Yahweh. It is the blood that makes one’s body become Yahweh’s Son [regardless of one’s human gender – souls have no gender].

When the blood of Yahweh makes one His Son, then that is the blood of brotherhood. The Son of man now has a name. That name is Jesus, which means “Yah[weh] Will Save.”

When one has become a Yahweh elohim, one then “abides in Jesus, and Jesus abides in that one.”

That reality led Jesus to then add, “Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.”

That says the manifestation of Jesus in the flesh was to bring true life into a world that only offers death. Jesus represents the “bread of life” because Jesus is the extension of the Father into the material plane. One has to eat the promise of life in order to become alive. Becoming alive means being reborn as Jesus.

It is clear that Jesus said the only way to gain eternal life is by becoming him resurrected within one’s soul-flesh. That is confirmed when he said to the Jews, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

The manna from heaven was spiritual food that led the souls of the Israelites to become Yahweh elohim through contact with Moses. The same manna from heaven became the spiritual food of Joshua, which led the souls of the Israelites to again become Yahweh elohim through contact with a divine judge. The same manna from heaven became the bread of life that filled David … but when Yahweh withdrew that gift from David, due to his sins, the people of Israel began a slow slide to death. They only had the spiritulal food that was the Torah, the Psalms, and the Prophets; but, no one was able to explain that as a Yahweh elohim.

By the time the death from worshiping nations as elohim took place, most of the Israelites were scattered to the four ends of the earth … and the beautiful Solomon’s Temple was destroyed.

The Ark of the Covenant, like Moses’ cousin Korah, was swallowed up by the earth.

Some say it is in Ethiopia. Some say it is buried somewhere by the Templars. Wherever it is, few souls have it within them today, because there are few Yahweh elohim around now.

Being a Christian is like being a student in a seminary. The expectation should be to graduate, become ordained as a Yahweh elohim, and spend the rest of one’s days teaching other students to do the same. Unfortunately, most Christians enjoy the idea of being a student, much more than they really desire marrying Yahweh and going into ministry as one of His elohim.

Christianity today is all about worshiping schools and organization. It is about being fans of Jesus. It believes everything will be okay, even as the enemies of the souls are closing in, about to destroy the things worshiped.

That means all the manna from heaven Christians eat – the spiritual food of the Holy Bible – is like listening to Solomon orate about the death of Yahweh, as they close Him away in a tomb of stone. It is like hearing Joshua say, “The choice is yours, as to what gods you serve,” and then cheering, as if someone just said all you have to do is buy a sweatshirt that says “Jesus” on it. Then you can do as you wish.

That is a road to death. Death of the flesh, meaning an eternal soul gets recycled. A soul gets ordered to return to ‘Start’ and begin again. You do not get to take anything with you from this life.

Raise your hand if you have heard anyone else tell you the promise of not becoming a priest of Yahweh means death?

John wrote, “Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.”

Those who turned away from Jesus – who turned away from Yahweh’s offer of marriage – are the same souls returned into bodies of flesh today. They still turn back and no longer want to follow Jesus – AS JESUS.

That is hard work. They say, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

When Jesus turned to his twelve lead apostles, asking, “Do you also wish to go away?” the sad truth today is those who lead parishes, churches, and divisions of Christianity have answered just like Solomon.

They no longer say what Peter said. They stand in holy places offering sacrifices and orating prayers that demand Yahweh do as they say … as if being a worldly king was something special.

The sacrifices they offer are your bodies and souls.

Think about that for a moment. Get the picture in your mind’s eye. First Kings 8:63 says [after the dedication and prayers were over], “Solomon offered a sacrifice of fellowship offerings to Yahweh: twenty-two thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats.”

Think of that being metaphor of Israelites being sacrificed as “fellowship offering.” Think of them all – 142,000 sacrifices, slaughtered and burned on the altar – then served to the people to eat.

Think of that as eating the flesh and drinking the blood of turning away from Yahweh.

The sacrifice of Jesus’ body released his soul so countless true Christians could feast on his life.

Think about that this coming week. The bus should be arriving soon; so, I’ll stop here.

May Yahweh come into your lives. May you all become Yahweh elohim.

Amen

Homily for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone had a good past week; and, I hope everyone received the email with the link to the lectionary page, so you have read all the readings possible for today.

You know I don’t just talk about one or a few of those. I discuss them all, because they are all relevant and need to be known.

So, with that said, let’s get started!

Today we read that “David slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the city of David.” This seems benign enough, as if it is just some historical facts of passing interest. However, it is a statement that needs to be seen as important.

The word translated as “ancestors” actually means “fathers” or “forefathers.” David’s father was Jesse the Bethlehemite. Bethlehem is in Judah, but Jerusalem is in Benjamin. For David to be buried in the city that bore his name, this is not a statement about an ancestral tomb. Instead, it is a statement that the history of David would go down with all the greats of Israel.

