Biblical Heritage Center Blog

  This email is about the second time Jesus used the Hebrew idioms “ good eye ( generous person ) and evil eye ( stingy person )” in his teachings. In order to will you understand it better, you need to be aware of public fasts ceremonies in ancient Israel. The Torah ark was wheeled into the city square, where an elder addressed the crowds:   “ Brethren, it does not say about the men of Nineveh that God saw their sack cloth and fasting , but that God saw their deeds , that they had turned from their wicked ways .” [i] People hearing Jesus would most have likely connected those public fasts to what Jesus taught in Luke 11:29-36. It begins with the words below:   29 And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, he said, “ This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation .” (vv. 29-30...

  It was close to the end of 1990, a few months after my first grandson was born. I was sitting in my study flipping through a magazine when my eyes immediately locked on the soles of two little shoes.  As I looked at those little shoes, I wondered if that the little child had a grandfather somewhere. Didn't he care as much for this child as I did for my new grandson? What about the child's mother? And then this question popped into my mind:   What was so powerful that it caused someone to do that to that child?   And then it hit me --  It must have been their religious beliefs! My first reaction was  I would never do anything like that to my grandson! But as I thought about the preacher, Jim Jones, who orchestrated the things that happened at Jonestown, I realized that I preached many of their same things at my church. Many of the doctrines of my church were things the people at Jonestown believed. We both ...

  In my previous email we discussed the correct meanings of the Hebrew idioms “ good eye ” and “ evil eye ” found in the teachings of Jesus. He used this saying in two different contexts. Today I will discuss the first place it appears (Matthew 6:19-24). This parable has three parts and the idioms are in part 2.   Part 1 (vv. 19-21):   Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.   This part uses two parallelisms to set the stage for the opening question and statement.   ● Parallelisms: Will you lay up treasures on earth for yourself or treasures in heaven with God?   ● Opening Statement: Your heart is where your treasure is.   Part 2 (vv. 22-23):   Th...

  Among the people that followed Jesus in the first century, “ have a good-eye ” was probably a regular greeting that they heard every day. What does “ good eye ” mean? It is also found the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 6:22-23. This saying begins with a statement, followed by two parallelisms, to make the points he wanted to make.   The lamp of the body is the eye.   If therefore you have a good eye , your whole body will be full of light.   But if you have an evil eye , your whole body will be full of darkness.   The underlined terms -- good eye and evil eye -- are Hebrew idioms.   ● The words in an idiom cannot be understood by using their literal meanings. This easily seen in this English idiom -- “ he really put his foot in his mouth .” We know he did not literally put his foot in his mouth, but a non-English speaker might think he did.   ● Since these are Hebrew idioms , it indicates that Jesus and his audience were...

  The Jewish Jesus , aka Yeshua and the Jesus of history , is the person that led the movement we read about in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). There are many other “ belief models of Jesus Christ ” that were created after the crucifixion of the Jewish Jesus.   It is important to understand that the Jewish Jesus was an expert teacher and interpreter of the Jewish Scriptures, especially Isaiah’s words. His calling, movement, and core teachings are based on his interpretations of sections of Isaiah. Below are the core teachings of the Jewish Jesus. You will see these points repeated throughout his teachings, including those on salvation .   ● Guard Justice and Rescue the Community.   ● Take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness.   ● Extend your breath to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted lives.   ● Share your bread with the hungry, bring the poor who are cast out to your hous...