BeachCast.TV: Bible Exploration, Apologetics and Church History with Dr. Chase A. Thompson:

In 2nd Corinthians 12, Paul gives Christians an absurd key to walking in God's power and that key is human weakness. How can our weakness be a key to releasing the power of God and the message of Jesus in the midst of a terrifying pandemic?!

Hello everybody, and welcome into the Bible Reading podcast. Scary times out there, right? The world is shaking right now - in fear of the unknown, and in fear of the known. Remember, brothers and sisters - we have a message of hope and salvation in Jesus. Remember that we also represent a Savior - Jesus, who is the hope for the whole world. We are not guaranteed to be protected from the illness going around, but all who are in Christ are guaranteed eternal life in Heaven, and a wonderful inheritance. Look to Jesus and be saved. Look to Jesus and be encouraged. Look to Jesus and be filled with hope. Look to Jesus and believe! So - how do we live in the midst of a deadly pandemic? Let me encourage you to turn to the Word of God on a daily basis, and invite others to join you. We will receive wisdom from the Lord on every page of the Word of God on how to be the people of God in the midst of fiery trials and tribulations. For instance, let's just consider some of the verses we will be reading today out of Exodus 23, Job 41, John 2, and 2nd Corinthians 11:

1. "You must not spread a false report." (Exodus 23:10)
2. "You must not oppress a resident alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be a resident alien because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt." Exodus 23:9
3. "So the Jews replied to him, "What sign will you show us for doing these things?" 19 Jesus answered, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." 20 Therefore the Jews said, "This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made." (John 2:18-22)
4. "Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; 27 toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing." 2nd Corinthians 11:24-27

All of those verses, and others, will provide wisdom for us and encouragement and point us to hope in Jesus. As we walk through this valley of the shadow of death, may we fear no evil as God and His Word is with us. Today's topic, planned out a few days ago, is all about Monsters in the Bible - Leviathan and Behemoth. These are creatures that God Himself describes in the book of Job, and are very, very puzzling creatures indeed. What in the world are they? Let's start with Behemoth:

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like cattle. 16 Look at the strength of his back and the power in the muscles of his belly. 17 He stiffens his tail like a cedar tree; the tendons of his thighs are woven firmly together. 18 His bones are bronze tubes; his limbs are like iron rods. 19 He is the foremost of God's works; only his Maker can draw the sword against him. 20 The hills yield food for him, while all sorts of wild animals play there. 21 He lies under the lotus plants, hiding in the protection of marshy reeds. 22 Lotus plants cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him. 23 Though the river rages, Behemoth is unafraid; he remains confident, even if the Jordan surges up to his mouth. 24 Can anyone capture him while he looks on, or pierce his nose with snares?

Job 40:15-24

So - here are our clues: He eats grass. He has a strong back and a powerful tail. He has strong legs and lives around swamp-like area, probably near the river. He is difficult to capture, and can survive in rapids. What sort of monster are we talking about here?! The Hebrew word is בְּהֵמוֹת behêmôwth, and there are lots of theories about what is signified by that word. The etymology is not very helpful, because the word root simply means an untalking or mute beast. Context is not helpful, because the Hebrew word is a practical hapax legomena - not appearing anywhere else in the Old Testament. Some think that it is a dinosaur that is being referred to, others point to a creature like a hippopotamus. You might think a hippo is a cuddly and cute sort of creature that doesn't fit the mighty description of the Behemoth, but hippos are surprisingly dangerous animals. Weighing in from 3000-9000+ pounds (Toyota Camry's weigh around 3400 pounds!) and capable of running over 18.6 miles per hour, hippos kill between 500-3000 people every year. They also have 20 inch long teeth! The only problem with the hippo=behemoth theory is explained here by Gotquestions.org:

"Some commentators identify the behemoth as a hippopotamus, a rhinoceros, or an elephant. However, the description of its cedar-like tail in Job 40:17 hardly fits the stubby or rope-like tails of those animals. Another theory is that Job 40 describes a type of dinosaur such as a diplodocus or an apatosaurus. Such sauropods were the largest of all land animals (ten times heavier than elephants), were marsh-loving plant-eaters, had tails like trees, and could truly be called "kings" of the animals."

https://www.gotquestions.org/behemoth.html

However, a biologist named Dr. Michael Bright has suggested that the biblical description of a 'tail like a cedar tree' refers more to shape, and not power, and thus a hippo's tail could be a possibility. By the way, if you've never seen a hippo pooping, do yourself a favor, and check out THIS VIDEO. Often, when hippo's poop, they rapidly spin their tail like a helicopter, and spray their poop all over the place. This apparently impresses female hippos, and also helps the male mark his territory. I have not conducted experiments, but I suspect that this will not work on human females. Please leave a comment on the blog if I'm incorrect in that assertion.

That said, my best guess is to go along with Dr. Bright, and agree that the Bible is likely describing a hippo, or something like a hippo. Aside from the poop thing, they really are amazing creatures that are probably the most dangerous land animal in Africa. Perhaps Behemoth was an extinct species of hippo (such as hippopotamus major, which would be larger than modern hippos - 10000 pounds, 14+ feet long, 7 feet high at the shoulder...maybe even a more impressive tail.) I'm not ready to say mystery solved, but I think an slightly larger than today's hippo fits the description of behemoth pretty well. What about Leviathan?

