A Stint of Pride(?): A Perspective.

It's here on Mount Hor, in Numbers 20:28, "Aaron died there on the top of the mountain". And in an other incident, Deuteronomy 34:5, "... Moses the servant of the Lord died there (Mount Nebo) in the land of Moab". Why did they die without entering the promised land? We all know the answer it's because of their "disobedience". Numbers 20:24 reads, "... because you both rebelled against my command at the Waters of Meribah". Is it just the disobedience or is there anything else that God was not satisfied with both of them?

Let's jump in and look at the contexts. We are going to look at two different incidents which we all well aware of: the first context is from Exodus 17:5-7; the second context is from Numbers 20:7-11. Of these two incidents one took place at Rephidim (Ex 17:1), and the other near Kadesh (Num:20:1). In both the incidents the people of Israel started complaining and quarreling with Moses and Aaron about no water for them and for the livestock as well (Ex 17:2; Num 20:3). In both the incidents Moses and Aaron did the miracle with the Staff that God used to part the Red Sea (Ex 17:5; Num 20:9). In both the incidents the people drank the water and were satisfied (Ex 17:6; Num 20:11). You might be thinking, why are we going through all this stuff when we already know that in former incident Moses and Aaron hit the rock as was commanded by the Lord (Ex:17:6); and in the later incident instead of speaking to the rock as commanded, they hit the rock twice (Num 20:11). Do you think the cause of disobedience made God angry at Moses and Aaron? Might be. But according to my perspective this is not just the only thing that made God angry at Moses and Aaron. There is still an other act by Moses and Aaron that made God angry.

Exodus 17:6 reads, "Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel". This shows that they were obedient towards God and His commandment. But in Numbers 20, rather than speaking to the rock as commanded, they hit the rock twice (Num:20:8,11). If we take this as disobedience, for which they faced the consequence, then we need to be more keen while reading (meditating) our Bible. There is a much more gravest thing that these two people committed. It's pride. God hates pride. "...I hate pride and arrogance, evil behaviour and perverse speech", Proverbs 8:13 and in Proverbs 16:18 we read, "Pride goes before destruction..". When we look into Numbers 20:10, "...Moses said to them, Listen, you rebels! Must we bring water out of this rock for you?" The pronoun "We", is the crux of the problem. In the former incident, Moses and Aaron did exactly as was commanded by the Lord and moreover they gave glory to the Lord which can be inferred in Ex 17:7 "..the Lord (is) among us..". But here even after the consultation and as adviced by the Lord, they did what they wanted to, and at the same time they tried to prove before the assembly that they were capable of bringing out the water from the rock rather than glorifying the Lord for His miracles all through their exodus. This is the gravest thing that should have been avoided. Is it an attempt of self-glorification? Is it a deliberate attempt or is it out of innocence? Does they gave a deaf ear to the God's commandment? Or is it just sheer negligence as they had to re-act the former situation which they already have dealt with? Whatever might be the reason, our "Lord will not share His glory with the others, nor will resist profanity" (Isaiah 48:11; 42:8).

In spite of continuous showing obedience towards God, a little disobedience made the greatest patriarchs Moses and Aaron pay their toil. The price was too high. Moses wanted to step into the promised land, but he had to satisfy himself by overseeing it from Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-6). "Because you did not trust Me to demonstrate My Holiness in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this assembly into the land I have given to them" (Num 20:12). That's the resultant of pride. Pride stands one among the Seven Deadly Sins that God hates: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth (Laziness), Wrath, and Envy. At the end it's one's own personal choice to be humble and obedient or to be rebellious and arrogant.

*Art by Yossi Rosenstein.

Gazing into the Clear Waters.

Gazing into the Clear Waters -

Reaching the clear waters,

I wanted to gaze into its depths.

I always wanted to dive deep to reach the bed,

But I know not how to swim deep waters.

Residing on the bank, I gazed into it,

But I know that what I watch is not the bed.

When I see it from a mountain top,

I see the beauty of the water bed.

The waters show it's beautiful bed as like it is

Inviting me to go deep and touch it's beauty.

I tried with my hands weaving the upper waters,

It just cleared for a sec and covers back.

I did a hundred times, to see the depth,

It covered back a hundred times.

I tried until my hands got tired,

But the waters never revealed it's inner beauty.

It's the same with the Word of God,

As much as I dive deep, I never reached it's depth.

I know that one day I will reach the bed,

Then I see my Lord face to face.

