The Curses to be Pronounced on Mount Ebal

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 27:1) And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, "Keep all the commandments which I command you this day."

In the last chapter and post, Moses had made an end to a long recitation of the laws of God.  Now he and the elders of Israel, rulers of each tribe, joined together in an exhortation to the people to observe and obey all the commandments which he had given them.

(2) "And it shall be on the day when you shall pass over Jordan to the land which the Lord your God gives you, that you shall set up great stones and plaster them with plaster."

Moses told the people that when they had crossed over the Jordan River into the land the Lord was giving to them, they were to set up some large stones and plaster them.  Whether the plaster was over the surface of the stones so that they could be written upon, or whether it was to cement the stones together to make a large lasting monument, or maybe both, we are not told exactly.

(3) "And you shall write upon them all the words of this law, when you are passed over, that you may go into the land the Lord your God gives you, a land that flows with milk and honey, as the Lord God of your fathers has promised you."

The people were to write the laws God had given them on the stones when they had crossed over the Jordan into their land.  Of course, it may have been only a summation of the laws, as they were very wordy, and perhaps only the Ten Commandments.  The way Moses spoke, it sounds as if it was a condition of their entering into the land.  The land had been promised to their forefathers and was now being given to them on the condition that they held up to their side of the covenant, remembering and obeying God's laws.  Moses constantly reminded the people that their Lord was giving them this gift of a very good and fruitful land, and the stones would display a condition and reminder to the people to obey God's laws.

(4) "Therefore it shall be when you have gone over Jordan, you shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster."

Moses repeated his instructions that after they had crossed over Jordan into their land, they were to set up and plaster the stones, and Moses told them specifically where to set them up, on Mount Ebal.  

(5) "And there shall you build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones; you shall not lift up iron upon them. (6) You shall build the altar of the Lord your God of whole stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God."

There they were also to build an altar to the Lord.  It was to be an altar of whole stones and no iron tool was to be used on the stones.  There on the altar, the people would offer burnt offerings to the Lord.

(7) "And you shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the Lord your God."

The people would also offer peace offerings to the Lord on that altar.  They were to eat of their offerings there before the altar in the place where the stones were placed on which God's laws were written.  Again, these made for constant reminders to be thankful to the Lord for His provision and to remember His laws they were to obey as their part of the covenant with their Lord.

(8) "And you shall write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly."

Moses added to his instructions for the stones upon which the law was to be written.  They were to make sure all the words of the law were to be written very plainly so that they might be easily read and understood.

(9) And Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, "Take heed and hearken, O Israel; this day you have become the people of the Lord your God."

Then Moses with the priests, the Levites, spoke to all the people exhorting them to give attention to what they said.  That day the people had become the people of the Lord by the solemn renewing of their covenant with Him.

(10) "You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God and do His commandments and His statutes, which I command you this day."

Moses with the priests reiterated that the people were to listen to their Lord and obey all His commandments and statutes which Moses had recited to them.

(11) And Moses charged the people the same day, saying, (12) "These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people when you have come over Jordan, Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin; (13) And these shall stand upon Mount Ebal to curse, Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali."

Moses then charged the people with instructions that when they had crossed over the Jordan River into their land, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin, were to stand at Mount Gerizim to bless the people.  The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali, were to stand at Mount Ebal to curse.  Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal were two mountains near to one another with a valley between them.  Six tribes stood against their respective mountains facing each other where there would be pronounced blessings and curses.  There may have been purpose in how the members of these groups were selected.  The tribes chosen to stand at Mount Gerizim and bless the people all came from the two wives of Jacob, Leah and Rachel.  The tribes chosen to stand at Mount Ebal and curse the people were four tribes that came from Leah and Rachel's handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah, respectively.  Jacob's wives had given him their handmaids to produce children because they were too impatient to wait upon God's plan, and they were even in competition with each other to give Jacob children.  John Wesley, in his Notes on the Bible, wrote that the handmaid's children may have been chosen to represent curses "to shew that the curse belongs to those of servile and disingenuous spirits."  Included with these tribes were Reuben, the son of Leah, who had defiled his father's bed (Genesis 35:22) and exposed himself to the curse of the law, and also Zebulun, the youngest son of Leah, who would have been added to make an equal division of the tribes, if for no other reason.

