Daily Bible Reading Podcast

GENESIS 27: In yesterday's reading we read the history of Isaac and Rebecca's family before the narrative focuses on their dissimilar twin sons— and especially Jacob.

JOB 15: God has revealed so much more to us in our day than what Job could know in his day. One thing was shown yesterday. Job asked,

14:14 If a man dies, can he come back to life? …

MARK 9b: After coming down the mountain with three of his disciples, Jesus met his other disciples who were having two difficulties simultaneously with people arguing with them and with failing to heal a man's son— who was possessed by an evil spirit or a demon.

Repeating a little of what I said in an earlier podcast: In Greek, 'demon' is daimonia, and the other term, 'evil spirit', is more literally 'unclean spirit'. As someone who has worked in another culture and seen what has happened over my lifetime in the USA, I hope it will be helpful to some readers if I share about this topic. Some of you— particularly those of the older generation in the USA, will say, "What people called demons in Jesus' day were just what we call mental illness." While, paradoxically, it is the younger generation in the USA who more readily believe that demons actually exist. I think the younger generation have it right this time. Demons do exist.

Here's what I have observed: Where demons are not believed in, they are happy to stay in the background— where they are very adept at promoting falsehood and sin. Where demons are feared, worshipped, where people listen to satanic music and take part in occult rituals, demons come out more openly— to increase people's fear of them and to manipulate people.

As believers in Jesus, remember that Jesus has complete power over Satan and all demons. We who belong to Jesus should not fear them. Nor should we seek communication with such beings. Remember two things from yesterday's story: The father wisely cried out, "Help my unbelief!" So the first thing to remember is to fully believe in Christ Jesus. The second is the answer Jesus gave to the disciples question: Prayer is of vital importance in this area of spiritual warfare.

NLT Translation notes: Mrk. 9:22 The [demon/spirit] often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can." 25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil f spirit. "Listen, you [demon/spirit] [who/that] makes this boy unable to hear and speak," he said. "I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!" 26 Then the [evil/0] spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, "He's dead." 29 Jesus replied, "[That/This] kind can be cast out only by prayer. " heading at 38: [Doing thing for Jesus' cause//Using the Name of Jesus]38 John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn't in our group." 31 for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, "[I, the//The] Son of Man, [am/is] going to be betrayed into the hands of [my/his] enemies. [I/He] will be killed, but three days later [I/he] will rise from the dead." 32 [However/0] they didn't understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant. 39 "Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs a miracle [on my behalf/in my name/using my name] will soon be able to speak evil of me. [One thing I do not like about the NLT is the translation of 'in my name' as 'using my name' in places having to do with prayer like John 16. In v38 here, it works well. For believers in this age, when we pray 'in Jesus' name', the meaning is not simply that we end our prayers with an automatic 'in Jesus name'. The meaning of praying in Jesus' name is that we pray things for the cause of Jesus, on behalf of Jesus, or for Jesus' glory. This is why I end so many prayers on these podcasts with the idea of Jesus' glory!]

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Do you know an elderly person who can no longer read the Bible? Or, do you know someone who would enjoy listening to audio Scripture but who is not able to use the Internet? An easy way to help such people is by sharing MP3 recordings via inexpensive MP3 players. Many good podcast apps (like AntennaPod for Android) have settings for how many episodes can be downloaded. Set the number at 400 and you should get a year's worth, with a few extras that can be deleted. The challenge then is to find out where your device saves the downloads. Hint: For Android devices, look in the Android/data folder.

I remind you that the use of the New Living Translation for these podcasts is due to the generosity of Tyndale House Foundation. The full attribution text for the NLT is found at the end of the episode notes.

GENESIS 25-26: Yesterday in Genesis 24 we read the charming story of how Rebecca became Isaac's wife.

JOB 14: In chapter 13, Job challenged Zophar and his other two friends with these words,

6 GNT Listen while I state my case. 7 Why are you lying? Do you think your lies will benefit God? 8 Are you trying to defend him? Are you going to argue his case in court? 9 If God looks at you closely, will he find anything good? Do you think you can fool God the way you fool others?

… 14 I am ready to risk my life. 15 I've lost all hope, so what if God kills me? I am going to state my case to him. 16 It may even be that my boldness will save me, since no wicked person would dare to face God.