Can you pull in Leviathan with a hook or tie his tongue down with a rope? 2 Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3 Will he beg you for mercy or speak softly to you? 4 Will he make a covenant with you so that you can take him as a slave forever? 5 Can you play with him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? 6 Will traders bargain for him or divide him among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 8 Lay a hand on him. You will remember the battle and never repeat it! 9 Any hope of capturing him proves false. Does a person not collapse at the very sight of him? 10 No one is ferocious enough to rouse Leviathan; who then can stand against me? 11 Who confronted me, that I should repay him? Everything under heaven belongs to me. 12 I cannot be silent about his limbs, his power, and his graceful proportions. 13 Who can strip off his outer covering? Who can penetrate his double layer of armor? 14 Who can open his jaws, surrounded by those terrifying teeth?

Job 41:1-14

This is a bit more of a formidable beast, and a bit more difficult to identify as well. The Hebrew word is לִוְיָתָן livyâthân , and this creature appears in a couple of different places in the Old Testament, including Isaiah and Psalms:

" On that day the Lord with his relentless, large, strong sword will bring judgment on Leviathan, the fleeing serpent—Leviathan, the twisting serpent. He will slay the monster that is in the sea."

"Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small. 26 There the ships move about, and Leviathan, which you formed to play there."

Isaiah 27:1 and Psalm 104:25-26

The root of the word comes from a word meaning wreathed, or joined together, and can perhaps give the impression of a long creature, possibly with segments or ridges. Some speculate that the leviathan was a sea dragon, or perhaps a now extinct species of water-dinosaur, or perhaps an extinct or undiscovered sea-monster of some sort. Apparently its mouth is very dangerous, and its skin is very hard. Given the description in Isaiah 27:1 of a 'twisting' serpent, I think a saltwater crocodile is a good possibility. These creatures can reach astounding lengths and sizes, even today, and could possibly have been larger in antiquity. Salties today can grow to 20 feet long, and weigh over 2300 pounds. Nile crocodiles used to kill around 1000 people per year, and still kill hundreds of people per year, so they match the ferocity that is attributed to leviathan in this passage. Possible the leviathan was a, now extinct forebear of modern Nile and Saltwater crocodiles, or perhaps it was a now extinct sea creature that is not really included in the fossil record as of yet. Perhaps as well it was some sort of large and fierce shark - another modern animal that could fit most of the biblical description of the leviathan. I wish I could give a more definitive answer - I'm pretty strongly team hippo on the behemoth, but way more open on the leviathan. What do you think? Leave a comment, and let me know!

Job 40 and 41 mention two mysterious creatures: Leviathan and Behemoth. Both sound terrifying, and both are extremely powerful and unable to be tamed by humans. What could these creatures possibly be? Also - audio of a hippo pooping - a beautiful sound, if there ever was one. Prepare to be #blessed.

Happy Tuesday, friends! Our Bible passages today are Exodus 22, Job 40, John 1 and 2nd Corinthians 10. Today we are still focused on the women witnesses of the wondrous resurrection of Jesus, but I would be remiss to not at least point us towards that magisterial passage in John 1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Let's turn it over to Spurgeon for a moment to point us in a great direction on this passage:

John is especially careful that we should know that Jesus is a real and true Person, and therefore he tells us that the Divine Word, of whose fullness we have received, is most assuredly God.

No language can be more distinct and explicit than that which John uses concerning Jesus. He ascribes to Him the eternity which belongs alone to God: "In the beginning was the Word." He beyond all question claims Divinity for Him: "The Word was God." He ascribes to Him creative power: "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." He ascribes to Him self-existence, which is the essential characteristic of God: "In Him was life." He claims for Him a nature peculiar to God: "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all;" and he says that the Word is "the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." No writer could be more definite in the expressions he uses; and beyond all question he sets forth the true and proper Deity of that Blessed One whom we all must receive if we would obtain eternal salvation.

Yet John does not fail to demonstrate that our Lord was also man. He saith, "the Word was made flesh,"—not merely assumed manhood, but was made flesh; made not merely man, as to His nobler part, His soul, but man as to His flesh, His lower element. Our Lord was not a phantom, but one who, as John declares in his first Epistle, could be seen, and heard, and touched, and handled.

"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." He lived with the sons of men,—a carpenter's shed His lowly refuge, and the caves and mountains of the earth His midnight resort in His after life. He dwelt among sinners and sufferers, among mourners and mortals, Himself completing His citizenship among us by becoming obedient unto death, "even the death of the cross." Thus, while He is so august a person that Heaven and earth tremble at the majesty of His presence, yet is He so humble a person that He is not ashamed to call us "brethren."

C. H. Spurgeon, Christ's Incarnation: The Foundation of Christianity (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 65–66. Slightly modernized

As promised yesterday, we continue discussing Luke 24 today - the resurrection is most certainly worth a two-part episode and much more! Our topic is all about the women who were the FIRST witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. (The below is taken from Easter: Fact or Fiction: 20 Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose From the Dead):

...According to Matthew 28, the first two witnesses to the risen Jesus were women, Mary Magdalene and "The other Mary." Luke adds that Joanna was there, as well as "other women," and seems to indicate that "the other" Mary, was Mary the mother of James. All four gospels, written down by different men, in different places and at different time periods ALL feature a female (Mary Magdalene) as the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus. That some gospels also mention the presence of other women is far from contradictory, but is the very essence of differing eyewitness testimony. Some details will be included by some authors, and omitted by others. The bottom line is this: women, several of them, were the first witnesses of Jesus' resurrection.

The Women at the Tomb of Jesus - The First Witnesses!

Additionally, Mary Magdalene, perhaps the foremost of these female witnesses, had what might be considered a sketchy past: Jesus had driven not one, but SEVEN demons out of her at one point. All of this leads to an incredibly important question: If, in the first century, the testimony of women was not considered as reliable by any culture, why does the Bible clearly, and in great detail, portray women as being the first and primary witnesses to the risen Jesus? That question also begets another important question: How is it, given the assumed unreliability of women, that so many thousands of people eagerly believed the account of the resurrection of Jesus – many at the cost of their own lives?