My quest never ends as I go around the City,

And my Lord will never let me go out of His hands.

Gazing into His beautiful face,

I spend the rest on His side.

Picture : Barracuda Lake, Coron, Palawan, Philippines.

Blindness - Cause, Culture and Ocular View.

The Aral Sea (lake), located between Kazakhastan and Uzbekistan, is the fourth biggest lake in the world. It was absolutely huge, hosting 35 kinds of fish, horses, Caspian tigers, cattle, etc with people living around it. But in the 1960's the Soviet's diverted the river (Syr Darya) that was filling the lake for manufacturing and agricultural purposes. In turn this created a disaster. From 1985 to 2014 the lake slowly started to shrink. All its water was evaporated. The 7000 cubic kilometers sea is now left with a very small portion of water in it. As the water evaporated only salt remained. Many of the farmers lost their jobs, when asked about the disaster, they expressed their agony in one word "pain". This isn't the end, NASA satellite images in 2014 show that eastern area of the sea was completely dried up, and now this part is called as Aralkum desert. The salty debris along with the sand was picked up by the wind and carried hundreds and hundreds of kilometers, causing sand storms in the rest of the country. These sand storms ruined the crops 500kms away from the lake, and in addition it is making people sick. Data (2000 to 2018) says that Urinary diseases and other health issues are on the rise. There are even cases of Cancer too. The UN declared this area as national diaster. You may think why am I writing all this instead of digging into the subject. As we dive into the subject you'll know why I gave this prologue.

So now, let's dive into our main subject.

As apostle John writes in his Gospel, "there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). Out of 37 to 38 miracles that were been recorded in the four Gospels, one miracle stands out specifically. The miracle that Jesus did which Old Testament prophets never attempted is giving sight to the blind. Blindness was very common in this part of the world. 

In his book "Eastern Customs in Bible Lands", by H.B.Tristram (Hodder and Stoughton, 27 Paternoster Row, London, 2nd Edition, 1893) writes under Chapter 1, "Jesus as Teacher and Healer", that, "There is probably no country in the world, except Egypt, in which this affliction is so prevalent. ...Owing to the nature of the climate—the fine dust and sand which floats in the air; the glare of the sunlight when there is but scanty and occasional shade; the sudden change in the plains from the heat of the day to the chill of night, causing inflammation to the eyes, especially to those who are sleeping in the open on the housetops; the swarms of flies, which are attracted to the eyelids of the diseased, and then carry the virulent and infectious discharge on their feet to the eyelids of the healthy—all these and other causes render blindness, total or partial, so common that it is computed that one-tenth of the inhabitants of the towns and plains of Palestine are entirely or partially blind."

A 1944 Science and Philanthropic community, "the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science" in their 2017 blog writing about "the microbiome" that was carried by sand storms blowing from the Sahara (Africa), Saudi and the Syrian deserts are quite different says Prof. Yinon Rudich. He also says that the harmful bacteria is on the rise in the atmosphere at the time of sand storms. The blog says, "Israel is subjected to sand and dust storms from several directions: northeast from the Sahara, northwest from Saudi Arabia, and southwest from the desert regions of Syria. The airborne dust carried in these storms affects the health of people and ecosystems (the nitrogen fixation helps plants to acquire the nutrients, ex: ammonia) alike. ...Some of these bacteria might be pathogenic – harmful to us or the environment – and a few of them also carry genes for antibiotic resistance."

NASA in their Earth Observatory Blog, 2015, they published an article which shows satellite (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, MODIS) pictures of Sand Strom that passed over Israel and around. The Sand Strom which started in Syria, lasted from 6th to 9th September, 2015. Writing in their blog, "In Jerusalem, pollution levels were 173 times higher than average, according to one news report."

As we know right from the time of our patriarch Abraham or even before, there's a commercial road which passes through Canaan that connected the north and the south. With the imports and the exports, these caravans also brought contagious diseases such as acute Conjunctivitis and Trachoma which were prevalent in the land of Egypt. Some call Egypt as the "land of the blind" too. The treatment included diet modification, drinking wine, bathing, cleansing, and sometimes bloodletting incisions.

From our above study, we can conclude that Israel was hit by the Sand Storms frequently and in addition Israel is also part of the Commercial lane. These brought harmful infections that affected the sight of the inhabitants which resulted in partial or complete blindness is established.

