When John wrote John 6:24-35, he was not making a journal, but a teaching biography composed perhaps 70 years after the events. Some Christians are afraid of such suggestions. Perhaps their faith is not built on a foundation of truth and are threatened by truth. Q is another honest theory of forensic literary research, from the German word “Quelle” meaning source. Q postulates that Matthew and Luke were compiled using an earlier set of notes about Jesus. Some people claim that this proves that the Gospels are not inspired by God. That’s just dishonest. Let’s not feel threatened by such theories. Let’s realize that God can inspire even material written years later or composed using a common source. Forensics is not a threat to our faith. It gives some clues as to a possible note-taker among the original disciples.
Living with impermanence
In the modern world, we live with built in obsolescence. It is a short-sighted mechanism built in to products sometimes due to greed, economics or politics. In some countries houses are built to last hundreds of years, whereas in others they last only a short time before needing new roofs or siding. No matter the local time frame, all things are temporary. That is one of the main lessons of Luke 21:1-19. Jesus pointed out that even the well-built temple would be destroyed. As a centerpiece of national life, it had been rebuilt about five hundred years before Jesus’ prediction. The first temple had lasted about 400 years before being destroyed by the Babylonians. The second temple was the one Jesus predicted would also not last. There is only one permanent thing we can build. Everything else is temporary.
Modern Gender Bigotry
When we read modern commentaries on the Bible, a large number of them tend to prejudice the reading with a self-righteous approach about how women today are supposedly treated so much better than they were anciently. There is a bias about gender unfairness and how those were male dominated societies where women lacked justice. Hence anything we read about the Old or New Testament becomes tainted as we look down our noses at our ancestors. A case in point is the idea of levirate marriage which was referred to in Luke 20:27-40. These were arranged marriages where a brother married his widowed sister-in-law in order to provide for her. Rather than look down at our ancestors, perhaps we need an honest look at ourselves. Our families suffer from historically unprecedented breakdowns. Perhaps our ancestors can teach us a lesson.
Sex in Heaven
If what Jesus said in Luke 20:27-40 is not merely rhetorical, then there will be no sex in heaven. What a disappointment for most of us! Does that mean that heaven will be no fun? Does that mean that we will not recognize Mom and Dad as themselves, because they will no longer be of a distinctive gender? The Bible simply does not say. However, it does give hints that whatever we experience here on earth, including sex, will pale into comparison with what we will have in heaven. The thrills and excitement of earthly life are a mere shadow of the reality that we will have for eternity. So, whether or not we will specifically have sex in heaven, we will have something far better. Sexual fulfillment is fleeting. Heavenly bliss is far superior and will last forever.
Illogical Doctrines
In faith matters we have a human tendency to defend various positions illogically. People on different sides may not always be honestly looking for the truth, but a way to justify their own opinions. An example of this is the classic confrontation of the Sadducees with Jesus over the doctrine of the resurrection in Luke 20:27-40. The Sadducees were wealthy fundamentalists who believed that only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible had authority. Their debate with Jesus was designed to lead to an unreasonable (if unstated) conclusion, that the resurrection cannot be true because if it was, the widow could have seven husbands. Jesus pointed out the illogical conclusion by simply stating that such gender issues would be irrelevant in the resurrection. Do we have the courage to change when confronted with the religion of Jesus Christ?
Levirate Welfare System
In our modern self-righteous disdain of historic gender arrangements, the idea of levirate marriage probably gives many great excuse for looking down their noses at our ancestors. A question that "liberated" moderns avoid is why our families are so broken in comparison. We have no reasons to brag. When Jesus was challenged with a riddle about levirate marriage in Luke 20:27-40, we may ask, what was that all about? We live in a world where marriage legalities have been taken over by the church and government. It once was strictly a family affair. The same is true of welfare. The well-being of widows was taken care of via family arrangements. In a world where clan and family were very important, marrying a brother’s widow to provide for her was common. Rather than disdain their culture, can we learn something?
How the Resurrection Works
In all the Bible’s discussion of the resurrection there is little explanation of how that works mechanically. In our striving for doctrinal superiority and one-up-man-ship there are many people who treat mere human theories with dogmatism. There are those who claim that we are resurrected with the same bodies. Does that mean the same molecules? How does that work with decayed bodies that contributed matter to vegetables that other people ate? Others claim that the dead are asleep. How does that jive with what Jesus said in Luke 20:72-40, that God “is” the God of the living, not “will be?” Dogmatism over unclear matters often reveals a degree of ignorance of all the facts and a lack of humility. Many teachings about the resurrection are mere human speculation. One issue is plain. The resurrection is taught as a fact.
The Age of Martyrs
In Christian history, the first few centuries are sometimes referred to as the Age of Martyrs. From Stephen, the first known martyr to the conversion of Emperor Constantine, Christians were persecuted first briefly by the Jews and then much worse by the Romans. However, more Christians have died for their faith over the past century than throughout all history. A common estimate for the number of Christians who have been murdered for their faith throughout history is 70 million. It has been calculated that 65% of that number, or 45 million died during the twentieth century. Living in the relatively free west can mask the reality of the world situation. While these numbers are estimates, they do point out that rather than improving over time, persecution has actually gotten worse. All Saints Day is a time to remember the martyrs.
Where a Constitution Means Nothing
Can a nation’s constitution guarantee freedom? According to Renovo Media, North Korea’s constitution supposedly guarantees freedom of religion. However, a piece of paper guarantees nothing when leaders abuse their power. According to Voice of the Martyrs, in 2004 a North Korean army general was executed for attempting to preach Christ to his troops. In 2009, a woman there named Ri Hyon Ok was executed in public for distributing the Bible. This normal Christian deed is seen as anti-government activity in a country where the head of state claims to be a god. There may be 30,000 Christians in North Korea. However, the official state ideology is Juche a North Korean variance of Marxism, which deifies its leader. According to Open Door, North Korea is the world’s worst persecutor of Christians. This All Saints Day let’s remember North Korean Christians.
Today’s Persecuted Saints
With some facts from Open Doors, this All Saints Day we remember modern persecuted saints. North Korea arrests, tortures, kills, and reportedly uses Christians in biological and chemical warfare tests. In Iran Armenian, Assyrian and Chaldean Christians are abused, harassed and forbidden to allow former Muslims to enter their churches. In Saudi Arabia non-Muslim worship is forbidden. In Afghanistan Christians face fierce persecution. In Yemen leaving Islam is forbidden. Chinese Christians in non-state churches can face imprisonment and punishment. In India anti-Christian violence is high in a number of Hindu states. In Algeria, the government regulates religion and has ordered half of evangelical churches to close. In Kuwait getting permission to build churches is difficult and evangelizing of Muslims forbidden. In Indonesia, the government fails to protect Christians from unofficial persecution in many states. 100 million Christians face persecution today.
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