While the Book of Jasher was the history book of the Philistines, David’s history would go down in the books of Samuel, a prophet who was one of the greats of Israel. David’s name would become synonymous with the Judges of Israel, beginning with Joshua and ending with Samuel.

David was chosen by Yahweh to be a judge of Israel. When we read, “The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years,” his age at death was seventy. So, the first thirty years of David’s life was spent as a judge.

Saul was the king when David was anointed as a judge. David rose to become king after Saul’s line ended. David was then a judge who became king, which marks a transition state for the nation of Israelites.

The last ten years, or so, of David’s reign was as a failed king, the likes of Saul. He failed to retain the heart of a judge; so, David’s story comes to an end in the Book of First Kings.

David’s history, however, mostly being good laid him to rest with the great leaders of the past, not the failures that would come to reign over Israel, beginning with Solomon.

The reading selection from First Kings jumps around, skipping over many details. When we read Solomon say to the voice in his dream, “I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in” and “Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil,” this paints a picture of a weakling, of one afraid to govern.

In the parts skipped over, we see that before David died he had a little ‘father-son’ chat with Solomon. He told Solomon about who to look out for, as there were those who did not follow David’s orders as king; and, they would be threats to young Solomon’s reign. After David died and was buried, Solomon followed his father’s suggestions and had three challengers to his reign killed.

Now, the unwritten question that should be asked by knowing this is this: Why didn’t David do away with all those threats himself, so a little boy king would not have to do it?

The answer, as I see it, is David had to test Solomon’s desire to rule. David never had that desire. His desire was to please Yahweh; so, David lead the Israelites to be extensions of his love of Yahweh. Because Yahweh was with David [as a judge] the people helped David move in the directions Yahweh saw best.

David knew Solomon was not anointed with Yahweh’s Spirit, because he was a child of David’s sin. David had seen a fearful Saul when Goliath was the threat to his kingship. Thus, David left a few giants for Solomon to fight, for him to kill or be killed.

Solomon was not afraid to kill. Solomon was not afraid of Yahweh.

How do we know that?

Well, we read, “[Solomon] sacrificed and offered incense at the high places.”

Such acts are only allowed to the priests of the tabernacle, of which Solomon was not one.

One of the things David told Solomon before he died was, “keep the charge of Yahweh eloheka, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his ordinances, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn.”

The first part of that – “keep the charge of Yahweh eloheka” – demands that Solomon sacrifice his self-ego in submission to Yahweh, so he would become one of Yahweh’s elohim – or gods on earth – Saints – Judges.

Solomon never gave up his self-ego; so, Solomon never became one charged as Yahweh’s eloheka.

The confusion that comes from this reading comes when we read, “At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and God said, “Ask what I should give you.”

What is actually written says, “Yahweh appeared to Solomon in a dream by night and said, “elohim inquire what shall I give you.” The quotation marks are the additions of translation, so not written. However, this can be read as Yahweh saying, “You know son, those who make offerings and burn incense by the tabernacle altar are elohim, and they ask Me what I want them to do.”

Yahweh spoke to Solomon as if Solomon were one of His bridesmaids, to whom God had proposed marriage to his soul. That union would have formed an elohim.” Thus, the proper answer from Solomon should have been, “Your presence is enough of a gift for me. Please take me as your obedient servant to guide and instruct.”

It is here that it becomes important to realize how badly Solomon had broken the laws of Moses, by making a thousand animal sacrifices and burning incense in high places [Gibeon].The question posed by Yahweh was more in line with, “What punishment do you deserve? If not an elohim?”

Yahweh was not asking an impudent brat, “What free wish can I grant your highness?” … like a genie would, if released from a bottle.

Solomon was so full of self-ego he heard the question and began some line of BS, about guiding the people of God, when Yahweh knew Solomon’s heart. Solomon had run out of people to kill, to make sure no one else could sneak up on a boy king and steal his power and control from him.

Solomon had everything his childish brain could think of; but in his dream he wanted to have an adult brain. He wanted to be able to discern good from evil.

If you recall the story from Genesis, where a wise serpent came up to Eve and told her the only thing that kept her from being a god was not eating the fruit of the tree Yahweh was afraid if she ate from it, then Yahweh would not be the only God.

Solomon just asked to be as wise as that serpent.

When he made that request – basically telling Yahweh, “No,” when asked about marriage – Solomon had turned his back to Yahweh …

So, Satan stepped in to make a promise to young Solomon.

Here, we read “It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him,” where the truth is Yahweh is no longer part of the conversation.

The actual translation says, “It pleased adonay that Solomon had asked for this. And elohim said to him.”

The word “adonay” means a lower-case “lord,” which were the demonic spirits that had led young Solomon to desecrate the tabernacle by his butchering and burning animals and incense. Yahweh is not an elohim. Yahweh is the creator of gods, which range from physical laws [like gravity], to angels, to Sons of man [like prophets, judges, and saints].