The four Gosples provide information about eight members who approached Jesus were healed from their blindness. The chapters that provide this information are Matthew 9 and 20 (two blind people in each chapter which makes four people in all); Mark 8 and 10; Luke 18; and John 9. Out of these miracles that happened at Jericho are Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43. Miracles that happened at Bethsaida were Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 8:22-26, and the only miracle that happened at Siloam pool is in John 9:1-7. If we observe keenly, we would notice that to some Jesus just spoke healing upon them, to some He touched their eyes, and finally to some He spit saliva either directly on the affected organ or made mud and smeared it on their eyes. I was little confused when going through these different procedures by Jesus. Why would Jesus spoke healing on some, to some by touching, and to some by using saliva? Then I remembered what H.B.Tristram has written in his book "Eastern Customs in Bible Lands", that the sand storms have left a few people with partial to complete blindness. There are many eye infections that cause partial to permanent blindness. Cataracts, Glaucoma, Amblyopia, etc., cause partial blindness. Diabetic Retinopathy, Trachoma, Black eye, etc., are a few which causes permanent blindness.The case of born blind man is completely different from these two cases. To my understanding is that the one written in the Gospel of Mark 10:46-52 and Luke 18:35-43 are affected with partial blindness. If you observe Jesus spoke healing on them and the person in Mk.10:46,50, "Bartimaeus, threw of his coat, jumped up and came to Jesus", suggests that his vision is partially lost. In Matthew 9:27-31, two blind men approached Jesus, and the Scripture reads, "the blindmen approached Him (v28)", suggests that one was partially blind while the other has permanent blindness. And to the one in Matthew 20:29-34, "Jesus stopped on His walk and called both the men and asked them, what do you want of Me (v32)", which suggest that they have permanent blindness. So Jesus touched their eyes and they are immediately healed. On the other hand, the one in John 9:1-7, was permanently blind. The conversation between Jesus and His disciples on v2,3, suggest that this person was born blind.

Finally we've come to an exclusive text of Jesus healing the blind who saw unusual images after being healed - Mark 8:22-26, this is the only place where Jesus did his miracle in two stages. "He (Jesus) took the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village (v23)". Jesus helping the man by his hand suggests that, this man is completely blind. In the next verse we see Jesus, spitting directly on the organ and laying his hand on it (v24).

In Jewish writings - we read that - spitting on the diseased part of the body was particularly common in incantations. According to widespread opinion, human illness came from the sinster work of demons who took possession of the diseased part of the body, the superstitious believed that spitting on the affected area of the body (and an incantation of the Scripture) was an effective means of driving the evil spirits away. The incantation for diseases was common practice among Jews at that time, and it was also permitted too. In "The Works of Josephus", Book 8.5, we read King Solomon composed books on every sort of tree, living creatures, nature, philosophy, ect., and he also wrote on exorcism as well. These incantations were in use in Josephus time too. Jewish Rabbi's/ physicians recited or whisper over the wound, "I will not place upon you all the suffering that I have placed on the Egyptians (or I am Yahweh, your Physician)" (Exodus 15:26). This was customary in their incantations. The words in parentheses (or I am Yahweh, your Physician, Ex 15:26) are missing in the text of the Mishnah, but were certainly recited (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10.1). The Rabbi's believed that,  spitting while reciting or after reciting this Biblical text excludes those who recited from the future world, because the text contains the name of the Lord. Rabbi Rashi comments at Babylonian Sanhedrin 101A, confirms this: "Those who whisper the spell usually spit before reciting and it is forbidden to mention a verse of Scripture when whispering (discussing)". The patients in those era knew of the custom of using saliva in a healing incantation. What Jesus is doing here is going by the practice of the Rabbi's. 

"I see people they look like trees walking" (Mark 8:22-26) - Why would this blind man saw humans as trees? We really don't know. Some might try to give a spiritual message out of it; which doesn't fit in. But we have an Opthalmological view which might answer this question. We need to know that there are various parts of the eye which work together to put an image in your brain. Why you see an object is because, the available light bounces on it and enters into your eyes. Before reaching the brain the image passes through Cornea, Pupil, Iris to the Lens, which then reflects on to the layer of Retin. Through the Rods and Cones which are part of Retina, inturn send it through the Optic Nerve to the Visual Cortex at the back of your Brain. Here the visual image is formed. When the image is passed through the Lens the image is inverted before hitting the Retina. Not just the image is inverted but the left and right are also reversed. Retina sends the inverted image to the Brain. Now it's the Brain's job to correct it. Even while you're reading this article your eyes are sending an inverted image to your Brain. Because your Brain is used to correct this since your childhood, you're reading this properly. Technically your Brain is used to correct the image naturally. It is believed by many that Infants actually spends their first few weeks with inverted image, it's their Visual Cortex slowly develops to properly interpret the information from their eyes. "National Library of Medicine National Center for Biotechnology Information" in their blog writes that, "The first study established that the inversion effect is present in infants as young as 5 months. .....studies suggest that the importance of internal features of face recognition increases between 5th and 7th months." Psychologists like George Malcom Stratton (1865-1957) and James Jerome Gibson (1904-1979), etc., have done extensive studies on this in 19th and 20th centuries.