Though it is not part of the Bible, and not considered Scripture, there is an apocryphal document called the Epistula Apostolorum, which dates to roughly 120 A.D. It is supposedly an eyewitness account of the apostles, and covers issues like the resurrection of Jesus, some of His parables, and several prophecies. This document contains a depiction of the resurrection, and contains extended dialog between Jesus and the women at the tomb. It is interesting, for the purposes of our discussion here, because it depicts what would have likely been the attitude of men in the first century to the proclamation of women that Jesus rose from the dead; specifically, it portrays the 11 remaining disciples utterly refusing to believe the testimony of the women until they actually see Jesus.

I'm not posting this below because I am certain that this is a reliable record, written by the apostles, of what happened on the first Easter Sunday, but because it is a good example of how first century men would have viewed the testimony of women:

Concerning whom we testify that the Lord is he who was crucified by Pontius Pilate and Archelaus between the two thieves and was buried in a place which is called the place of a skull (Kranion). And thither went three women, Mary, she that was kin to Martha, and Mary Magdalene and took ointments to pour upon the body, weeping and mourning over that which was come to pass. And when they drew near to the sepulchre, they looked in and found not the body 10 And as they mourned and wept, the Lord showed himself unto them and said to them: For whom weep ye? weep no more. I am he whom ye seek. But let one of you go to your brethren and say: Come ye, the Master is risen from the dead. Martha came and told us. We said unto her: What have we to do with thee, woman? He that is dead and buried, is it possible that he should live? And we believed her not that the Saviour was risen from the dead.

Then she returned unto the Lord and said unto him: None of them hath believed me, that thou livest. He said: Let another of you go unto them and tell them again. Mary came and told us again, and we believed her not; and she returned unto the Lord and she also told him. 11 Then said the Lord unto Mary and her sisters: Let us go unto them. And he came and found us within and called us out; but we thought that it was a phantom and believed not that it was the Lord. Then said he unto us: Come, fear ye not. I am your master, even he, O Peter, whom thou didst deny thrice; and dost thou now deny again? And we came unto him, doubting in our hearts whether it were he.

Then said he unto us: Wherefore doubt ye still, and are unbelieving? I am he that spake unto you of my flesh and my death and my resurrection. But that ye may know that I am he, do thou, Peter, put thy finger into the print of the nails in mine hands, and thou also, Thomas, put thy finger into the wound of the spear in my side; but thou, Andrew, look on my feet and see whether they press the earth; for it is written in the prophet: A phantom of a devil maketh no footprint on the earth. 12 And we touched him, that we might learn of a truth whether he were risen in the flesh; and we fell on our faces (and worshipped him) confessing our sin, that we had been unbelieving.

What a fascinating passage, and almost humorous in its depictions of the disciples utterly refusing to listen to the female witnesses! The only possible rational reason that the Bible depicts women as the first witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus (and prominent witnesses at His crucifixion) is that it factually happened. The depiction of these women as witnesses to what should be considered the most monumental event in the history of the world, makes no sense whatsoever if the biblical accounts of Jesus' resurrection are invented or even embellished.

Here's why: There are perhaps five main theories about who Jesus was which can be summed up with the five "M's" used by Southern Evangelical Seminary President Alex Mcfarland. Was Jesus merely a MYTH? That is, was he a legendary sort of character that was invented whole cloth by the lower class culture of Jerusalem who were seeking a hero to look up to? Or, was Jesus a MAN, simply a great teacher, who lived a great life and had a great influence on people, but nothing more than a special, and mortal, human being. In this view, either the followers of Jesus held Him in much higher esteem than they should have, or Jesus Himself had the most remarkable delusions of grandeur in history.

A third option is that Jesus was a MYSTIC, that is to say that perhaps He did possess some form of esoteric knowledge and power that elevated Him over the rest of humanity. Perhaps He was something more than merely a man, perhaps a first century alchemist of sorts, or even something like a mutant from comic book fame. Under this theory, Jesus wasn't God, nor was He immortal; and He certainly wasn't able to save humanity, but He was something more than an average person.

A fourth possibility is that Jesus was/is a MISREPRESENTATION. This theory, popularized by writers like Dan "Da Vinci Code" Brown, posits that the church (or some other body) deified Jesus long after His death, and magnified Him and His accomplishments, in some sort of bid to gain power and control people. In this view, Jesus was merely a teacher that got heavily promoted after His lifetime into something more.

MESSIAH or MASTER is the final possibility of who Jesus was and is. That isthat Jesus is everything the Bible claims Him to be He is the son of God, the King of Kings, and the savior of Israel and all of humanity. Really, aside from ridiculous theories (Jesus was an alien, etc.) those are the five options as to who Jesus was.

If He literally and historically rose from the dead, then several of those possibilities are eliminated outright. In light of those potential identities of Jesus, ponder this question: Why invent and insert women as the first witnesses on Easter morning if the resurrection was a myth, or intentional deception? There is no plausible reason for the women to be portrayed as witnesses of this event, except for the simplest reason of all: it really happened that way. If the early church was simply inventing the story of Jesus' resurrection, wouldn't it have made far more sense to utilize a prominent and well respected witness? Perhaps somebody like Joseph of Arimathea, or even Simon the Pharisee, or Nicodemus, a Pharisee AND member of the ruling council – any of these (and dozens of others) would make for more believable and impacting witnesses, if one wants to allege that the disciples, or some other group fabricated the story of Jesus resurrection.

