Fifth Sunday of Easter– Year C
Sermon Notes from the Church’s Ministry Among Jewish People
RCL Readings – Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
ACNA Readings – Acts 13:44-52; Psalm 145; Revelation 19:1-9; John 13:31-35
Seasonal Introduction. Eastertide, the season of Easter, is always 50 days long. It follows the pattern of the Jewish calendar with 50 days from Passover to Shavuot or Pentecost. During these days we remember the last weeks of Jesus on earth after His resurrection. Easter is all about the resurrection! This season's traditional greetings of “He is risen!” and “He is risen indeed!” can bring hope and light to our broken world. “If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen–nothing else matters.”[1]
Common Theme. While Jesus ascended into heaven with glory, He will return and the world will be restored the Gospel of John reminds us that, in the meantime, we are commanded to love one another. This love extends to all of the disciples of God. Even as God shows no partiality, we too are called to proclaim the good news to all who will listen as our testimony shows what the love of Jesus looks like to the world.
Hebraic Context. What is glory? The Hebrew term, כבוד (kavod), can mean weight, or weightiness, but it is most often associated with something that is worn. Exodus 28:2, 40 states the holy garments of the high priest were for “glory and for beauty”. This glory that is worn is most commonly associated with light.
Shortly after creation, Genesis 2:25, 3:7, and 3:21 connect glory and light, along with skin and clothing. When God talked with Adam, he was clothed with fig leaves but still declared himself naked while earlier Adam was naked but felt no shame. The Hebrew word used in Genesis 3:21 is עור (or, “skin”). When spoken, however, the word sounds almost precisely like אור (or, “light”). Rabbi Meir, a 2nd century sage, noted that man, having been created in the image of God—who is clothed in glory—must also have been clothed with glory and majesty (Psalm 8:5). When Adam and Eve sinned, the אור, or light—the glory of God-–was removed and they felt naked. God was forced to replace it with עור, or skin, instead.
The motif of the glory of God and light is seen throughout the Scriptures: Exodus 24:15-18 “the glory of the LORD dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days… now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.”; Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.”;[2] Ezekiel 1:28, “Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.”
One more thing was connected to the glory and light of God, the voice of God speaking from out of a cloud. As seen in Exodus 24, 34 and repeated in Psalm 99, God showed Himself behind a cloud and spoke from that cloud. The gospel writers also speak of the cloud from which God spoke at the time of Jesus’ transfigurations. Habakkuk 3:3-4 states that “His splendour covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. His brightness was like the light; rays flashed from His hand; and there He veiled His power.” On the one hand, God’s glory is readily seen by all. But at the same time, we cannot see Him face to face.
Paul returns to the same starting point when he says, “for God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.’” While God speaks from the cloud, even to Moses, Elijah, and the disciples, He still speaks. And we all, “with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” As John 1:18 declares, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.”
Glory and light originate with God. This light comes from both God the Father and Jesus, the Lamb. In Revelations 21:23, John sees that “the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.”
Acts 11:1-18. In Acts 9, God raises up Paul to carry the name of God “before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” but it is to Peter that God sends a gentile to understand that the fulfillment of prophecy is found in Jesus. News spread quickly that gentiles received the word of God but not the specifics of what happened. A group in Jerusalem, the circumcision party, criticized Peter for what they thought to be a wrong action.
The circumcision party isn’t all Jews, but rather they seem to be a group of Jewish (and sometimes even gentile) believers in Jesus who advocate circumcision and conversion of gentiles to Judaism in order to join the church. Paul confronted them several times in his journeys,[3] including Acts 15 where Peter also reminds them of the story of Cornelius, but this party isn’t removed from the community of believers for their theological disagreement and Paul states that he even works with several from their party to share the gospel in Colossians 4:11.[4]
The rebuke towards Peter isn’t that he ministered or shared the good news of Jesus to the uncircumcised, but that He ate with them. Jewish history and literature leading up to the time of Jesus shows the importance abstaining from the defiled and idolatrous meat of gentiles was to the Jewish people. Daniel refused to eat the meat of the king nor drink of his wine. This example was followed by many in exile. Tobit 1:10-12, Judith 12:2, and the Septuagint’s inclusion of Esther’s prayer all speak of abstention from food that may have been offered to idols on a gentile’s table.