I believe that my reasoning might relieve you of your doubt, why that blind man saw humans like trees? The study suggests that the infants eyes or the infants brains try to interpret what they are seeing for the first time. In the same way the blind man in the Gospel of Mark 8th Chapter, got to see the world for the first time, his eyes and visual cortex are as equal to a new born child, which might take a few months to interpret the image he is seeing. So the Lord touched his eyes once more and his sight was restored normally.

To conclude, Exodus 15:26 reads, "I the Lord, am your healer.” We are all wounded by our sins, we are in an unbearable pain, our wounds are oozing. We all need a physician. Jesus knows that we need Him. He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick" (Matthew 9:12). We are sinners, we need His word, we need His touch, we need His expertise to heal us, and make us righteous before the Father. When Jesus uses His saliva, it's not His saliva that healed the blind, but His divinity that healed.

*Recently my wife witnessed a miracle. She is a Nurse in the Operation Theatre, at Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, Hyderabad, India. A patient was been operated and was implanted a lens in one of her eye. A week later, she came back with a little infection in her implant eye. After the examination the Doctor found out that there was some problem with the implant. So, the Doctor decided to re-operate her. As my wife is preparing the patient for operation, she said something very surprising. The patient said that, "the humans looked like trees to her". That's amazing isn't it? I am dumbstruck upon listening to this. The words that we read in the Bible are still been expressed by the people even today. My wife shared this with me in the afternoon of May 1st, 2024.

Links for further study:

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/86571/dust-storm-sweeps-across-middle-east

https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/the-dust-storm-microbiome/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2585817/

Contradictory Or Harmonious - 1

Contradictory Or Harmonious - 2Kings 8:26 and 2Chronicles 22:2.

Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. 2Kings 8:26 (NIV).

Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. 2Chronicles 22:2 (NIV).

Ahaziah (841 BC?), King of Judah, was the son of King Jehoram and grandson of King Jehoshaphat (2Kings 8:16). King Ahaziah's prior name might have been Jehoahaz (2Chronicles 21:17). Septuagint, Syriac and Targum writings have the name Jehoahaz in place of Ahaziah. Some scholars say that it's a variant in Hebrew language. Some scholars say that Jehoahaz might have renamed his name as Ahaziah after ascending the throne, as we too know of a few kings who changed their names in the history (for example: Britain's Prince Albert, Duke of York, took the name of George VI). King Ahaziah was also called as Azariah in some versions of the Bible.

However, the question is not about his name Ahaziah, but of his age when he started to reign as King. Is it twenty-two or forty-two? Some try to bring in co-regency with his father Jehoram to make the Scriptures harmonious. But this doesn't fit in. To my knowledge, this can be sought out by hebrew numericals. In his book "A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew" by "J.Weingreen", writing under the Hebrew alphabets, he also writes their numerical values. He gives the value "2" to alphabet Vet "ב"; and value "20" to alphabet Kaf "כ"; and value "40" to alphabet Mem "מ". So "כב" makes the value 22 and "מב" makes it 42. The only difference in the scribing is a little stroke which resembles the alphabet Waw "𐡅" (Aramaic form) and "ו" (modern hebrew form). If the scribe misses this small stroke while copying the alphabet Mem "מ" the resultant would end in the resembling alphabet Kaf "כ". While most of the Manuscripts read twenty-two, some like Septuagint, Syriac and Masoretic Texts read forty-two. Out of 5000 and odd Manuscripts found till now, most corroborate with twenty-two, while a few of them with forty-two.

There is an another point to add to this, the undivided books of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles were written by two different set of authors about the same time period. These undivided books were divided by the translators of Septuagint while translating the Old Testament into Greek. While the authors of 1 and 2 Kings cover the history from 970 BC to 560 BC, the author of 1 and 2 Chronicles (probably Ezra) writes the history of the kings in the middle of the fifth century BC.