Job said in 13:15 that he would present his case to God, and that is exactly what he does, starting in verse 19 (in the GNT) or 20 (in the NLT). And Job continues to speak to God through all of chapter 14.

MARK 9: Yesterday at the end of Mark 8, Jesus gave this requirement for all his followers:

PET "Everyone who wants to follow Me must leave his own self interests, and follow Me continually with this resolve, 'No matter if I die— even if that be by crucifixion, I will keep following the Lord!'"

[The PET stands for the Plain English Translation. That is an English translation of our Plain Indonesian Translation (TSI).]

The rest of the chapter has other important verses including this one:

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

NLT Translation notes:Mrk. 9:1 Jesus went on to say, "I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see [God coming and setting up his Kingdom on earth to reign in great power!//the Kingdom of God arrive in great power!]"

[In most languages (and I really think we need to include English) kingdoms don't 'come' or 'arrive'. Similarly, cabbages don't read books. Such things are collocational clashes. The kingdom of North America doesn't move to South America! The Lord's prayer is a famous example. Instead of 'May your kingdom come' it is better in most of the world's languages to say, "May You come and reign here as king."]

9 As they went back down the mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen until [He,/0] the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

12 Jesus responded, "[That's right.//0] Elijah is [0/indeed] coming to come first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that [I,/0] the Son of Man, must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt?

25 When Jesus saw that the crowd of onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil f spirit. "Listen, you [demon/spirit] [who/that] makes this boy unable to hear and speak," he said. "I command you to come out of this child and never enter him again!"

26 Then the [evil/0] spirit screamed and threw the boy into another violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead. A murmur ran through the crowd as people said, "He's dead."

29 Jesus replied, "[That/This] kind can be cast out only by prayer. "

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 24: In Genesis 22, Isaac asked, "I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?"

8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide one."

It is amazing to me that Moses adds the proverb, "even today people say, "On the Lord's mountain he provides." In our time, we easily see how this points to the provision of the Lamb of God on the mountain called Calvary.

JOB 13: As we saw in chapter 12, Job by now is pretty ticked off, starting off with,

"Yes, you are the voice of the people. When you die, wisdom will die with you.

Note the irony Job points out:

4 Even my friends laugh at me now; they laugh, although I am righteous and blameless; but there was a time when God answered my prayers. 5 You have no troubles, and yet you make fun of me; you hit someone who is about to fall. 6 But thieves and godless people live in peace, though their only god is their own strength.

MARK 8b: In yesterday's reading, Jesus fed the 4,000, and then the Pharisees demand a miraculous sign 'showing God's approval'— literally a sign 'from heaven'. The reading yesterday ended with the disciples not understanding what Jesus meant by

15 "Take care," Jesus warned them, "and be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."

NLT Translation notes: Mrk. 8:23 Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then, [applying his own spit to//spitting on] the man's eyes, he laid his hands on him and asked, "Can you see anything now?" [The Greek does actually say that Jesus 'spit' in the man's eyes, but to spit in someone's face is so objectionable that more than one translation softens this a bit!] 27 Jesus and his disciples left Galilee and went up to the villages near Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, "[What do people say as to the position/role I am assuming?"//Who do people say I am?"][Normally in our language if Jesus said, "Who do people say I am," the answer would be "Jesus". Jesus was not asking about his name, so we need a different question opener than "Who".] 28 "Well," they replied, "some say [you are taking the position of] John the Baptist, some say [you are replacing] Elijah, and others say you are [filling the role of] one of the other prophets." 29 Then he asked them, "[But in your opinion, whose position am I taking?"//But who do you say I am?"]… 31 Then Jesus began to tell them that [he— as] the Son of Man, must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He [said, "I will be] killed, but three days later [I will/he would] rise from the dead. [The changes in this paragraph are made to show that Jesus is not talking about some third person named the Son of Man, but about himself. Even in English, a man seldom talks about himself using the pronoun 'he'.]

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 22-23: In yesterday's reading in Genesis, Abraham deceived Abimelech, Isaak was born, and Sarah demanded that Hagar and her son be sent away— which grieved Abraham. (But remember that story, because Paul uses it as a spiritual metaphor in Galatians 4.) Finally Abimelech visited Abraham, and the two made several formally ratified promises.