This change from “Yahweh” to “adonay” and “elohim” speaking comes after Yahweh had asked Solomon to marry His Spirit (and realize the errors of his youthful ways), when Solomon told Yahweh to take a hike.

It was Satan whose snaky ears perked up when Solomon asked for the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. That did not please Yahweh, it pleased Satan [the serpent cast out into the earth].

Eating that fruit means banishment from Yahweh’s kingdom. So, wisdom as a personal asset was not a good thing to ask for.

Can you see that?

The Psalm that accompanies this reading is number 111. It begins with the word “Hallelujah!”

Raise your hand if you know what “Hallelujah” means.

This is actually two Hebrew words combined as one English reproduction. Those words say, “praise Yah,” where “Yah” is short for “Yahweh.”

Verse one of Psalm 111 then follows “Hallelujah!” to say, “I will give thanks to Yahweh with my whole heart.”

If you remember what Jesus said, after being asked what the most important law was, he said “to love God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

Remembering that makes it easy to see how David sang about giving thanks for a soul’s marriage to Yahweh. He gave praise to Yahweh by giving Him one’s heart, soul, and mind.

David then sang, “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures forever.”

First of all, that says a soul married to Yahweh automatically receives divine wisdom, which is far greater than the intellect contained by the biggest brains of the world.

More importantly, David’s song lyrics say Solomon had no fear of Yahweh. We know that because he heard a voice in his dream and egotistically turned a question about marriage into a question that asked to serve Solomon. So, it was not Yahweh handing out the ability to discern good from evil.

Conversely, Solomon is given credit for writing Proverbs 9, where he said, “Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars.”

Solomon was singing praises to a goddess.

The Greeks called the goddess of wisdom Athena, who the Romans called Minerva. Solomon had married an Egyptian princess. That arranged marriage was made for the boy king as an alliance that kept Israel from war with Egypt. That says human marriage was seen by Solomon as better protecting Israel than a marriage to Yahweh.

The Egyptian goddess of wisdom was named Seshat.

No matter what name wisdom takes, Solomon did not write Proverbs 9 as praise for a male deity.

When I was contemplating the meaning of the number “seven,” as the “seven pillars,” I was led to see the Hindu chakras, with those numbering seven. The first chakra is located at the top of the head, where “knowledge, fulfillment, spirituality, and self-realization are received. The second is called the third-eye – the forehead-brow area of the head – where “intuition, visualization, Imagination and Clairvoyance” are received.

The Hindu goddess of wisdom is named Saraswati, although I doubt Solomon knew that, in all his wisdom.

Last Sunday we read about Elijah ‘going to sleep’ under a broom tree. Spiritual food – bread and water – were placed by his head. The head is the place of the brain; and, the brain controls the flesh. The soul controls the brain; but the soul can be possessed spiritually.

A divine possession by Yahweh’s Spirit brings a masculine presence within the soul, which controls the brain.

A divine possession by adonay or elohim of the material universe will also take control of the brain; but the spirits of the physical realm bring a feminine essence, unlike that of Yahweh.

This means all of these different named goddesses are the elohim of Satan. They are all called upon by meditations that are designed for mastering self in the physical realm.

In Proverbs 9, Solomon wrote, “You that are simple, turn in here!”

In one’s soul being subjected to Yahweh, one takes on a submissive role that become “simple-minded.” Like Ezekiel answered when asked by Yahweh, “Mortal, can these bones live?”

Ezekiel answered as one who was “simple,” saying, “You know.”

Solomon preferred to have the ability to respond to Yahweh as an equal, stating, “I know ….”

In regards to that response of submission, Solomon mocked: “To those without sense she says, “Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight.”

That is the anthesis of what Jesus said to the Jews who followed after him for physical bread, not the spiritual bread of life. He told them, “You do not seek signs … you seek food that perishes.”

Solomon was singing praises to all the worldly gains that come from being smarter than the average bear. [A “Yogi-ism.”]

Again, the Psalm of David that is the companion to the Proverbs reading sings, “Fear Yahweh, you that are his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.”

To fear Yahweh means to follow the commandment to fear only Yahweh; but it also says fear becomes motivation to do everything to please Yahweh. Fear of losing the blessing of his presence – fear of losing being sacred as a servant in ministry – means never being distracted by the “bread and wine” of mortal life.

In David’s Psalm 34, he sings about teaching the sons of Israel to “fear Yahweh.” That was not teaching kids to be afraid of knowing what to do to get ahead in the world. It was preparing them to marry their souls to Yahweh, as David had done as a boy. It seems the positive effect David had was when he was filled with Yahweh’s Spirit and the Israelites were led by his positive example.

Solomon having been born from David’s cursed life meant he was led by the example of a lustful king, not a soul married to Yahweh.