The Qumran community strictly forbade eating with outsiders while Mishnah Avodah Zarah 2.6-7 gives a small sample list of foods that Jewish people could and could not purchase or eat from a gentile, such as seen in Daniel 1. This abstinence often came with great personal cost. Many saints were martyred in the Seleucid Empire because they refused to eat meat offered to idols or even give the appearance of eating meat offered to idols. Peter, according to the rumors, had forsaken these traditions and the suffering of his faithful forefathers to eat with the uncircumcised.[5]
Instead of arguing the theology, Peter calmly explained how God had directly orchestrated the events that had occurred. God sent a vision to both Peter and Cornelius. Even as Cornelius had been told to send for Peter, Peter was told to go with Cornelius’ messengers, “making no distinction.” Peter brought witnesses to what happened to Jerusalem in order to verify all that he said, but God sent a greater witness, the Holy Spirit, upon the gentiles to verify that He showed no favoritism.
In the 1st century, many of the synagogues throughout the world included Gentiles (Acts 13:43, 17:1-4). One synagogue, excavated in Aphrodisias, Turkey, had an inscription including 69 Jewish donors but also 54 among those who were ‘God-fearers’, or Gentilic followers of God. Gentilic inclusion in the worship of the Jewish God was part of the difficulty of the early church as they sorted out how to apply God’s statutes and commandments given to the Jewish people and Israel.[6]
The theology of the circumcision party was not correct but even so, the men of the circumcision party were not the enemies of Peter, God, or even the gentiles. Upon hearing all that God had done, they too glorified God, giving thanks that He would give “repentance that leads to life” to the gentiles.
Psalm 148.[7] Psalm 148 is a call for all of creation to praise God and is one of several psalms that both begin and end with the word ‘Hallelujah’. The author of the psalm remains unknown, but what is known is the author’s desire that we worship the Lord. The word “Hallelujah” is an imperative to praise God; essentially, it is a command. Initially, the heavens—comprising not only the angelic host but also heavenly bodies like the sun and moon—are called upon to praise God.
Humans and Angels aren’t the only things that bless or praise God. (Nor are we the only things that receive blessing from God.) Psalm 19:1-4 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world,...” All that is in heaven is commanded to praise God.
All that is on earth should equally praise God. From Psalm 148:7, the earth and all its inhabitants—sentient and non-sentient, beasts and people—are also commanded to praise God. There are terrifying things in this world like the great sea creatures and the deeps. And yet the ocean depths are specifically mentioned as partaking in the call to praise. In the ancient world, the sea was considered an unknown realm of chaos—unpredictable and dangerous, with no one understanding what lay underneath the surface. All that man has no control of, from the oceans to the great storms are to praise God. The psalmist requires even the realm of chaos to contribute in the adoration of God. The Lord is not a local deity; He is the God of all creation—God is the first cause and author or all, whether in heaven or on earth.
Surely we who have speech should declare the same, praising the name of the LORD. Kings, princes, judges, young and old, male and female are all prompted to worship the Lord, highlighting the universal aspect of the psalm. And, while all things are commanded to praise the God of all creation, God acts on behalf of His people. On the one hand, we aren’t all that special. In fact, so many things declare praise to God while we reject Him. On the other hand, He is the praise of all saints and has done wondrous things for us. Deuteronomy 10:21 states, “He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen.” So let us join with all creation and praise the LORD.
Revelation 21:1-6. When God declares “Behold, I am making all things new.” This term, “καινα ποιω παντα” (kaina poiō panta) doesn’t necessarily mean that everything that came before is completely destroyed. Psalm 104:30 uses the term ανακαινιεις (anakainieis) to state that the Spirit of God renews the earth (γης, ges, as in Revelation 21:1). Psalm 103:5 and Lamentations 5:21 also speaks of God renewing and restoring. But John often works from the writing of Isaiah and Revelation 21 is no different.