In spite of this major authorship, most of the text corroborates with one another. As said in 2Timothy 3:16,17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work". So, let's keep aside the little contradictory statements, and in fact they are not at all contradictions until the footnotes of the Bible gives the variants; and ask God to equip us with the knowledge and wisdom of His.

*Subject for correction.

The Parables: Ends of Those Discerning and Undiscerning. A Rabbinical and Historical Perspective.

Parable (paraballo) - is derived from two Greek words, "para", means near, and "ballo", means to cast or put near. Hence parable is a short or long story which will make you understand or imagine what is hard to understand or unimaginable, and get you to the nearest possible parallelism to what was the subject disclosed about. Some scholars say that there are 55, to some 38, and to some 40 parables in the New Testament. The parables are not myths, which draw to human ends; nor allegories, which bring characters to draw a moral of the story (ex. Pilgrim's Progress). The purpose of the parables is to reveal the truth to the faithful or to the discerners, and to hide or veil the truth to those unfaithful or to hide to those who are stone hearted. Parables must be studied to hear the message of the Preacher in the context of the situation. The only meaning that is accepted is that of imposed by the Preacher alone. The parables of Jesus always challenges the listeners to make a decision on what was heard and to put it into practice. To some the parables are so easy to understand, but to some it is so difficult to put it into practice, because it demands a responsibility of what was heard. The parables do not appear in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha, or the Pseudepigrapha. They do appear frequently in Talmudic texts. In Rabbinic literature, they are always told in Hebrew and not in Aramaic. The parables of Jesus are classified mainly into two: 1.Parables drawn from man's relations to (heaven and) hell; and 2.Those drawn from man's relations to his fellows (to believers and to unbelievers as well). 

In this blog write-up I want to deal with "The Parable of the Sower", (Matthew 13:3-9; 18-23). Certainly we read about four kinds of soil, the seeds, their growth and their produce. These seeds are the words of life and the soil is the heart/mind of the listener. In the Gospels we read that multitudes followed Jesus. We don't know how many of them accepted the words of Jesus and how many of them stopped following Him. In the Gospel of John, Chapter 6, verse 63, Jesus said that, "The Spirit is the one who gives life... The words that I have spoken to you are from life-giving Spirit". In verse 66 we read that, "Because of what Jesus said, many of His disciples turned their backs on Him and stopped following Him". Even in the Book of Acts we read that some people followed Apostle Paul and some left after listening to him at Athens (Acts 17:32,33). To those who listened and accepted the word thought it, nothing is beneficent than knowing Jesus Christ as the Lord. To put it in the words of Jesus, "This is eternal life: that they may know You (the Father), the only true God, and the one you have sent - Jesus Christ" (John 17:3). So, there are different kinds of people in the society. Within 100 years after the ascension of Jesus we can read in the professional letters between the governor Pliny the younger (61 - 113 AD) and the emperor Trajan (in reign from 98 - 117 AD) four types of people, who are pro and against this new Christian faith.

Let's first deal with why Jesus stressed four kinds of soil? Using numbers in homiletics or in a discourse is practiced in the times before and after Jesus. For example we can read few verses in the Book of Proverbs 30th Chapter, and in the Letter to Hebrews 6:18, reads, where it is impossible for God to lie in two things, His vows and promises. Likewise we can see the use of numbers in the list of generations in the genealogy of Jesus, the number of days of creation, and it's a long chain of list that goes on. In the Talmud writings, The Ethics of the Fathers "Pirke Avot", there are some writings in the same manner as in the Book of Proverbs. In Chapter 5, if we read from 1 to 15, we can see similarities in using the numbers.

For the context of this blog write-up, I will relate a few from the Jewish Rabbinical writings -

1. "There are four types (of disciples) among those who sit before the sages: the sponge, the funnel, the strainer and the sieve. The sponge absorbs all. The funnel takes in at one end and lets it out the other. The strainer rejects the wine and retains the sediment. The sieve rejects the coarse flour and retains the fine flour". Avot 5.15. Of these the worst characteristics is the disciple who let's the teaching go in one ear and out the other. He is like a funnel. The most desirable type of disciple is like a sieve who retains only the best of the teaching.