When David sang, “Turn from evil and do good,” Solomon must not have learned what those lyrics meant, as he did the opposite.

Paul then wrote to the true Christians of Ephesus, saying “Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.”

In that, the first word is capitalized, which gives a divine level of meaning to “Discernment” or “careful Perception,” using “exacting” measures about how one should “conduct one’s life.” Paul followed that up by saying such care in how one lives is not “foolish,” which is the meaning of “unwise.”

When Paul said to instead “be wise,” this was less about being the top graduate in a university program of study. It meant to be “learned, cultivated, and clever.” Still, that ‘street smarts’ was based on personal experience with sin, as Paul had and as all the true Christians of Ephesus had … prior to marrying their souls to Yahweh.

The wisdom Paul was talking about was from a new perspective of having been “redeemed” or paying back the ransoms their sins had placed on their souls. That is the truth of the words translated to say “make the most of the time.”

When Paul warned that “the days are evil,” the meaning of “days” is relative to the light of truth that comes from having become one with Yahweh’s Spirit. Each day brings about another temptation to taste the bread and wine of the physical world. To resist that needs personal experience that reminds one, “This is what got my soul in trouble before.”

That is why Paul followed that warning up with the recommendation, “So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” One can only “understand what the will of the Lord is” by having been reborn as “the Lord,” which is the soul of Jesus being resurrected within one’s soul-body lifeform.

The Mind of Christ, which comes with that rebirth, gives one not only the ability to know what Yahweh wants one of His wives to do, the presence of Jesus gives one the power to reject all temptations to sin. Without the presence of Jesus within, sin always tricks us into taking a bite of the apple.

That is why Paul said next, “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.” In that, wine is again the physical drink. Spirit is that poured out upon one’s soul by Yahweh, which makes a soul be transformed into His Christ.

This is vital to understand.

Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

He told that to a bunch of wise Jews who figured out where to go, in order to find Jesus; so they could demand he do some spiritual tricks for them. The apostles that were not named Judas Iscariot did such signs for the majority of five thousand Jewish menfolk.

They all came to town in preparation for the Passover, so they brought plenty of “bread and wine” with them on their trips. Those Jewish men shared with other Jewish families; and, all they got in return was a flimsy sermon and just a taste of bread and fish. They were wise enough to figure out – after listening to the other satisfied Jews – that they were shortchanged.

A couple of Sundays back they found Jesus, calling him “My rabbi,” meaning their wisdom said they owned Jesus, because they handed out their own bread and wine for others to eat and drink. Jesus responded to them saying, “you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”

When Solomon was told by the elohim Satan, “Because you have asked this … for yourself understanding to discern what is right … I give you a wise and discerning mind … I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life” – that says Solomon was just like the Jews that found Jesus.

Yahweh came to Solomon in a dream at night. Solomon did not want to submit to anyone he could not see. He wasn’t about to stop doing as he wished and serve Yahweh as His wife. Solomon had sacrificed a thousand bulls in his own honor, as the new king of Israel. He had burned incense to show that he could do anything he wanted as king. He was not about to be punished by begging Yahweh to forgive his sins, promising never to break the laws again.

When the Jews looked at each other with surprise about what Jesus had said, they asked, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” In a way, Solomon asked, “How can you serve me by giving me your Spirit to submit to?”

Both were unable to discern what was said to them. For all the mental capabilities they had, they could not understand the language of Yahweh. Jesus spoke what the Father had him speak.

Jesus told those brainiacs, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” When Yahweh spoke to Solomon in the dream, he said, “elohim ask what I shall give you.”

In both cases, the humans were told by the divine, “If you want to live long and prosper – the promise of eternal life – then you have to receive the Spirit and become one with Yahweh. You have to become Jesus in your flesh, with your blood his blood, as Sons of man.”

Something overlook in the reading is when Yahweh did speak again to young Solomon, He said: “If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”

David lived seventy years. Solomon only lived sixty. That matter of fact says Solomon did not live up to any of the conditions set by Yahweh before him.

In Matthew 11:25, a Proper 9, Year A reading, Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.”

That means Scripture is written by prophets in the name of Yahweh so that smart people – the rulers, the leaders, the heads of state, industry, and religion – cannot understand what the true meaning is without divine assistance.

Divine assistance come from marriage of a soul to Yahweh’s Spirit. Jesus call that divine assistant the “Advocate.” The soul of Jesus resurrected within one’s flesh is that “Advocate.”

Jesus said in the reading today, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.”

Doesn’t that sound an awful lot like Jesus telling his disciples, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you”? [John 14:20]

This past Easter I read the stories of Jesus being found resurrected – at the tomb looking like a gardener, on the road to Emmaus looking like a pilgrim traveler, and inside the room where the disciples hid behind a locked door – and for the first time I saw the same words that tell those stories expose to me a new way of seeing those scenes.