Isaiah 43:19 states “Behold, I am doing a new thing… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” God will create life in a place where there isn’t much life, but the land itself will remain. Isaiah 48, which speaks of the creator, the Alpha and Omega—alongside the Lord GOD and His Spirit—speaks of all the new things God does. These new things do not remove all the former things, God is still faithful to what He has made and what He has said but there is still something new.
Isaiah 65:17-25 is the clearest antecedent to Revelation 21:1-6. Specific geographical locations are mentioned as continuing to be used, such as the Sharon plains and the Valley of Achor. Yes, the heavens and earth will be new but it looks remarkably how it was supposed to look all along—people building houses, working in the fields, and the animals are at peace with one another.
We can speculate about what the new heavens and new earth might look like, along with the new Jerusalem, but we can know that it will be good. It is almost as impossible to imagine a future world that will be good as it is to imagine this present world as having once been good—but God created the world and it was good. Death, pain, and sorrow have entered the world but they are defeated, as promised in Isaiah 25:8.[8] The good world God created will be good once more. And that is also what is declared from the throne of heaven.
Why? Because God will dwell among His people. This is what God has always desired. God created the world good; He created man and woman in His image; and God walked in the garden He created to talk with Adam and Eve. From Exodus through Deuteronomy, from Kings and Psalms, from Isaiah through Jeremiah and Zechariah God continuously declares, “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God.”[9] And when Matthew spoke of the birth of Jesus, he quoted Isaiah 7:14, “‘And they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)”. The one who created all things, the Alpha and Omega, will restore this world and all those who seek Him while He may be found.[10] But, even as Isaiah makes clear, there will still be judgment on those who bring death into this world—God will be faithful in those promises as well.
John 13:31-35. John 13:31-35 takes place as Jesus meets with His disciples, fully aware that the time of His departure is near. This departure includes His death, but it is not limited to it. Jesus would rise from the dead, remain with His disciples for a time, and then ascend to the throne of God. Even as Judas leaves to betray Him, Jesus spends these final moments teaching those He loves.
In verses 31-32, Jesus uses the word “glorify” five times.[11] Jesus begins by saying, “Now is the Son of Man glorified.” Throughout the Gospels, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man. While this title is occasionally used to speak of Jesus in the line of Adam in the epistles,[12] in the gospels it generally draws on the prophetic vision in Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is given dominion and glory. The Gospel writers and Revelation all echo this image, particularly in scenes where the Son of Man comes with the clouds.[13] John 5:26-27 further affirms that this Son of Man has life in Himself, just as the Father does.
Revelation 1:5-7 draws together these themes, echoing John 13 and Daniel 7, “To Him who loves us” (John 13:1, 34) “to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds.” (Daniel 7:13-14) This passage even echoes Isaiah 53: “every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.” In His prayer in John 17, Jesus asks the Father to restore to Him the glory He had before the world began, and to show that same glory to the disciples. Isaiah 53:2, speaking of the suffering servant, says He had “no form or majesty,” a phrase that the Greek Septuagint translates as doxa (glory), and Aramaic Targum as yeqar. This word yeqar also appears in Daniel 7, which is one of the few Old Testament chapters written in Aramaic—strengthening the connection.[14]
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.” But when did the world see that glory? John 7:39 notes that the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Other signs of glory appear earlier, both John 2:11 and 11:4 note the manifestation of Jesus’ glory in His miracles. Yet the Spirit is not poured out until after Jesus’ ascension. God is glorified in the death of Jesus and Jesus Himself is exalted through His humility according to Philippians 2:8-9 “And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him…” This is a clear cause and effect, from humility and death led directly to exaltation.[15] God is also glorified in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, as is Jesus. And finally, in Jesus’ ascension they are also glorified. The power and might of God is fully displayed “when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion…”
Still, Jesus warns that the disciples cannot follow Him—at least not yet. Earlier, the Jewish people Jesus talked to thought that Jesus was referring to His death when He told them they could not follow where He went but Jesus was not referring to His death in John 8:22. Jesus declared that He was not of this world but rather from above and He would return to where He came from.[16] While Jesus is a man, John makes it clear throughout the gospel that Jesus is God. The disciples will one day follow Him, but for now, they must remain behind.
