Matthew 12:23

In Matthew 12:22, Jesus heals a demon possessed and mute man. The next verse reports the response of the crowd. The HCSB translates the verse as: "All the crowds were astounded and said, 'Perhaps this is the Son of David!"

Other English translations:

ESV: "Can this be the Son of David?"

NIV: "Could this be the Son of David?

NCV: "Perhaps this man is the Son of David!"

NLT: "Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?"

The Message is even more emphatic: "This has to be the Son of David!"

I cite this example to show how English translations don't always do a good job translating the Greek text. Within the sentence is the negative particle meti, which is an interrogative particle that usually calls for a negative answer. The basic idea of the verse is, "This is not the Son of David is he?" Most of crowd would answer no, but the particle also leaves some doubt. He could be but He is likely not Messiah.

Of the above English translations, the HCSB and NCV get closer to the idea with 'perhaps,' but even there one's slant on the verse could be that more people than not would have said "yes." That is not the case. In fact, the reaction of the crowd bears out Matthew 11:16-24, which shows many, if not most, are rejecting Jesus.

Matthew 12:23 is just one example among many of how English translations can give the reader the wrong idea. For preachers, I'd say do your work in Greek and see how the English versions line up after that.

Dr. William Reynolds

I was sad to hear about the death of Dr. William J. Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds, a foremost composer and hymnologist, wrote "Share His Love," among many other songs and hymns. We've sung that one often in our worship serivces. I believe he was the primary editor of the 1975 Baptist Hymnal. I had the privilege of sitting under Dr. Reynolds in "Preacher Music 101" at Southwestern Seminary. I'm sure he's helping to lead a choir in glory today!

I have on my shelf, Songs of Glory: Stories of 300 Great Hymns and Gospel Songs, written by Dr. Reynolds several years ago. I remember well that he would often tell a story in class about a hymn before we'd sing it. I've used several of these stories over the years as illustrations and still pick it up from time to time to read it devotionally. Many of the stories are quite inspiring.

Ehrman At It Again

Bart Ehrman is at it again with his new book, Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them). I doubt I read this one but Darrell Bock has reviewed it. It seems to be more of the same in Ehrman's crusade to bring doubt to the autnethicity of the Gospel accounts. I read Misquoting Jesus so I think I can be excused for not going through this again.

For those who don't know, Ehrman teaches at the University of North Carolina.

Reuben Swanson

I've read this morning about the passing this week of Reuben Swanson. His contribution to New Testament text criticism is invaluable and I've learned much from his New Testament Greek Manuscripts series. His work on John was so important to me as I worked on the Johannine text of Chrysostom during my dissertation days.

More can be found on the Evangelical Text Criticism blog.

New Missionaries

We had the privilege of attending an International Mission Board Commissioning Service at Taylors FBC this week. 89 new missionaries were set apart, and it was a stirring service. If you've never attended one, you must. It puts faces to the Cooperative Program and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Marriage and Church Attendance

W. Bradford Wilcox has written an interesting piece in The Wall Street Journal stating the expansion of government and the increasing delay of marriage among young people are two important reasons for the increasing secularization of America. Citing recent statistics which state that only 25% of Americans 21 to 45 attend church, down from one-third in 1970s, Wilcox quotes Princeton sociologist Robert Wuthnow:

The most powerful force driving religious participation down is the nation's recent retreat from marriage, Mr. Wuthnow notes. Nothing brings women and especially men into the pews like marriage and parenthood, as they seek out the religious, moral and social support provided by a congregation upon starting a family of their own. But because growing numbers of young adults are now postponing or avoiding marriage and childbearing, they are also much less likely to end up in church on any given Sunday. Mr. Wuthnow estimates that America's houses of worship would have about six million more regularly attending young adults if today's young men and women started families at the rate they did three decades ago.

We've known for a long time that major seasons of life, including marriage and children, lead to a quest for God. It stands to reason that when people put off marriage and parenthood, that quest is delayed. God can be found, but people need to look for Him. If people aren't looking, how can the church engage them so they'll begin the quest? Ministry gets more challenging by the day!

Dying Without God

Al Mohler has a fascinating blog entry that deals with the subject "Dying Without God." The article is primarily about former French President Francois Mitterand, but later there is a discussion about statistics which state that over one-quarter of Americans do not expect a religious funeral. Mohler is correct in his assessment that the statistic shows that "cultural Christianity" is in danger of its own death in America.

Millions of Americans expect to die without God. Without Him there is no hope, and there is no life. It is incumbent upon the church to be urgent in the proclamation of the Gospel. We must do everything possible to tell others that through Jesus there is resurrection and life.