Those of you here who heard me talk then might remember my saying that Jesus did not appear as an external body of flesh when he was amid the disciples. His soul was one with them … in their midst – their souls. They saw themselves – their flesh – as Jesus resurrected.

You might recall me saying the forty days Jesus spent teaching the disciples was Jesus’ Spirit within them, where they all had to learn how to be Jesus reborn.

Do any of you remember me saying that back then?

What I saw then for the first time is now summed up in Jesus prophesying “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.”

When Thomas put his fingers in the wounds of Jesus, to prove it was him risen, he was putting his fingers in the wounds that appeared in either his own flesh or the flesh of one of the other disciples who appeared as Jesus. When Jesus asked if they had any food and he took a piece of fish and ate it, it was Jesus possessing the body of an apostle who was eating a piece of fish as Jesus reborn.

When Cleopas and Mary invited a stranger into their home in Emmaus and let the stranger break bread and say the blessing, the stranger disappeared when they realized it was Jesus; but Jesus was not longer external to them. Jesus was resurrected within both of them.

Jesus said, “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

Last Sunday the optional reading from First Kings told of Elijah falling asleep under a broom tree. Sleep is metaphor for death. An angel brought spiritual bread and water for Elijah’s soul to eat and drink. Elijah reentered his body of flesh and was united with the angel.

This is what Jesus was explaining to the wise men who followed Jesus Capernaum, to get what their big brains figured they deserved. They heard those words and scoffed. They thought Jesus was crazy.

As Christians hearing these words read aloud by Episcopal priests, read from the aisle of a church, in the midst of the congregation, how many of those priests then go to their high place of oration and tell the people Jesus meant you have to be Jesus in your own flesh?

How many tell you it is up to you to marry your souls to Yahweh, so you all become the Sons of man [regardless of human gender] and by being Sons, then Yahweh becomes your Father and Jesus your brother … so the blood everyone shares is that of Yahweh’s Anointed – His Christs?

They cannot say that, because are full of seminary wisdom. None are married souls who are the wives of Yahweh. If any of them ever preached self-submission to Yahweh’ Spirit, becoming a Saint in ministry, then their churches would go out of business. All who listened to sermons like that – taught by true Saints – would sincerely open their hearts and soul to Yahweh, praying to become His Son resurrected within their flesh.

That is how Christianity began. That is how Christianity grew so great.

Instead of our world today being filled with Jesuses, all doing miracles and taking spiritual food and drink to the seekers, we have a world full of Solomons. The Solomons have all sold their souls so they could be all-knowing little “g” gods. They tell us we can think our ways to heaven. They teach us to follow Jesus around because they figure he owes us Salvation …

They say Jesus died for us. That is like Solomon hearing Yahweh say, “What shall I give you for your disobedience?” and only hearing the “What shall I give you?” part.

They teach us to expect some trick or sign to prove Jesus is the real deal.

But, then Jesus starts talking crazy about eating his flesh and drinking his blood ….

They say nothing about that.

It is much easier to keep Jesus as some external icon … and idol to worship … than it is to do the work involved, which comes from submitting our egos to Yahweh and being reborn as His Sons.

I see the bus is coming, so I will end here. Please, think about what I have said.

The life of your souls depend on understanding what Jesus said. Being wise and intelligent is what makes that difficult. You have to reduce your egos to that of children.

Until next Sunday, have a great week.

Amen

Homily for the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Posted by R. T. Tippett

Good morning bus riders!

I hope everyone received the email with the link to the lectionary page and read all the readings for today, because I talk about them all. Not just a few pick and choose here. No ignoring anything.

So, if we’re all ready, let’s go!

The first Old Testament offering tells of David’s son, Absalom, and his death.

The reading skips over a lot, so the details are missing that explain the history of Absalom. They aren’t pretty. Long story short: He took over being the king of Israel and Judah, forcing David to go into exile with his devoted followers.

The focus being placed on this cut & paste reading is this: David told to be gentle with Absalom. That says David knew Yahweh was still behind him as the true King of Israel, so the rebellion would end. David still loved his son and wanted him left alive; but his general, Joab, [which is not read] found Absalom hanging defenseless from a tree branch and threw darts into his chest. Then the armor bearers finished him off.

When the news of Absalom’s fate reached David and he was told his son was dead, David cried. He had given clear instructions to be gentle with Absalom and those orders had not been followed.

The curse placed on David’s reign was in full effect.

The Psalm that accompanies this reading – Psalm 130 – is a popular Psalm. Last May it was read on two different occasions. The last time was after Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle, with the news of their demise leading David to write the Song of the Bow and order it placed in the Book of Jashar, to be taught to Israelite children.

The death of Absalom needs to be seen as David’s Song of the Bow, which repeats: How the mighty have fallen.

Psalm 130 sings, “O Israel, wait for Yahweh, for with Yahweh there is mercy.”