It is in this context—Jesus’ impending glorification through His death, resurrection, and ascension—that He gives the disciples a new commandment. In Hebraic thought, “new” does not imply something entirely unprecedented. God has always called His people to love one another for He is a God of love. As Jesus says in John 17:24, the Father has loved the Son from before the foundation of the world. But this love is now to be modeled among the disciples in a new way—because Jesus, the embodiment of that love, will no longer be physically among them.
Jesus had been the one to call sinners, serve the least, and end the disputes of His disciples. Without Him, the disciples would have to model that love among themselves. Peter and the others would eventually follow Him, but until then, they are commanded to love one another. This kind of love—sacrificial, steadfast, and reflective of divine love—would be their testimony to the world.
Hebraic Perspective. God desires to live among His people. When God created the world He didn’t leave it but stepped into His creation. First, we see that God walked in the garden to talk with Adam and Eve. In Exodus 25:8 God commands the Israelites to construct a tabernacle, not so that God will have a tent to live in the tent, but that God may live among His people. Exodus even states that it took 9 months to complete the construction of the Tabernacle where God would dwell among His people.[17]
In Exodus 29:45-46 God says that He brought Israel out of Egypt in order that He might “dwell among the people of Israel”. Leviticus 26:11-12 reiterates that God will walk among His people, even as God had done before we sinned. John leans on these statements throughout his writings.
From John 1 to Revelation 21-22 there is the understanding that Jesus is more than a man. Jesus is God incarnate, Immanuel. He chose to dwell among us, as He always has and always will. And not just Jesus. When Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in a new temple—within the people of God. And Revelation 21:3 simply states God’s choice, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.”
When the day comes when death shall be no more, no mourning nor pain, it isn’t because God destroyed everything and is starting over. It is because God is in our midst. He is our light, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” He is our peace. God is life. Jesus declared “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
While we may look forward to the day when God will “swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces” we can also worship God today. We can boldly approach the throne of heaven in prayer, supplications, and thanksgiving. Jesus continues to act as our high priest before the throne of God, interceding on our behalf. And the Holy Spirit indwells us. So let us not forget our first love, let us conquer as we strive towards the end. We do not need to be cowardly or fear for God is with us. We can be faithful, not turning to immorality, powers, or idols, for our faithful God is with us.
ACNA Readings
Acts 13:44-52. Luke’s narrative often includes rich detail, yet at times he uses broad terms like “the Jews” without distinguishing between different groups or individuals. This lack of differentiation has led to misunderstandings throughout history, especially when interpreting his writing across cultural and linguistic divides. For example, in Acts 13:43, Luke notes that many Jews and devout Gentiles followed Paul and Barnabas, urging them to continue in the grace of God. But just two verses later, in Acts 13:45 and 50, “the Jews” oppose them and eventually drive them out. Were these the same people?
This tension isn’t unique to Acts. At the crucifixion of Jesus, Luke says that all the people cried out for Jesus’ death. Yet after the crucifixion, he writes that “all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts.” In fact, the crowd at the trial of Jesus was small—it was kept quiet and expedited, against Jewish tradition and law. The chief priests and rulers (mostly Saducees) were present and those who they brought to the trial. They were not the same crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem, mourned His death, nor repented in accordance with Peter’s message at Pentecost.
As in Jesus’ ministry, Paul and Barnabas encountered a range of responses. Many listened intently and responded positively to their message. Others, however, became jealous and stirred up opposition. Among those who ended up persecuting Paul and Barnabas were those who were so often the allies of Jesus and the apostles, the devout women of high standing, but that doesn’t mean that all women of business and political acumen were against the church.
At Pentecost and here in Antioch, Peter and Paul preach a bold message about the rejection of Jesus and the word of God—they don’t hold back. In Jerusalem, on Pentecost, three thousand joined the church—likely many among them were those who had first welcomed Jesus and mourned His death, although a few may have also been among those who bore false witness and crucified Him. In Antioch, “the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.”
Paul had already preached on the condemnation of Jesus, although He was free of guilt, along with his burial and resurrection and this message was well-received by many in the synagogue. Now Paul preached that gentiles were always supposed to have received the good news of salvation. Clearly this was already happening in Antioch as there were both Jews and devout gentiles worshiping God every week in the synagogue.[18] Nonetheless, hearing Isaiah 49:6 spoken directly to them, “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” caused great joy among some and jealousy with others.