JOB 12: Yesterday, Zophar said to Job,

Job 11:1-2 GNT Will no one answer all this nonsense? Does talking so much put you in the right? 3 Job, do you think we can't answer you? That your mocking words will leave us speechless? 4 You claim that what you say is true; you claim you are pure in the sight of God. 5 How I wish God would answer you! 6 He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom; there are things too deep for human knowledge. God is punishing you less than you deserve.

Having accused Job of sin in that way, Zophar then goes on to give this lovely advice:

13 Put your heart right, Job. Reach out to God. 14 Put away evil and wrong from your home. 15 Then face the world again, firm and courageous. 16 Then all your troubles will fade from your memory,

MARK 8a: In Mark 7 yesterday, Jesus gave this very significant teaching:

15 GNT There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean."

And we heard the way that Jesus gave a difficult test to the Gentile woman. Don't just assume that Jesus was unfeeling to that woman. There is treasure there to dig for in that enigmatic test!

NLT Translation note: 8:9 There were about 4,000 [people//men] in the crowd that day, and Jesus sent them home after they had eaten. [The 2007 edition has 'people' instead of 'men'. The newest edition has 'men'. Since Mat. 15:38 clearly says 'men', it is the better to use that word here also. However Mark doesn't actually specify the gender, because he says, "Those who had eaten … ."]

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 20-21: In chapter 19 of Genesis we heard what happened to Lot and his daughters after being saved from Sodom. The sons of Lot's daughters became the ancestors of the Moabite and Ammonite races who were always at war with God's people.

JOB 11: In chapter 10, Job accused God,

Job 10:13 GNT But now I know that all that time [since birth] you were secretly planning to harm me. 14 You were watching to see if I would sin, so that you could refuse to forgive me. 15 As soon as I sin, I'm in trouble with you, but when I do right, I get no credit. I am miserable and covered with shame.

MARK 7:

In yesterday's reading in Mark 6 Jesus fed 5,000+ and walked on water.

In today's reading, I would like to challenge each of my listeners to dig deeper to find a spiritual gem behind Jesus' seemingly harsh and impolite first answer to the Syro-Phoenician woman. I encourage you to ask what right anyone (and especially any Gentile) would have to come to Jesus and ask for a miracle. With that question in mind, I encourage you to read all of Ephesians chapter 2.

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NLT Translation notes: Gen. 20:17 But God heard the boy crying, and [an//the] angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, "Hagar, what's wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.

26 "This is the first I've heard of it," Abimelech answered. "I have no idea who is responsible. You [0/have] never complained about this before."

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 19: In yesterday's reading, Abram and Sarai received new names and God confirmed and expanded his covenant with Abram (now Abraham). Circumcision was added as a sign of following the covenant. Angels visited Abraham and Sarah and Abraham bargained with God about saving the few righteous people in Sodom— among whom I am sure Abraham was thinking of Lot.

JOB 10: Job continues his response to Bildad. At the end of chapter 9 Job showed mankind's need of a mediator:

32 "God is not a mortal like me, so I cannot argue with him or take him to trial. 33 If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together. 34 The mediator could make God stop beating me, and I would no longer live in terror of his punishment. 35 Then I could speak to him without fear, but I cannot do that in my own strength.

Mankind has now received that mediator in the person of Jesus.

MARK 6b: In the first part of chapter 6, Jesus sent out the twelve disciples after giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He also sent them to teach, and to heal. Then we learned about the death of John the Baptist.

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Do you know an elderly person who can no longer read the Bible?

Do you know an elderly person who can no longer read the Bible? Or, do you know someone who would enjoy listening to audio Scripture but who is not able to use the Internet? An easy way to help such people is by sharing MP3 recordings via inexpensive MP3 players. Many good podcast apps (like AntennaPod for Android) have settings for how many episodes can be downloaded. Set the number at 400 and you should get a year's worth, with a few extras that can be deleted. The challenge then is to find out where your device saves the downloads. Hint: For Android devices, look in the Android/data folder.

NLT Translation notes: Mrk. 6:44 A total of 5,000 men [plus some their uncounted families members//and their families] were fed from those loaves! 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He [acted as if he//0] intended to go past them,

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 17-18: In chapter 15 we heard of God's covenant with Abram and Abram's _fully believing_ God's promises. Then in chapter 16 we read of Abram and Sarai trying to help God fulfill his promises.