David gave instructions to show mercy to his son Absalom. No mercy was given. The Israelites were turned against the sinner David as king. Therefore, the nation of Israel (with Judah) no longer waited for Yahweh.

David had ended Psalm 130 by singing: “With him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.”

The death of Absalom prophesied there was no redemption for David’s sins. David had to suffer the pains of punishment; and, Absalom’s death was a tremendous pain for David to suffer. The murder of a defenseless man was a barbaric act, no different than the mutilations of Saul’s corpse, along with that of his sons. True Israelites did not disobey commands. When they sinned in the death of Absalom, there would be no redemption for the people of a nation that wanted a king to be like the Philistines.

In the symbolism of Absalom’s death, where his flowing hair became entwined with a strong branch of a tree, his hanging there made him like an ornament on the tree of Israel. That made the mighty oak tree [actually a turpentine tree] be symbolic of all the rulers of Israel’s history. Absalom hung from the branch of David, as another example of a failed human king. All the branches of that tree would have ornaments of leaders who would eventually have the tree destroyed and cut down to a stump.

Remember that Jesus is said to come from the stump of Jesse. [Isaiah 11:1]

In the optional track two reading from First Kings, one needs to see how Elijah was also under a tree. He was under a broom tree.

A broom tree, which is like a Juniper tree, is said to only have enough shade for one person. It is nothing like the shade produced by much larger turpentine tree – an oak-like tree. That difference needs to be seen in the difference between Absalom (and David and Saul) and Elijah.

While the symbolism of a large tree was the nation of Israel, whose rulers lead many, many people – those of twelve tribes – the broom tree only led a few at the end of its relatively straight branch. With Elijah known to be a prophet, the broom tree becomes symbolic of the few who led the rulers, with those few being truly sent from Yahweh.

The shade produced by the rulers of Israel is barely broad enough to cover a prophet like Elijah – the greatest prophet of all Israelite history.

Elijah was fleeing a death sentence placed on his head by Ahab and Jezebel; so, the only shade Elijah had to rest under was not that produced by the prickly leaves at the end of Elijah’s branch. Elijah found shade from Yahweh.

What is difficult to see in this short reading from Second Kings is Elijah dying, just as Absalom died; but, Elijah asked Yahweh to take his life. Absalom was still trying to figure a way to cut his hair and get free, to come back and fight another day.

When we read, “[Elijah] lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep,” we need to hear Jesus speaking about the news of Jarius’ daughter, when he said, “Stop wailing! She is not dead but asleep.” [Luke 8:52] We need to hear “fell asleep” like meaning the same as when Lazarus becoming gravely ill and Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” [John 11:11]

In the Bible, sleep is metaphor for death. Thus, when Elijah “fell asleep” he died.

We read that the angel of Yahweh “touched” Elijah, and we conjure up images of a winged angel in white reaching out and tapping Elijah on the shoulder, as if making him wake up. Angels are not physical beings, so they cannot nudge one with a touch.

When the angel first touched Elijah, his soul had left his body. Elijah was dead when touched and shown bread and water to eat and drink. Those were not physical items, so the angel did not bake fresh bread in the wilderness on hot rocks. The soul of Elijah was joined with the angel of Yahweh and in that union the soul of Elijah was told to consume the soul of Jesus [who was still many years to come in the future].

When the angel touched Elijah’s soul a second time, it was when Elijah was resurrected. When his soul was told to eat spiritual food and drink living waters, it was the soul of Jesus within his being directing him, in the same way Jesus gave directions after other raisings of the dead. Jesus told Jarius to feed his daughter.

He did not mean give her some hot bread from the oven. Jesus meant to feed her spiritual food. That is what the resurrected Elijah was fed when he arose from death.

I know this is difficult to believe, because nobody else says Elijah died while under the broom tree [I don’t think]. But here is a tidbit I found: The references to Elijah after this event finds him named “Elijah the Trishbite.” Scholars do not know why that is.

The word “Trishbite” means “Returnee.”

I guess another way of reading that would be as Elijah the Resurrected.

Now, the accompanying Psalm that is read with this short reading about Elijah is Psalm 34. While not read publicly, there is what is believed to be the title in verse one, which explains the reason David wrote this Psalm.

To paraphrase that title, it says, “A psalm of David, when he rudely appeared in the sanctuary in Nob before Ahimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.” What that means is David was possessed with fear, because Saul was trying to find him and kill him. David was filled with the Spirit of Yahweh and he did not fear being killed. David feared killing Saul, who was the King of Israel. That fear drove David to a sacred place, demanding the showbread to feed his followers. Ahimelech would give David five loaves of sacred bread, even though that bread was supposed to only be consumed by priests who maintained the tabernacle.