Winters

The funeral for Dr. Fred Winters, the pastor of FBC Maryville, is today. I had been wondering this week what a church would do the Sunday after the pastor was so tragically killed during a worship service. God always provides. Al Meridth, the pastor of Wedgewood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, is going to preach there. Al knows full well what this church is going through. A gunman entered Wedgewood several years ago during a youth rally and killed several people. I was in seminary at the time and saw some of the aftermath of that tragedy. No one could have handled it better and more Christ-like than Al Meridith and the people of Wedgewood.

I'm sure Al will have a word from the Lord for the people of FBC Sunday. My prayers are with the family of Dr. Winters and the church family as well. There will be victory in Jesus!

Friday the 13th

I thought you'd like the following "Turning Point" Devotion from Dr. David Jeremiah.

Friday the Thirteenth

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. Isaiah 38:17a (NIV)

Some days nothing goes right.

Yahoo News recently reported about a man in St. James, New York, who kept his van running while he ran into the Cool Beanz Coffee Shop on Long Island. He also left his dog, Bentley, in the vehicle. Somehow Bentley managed to jump into the driver's seat and engage the gears. The van tore through patio tables and into the glass windows of the coffee shop with the dog at the wheel. Fortunately no one was injured.

It does seem that sometimes the dogs are at the wheels of life, and some days take an odd turn for the worse. For the Christian, however, all things eventually work together for good (Romans 8:28), and all things work together for God's glory (Ephesians 1:11). Even the days that hold deep bouts of anguish—perhaps this is such a day for you—in God's providence will somehow work for our benefit.

There are no unlucky days for Christians. We don't believe in luck, but in blessings!

(I hope this thought is a blessing to you today!!)

By the way, Dr. Jeremiah's daily devotions are excellent and can be obtained free by signing up on his website. [www.davidjeremiah.org]

Who's The Boss?

In His instructions to the 12 in Matthew 10, Jesus said, "Don't take along gold, silver, or copper for your money belts. Don't take a traveling bag for the road, or an extra shirt, sandals, or a walking stick, for the worker is worthy of his food" [vv. 9-10]. Among the many things the Lord tells His disciples as they prepare for their first mission without Him is to live simply. That's something the modern minister needs to think about. Also, and for the benefit of this brief post, they were to live in dependence upon Jesus and upon the people whom Jesus would use to meet their needs.

D.A. Carson has written, "The church does not pay its ministers; rather, it provides them with resources so that they are able to serve freely." I don't work for the church. I am called by the Lord to serve a church. The Lord then moves upon the church to meet my financial needs so I may serve Him and fulfill my calling from Him freely. Of course, I am accountable to the church for my stewardship of that call, but the bottom line is that I work for the Lord through serving the church as pastor.

Therefore, I am not an employee of the church. I am not "hired" by the membership. I am the church's servant. I serve out my calling from God freely because the church is obedient to the Lord. I'm thankful for their obedience, and I should and hope to never take that their obedience for granted.

Who's the boss? Ultimately for both the members of the church and myself, it is God! Let's get out of the "hire" mode! The church is not a business.

The Impossible

One of my favorite quotes is by F.B. Meyer: "You do not test God's resources until you try the impossible." No truer statement has ever been made. Yet so often God's people do not allow God to do the impossible due to their lack of faith. We look at our own resources--be they money, talent, opportunity, etc.--and see what only we can do. We do not take into account what the angel said to a young girl named Mary: "For nothing will be impossible with God."

Paul prayed: "Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think" [Eph 3:20]. Yet, we all too often bring God down to our level and believe He can only do what we can ask or think.

Churches are looking at their budgets in these days, cutting them, and laying off people. I wonder what would happen if we tried the impossible. "Lord, we know what everything looks like around us. The economy is bad. People are being laid off. The offerings are getting smaller. The budget is not being met. It all looks so impossible. But in spite of everything we see, we're going to believe You. We're going forward with what we believe You told us to do."

I wonder what resources we'd find in the Lord if we'd just believe.

Just musing!

Mountain View

The view outside my office today is awesome! I'm a blessed guy!!

Paul Harvey

You no doubt know by now that legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey died over the weekend. I suppose I've listened to him all my life. I remember as a child watching him on T.V. giving the countdown to Santa's takeoff from the North Pole. Growing up working with my Dad and Grandfather, we'd always stop work at noon to listen to Mr. Harvey's 15-minute newscast. Our last soda break of the day was usually the time "The Rest of the Story" aired on KBXM in Kennett. His 7:30 AM newscast as I drove to work was a ritual on station WBAP in Fort Worth. "Good Day," Paul. My family appreciated you!

Jamaica

Lesa and Steph were in Columbia Saturay for training in preparation for their mission trip to Jamaica. The trip is sponsored by South Carolina WMU. The trip is July 4-11 and both would appreciate your prayers.