Chapter 15 verse 6 is a famous verse that is quoted three times in the NT:

6 Abram put his trust in the Lord, and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him. (GNT)

[The NT translates this verse a bit differently because it is quoted from the Septuagint (the LXX, the ancient translation of the Old Testament into Koine Greek, made in the third and second centuries BC). ]

JOB 9: In chapter 8, Bildad defended God as always acting with justice and insisted that this meant that there had to be some sin on Job's part or his children's.

MARK 6a: In the second half of Mark5, Jesus did two amazing miracles— the second one causing a dead girl to live again.

In our translations in Indonesia, it was found to help understanding to give Herodias a more feminine sounding name. In Indonesian Herod is Herodes, and Herodias was too close in sound and the two names became confused. Even though English does not have that problem, I think it helps a little to give Herodias a name that people will recognize as a girl-name, Herodiana.

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NlT Translation notes: 17 For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to [Herodiana/Herodias]. She had been his brother Philip's wife, but Herod had married her. 18 John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife." 19 So [Herodiana/Herodias] bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod's approval she was powerless, [In our translations in Indonesia, it was found to help understanding to give Herodias a more feminine sounding name. In Indonesian Herod is Herodes, and Herodias was too close in sound and becomes confusing. Even though English does not have that problem, I think it will help some to give her name that people will recognize as a girl-name.] 21 [Herodianas's] chance finally came on Herod's birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. 22 Then [Herodiana's/his] daughter, also named Herodia came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. "Ask me for anything you like," the king said to the girl, "and I will give it to you." [As NLT's footnote shows, there is a textual problem in this verse. I have changed this to be like NIV, CEV, ESV and many others.]

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 15-16: Yesterday we heard the stories of Abram and Lot separating company, and of Abram rescuing Lot in time of war. Then we heard of the mysterious priest Melchizedek (who we will read about in the NT in Hebrews).

JOB 8: In the preceding two chapters, Job said some very despairing and angry words, telling God basically to go take a walk and leave him alone. Job again wished for his own death.

He said to God, 19 Won't you look away long enough for me to swallow my spit? 20 Are you harmed by my sin, you jailer? Why use me for your target practice? Am I so great a burden to you? 21 Can't you ever forgive my sin? Can't you pardon the wrong I do?

MARK 5b: In the first part of Mark 5, Jesus cast a host of demons out of a man named Mob.

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NLT Translation notes: Gen. 15:6 And Abram [fully/0] believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his [believing like that//faith]. [This is the first time this year that you will hear me lecture on this, so I might as well make this footnote a bit long. Note how in English there is 'believed' and then 'faith'. This makes it appear that 'faith' is something different from 'belief'. This is not true. In Greek they share the identical root, faith being the noun form of believe. Here in Hebrew, a literal translation is as ESV: "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." The 'it' refers back to 'believed'. Another example comes up in today's NT reading.] ==== Mrk. 5:36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just [keep believing in me//have faith]." [In Greek, Jesus does not use the noun form 'faith' here, but an imperative verb, "just believe." When English speakers say "Just have faith," it has become way too vague. It can mean anything and most of my audience in America can think of movies where Hollywood makes fun of the statement. In English the saying has become hollow. It is just like saying, "Keep up your hope." Hope in what?! Again, in Greek, 'faith' and 'believe' are the same word.]

34 And he said to her, "[0/Daughter,] your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over." [The Greek does say, 'Daughter'. Like where Jesus calls Mary, his mother, 'Woman', this is very hard to translate. In the case of Jesus calling his mother 'Woman', in English that would be impolite, and he was not being so impolite in Greek or Aramaic. In the case of the woman healed in Mark 5, calling her 'Daughter' can imply that she was younger than Jesus— which is probably wrong. Or it can imply a that they were already friends. In English, I think it is probably best to leave out the word and maybe add the word 'kindly': he said to her kindly.]

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

GENESIS 13-14: In yesterday's reading we heard about God scattering people by confusing their languages. It's important to remember that the city they were building is called Babylon. Then we traced the ancestry of Abram, who descended from Seth's line. Then we read about the call of Abram and what happened when they were staying in Egypt because of a famine. Abram doesn't sound like a model husband.

JOB 7: Today we hear the second chapter of Job's response to Eliphaz. In chapter 6 Job said,

10 GNT If I knew he [God] would [kill me], I would leap for joy, no matter how great my pain. I know that God is holy; I have never opposed what he commands.