Despite the persecution they faced, Paul and Barnabas did not respond with complaint. Instead, they were “filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). To follow Jesus is often to walk through suffering. But it is also to experience deep and abiding joy. They continued on to Iconium, where again, many Jews and Greeks believed—and once more, some stirred up opposition.
Psalm 145. Psalm 145 is an abecedary poem, with each successive verse beginning with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet.[19] Entitled “A song of praise,” it is unique in being the only psalm to bear this title. True to its name, the psalm overflows with praise for the Lord. In contemporary Jewish practice, it is recited daily in the Siddur (the Jewish prayer book) during Shacharit, the dawn prayer, as a way to begin the day with praise and adoration for God. This praise is specifically directed towards the King.
Psalm 145 highlights powerful kingdom themes, describing the greatness and enduring nature of God's rule. Unlike earthly kings, whose reigns are limited to specific times and places, God’s kingship transcends geography and history. Human dynasties rise and fall, but God's kingdom is everlasting. This contrast sets the tone for understanding Psalm 145 not as a celebration of a territorial nation, but as a declaration of a divine reign that knows no borders.
While other psalms—and much of the prophetic literature—remind us that Israel (the people) and Israel (the land) are tied together and will always be tied together, in Psalm 145 the emphasis isn’t on land or boundaries. The kingdom of God is wherever God is ruling and reigning—where God’s will is being done. I can wake up every day and bless God and praise Him, as have previous generations and as future generations will continue to do.
This expansive vision unfolds within the structure of the psalm itself. What begins in verse 4 as God's people declaring His mighty acts to one another develops into a broader recognition of their identity as part of God’s works. By verse 10, it is not just the faithful who praise God, but all of creation. David includes each generation, the children of man, Jews and Gentiles alike, calling all who look to God. “The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”
As people prayed and sang this psalm to glorify God, His kingdom would be in their midst. We are encouraged by the psalmist to speak of the glory of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of heaven expands as we verbally share the love and mercy of God and more people accept the Lord as their king.
The Psalm seems to be split in two, Psalm 145:1-13 and Psalm 145:14-21 (with the missing Nun being the break between the first part). Where, in the first half, we declare all of God’s wondrous works and the glorious splendour of His kingdom, the second half actually speaks of the deeds of God. While God is the perfect monarch, His kingdom is composed of imperfect people who will not always walk upright and righteous. The psalmist reminds the worshiper that God is compassionate towards those who stumble and who are bowed down—those who are weary, burdened, or struggling. There is no rejection of the us. Rather, the Lord will come to our aid.
The psalmist ties in the redemptive mercy of the Lord towards the fallen with food in Psalm 145:15-16, as he does in many other places in his poetry.[20] The extent of God’s mercy goes beyond only humans to all of creation where the Lord will “satisfy the desire of every living thing”. How quickly we forget that one of the mighty acts of God is to provide food for all, just as we forget that we are His creation and that He redeemed us with mighty acts. One way to remember is to continuously sing the praises of God to one another and to God.
Revelation 19:1-9. The passage is divided into two commands to praise God, two reasons to praise God, and the two responses to those commands. First, the people are commanded to praise God (Hallelujah is an imperative) for “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God”. The second command is the same, “Hallelujah” but the reason is slightly different, “For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.”
Interestingly, corresponding with the salvation of God comes judgment while the King reigning on the throne corresponds with a joyful wedding feast. While we might be tempted to reverse these themes—the King in judgment and the salvation of God with joy and gladness—John follows a pattern found many times throughout Scripture.
Israel is brought out of Egypt with great judgment. Isaiah 61 places the day of vengeance right alongside liberty for the captives. Psalm 98 also pairs the salvation of God with His judgement of the earth.[21] The judgment proclaimed in heaven is against the great prostitute who is “drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus”.[22] God’s justice is often derided even though it inevitably flows from His holiness and righteousness. But a world where God is not the basis of morality nor upholds morality would be a world where the blood of the saints and sinners alike would flow.