In N.T. Wright's epic book on the resurrection of Jesus, he states this case quite brilliantly. Consider well his questions, and the implications of their answers:

Even if we suppose that Mark made up most of his material, and did so some time in the late 60s at the earliest, it will not do to have him, or anyone else at that stage, making up a would-be apologetic legend about an empty tomb and having women be the ones who find it. The point has been repeated over and over in scholarship, but its full impact has not always been felt: women were simply not acceptable as legal witnesses. We may regret it, but this is how the Jewish world (and most others) worked. The debate between Origen and Celsus shows that critics of Christianity could seize on the story of the women in order to scoff at the whole tale; were the legend-writers really so ignorant of the likely reaction? If they could have invented stories of fine, upstanding, reliable male witnesses being first at the tomb, they would have done it. That they did not tells us either that everyone in the early church knew that the women, led by Mary Magdalene, were in fact the first on the scene, or that the early church was not so inventive as critics have routinely imagined, or both. Would the other evangelists have been so slavishly foolish as to copy the story unless they were convinced that, despite being an apologetic liability, it was historically trustworthy?

N. T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, Christian Origins and the Question of God (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2003), 607–608.

Was Jesus a Man, Myth, Misrepresentation, or was He actually the Messiah and Master? Continued discussion of how the fact that ALL FOUR GOSPELS portray females as the first witnesses of the resurrection validates the historical accounts and almost completely eliminates the possibility that Matthew, Mark, Luke or John were embellishing or exaggerating their reporting of the resurrection of Jesus.

Hello everybody, and welcome into the Bible Reading podcast - a welcome respite from all of the coronavirus news going around, and filled with enough good Scripture to encourage and edify our souls! Today's passages include Exodus 21, Job 39, Luke 24, and 2nd Corinthians 9. I honestly went back and forth over the topic for today's show. I strongly considered and even began writing about Jesus' command to the disciples to tarry in Jerusalem until they were, "clothed with power from on high," and almost talked about Paul's blessed command to give in 2nd Corinthians 9, but ultimately, I couldn't get away from the allure of talking about the resurrection again, so that is today's focus. It is honestly just hard not to focus on the greatest event in history every time you encounter it in the Bible. With lots of fear going around because of this pandemic scare, I am grateful that - no matter how bad this or any situation gets - those who are saved by grace through faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross have the wonderful promise of eternal life in Him. Because He lives - we who follow Him will live and not perish. Praise His name! The resurrection is the antidote for all of our fears! By the way, today's episode is a two parter, because I couldn't drop two straight 40 minute episodes on you. Selections from today's show are from my book: Easter Fact or Fiction - Twenty Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead, which is available on Amazon. Every time you buy a copy of that book on Amazon, I make a little over two dollars - which is enough to buy my precious children about two rolls of toilet paper. Or, it would be if every store in Salinas wasn't sold out of toilet paper!! I'm tempted to do an episode that attempts to castigate toilet paper hoarders, but I can't really find a Scripture on that, for some reason.

Here is a good question from Willem Dykstra about my choice of the CSB for the primary BRP podcast Bible.

Hi Chase, I am just curious, why is it that you use the CSB, Christian Standard Bible version? Or at least, why do you use it in your Bible Reading Podcast?Up until your podcast, I had never heard of this version I did just a little googling and only remembered from my googling that it seems to be an updated version of the HCSB. Anyway, when I was just a wee lad growing up in Southern Ontario and attending one of the two Christian Reformed Churches in Bowmanville, Ontario, I think the various Christian Reformed Churches in that area used the RSV. I believe some were also still using the good old KJV (Linus's speech in the Peanuts Christmas special would not be the same without it). Around the time I started college, or shortly after that (or maybe just before), all the Christian Reformed Churches almost immediately went to the NIV. Every good Dutch, Christian Reformed person will tell you the NIV published by Zondervan (Another great Dutch name) is the Christian Reformed Church's gift to the rest of Christiandom (I mean, our denomination is even mentioned in the preface and everything) I remember my theology professor when I went to college at Dordt University in Sioux Center, IA, (then it was called Dordt College) although he was a faithful Christian Reformed member did not like that they did the "LORD" in uppercase when they should have used the actual name Yahweh or something like that. I can't seem to recall if I got his umbrage correct (that was a long time ago). Anyway, fast forward to the time I am now married and living in Minnesota attending Dr. John Piper's church, Bethlehem Baptist. I remember that he felt very strongly about the ESV and said this would be the last and best version he would ever use. And our church, both campuses at that time, only used the ESV from then on, and I have been using it ever since.Anyways, sorry if I just wrote too much info here. I did not even go into the fact that several years ago (or maybe decades), it seemed Zondervan Publishing and the NIV had fallen from grace when many people took umbrage (myself included) when Zondervan decided to publish a gender-neutral version of the NIV. I don't remember what this new version is even called (NIrV I think or something like that, but I digress again), but anyways if you have read this far, I really am wondering why is it that you use the CSB?

Great question, Willem! I've been a Christian for almost 40 years now, and here is a list of the translations I have favored over the years:

1970s (as a child) The King James Version Plus the Living Bible. (I was a child!) 1980s-early 2000s: The NIV 1984 1998/99-2002ish: The Updated NASB 2002-2008 The 1984 NIV + The Updated NASB 2008-2013 The ESV 2013-2020 The Holman Christian Standard + The ESV + The CSB. My primary preaching translation for the past 7 years has been the HCSB.

The reason I chose the CSB for the Bible Reading podcast, is because I thought that more readers would have it than the HCSB, which remains my favorite translation. The biggest difference I see between the CSB and the HCSB is the translation of the Tetragrammaton - the personal name of God. the CSB prefers LORD and the HCSB prefers Yahweh:

Comparison of Psalm 83:18 HCSB: May they know that You alone— whose name is Yahweh— are the Most High over all the earth.