2. "There are four types of students. One who is quick to understand and quick to forget—his flaw cancels his virtue. One who is slow to understand and slow to forget—his virtue cancels his flaw. One who is quick to understand and slow to forget—his is a good portion. One who is slow to understand and quick to forget—his is a bad portion. Avot 5.12. The one who is considered quick to learn but quick to forget, is like his gain is cancelled by the loss. The best characteristic of a disciple is one who is quick to learn and slow to forget.

3. Rabban Gamaliel the Elder (Died in 50 AD), the grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder and the supposed teacher of Apostle Paul (Saul, Acts 22:3), compared the disciples to four different types of fish. "An unclean fish: who is that? A poor youth who studies the Scriptures ...and is without understanding. A clean fish: who is that? That's a rich youth who studies the Scriptures ...and has understanding. A fish from Jordan: who is that? That's a scholar who studies the Scriptures ...and is without talent for using it in argument. A fish from the great Mediterranean sea: who is that? That's a scholar who studies the Scriptures ...and has the talent for using it for argument". Who is best of four, the fourth one, who in spite of all the difficulties he draws the best meaning and the context of the Scriptures and using it for his best.

4. Philo of Alexandria (20 BC - 50 AD), a famous Jewish thinker and a philosopher, writing about a couple in parenting four types of their children - "These parents have four classes of children. The first is obedient to both; the second is the direct opposite, and gives head to neither, while each of the other two lacks it's half. One of them is heartly devoted to the father and gives ear to him, but disregards the motherand her injunctions. The other, on the contrary, appears devoted to the mother, and serves her in every way, but pays no heed to the words of the father. If these four the first will carry off the palm of victory over all commers, while the second it's opposite will receive defeat accompanied by destruction. Each of others will claim a prize, one the second, the other the third; the second belongs to the class which obeys the father, the third to the class which obeys the mother". The best type absorbs wisdom from both the parents.

By now you would have assessed what my intention of taking the above four writings. Jesus followed the kind of teaching that were used by the Rabbi's of his time. He preached in the same style as like the homilies of his time. This makes the hearers more accommodating to the style they were used to in their synoguages. The aim of Jesus in using the parables is to seed the truth more easily in the hearts and minds of the hearers.

Now let's apply this to the happenings in history within the first hundred years of the ascension of Jesus. As commanded by Jesus (Matthew 28:19,20) to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth, apostles travelled evangelising every area as the Holy Spirit led them. Apostle Paul went through Phrygia and Galatia, but the Holy Spirit would not let him preach in Bithynia (Acts 16:7). William Steuart McBirnie, in his book "The Search for the Twelve Apostles", writing under the chapter, "Simon Peter", notes a doubtful information written by Eusebius, that "Pontus and the neighbouring regions of Bithynia, Cappadocia and Galatia were dependent on Apostle Peter. The First Epistle of Peter was addressed to the Christians of these regions" as well (1Peter. 1:1). Again in the same book in the chapter about "Luke", writes that, Luke might have "died in Achaia or Bithynia". Hence, Bithynia is the subject of discussion.

Bithynia - By the time of emperor Trajan (in reign 98 - 117 AD), Bithynia was evangelized. Pliny the Younger (61 - 113 AD) was sent as a governor to Bithynia and Pontus in Asia Minor from 110 to 113 AD. There were serious outbreaks of fire in the chief cities of Bithynia. By this time Christianity was not considered as a religion/cult, Christian believers were banned to meet openly. As there was no freedom for them, they met in secret (burial grounds?). The guilt of the crime fell on Christians. Christians were arrested and brought before Pliny for trial and judgement. There were some Roman citizens in the group of believers, and they cannot be judged as like other citizens. At the beginning of his period, Pliny ordered execution of several christians who refused to renounce their faith. But as he realised there were so many of them in his provience that he decided to ask the emperor. In his correspondence he mentions the types of Christians, where we can draw parallels from the Parable of the Sower.

Pliny mentions three types of Christians in his letter to emperor Trajan. And Trajan in his reply mentions a group of people (probably christians?) who barely resemble the fourth type, who wrote complaints to the governor Pliny. This makes four types of people in all as like the soil in the parable.

The first type of people are the parallel to the seeds that fell along the path (Matthew 13:4,19). These people are those who wrote anonymous letters to Pliny with several believers names in it to be punished/executed. These are like the people who might have listened to the Gospel, but their hearts were never transformed as like the path. The seed (Gospel) that was sowed in their heart (soil) was been snatched away by the evil one as like the seeds that were eaten away by the birds. Trajan in his reply to Pliny says that these anonymous letters should not be given any attention, and this is a bad precedent. These people are of no good to be mentioned.