What needs to be discerned from that title, while also knowing the history behind that event, David was led to the tabernacle by Yahweh, so David’s fears could be cast out. In effect, Ahimelech cast out the demon that was David’s fear, as well as his anger that made him want to kill Saul and the Israelites who supported him. That was removed by David by his being given spiritual food – the bread cooked on hot coals and set before the Ark each day. As such, an unseen angel touched David, casting out the demon of anger and fear, so David could leave redeemed by Yahweh.

Psalm 34 then sings, “This poor soul cried, and was heard by Yahweh, and was saved from every trouble.” The poverty of David’s soul was it had become covered with human emotions. David had become faced with the dilemma that was Saul having been anointed as king, only to have that king rave with jealousies that drove him to want to kill David, who was anointed by Yahweh.

In the same way that Elijah fled the death sentence set on his head by Jezebel, Elijah was not afraid of being killed, as much as he was afraid what harm he would do his soul, if he were to kill a queen and her king. Elijah could not go to where a temple had been set up, because the temples had been corrupted. Elijah had just killed four hundred fifty priests of Baal, which led to his death sentence. Elijah needed to be freed of the cloud of doubt that forced him to be on the run.

In that sense, both Elijah and David were resurrected from their limits as human beings. They both completely surrendered their self-egos, dying of self so Yahweh had total control over their actions.

That is a good lesson that everyone should catch.

Psalm 34 sings, “Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.” That says David’s faces of fear and anger died when he met with Ahimelech and received the showbread. David then wore the radiant face of Yahweh, as His servant and wife. Wearing the face of Yahweh, and only that face, means one’s different expressions of that face will never lead one to guilt or shame; because whatever Yahweh has one do, it is for good.

As we reach the end of David’s life, after he has sinned and condemned his “house,” which was a necessary failure because no man is a king that can be better than Yahweh, today’s reading need to also be seen shining in the light of Father and Son, where both words are capitalized as divinely related.

David was chosen by Yahweh to replace Saul as a judge. Yahweh chose David because of his soul’s past faith, when David’s soul had proved its commitment to Yahweh as his Father, with that soul as His Son. Still, in his life as one chosen by Yahweh – not the other way around – David could not call Yahweh his Father.

David was a human father of human children, through human wives. While David’s soul became a wife of Yahweh – such that he named that spiritual Husband in his songs – David was not reborn, through death and resurrection, as would be Elijah. David was a human Father, but he was not a divine Son.

Elijah the Returnee was what David never became, as he was reborn as a Son of man. Elijah is then a reflection of one who serves Yahweh as more than a judge, as more than a hero prophet, as more than an inspiration to the people he comes in contact with.

Elijah would go forth and anoint others to be prophets, in the same way that Jesus would go forth and anoint Apostles or Saints.

David only sired sons who were all flawed. In the same way all the prophets – Eli and Samuel for instance – sired human sons, none of whom could inspire anyone to follow their lead. The Israelite elders had gone to Samuel with a demand for a king, because Samuel’s son were not righteous leaders.

Thus, the lesson of Elijah is to achieve greater heights of service to Yahweh, which can only come from self-sacrifice. One must die of self and be touched by an angel of Yahweh who will be resurrected within one’s soul-body. We know that angel by the name “Jesus,” a name meaning “Yahweh Will Save.”

In Paul we have a clearer example of Elijah, as he encountered a vision of Jesus and was stricken blind for three days. When Saul changed his name to Paul, that came when his soul was touched by an angel of Yahweh, which was named Jesus.

In the story of Elijah, after he was resurrected and most divine, he went and anointed other prophets. In the story of Paul, we read from his letters how he did the same. Those touched by Elijah – most prominently Elisha – they took on the Spirit of Yahweh, with Elisha receiving a “double share,” which means he too died of self and was resurrected most divinely. He became Elijah reborn.

When we read today from Ephesians, we read the verses come from the end of chapter four, extending to the beginning two verses of chapter five. However, the reading does nothing to convey that chapter change, thus a change of Paul’s focus.

When we read Paul tell those whose souls he has touched as Jesus reborn:

“Putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors”

“Be angry but do not sin”

“Thieves must give up stealing”

“Let no evil talk come out of your mouths”

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption”

All of that becomes wise advice given by a father to a child. One can imagine David took the time to share such words of wisdom with all his sons. One can imagine Absalom had heard words similar to these from David.

The true Christians touched by Paul had not only heard those words, but they lived up to them. They did not live up to them by self-will. No one can will oneself to live righteously.

David proved that when he quit being king and began a rampage of sins that brought about the ruin of his family … his house.

Absalom did sins like his father, because Absalom had never married his soul to Yahweh. As David did, so did Absalom. As the biological father did, so too did the son.

The true Christians of Ephesus had married their souls to Yahweh. As promised by Jesus to his disciples, the Advocate came to make sure they lived righteously. With that touch by an angel of Yahweh – His Spirit – upon their souls, they submitted their self-will to the lead of the Spirit.