CSB: May they know that you alone— whose name is the LORD are the Most High over the whole earth.

I believe the best way to translate the name of God is indeed to use 'Yahweh,' but I do not believe that LORD is wrong.

Today's Big Bible Question is all about the women who were the first witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. This is a big deal, because the testimony of women was not viewed favorably in the first century, and the fact that all FOUR Gospels feature women as the first witnesses of the resurrection is very significant historically. I believe it offers solid corroaboration to the authenticity of the Gospel accounts. Why have women as the first witnesses of Jesus if you are fabricating a story, or legendizing a story? The only sensible reason to feature women prominently as the first witnesses of the biggest event in history is if they were really the first witnesses. One thing I noticed in yesterday's reading of Luke 23 - that I had glossed over in the past - is that the women were not only witnesses of the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, but also very close and careful eyewitnesses of the burial of Jesus:

55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed along and observed the tomb and how his body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes.And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.

Luke 23:55-56

It should be noted that for one to argue that the early church fabricated the resurrection of Jesus, one has to commit to the very same sexism that many of the men of the first century were quite guilty of - they must disparage the testimony of women! Consider the words of Josephus and Strabo - one a well known Jewish/Roman historian and the other a notable Roman first century sexist philosopher:

A. "But let not a single witness be credited; but three, or two at the least, and those such whose testimony is confirmed by their good lives. But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth" - Jewish/Roman historian Josephus, pointing out the belief that women of his day should not testify in court

B: "In dealing with a crowd of women at least, or with any promiscuous mob, a philosopher cannot influence them by reason or exhort them to reverence, piety and faith; nay, there is need of religious fear also, and this cannot be aroused without myths and marvels" - Strabo, a first century philosopher sharing a quite common view of women at the time: that they were immune to reason and comparable to a "promiscuous mob."

A. Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 117.

B. Richard Bauckham, Gospel Women: Studies of the Named Women in the Gospels (Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans, ©2002), 270

They weren't the only ones, either! Consider the Mishnah a compilation of the Jewish oral law that was actively used by the Scribes and Pharisees during the first century. (and not the Word of God.) One of the Rabbis found within testifies that, due to their menstrual issues, "women are not competent witnesses to be relied on…they are not halakhically admissible as reliable witnesses."

There are many more examples than just those, and I imagine some of you are mad right now, so let me just sneak in one other somewhat infuriating quote written by our backwards 'friends' from antiquity. Celsus was a Greek philosopher and an adamant opponent of Christianity who lived in the second century. Of the resurrection, and the fact that a woman was the first witness of the risen Jesus, Celsus opined:

"But we must examine this question whether anyone who really died ever rose again with the same body. Or do you think that the stories of these others really are the legends which they appear to be, and yet that the ending of your tragedy is to be regarded as noble and convincing—his cry from the cross when he expired, and the earthquake and the darkness? While he was alive he did not help himself, but after death he rose again and showed the marks of his punishment and how his hands had been pierced. But who saw this? A hysterical female, as you say, and perhaps some other one of those who were deluded by the same sorcery, who either dreamt in a certain state of mind and through wishful thinking had a hallucination due to some mistaken notion, or, which is more likely, wanted to impress the others by telling this fantastic tale, and so by this cock-and-bull story to provide a chance for other beggars."

James Stevenson, A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrating the History of the Church to AD 337 (London: SPCK, 1987), 133.

As you can see here, Celsus' major attack on the validity of the resurrection account is that it was first witnessed and propagated by a hysterical woman (Mary Magdalene) and, another "one of those," who was "deluded by the same sorcery." On behalf of women everywhere, I am offended for you! Be reminded that, though this backwards attitude towards women was staggeringly rampant in the first century, that was not the case with Jesus, the apostles, nor the early church. Perhaps you've imagined that the "Jesus Team" consisted of Jesus and the twelve disciples, and those thirteen went around from city to city healing the sick and sharing the good news. You'd be partly right, but the Jesus team was actually quite a bit larger than that, as there were a number (the Bible says "many) of women that also travelled with Jesus and had a critical role on the team, paying for lodging and expenses, etc. Jesus Himself was radical in the way He treated women, having multiple deep individual encounters with them at a time when it would be scandalously inappropriate for a Rabbi to have a one on one conversation with a female.

Compare the New Testament to any other document of antiquity, and you will find that it was radically forward thinking in its ethos of women. To be sure, in many cases, women were treated quite poorly in the earliest centuries, and were viewed in a way that does not comport with modern reality. I could add many other quotes to demonstrate this historical fact, but that is not necessary to make the primary and pertinent point here: having a female witness to something monumental in the first century might be a little bit…inconvenient, to say the least. As Josephus notes above, there were many cultures in antiquity where a woman was not allowed to testify in court. In other ancient cultures, they might have been allowed to testify, but their testimony would not have carried as much weight as the testimony of a man. In some of those situations, where women were actually allowed to testify, it would take the testimony of two women to override the testimony of one man. Why is such a cultural issue critical in discussing the resurrection of Jesus? Because, according to Matthew 28, the first two witnesses to the risen Jesus were women, Mary Magdalene and "The other Mary." Luke adds that Joanna was there, as well as "other women," and seems to indicate that "the other" Mary, was Mary the mother of James. All four gospels, written down by different men, in different places and at different time periods ALL feature a female (Mary Magdalene) as the first witness of the resurrection of Jesus.

Stay Tuned for part two tomorrow!