(14) "And the Levites shall speak and say to all the men of Israel with a loud voice,"

The Levites who were priests would stand in the valley in between the two sets of tribes.  The rest of the Levites were with their tribe on the blessings side.

(15) "'Cursed the man who makes a graven or molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and puts it in secret.' And all the people shall answer and say, 'Amen!'"

The priests would speak in a loud voice so as to be heard by all the members of the tribes.  They would declare a man was cursed if he made engraved or molded images which were an abomination to the Lord.  This refers to the second of the Ten Commandments, referring to images or statues of God or some representative they might use in worship.  No one has seen God, so for a simple craftsman to make something that represented Him would be extremely demeaning to and unworthy of Him.  There is no way man could envision anything worthy of representing God.  Even if he put his image or statue in a private place for his eyes only, and with no plan to worship it, there would be a temptation to see it and worship it as God.  All the people from both sides were to answer, "Amen!"  That demonstrated that they accepted and knew it to be true.

Notable is the fact that only curses are mentioned here, no blessings.  Perhaps they simply were not mentioned, or could it be symbolic of something more?  John Wesley wrote, "For as many as were under the law, were under the curse" (Galatians 3:10).  He wrote that it was an honor reserved for Christ to bless us, something the law could not do.  In Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, what Wesley called "the true Mount Gerizim," we have only blessings (Matthew 5:3-12).

(16) "'Cursed he who makes light of his father or his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

This referenced the fifth of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12), honoring mother and father.  One who made light or mocked them or held them in low esteem was cursed, and all the people were to voice their agreement with that deserved curse, by saying, "Amen!"

(17) "'Cursed he who removes his neighbor's landmark.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

By removing a neighbor's landmark which marked his property line, one might attempt to steal part of his neighbor's property.  That was an obvious offense against the eighth commandment, "You shall not steal." (Exodus 20:15).  All the people were to say, "Amen," again voicing their agreement.

(18) "'Cursed he who makes the blind to wander out of the way.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he knowingly took advantage of a blind man by wrongly directing him or by putting a stumbling block in his way, a direct reference to the law in Leviticus 19:14.  The people were to again say, "Amen."

(19) "'Cursed he who perverts the judgment of the stranger, fatherless, and widow.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he perverted justice for the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, or any poor and defenseless person, if he knowingly took advantage of the defenseless and less fortunate.  The people were to agree with that just curse.

(20) "'Cursed he who lies with his father's wife, because he uncovers his father's garment.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he lay with his father's wife, a direct offense against the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14), punishable by death according to the law in Leviticus 20:11, because he had "uncovered his father's nakedness."  Uncovering his father's garment or revealing his nakedness meant to expose and take what was the most private and most intimate pleasure and possession of his father.  All the people were to agree with this just curse.

(21) "'Cursed he who lies with any manner of beast.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man or woman was cursed if they engaged in any type of sexual relations with an animal (Leviticus 18:23), and the people were to agree.

(22) "'Cursed he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

A man was cursed if he had sexual relations with his sister or half-sister (Leviticus 20:17).  The people were to say, "Amen," in agreement with the curse.

(23) "'Cursed he who lies with his mother-in-law.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

Likewise, a man was cursed if he had sexual relations with his mother-in-law (Leviticus 20:14), and the people were to agree in unison.

(24) "'Cursed he who strikes his neighbor secretly.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

This would indicate a brutal attack or even murder.  He who secretly assaulted or murdered his neighbor was cursed, and the people would agree with "Amen!"  Obviously, if he killed his neighbor, it was an offense against the sixth commandment, "You shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13).  There were also laws against assault not unto death (Exodus 21:18-19).  

(25) "'Cursed he who takes reward to slay an innocent person.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

Obviously, if a man killed an innocent person, he was guilty of murder, but this also refers to a judge or a witness who took a bribe that resulted in the death of an innocent person.  See Exodus 23:7-8.  All the people were to agree.