They lived as David lived, after Yahweh poured out His Spirit upon him.

What is missed in the Ephesians reading is how the transition takes the reader from the first touch of an angel of Yahweh to the second. That is when one has been resurrected as Jesus, one with the Christ and a Saint sent out in ministry to save others in the name of Jesus Christ.

In chapter five, Paul began by saying, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.”

The word translated as “imitators” is actually Paul telling the Ephesians to be “one who imitates, emulates,” where the usage says be a positive imitation, as one who arises by admiring the pattern set by someone worthy of emulation, i.e. a mentor setting a proper example.”

It does not mean pretend to be Christian. It says one must have an inner Advocate, whose advice one always follows AND one must have someone like Paul to mentor you externally.

It means to be Christian one must have been touched by the angel of Yahweh and then be fed the spiritual food that comes from a teacher … a minister … a good shepherd.

When those come together, just like came together under that broom tree Elijah rested under, then one dies of self AND is reborn by the second touch of the angel of Yahweh, when one becomes the Son of man resurrected.

This transformation must take place for one to be able to call Yahweh one’s Father. It means one must first be touched by the Spirit in marriage; and, it then means one must then be reborn as Jesus, so one’s Husband is also one’s Father in Salvation.

Remember: Jesus means Yahweh Will Save. One is not completely saved and promised eternal life with the Father, if one has not become Jesus resurrected.

This brings us to the Gospel reading. John’s sixth chapter begins fairly easy; but as it goes along it becomes deeper and deeper, more difficult to grasp.

Next Sunday be prepared to read what atheists call Jesus promoting cannibalism: eating his flesh and drinking his blood.

Certainly, Jesus did not say that, because those words are heard in the same way they hear an angel said to Elijah, “Get up and eat,” and their minds see a hot, steaming physical loaf of bread next to Elijah’s head.

That angel of Yahweh did not say “Get up and eat physical bread.” The bread is spiritual.

Just like Jesus said – which is a prior verse carried over to this read [and will be again next Sunday] – “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The “bread of life” is the bread of resurrection.

The “bread of life” is the bread that promises eternal life.

The “bread of life” is what transforms one’s soul into a Son of man, another Christ, and makes one be in the name of Jesus.

In this Gospel selection today, the focus is turned to that of father-son, based on how one’s ears and eyes are trained to hear and see.

The Jews asked, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?”

They saw Jesus as nothing more than a bud on a branch of the tree of Israel – the turpentine tree that had been chopped down, but a shoot had resurrected it. They certainly did not see Jesus as important as was Absalom (for a brief while, back when).

When Jesus knew they were grumbling, just like everyone who is not a king of a nation does, especially if someone else is seeming to climb higher on the tree of Judaism without good cause, he told them like it is.

What Jesus said tells you like it is.

Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.

The word translated as “drawn” means “I drag, draw, pull, persuade, unsheathe.”

Read that as Jesus saying, “No one can be born as me unless I have been planted within one’s soul-flesh being by the Husband and then pulled out by the Father at my birth.”

That says one must be Jesus. Jesus will save one’s soul, which will separate from one’s flesh “on the last day” of life on this earth.

Jesus is a name that means Yahweh Will Save. For Yahweh to save one’s soul, it must be married to the Spirit of Yahweh [the Advocate] and then it must be born as Jesus, delivered by the hands of the Father.

When Jesus said, “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me,” he spoke as Yahweh being his Father. To be able to call Yahweh one’s Father, one must become Jesus reborn.

When Jesus then said, “Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father,” this speaks of Adam, who was the flesh and blood that first possessed the soul of Jesus. Adam was made by the Father because Yahweh’s plan was to Save.

Souls who have married Yahweh and given birth to the resurrected soul of Adam, being in the name of Jesus, will be brothers in Christ – thus true Christians – as all will be the Son of man reborn and all will have the right to call Yahweh their Father.

Thus, when Jesus said, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh,” he spoke as the angel of Yahweh who told Elijah, after he touched his soul a second time, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.”

To gain eternal life, one must eat the bread of life and become Jesus in the flesh. The flesh is yours; but his soul will possess your soul and become the Lord of righteousness.

That means a future in ministry, as Paul and Elijah displayed.

I think I hear the bus coming; so, we will end here. Please think about what I have said about these readings.

We’ll meet again and talk some more next Sunday. Until then, I pray the week finds your heart opening more to receive the Spirit of marriage.

Amen

Bus Stop Sermons

From the untrained mind

Homily for the twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – Naked and laid bare

Homily for the nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Being made a little lower than angels

Homily for the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Praying properly

Homily for the seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Giving birth to Jesus

Homily for the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Being taught to teach

Homily for the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – For richer or for poorer

Homily for the fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – A double-edged sword

Homily for the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Dedicating a temple unto Yahweh

Homily for the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost – Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of Jesus

Homily for the eleventh Sunday after Pentecost