The resurrection of Jesus is the most monumental event in history, and also the boldest claim made in antiquity. Skeptics suggest that the early church fabricated the resurrection, and added it to the life of Jesus of Nazareth many years after His death. The Bible, however, puts forward a small group of humble women as the FIRST witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, and even the male disciples didn't believe their testimony at first! Why would the Bible - if it was fabricated - offer up women as the first

Happy Monday, friends - hope you are all washing your hands, not touching your face, and - most importantly - starting your day with the Word of God! Thank you for joining us for the Bible Reading Podcast. Promo. Today's readings include Exodus 20 (The Ten Commandments), Job 38 (God Speaks to Job out of the whirlwind), Luke 23 (The crucifixion of Jesus) and 2nd Corinthians 8. Though we aren't focusing on 2 Corinthians today, one of the deepest and richest verses in all of Scripture is right there in the middle of chapter 8, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention it:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.

2nd Corinthians 8:9

Today's focus passages will be our Exodus AND Job passages, because both are applicable to our big Bible question of the day. Allow me to confess upfront, that our question of the day isn't exactly fair, because the Bible doesn't full describe the appearance of God, but it does often describe His surroundings, and that will be our primary focus of discussion for the first part of the episode. The second half of the episode will include some awesome Scriptures that describe the appearance of God. Let's consider Job 38:1 first of all. All of the sudden, God is on the scene, and He is ready to call Job and his friends to account for their words. Surprisingly, God is in a whirlwind:

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind. He said:

Job 38:1

Job sees God in a whirlwind

This is a very strange passage - strange for its suddenness, I suppose, and strange for the fact that God is IN A WHIRLWIND. We are given absolutely zero introduction or context here. Job and his friends don't look up and see a storm forming in the distance, or anything like that...just - all of the sudden, God is there, and He is speaking out of a whirlwind. The Hebrew word used here for whirlwind is the word סַעַר sah' -ar, and it means, tempest, storm, hurricane, or whirlwind. I suppose 'tornado' would be in the semantic range of the word as well. It is the same word used in 2nd Kings 2:

The time had come for the Lord to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind ...

11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.

2 Kings 2 verses 1 and 11

It is also the same word used in Jonah for the storm that God sent to turn Jonah back from Tarshish to Nineveh, and also in Zechariah 9:

Then the Lord will appear over them, and his arrow will fly like lightning. The Lord God will sound the trumpet and advance with the southern storms.

Zechariah 9:14

I believe it is fair to say that there is a strong association between God and this whirlwind (He will also speak out of it later in Job.) Do most people picture God's presence as manifesting in a storm? Perhaps not...but here we are. God (sometimes!) abides in the whirlwind...but not always! Consider Elijah's encounter with God (one of my favorite Bible passages!):

Suddenly, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ...11 Then he said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord's presence." At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

1 Kings 19:10-13

God was not in the storm here, nor the fire, nor the earthquake, but in the soft whisper. Fascinating, beautiful, an a little unsettling, but in a good way, I think. Let's turn to our Exodus passage - how does God appear in Exodus?

18 All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 "You speak to us, and we will listen," they said to Moses, "but don't let God speak to us, or we will die."20 Moses responded to the people, "Don't be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not sin." 21 And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.

Exodus 20:18-21

There are a few verses in the Bible that just give me chills. The 1st Kings 19 passage is one. Revelation 12 (There was war in Heaven) is another. Matthew 7:23 (I never knew you - depart from me you lawbreakers!) is a third. Exodus 20:21 is absolutely in the mix as far as most chilling Bible verse. araphel - thick darkness, gross darkness, total darkness. God is here dwelling in a mountain surrounded by lightning, thunder, thick smoke, fire, and a terrifyingly loud trumpet sound. Just picturing what the Israelites might have seen in my mind's eye is enough to produce at least a little of the shuddering that they felt:

16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people in the camp shuddered. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder

Exodus 19:16-19

So far, we have seen that God can inhabit total darkness (surrounded by fiery and smoky storms), He can inhabit a calm and gentle whisper, and He can inhabit a whirlwind. Pretty fascinating, I'd say, but we aren't done yet! Isaiah saw a picture of the Lord:

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above him; they each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies; his glory fills the whole earth.

Isaiah 6:1-3

Not a big description of God Himself (more on that in a moment) but we do see Him here on a lofty and high throne - and He is wearing a robe with a LONG train or hem, which is fairly interesting. So - it is reasonable to believe that when God appears to humans - He is wearing some kind of clothing. We learn some more about the appearance of God in Exodus 24:

9 Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of Israel's elders, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. Beneath his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.11 God did not harm the Israelite nobles; they saw him, and they ate and drank.12 The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction." 13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua and went up the mountain of God. 14 He told the elders, "Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are here with you. Whoever has a dispute should go to them." 15 When Moses went up the mountain, the cloud covered it. 16 The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day he called to Moses from the cloud. 17 The appearance of the Lord's glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop. (note! lapis lazuli is important, apparently, as Ezekiel sees God on a throne of lapis lazuli in Ezekiel 10) Lapis lazuli is a beautiful deep blue rock! (See below)

Exodus 24:9-17

God's throne and the ground he walked on were apparently made of lapis lazuli.