(26) "'Cursed he who does not confirm the words of this law to do them.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'"

To sum it all up, Moses told the people the Levite priests were to call out a curse to the one who did not confirm the words of the law by observing them and doing what the law said.  And all the people were to say, "Amen" to that.  As John Wesley pointed out, "To this we must all say, Amen! Owning ourselves to be under the curse, and that we must have perished for ever, if Christ had not redeemed us from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for us."  Amen!

Offerings of First Fruits and Tithes

Continuing a chronologically ordered Bible study:

(Deuteronomy 26:1) "And it shall be when you come into the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and dwell in it, (2) That you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the earth which you shall bring of your land that the Lord your God gives you, and shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which the Lord your God shall choose to place His name there."

In the last chapter Moses had been telling the Israelites all of God's commandments and statutes as he had been for most of the book of Deuteronomy.  He continued in chapter 26.  He told the people that when they came into the land that God was giving them for their inheritance, and had possessed it and dwelt in it, that they were to make an offering of all of the first of their various produce.  This was a token of gratitude for the gift of the land God had given them.  They were to put their first fruits in a basket and go to the place that the Lord would choose to put His name there.

(3) "And you shall go to the priest who will be in those days, and say to him, 'I profess this day to the Lord my God that I have come to the country which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.'"

The people were to go to the priest who would be appointed in those days with their basket of first fruits, and profess to him that they acknowledged they had come into the country that had been long promised to their forefathers by their Lord.

(4) "And the priest will take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the Lord your God."

The priest would then take their basket of first fruits and put it at the altar of the Lord which would be established by that time.  It was an offering of thanksgiving, a spiritual sacrifice which would be accepted and sanctified on the altar of their Lord God.

(5) "And you shall speak and say before the Lord your God, 'A Syrian ready to perish my father, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous.'"

With their gift in hand at the altar, they were to profess and acknowledge that their forefather Jacob was a Syrian, although born in Canaan had Syrian parents, and had been close to perishing, either from poverty or from the threats of his brother Esau.  He went to Egypt with a small number of people, seventy (Genesis 46:27), and they dwelt there.  There they became a great nation of people, mighty and great in number, so much so that Pharoah in Egypt was jealous of them.

(6) "'And the Egyptians mistreated us, and afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us.'"

Moses continued with what the people were to say before the altar.  They were to acknowledge that the Egyptians had mistreated them and made them slaves in hard bondage.

(7) "'And when we cried to the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression.'"

They were to acknowledge that when they had cried out to the Lord because of their enslavement, hard labor, and mistreatment, He heard them, observing their situation and what they were having to endure.

(8) "'And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders.'"

The people were to profess that it was their Lord God who brought them out of Egypt with many signs, wonders, and miracles, and even terror to the Egyptians with the plagues that were inflicted on them.

(9) "'And He has brought us to this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.'"

They were to continue to acknowledge that God had brought them to the place He had given them, "a land flowing with milk and honey," which was a direct quote from the Lord in Exodus 3:8.

(10) "'And now behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which You, O Lord, have given me.' And you shall set it before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God."

They were to finish with their profession that they had brought the first fruits of their land, the land that the Lord had given them.  Then they were to place their basket before the Lord's altar, and they were to worship Him with thanksgiving and mindful of His great provision for them.

(11) "And you shall rejoice in every good which the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the stranger who is among you."

Moses directed the people to rejoice in all the good things their Lord had provided for them.  The Israelites and also the Levites and strangers among them who received of God's gifts should acknowledge His gifts and provisions for them.  I believe this has a message for how we should treat foreign immigrants.  Yes, we are to love and care for them, but note they are also required to rejoice in and acknowledge where those gifts came from.  That is often not the attitude of people who are allowed to pour over our borders illegally with no check on them.  The strangers who lived among the Israelites lived as they did and according to their laws, and they didn't receive 100% of the Israelites' benefits until they had been circumcised and fully converted to Judaism.  Although our country does not demand adherence to a certain religion, we should demand that immigrants adhere to our laws, and that begins with coming to the country legally.  They should fully embrace our culture and our language should they want to be an American.  If they don't want to be an American first, then they really don't belong in America.