The second type of people are the parallel to the seeds that fell along the rocky ground (Matthew 13:5-6; 20-21). Pliny writing to Trajan mentions about few people when enquired, they said that they had once been Christians but had given up some three years previously, some a longer time, one or two as many as twenty years before [Twenty years before Pliny's governorship would take us back to emperor Domitian's persecution (in reign from 81 - 96 AD)]*. These people are like those who listened to the Gospel, led a very short period of Christian life. To them persecution was like hot sun and no much soil, and their root of faith didn't deep in and their very short lived faith dried up as soon as the persecution came in.

The third type of people are the parallel to the seeds that fell along the thornbushes (Matthew 13:7,22). Pliny in his letter to Trajan mentioned about a few people who at his command cursed Christ and called on the Roman gods and did reverence with incense and wine to the emperor's image which Pliny had brought for this purpose. On drawing a parallelism, the seeds, soil and the thornbushes resemble the people who reverted from their faith. The thornbushes are like the persecution, and these people with their act will win a "bona fide indulgence" (a certificate probably signed or sealed by the emperor), which will acquire them rich, pleasureful and a zero worried life (v22) as long as they live.

The fourth type of people are the parallel to the seeds that fell along the good ground (Matthew 13:8,23). Pliny on his enquiry asked the accused if they were Christians, for which they replied, "yes". He asked them a second and a third time warning them of the execution. When they were persistent, they were ordered to be executed. Pliny also mentions that he tortured two female slaves, who were called "decons" in this process. The good ground is the heart/mind that will heed the Gospel, accept it by faith and live a good Christian life. Such people will take the Gospel to the unknown territories and win souls for the Kingdom of God. As they yield a good fruit, because of them the Church will be multiplied a thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundfold times (v23). These people's names were enrolled in the Book of Life (Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5, 20:12 and more).

Let's conclude by reminding a few words of Jesus from Matthew 5th Chapter: "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven... I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (v10-12; 44-48).

Hope this blog write-up helped you to understand the Parable of the Sower in a different perspective.

Read below the translation of the letters exchanged between Pliny the Younger and emperor Trajan in this regard.

*For more information read my other blog "The Lord - Sower and Reaper". Redirect link provided.Redirect link:

The Lord - Sower and Reaper.

Probably we all might have listened to this, "the Parable of the Sower" (Matthew 13:3-8; 18-23) by Jesus, either as a Sermon or in a Bible study. To recall the different places the seeds that were scattered, as the seeds dispersed by the sower - because the first area was the road where the seed won't germinate. The second, third, and the fourth areas were where the seeds germinated, but because of the type of land the seeds fell, some grew but didn't last long, some grew but because of the circumstances they were not fruitful, the fourth area was the good soil, the seeds that fell, took a deep root, grew well and were fruitful as well. If we look into the 13th Chapter of Matthew, we notice that Jesus had concentrated more on the peasant to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven. 

The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17) says that, He is the descendant of King David. Upon reading 2Samuel 7:11,16, we will notice this everlasting promise. "I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever." We notice the same in the advent scence also in the Gospel according to Luke 1:32-33, "The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” We know from Matthew 13:37, that the Sower is Jesus Himself, in other words, Jesus Himself is the peasant. 

Why would Jesus instead of comparing Himself to a King, compared Himself with a peasant? There is a curious tale which supposed to have happened in the reign of Emperor Domitian (AD 81-96). Domitian wanted to be deified as one among Roman gods. He wanted to be worshipped as like the emperors before him. In his reign as an emperor he was more suspicious. He executed number of his senators, as he feared a coup. Maybe, I think he would have been suspicious of the descendants of David too. As part of his precautionary measures, he interviewed two of the members of the family of Jesus (Matthew 13:55,56) (probably the grandsons of His brother Judas, who wrote the epistle), because they claimed descent from the royal line of David. When they were brought before Domitian, he asked them whether they were descended from David, and they admitted it. Then he asked them what property they owned and what funds they had with them now. They replied that they had only 9000 denarii in total, half belonging to each. This also is not available in cash but was estimated value of 25 acres of land which their ancestors owned, from which they pay taxes and the rest to support themselves. They showed their hardened hands and their body as a proof for their hardship for their labour. When the Emperor asked about Jesus and His Kingdom, they explained that it was not of this world or anywhere on earth but would be established at the end of the world, when He would come in the glory to judge the living and the dead, giving every man payment according to his conduct. After interviewing them he found them to be simple peasants and quite uninterested in secular kingship or in a coup or in the formation of any kingdom. On their release they became leaders of Churches and lived into the time of Emperor Trajan (AD 98-117). [Eusebius Church History, Book 3, 19,20].