Also: God has feet! (Or at least, His appearance can manifest with feet) As well, as verse 17 shows us, God can also appear as if He is a consuming fire, or as if He is dwelling in a consuming fire. Likely both, as Hebrews 12:29 tells us, "For our God is a consuming fire." I realize that we have not seen a very detailed description of the appearance of God yet - and there is a very good reason for that - but, believe it or not, the Bible does give us a good bit more about the appearance of God than we've seen so far. Let's examine a few more passages, beginning with Exodus 34-35:

13 Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people. 14 And he replied, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 "If your presence does not go," Moses responded to him, "don't make us go up from here. 16 How will it be known that I and your people have found favor with you unless you go with us? I and your people will be distinguished by this from all the other people on the face of the earth." 17 The Lord answered Moses, "I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and I know you by name." 18 Then Moses said, "Please, let me see your glory." 19 He said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name 'the Lord' before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." 20 But he added, "You cannot see my face, for humans cannot see me and live." 21 The Lord said, "Here is a place near me. You are to stand on the rock, 22 and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will take my hand away, and you will see my back, but my face will not be seen."... 4 Moses cut two stone tablets like the first ones. He got up early in the morning, and taking the two stone tablets in his hand, he climbed Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him.5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed his name, "the Lord." 6 The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: the Lord—the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But he will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the fathers' iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation 8 Moses immediately knelt low on the ground and worshiped.

Exodus 34:13-23 and Exodus 35:4-8

What do we see here? Most importantly, we learn the character of God: Compassionate and gracious - slow to anger, and abounding in my favorite Hebrew word Chesed - faithful love! Punishing sin and maintaining love to a thousand generations...praise His holy name! (By the way, that is good news for us living thousands of years after Moses - God is still maintaining His love, because we have not yet exhausted a thousand generations since Moses) Two other things we learn: First, we learn that no human can see God face to face and live - this is very important, and it means that we will not have a full descriptive of God in the Bible. Second, we see God dwelling in the clouds again - and that is important. (Perhaps worth remembering: when Jesus ascended into Heaven, He ascended into the clouds...when He returns, He will return on the clouds of Heaven (Matthew 26:64). There is a very strong associating in Scripture between God and clouds!

Just a few more passages to go, and these passages will contain the most deeply descriptive words about God in the Bible. Let's begin with Daniel 7:

9 "As I kept watching, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was white like snow, and the hair of his head like whitest wool. His throne was flaming fire; its wheels were blazing fire. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.

Daniel 7:9-10

Thus far, this is our most detailed description of God. Clothing white as snow, seated on a throne of FLAMING FIRE - with WHEELS OF FLAMING FIRE and the his hair, on His head was like the whitest wool. So - God does have a head, He does have hair, He does have feet. Further, we see a RIVER OF FIRE coming out from the presence of God. We often associate fire with Satan, and cartoons like to depict him ruling a fiery hell, but in the Bible fire purifies, and God is often seen in the midst of fire, and He sometimes appears AS FIRE. Satan does not rule from Hell - he's not there yet. When he is sent to hell, it won't be to rule, but to suffer. Our next picture of God comes from Ezekiel, and buckle your seat belts, because it is remarkable!

3 the word of the Lord came directly to the priest Ezekiel son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar Canal. The Lord's hand was on him there.4 I looked, and there was a whirlwind coming from the north, a huge cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire, there was a gleam like amber. 5 The likeness of four living creatures came from it, and this was their appearance: They looked something like a human, 6 but each of them had four faces and four wings... 13 The likeness of the living creatures was like the appearance of blazing coals of fire or like torches. Fire was moving back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, with lightning coming out of it. 14 The creatures were darting back and forth like flashes of lightning. ... 25 A voice came from above the expanse over their heads; when they stopped, they lowered their wings. 26 Something like a throne with the appearance of lapis lazuli was above the expanse over their heads. On the throne, high above, was someone who looked like a human. 27 From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire enclosing it all around. From what seemed to be his waist down, I also saw what looked like fire. There was a brilliant light all around him. 28 The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the Lord's glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.

Selections from Ezekiel 1

Did you see it - another whirlwind! Also - FIRE and CLOUDS AND LIGHTNING AND MORE LAPIS LAZULI! And, our clearest description of the appearance of God (or the likeness of His glory) yet: HE LOOKED HUMAN, but He gleams like amber. Fire enclosed His upper torso AND His lower torso. There was a brilliant RAINBOW like light all around God. This is a fascinating picture we are beginning to see. One more passage (and maybe a bonus one!) - this one from Revelation:

After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit, and there was a throne in heaven and someone was seated on it. 3 The one seated there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian stone. A rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald surrounded the throne.4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes, with golden crowns on their heads. 5 Flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder came from the throne. Seven fiery torches were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. 6 Something like a sea of glass, similar to crystal, was also before the throne...

Revelation 8: 2 Then I saw the seven angels who stand in the presence of God; seven trumpets were given to them.3 Another angel, with a golden incense burner, came and stood at the altar. He was given a large amount of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up in the presence of God from the angel's hand.

Revelation 4:1-6 and Revelation 8:2-4

What an awe-inspiring picture we are given in Revelation of the wonder and majesty of God! Notice the trumpets (we heard those back in Exodus!) the lightning and thunder! The fiery torches in the presence of God! A sea of glass/crystal in front of the throne! Rainbow light - perhaps tinted green like an emerald - shining around the throne. And God Himself - the Ancient of Days - with an appearance like a jasper stone and a sardius (or carnelian stone.) There is a good amount of discussion as to what exactly John intended here, but my best guess is reddish crystals that swirl with other colors, as pictured below:

God appeared like a Jasper - perhaps with the color of the above. What a beautiful stone!

This is a polished carnelian stone - beautiful and reddish like the Jasper. Perhaps the red refers to the redemptive blood of Jesus?

One last description of God to discuss, and this will be a great place to conclude this extremely long episode. Have you ever wondered what Jesus - the Son of God and God Himself actually looks like NOW - In His glorified form? Well - we have a wonderful, beautiful picture of that in Revelation, chapter 1.