And he also complained: 14 In trouble like this I need loyal friends— whether I've forsaken God or not. 15 But you, my friends, you deceive me like streams that go dry when no rain comes. And his three friends are only warming up to what they will say. In desperation Job says, 24 All right, teach me; tell me my faults. I will be quiet and listen to you. 25 Honest words are convincing, but you are talking nonsense.

MARK 5a: We completed the one and only 'parable chapter' of Mark yesterday. Following the parable of the mustard seed, the disciples and Jesus took off to the other side of the lake. Jesus slept soundly in the boat while a storm was raging on the lake, and then he calmed the storm.

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NLT Translation notes:Mrk 5:8 For Jesus had [already/0] said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit." 9 Then Jesus demanded, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is [Batalion/Legion], because there are many of us inside this man." [A Roman legion could be as many as 6,826 men.] 15 A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the [batalion/legion] of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 20 So the man [went/started] off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

If you are reading along while listening to the recordings, you will notice that I often exchange the word 'believe' (or 'fully believe') for 'faith'. This is because the English word 'faith' is used with all kinds of fuzzy meanings these days and can easily be misunderstood. 1) In Greek, 'faith' and 'believe' are the noun and verb forms of the same root word. 2) When one uses an abstract noun like 'faith' in English, the object of the faith is lost— in this case the Person who is being believed. Note that 'faith' does not have a vague meaning like 'endurance' or 'ability to live without fear'— which might be assumed in today's passage. Such fuzzy meanings almost always end up placing 'faith' in ourselves, which is a big mistake. The 'faith' that Jesus is talking about at the end of this chapter is placing our trust 100% in Him!

GENESIS 11-12: Yesterday in Genesis 9-10, we heard the story of Noah's drunkenness and his curse on Canaan because of it (which wasn't very fair since it was his father Ham who actually caused the offense to Noah, and because Ham also had other sons). Then we heard about Noah's descendants.

JOB 6: In chapter 5 Eliphaz continued to imply that Job has sinned:

Job 5:6 NLT Evil does not grow in the soil, nor does trouble grow out of the ground. 7 No indeed! We bring trouble on ourselves, as surely as sparks fly up from a fire.

Eliphaz' main point in that chapter was that Job would be forgiven and blessed if he repented:

17 Happy is the person whom God corrects! Do not resent it when he rebukes you. 18 God bandages the wounds he makes; his hand hurts you, and his hand heals.

There is truth in what Eliphaz says, and a similar statement to verse 17 is found in James 1.

MARK 4b:Chapter 4 is the parable chapter of Mark. The Parable about the Different Kinds of Soil is in all three synoptic Gospels— which are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. That parable holds deep meaning that one never really grows out of. Each time you hear it, new facets come to light, and every believer should meditate on what kind of soil they are most like at the present time.

NLT Translation notes: Gen. 11:4 Then they said, "Come, let's build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches [into/0] the sky. ==== Mrk. 4:26 Jesus also said, "The Kingdom of God [can be illustrated as being like when//is like] a farmer [0/who] scatters seed on the ground.

[It bothers me grammatically to say that a 'kingdom' is like a 'farmer'. The king might be like a farmer, both being people. Jesus' illustration shows that the whole package is what is like the Kingdom of God, including farmer, seed, time for growing, and harvest.]

30 Jesus said, "How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? 31 [God's Kingdom can be compared to//It is like] a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds,

40 Then he [said to/asked] them, "[What a bunch of cowards you are! It is clear that you don't believe fully in me!"//Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"]

[I have treated these rhetorical questions as statements. In English it seems a bit silly to ask "Why are you afraid?" Jesus' question is a rebuke (and we can debate how strong a rebuke was intended). The second RQ is also a rebuke.]

[Note that I will often change 'faith' to 'fully believe'. This might be a good illustration of why the English word 'faith' is often misunderstood. 1) People often have forgotten that the root meaning of 'faith' is 'believe'— having the same Greek root word. 2) When one uses an abstract noun like 'faith' we loose the object— in this case the Person who is being believed. Note that 'faith' does not have the a vague root meaning like 'endurance' or 'ability to live without fear', which might be assumed by some readers. Such words almost always end up placing 'faith' in ourselves. This is very wrong. What faith means here is placing trust 100% in Jesus.]

41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. "[Wow, what kind of man is this Jesus?!//Who is this man?]"3 they [said to//asked] each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"

[The disciples had not forgotten Jesus' name! This translation is as suggested by Deibler.]

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.