In response to God’s salvation and judgment, the elders and creatures before the throne fall down and worship God. Additionally, all of God’s servants are called to praise God.
When the command goes out again to praise the Lord it pairs the reigning king with the marriage supper of the lamb. Isaiah 25:6-9 shows God presenting a great for all people on the mountain of God, but the kingship of God with a wedding is seen even more clearly in Psalm 45 and Matthew 22:1-14 along with Matthew 25:1-13.
In Matthew 25, the bride must be prepared for when the bridegroom arrives. This too has been the response of the bride in Revelation 19:7. If we are the bride (or the guests of Matthew 22) in this great feast, we must be prepared to meet the reigning King.
Endnotes
[1] Jaroslav Pelikan
[2] The Aramaic translation of Isaiah 6:3, Targum Jonathan, also connects light to God’s glory, “Holy in the highest heaven, the house of His Presence, Holy upon the earth, the work of His might, Holy for endless ages is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of the brightness of His glory.”
[3] Acts 15 notes that many in the circumcision party came from a Pharisaical background. It is logical, therefore, that another Pharisee (Paul) would be the one to discuss the theological differences and practices with them.
[4] Paul worked with many Jewish believers in Jesus, and so if only Jesus and Justus were “of the circumcision” that isn’t to say that everyone else Paul worked with were gentile, but that only these two belonged to the theological school of gentile conversion to Judaism prior to joining the church.
[5] Neither Acts 10 or Acts 11 mention that Peter actually ate anything unclean.
[6] See Isaiah 56 and Acts 15
[7] Psalms 146-150 are also known as the Hallelujah psalms, as they all start and end with the command to “Praise the Lord”.
[8] See also I Corinthians 15:20-26
[9] See: Genesis 3:8, 17:7-8; Exodus 25:8, 29:45-46; Leviticus 26:11-12; Deuteronomy 23:14; I Kings 6:13; Psalm 132:13-14; Jeremiah 31:33, 32:38-41; Ezekiel 37:27-28; Zechariah 2:10-11, 8:8
[10] Isaiah 55:1-7
[11] Some manuscripts omit the first clause of John 13:32, however this doesn’t detract from Jesus’ teaching.
[12] Romans 5:15-19; I Corinthians 15:21-22, 45-49; Hebrews 2:6-9
[13] Matthew 24:30, 26:64; Mark 13:26, 14:62; Luke 21:27; Revelation 1:7, 14:14.
[14] While it is likely that Jesus would have been speaking in Hebrew and John 13 was written in Greek, Aramaic was still important in the connection to Daniel 7 as it is one of the chapters in Scripture actually written in Aramaic.
[15] Revelation 5:9-10 also makes a clear argument that Jesus is worthy to open the scroll because He was slain.
[16] John 7:33-34, 8:21-23
[17] The beginning of the command to construct a Tabernacle was given at Sinai on the first day of the third month of the first year of the exodus from Egypt, Ex 19:1. The Tabernacle is finally erected on the first day of the first month of the second year Ex 40:1 which gives the nine month construction time.
[18] As mentioned in the notes of Acts 11, in the 1st century, many of the synagogues throughout the world included Gentiles (Acts 13:43, 17:1-4). One synagogue, excavated in Aphrodisias, Turkey, had an inscription including 69 Jewish donors but also 54 among those who were ‘God-fearers’, or Gentilic followers of God.
[19] In the traditional (Masoretic) Hebrew text there is no verse beginning with the letter nun. Verse 13 begins with the letter mem and so following normal acrostic rules verse 14 should begin with nun but instead skips to samech.
The Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, and Syriac peshitta provide the non-masoretic text of Psalm 145 which does include a verse beginning with nun. The Septuagint labels it as verse 13a and reads, “The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.” It’s not clear if the Septuagint version was a later addition by a redactor or if it preserved the original version of the psalm that wasn’t in our Masoretic texts. Several other abecedary psalms miss one or even up to three letters (such as Psalm 25) or have a different alphabetical order.
[20] Psalm 22:26, 104:14, 27
[21] The reverse can also be found, where the reigning king will judge the world, such as in Psalm 96:10-13
[22] Revelation 17:6