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet 11 saying, "Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands,13 and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man, dressed in a robe and with a golden sash wrapped around his chest. 14 The hair of his head was white as wool—white as snow—and his eyes like a fiery flame. 15 His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and his voice like the sound of cascading waters. 16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid. I am the First and the Last, 18 and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Revelation 1:9-18

Most people think of God as a kind and elderly grandpa type figure sitting on a throne with a long and flowing white beard. Does this description come from the Bible? When we read the Word of God we actually find lots of clouds, fire, smoke, light, rainbows and more used in the descriptive phrases that describe the appearance of God. Is it possible to know what God looks like from His biblical descriptions?

Today is the Lord's Day, Friends - and that means a shorter than normal podcast for us. Rest your ears, wash your hands and enjoy your extra time this Sunday! As a pastor, much of my Saturday is spent getting ready for Sunday, and therefore I try to take it a little easier than normal on the Saturday night podcast. Today we are reading some great Bible passages, though: Exodus 19, Job 37, Luke 22 and 2nd Corinthians 7. In Luke 22, Jesus is with His disciples for their last meal together before the crucifixion. Here is the passage in Luke:

14 When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. 15 Then he said to them, "I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." 17 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, "Take this and share it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." 19 And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."20 In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood,which is poured out for you. 21 But look, the hand of the one betraying me is at the table with me. 22 For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!"23 So they began to argue among themselves which of them it could be who was going to do it.

Luke 22:14-23

SO - why are Christians all across the world going to eat crackers or bread and drink the fruit of the vine today during church today? Is it for a tasty snack, which is how young Chase viewed communion in his childhood. Well - tasty grape juice, the crackers were always bitter and odd, and very, very tiny. Is communion a way to break up the monotony from time to time? An act of cannibalism...or something much more?

The practice of communion in the church is so unusual that in the early 200s a Roman writer accused Christians of consuming infants during the worship times - obviously combining the nativity story and the communion element of worship. In fact Hoc Est Corpus Meum - the Latin for 'This is my body' which Jesus said at the initial Last Supper is the probable origin for the magical phrase 'Hocus-pocus'. It shows that people have been confused for years about the practice of Christians taking communion and what exactly it means.

Let's go back a few days to 1st Corinthians and read Paul's explanation of communion:

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when He was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread, 24 gave thanks, broke it, and said, "This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same way, after supper He also took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant established by My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

1st Corinthians 11:23-26

AGAIN - DEATH. Why are Christians so focused on death?? It's weird and morbid, right? Except, death is the most universal reality we all face, and the most terrifying thing. If you are young, you care little about death, unless it has stolen somebody precious from you. The older you are, the more death has laid its marks on you. On your hair, your beard hair, your body, your knees, your joints, your husbands and wives, your families and friends. The Bible rightly describes death as a terrible enemy, because it is. The worst.

You know why death is so important to Christians if you've ever faced it. But - the thing is - when we are focused on the death of Jesus - we are not celebrating in some sort of macabre way that He suffered by having His Body broken and His blood spilled. We are celebrating that HE LOVED US SO MUCH THAT HE WENT THROUGH A HORRIFIC DEATH TO SAVE US FROM GOING THROUGH A HORRIFIC DEATH. We proclaim the Lord's Death because it SAVES US FROM OUR OWN DEATH!!! Because we've died with Him - WE WILL LIVE WITH HIM!! BECAUSE HIS BODY WAS BROKEN - OUR BODIES WILL BE UNBROKEN BECAUSE HIS BLOOD WAS GRUESOMELY POURED OUT - OUR BLOOD WILL BE PRESERVED.

So - why do Christians eat bread and drink the fruit of the vine in church on Sunday mornings? #1 Because Jesus told us to do so in remembrance of the Good news of His death in our place - the gospel. #2 Because it not only helps us remember the good news - and be thankful for it - but it also helps us proclaim it to our families, our children, our friends and to any visitor that shows up. Communion is our way of remembering AND proclaiming the greatest news in history! Allow me to close with some fantastic news - and an incredible insight - from Spurgeon:

And as to our Lord's going away from us into heaven, it does at first sight have a very sorrowful aspect. We should be glad if He should occupy that chair (on the stage) tonight and say, "Take, eat; this is My body." Oh, what a happy crowd would you all be who love Him, if He stood in this pulpit tonight and showed you His hands and His feet. We would stand at the posts of His doors for a whole week together to get a sight of Him. If He had His throne in Jerusalem in the present, what pilgrimages would we make if we might but come anywhere near His blessed person, and might kiss the very dust He trod upon! For what a precious Lord was He! Oh, in our times of sorrowing, if we could but once see His face, those dear lustrous eyes that seem to say, "I know your sorrows, for I have felt the same," that blessed countenance that would speak consolation, though it said not a word, and would say to every mourner, "I will help you. I have borne your burden of old"—would it not be a joy to see Him? Surely I would be glad enough to cease my ministry, and you might be glad enough, however useful you might be, to give up your work as the stars hide their diminished heads when the sun rises.

But, brethren, there is no cause for sorrow...for our sorrow is turned into joy. It is a great gain to us not to have the Saviour here. And do you see how? He said, "If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." Now, it is a nobler thing to have the Spirit of God dwelling in us than it would be to have Jesus Christ dwelling upon earth. For, as I have hinted, if He were on earth we could not all get at Him; He could only be in one place at a time, and how would the poor be able to get where He is? And if He walked through all the world in a natural way, it is only now and then He could come to one place, and so some of us would have to be pining all our lives to see Him. But now the Holy Ghost is here. The Holy Ghost is wherever believers are. "Do you not know that He dwells in us for ever?"

C. H. Spurgeon, Able to the Uttermost: Twenty Gospel Sermons (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 50. Slightly modernized