Is this what Jesus foresaw and compared Himself with a peasant? Don't know, but we can know of His intention when we read Matthew 9:35-38, 'Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”'

Jesus wants us to be His co-workers in the field of His Kingdom. In order to bring down His Kingdom among us (Matthew 6:10), He wants us to be hardened labour with Him. As said in Ephesians 4:11, we have offices of the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and the teachers etc., Let's be faithful in the fields of our gifts, and strive to make the Kingdom of God a reality.

Let's conclude with Galatians 6:7-10, "A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ...as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

*All Scripture are from NIV.

When Your Faith Ridiculed.

           "graffito blasfemo" or blasphemous graffiti.

Above is "Alexamenos graffito", now in Palatine museum in Rome, which is been removed from a wall near the Palatine hill in Rome. This graffiti is said to be of AD 200 or so. On keen observation you can find a donkey or a mule on a cross, and below are scraped Greek letters which read, Ἀλεξάμενος σέβεται θεόν (Alexámenos sévetai theón) which means, "Alexamenos worships (his) God". We can see a young man, probably a guard named Alexamenos, a christian who can be seen raising one hand as a symbol of adoration towards his God.

Emperor Septimius Severus (AD 193 - 211) was reigning in Rome. As a remedy to avoid rebellion and civil war in the country, he opted for religious tolerance, which seems to be a right move by an emperor. But with one clause, that in the pantheon of gods the "unconquered Sun god" is to be accepted above all other gods or the Sun god is to given priority above his/her own faith. This wasn't acceptable to the Jews and the Christians. Although there was religious tolerance in the time of Septimius Severus, Christian history does not forget the execution of five people in AD 203, at Carthage, Africa, at the military games on the eve of emperors birthday. Perpetua, Felicity and Saturus were among the five martyrs on that day. On the other hand due to the persecution by the past emperors there was mockery upon Christians, teasing that the God they believe in was crucified on the cross. For Greeks, one who has not sufficient wisdom to save himself from shameful and horrible death was a sheer folly. To the Romans, they see their gods as all powerful and cannot accept Jesus as God who died a death on the Cross helplessly.

Donkeys were represented in a negative form by the Greeks, where they were generally portrayed as stupid and stubborn, or of a characteristic of slave and generally represented as lower class. They were often contrasted with horses, which were seen as powerful and beautiful. In Aesop's literature "The Ass in the Lion's Skin", he protray donkey as a fool. In Apuleius's "The Golden Ass" he portray donkey as stubborn, foolish, wicked and lowly. The famous Shakespeare popularised the use of the word "ass" as an insult meaning stupid or clownish in many of his plays. This insult continued in the times of the Romans too.

On the flip side, we generally see that breeds like Akita, Appenzeller Sennenhund, Australian Shepherd, Bullmastiff, Catahoula Leopard Dog, Caucasian Shepherd Dog etc., as some of the best watch dogs or guard dogs. Herdsmen generally use these beeds to keep their domestic animals safe. Some of these breeds are so costly to buy. So few herdsmen who can't afford to buy the costly breeds, use donkeys as an alternative source. Donkeys are very affordable at price. Donkeys are a great option for guarding grazing animals like goats or sheep, because they have very similar care requirements. Donkeys are the silent guard animals, and will notify intruders. They will fiercely protect the herd themselves, using kicks and strikes with their hooves and bites with their large teeth. Not only are these territorial animals excellent for guarding, but they can also be useful in more ways for transportation, weighing loads, etc.,

Jesus says, "..often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings.." (Matt 23:37, NLT). As prophet Isaiah says, God is hovering over us like a guard, He will shield and rescue us from the adversary (Isaiah 31:5). As "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1Peter 5:8, ASV). As Jesus shows his confidence in His sheep and says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand, I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." And to the lost sheep He says, "I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and One Shepherd." This Shepherd is ready to lay down His life self willingly for the sake of guarding His (lost) sheep. (John 10:14-18, NIV).

Are we ready to accept the mockery as Alexamenos who was quiet when his faith was been teased and ridiculed? Are we the lost sheep or the sheep of His pen?

Now that you were given the required dots, try to connect the dots accordingly and draw parallels to see the bigger picture.