Confusing verses in John, Pt.III

Pilate is schizo.

Confusing verses in John, Pt.II

Chapter 11:

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazaruswas ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died,15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16  So Thomas, called the Twin,said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

One of my favorite narrative passages from the gospels. The climactic miracle before Jesus’ death and resurrection:

• The ESV uses the word “so” to begin verse 6. Less literal translations will have something misleading. Therefore, we see him quite explicitly “permitting” an “evil” because he loves his children, and what’s best for them is more of him and his power. God will use what seem to be defects in the world to accomplish his mission of bringing people to belief. God is not a God that he is man-centered but God-centered. We see the same principle in John 9:3 with the blind man and finally culminating to greatest evil of Jesus’ death sentence.
• I once went to a Charismatic conference where the speaker took a question of God permitting suffering and he (immaturely) replied, “That’s bullsh—. God is good and his will is always to heal people.” Let me point out that this statement is - lightly put - extremely unhelpful and completely unbiblical. We see that God’s concern is not solely our worldly prosperity (healing and physical life can indeed be counted in that category). We need more reformed churches down south and out west, that is all.
• Verse 9: Jesus uses the analogy of limited time left in the day to his waning time left on earth before he was to be crucified - simultaneously referring himself to the light of the world like the literal sun. Compare with the “stumbling” Judas who departed during the darkness of night to betray Jesus (John 13:30).
• Thomas is a cynical troll.

Confusing verses in John, Pt.I

Chapter 10:

33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37  If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

One can extract the following theological truths from the passage:

• The reference is Psalm 82:6, where the judges of God were called elohim (literally “god”) because of their divine function. Jesus is using the analogy to show he is the ultimate judge because his works are directly reflecting the Father’s will. In layman’s terms: “Don’t hate cuz I say I’m the son of God. Check dem credenshals.”
• This shows that any part of the Old Testament has the same authority as the traditional “law” as per the Pentateuch definition. Jesus pins his entire argument on one word in one minor psalm.
• The trinity relationship has each part of the Godhead “in” each other. Not simply “one” (Greek neuter) in purpose but one in essence and fullness of divine nature; aka Christianity is monotheistic. If one more Jehovah’s Witness comes to my door..

cage stage

| noun | demonstrating wild and possibly deranged excitement over the seventeenth century pronouncements of the Synod of the Canons of Dordt in the Netherlands. These pronouncements are often referred to as the five points of Calvinism and, once a person becomes convinced that these five points are true, he or she enters the dreaded “cage stage.” The novice Calvinist is considered “armed and dangerous” during this period, which has been known to extend to six months, but in more serious cases can last up to ten years or longer.

Symptoms include: high fever that results in delirious incoherence of thought and speech; vomiting spasms brought on when anyone mentions “free will” or “asking Jesus into their heart” or the dreaded philosophy of Jacob Arminius; restlessness, especially during church services, when the sufferer goes more than an hour without hearing the TULIP’s five bells ringing in their ears; and diahrrea of the mouth, where uncontrollable spasms of verbal nonsense put everyone within earshot at risk.

The recommended treatment is complete isolation, restriction of movement and speech, until the symptoms pass. Unfortunately, this treatment is rarely sought by the afflicted person, so family and friends are often left to suffer silently. The only person who can reach the cage stage victim is a more experienced Calvinist, because the victim’s state of mind does not permit trust in any others. Please DO NOT attempt intervention without consulting an expert.

now the trick is not becoming cage-staged in anti-cage-staging.