(12) "When you have made an end of tithing all the tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within your gates, and be filled,"

When the time for laying aside the tithes of their income or produce for the year came to an end at the Passover feast, in the third year, known as the year of tithing, they were to give their tithes to the Levite who had no inheritance of his own, to the strangers in their land, to the widows and fatherless, generally the poor.  The first and second years the tithes were given to the Levites only and shared with the owners and the Levites.  However in the third year, the year of tithing, they were to share not only with the Levite, but with the strangers, fatherless, and widows, within their gates and they were to share with them in their own dwellings.

(13) "Then you shall say before the Lord your God, 'I have brought away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them to the Levite, and to the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, neither have I forgotten.'"

After they had shared their third year tithes, they were to declare before the Lord that they had brought their tithes, considered holy unto God, out of their houses and had given them to the Levites, the strangers, the fatherless, and the widows according to God's commandment.  They were to profess that they had not disobeyed God's commandment regarding the third year tithes and they had not forgotten it.

(14) "'I have not eaten of it in my mourning, neither have I taken away of it for unclean use, nor given of it for the dead; I have hearkened to the voice of the Lord my God and have done according to all that you have commanded me.'"

Moses continued telling the people what they were to profess before the Lord.  They were to declare that they had not eaten any of their tithes in their mourning on account of any affliction, but perhaps more to the point was any sorrow in having to give their tithes to the poor.  They were to profess that they had not taken of their tithes for any unclean use, which would frankly be any use other than what it was designed for.  No portion of their tithes was to be consecrated to the dead, but only to the living strangers and poor among them.  In not doing those things, they had listened to God's commandment and had done as He had told them to do.

(15) "'Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel, and the land which You have given us, as You swore to our fathers, a land that flows with milk and honey.'"

They were to ask the Lord to look down from heaven upon them, His people, and bless them and the land He had given them that He had promised to their forefathers, a great land flowing with milk and honey.

(16) "This day the Lord your God has commanded you to do these statutes and judgments; you shall therefore keep and do them with all your heart and with all your soul."

Moses told the people that all He had told them here and in past chapters were the statutes and judgments of their Lord God, and that He had commanded they do those things willingly with all their hearts and souls.

(17) "You have avouched the Lord this day to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and to hearken to His voice."

Moses told the people they had confessed and affirmed that day that the Lord was their God, and that they would walk in the ways He had taught and commanded them, and that they would keep and do His statutes, commandments, and judgments, and would listen to and do what He said.

(18) "And the Lord has avouched you this day to be His special people, as He has promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments, (19) And to make you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, and in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, as He has spoken."

In like manner the Lord had covenanted and affirmed that day that the people of Israel were His special people as He had promised that they were in Exodus 19:5.  However, then and at this time, their part of the covenant was that they should keep all His commandments.  "Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people, for all the earth is Mine."  God affirmed His plan to make Israel high above all the nations He had made.  They would be highly praised, they would be well known and highly thought of by name, they would have high honor above all nations, and they would be a holy people to their Lord.  When Israel kept God's word and commandments, they were the greatest and most respectable of all nations, but when they abandoned God and His law, they became the most despicable.

Law About Levirate Marriage and Other Miscellaneous Laws

I now return to a chronological Bible study after a long break of studying the four Gospels.  My last chronologically ordered post was on October 25, 2020.  Moses had been reviewing God's laws as he had been doing in most all of the book of Deuteronomy. 

(Deuteronomy 25:1) "If there be a controversy between men and they come into judgment that they may be judged, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked."

Moses continued speaking.  If there was a controversy between men and they came into a court to have their case judged, then judges were required to judge righteously, justifying the righteous, acquitting the one whose cause was good, and condemning to punishment the one who was guilty of a crime.  The Lord required righteous judgment from His judges, as Proverbs 17:15 says, "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, even they both are abomination to the Lord."

(2) "And it shall be if the wicked man is worthy to be beaten that the judge shall cause him to lie down and to be beaten in his presence, according to his fault by a certain number."

Crimes that were not so severe as to require death were punished with beating or scourging.  If a wicked man was found guilty, then he was to lie down in the presence of the judge and was to be beaten by the number of strikes correlating to the heinousness of his crime.  The judge or judges, as there was usually a panel of at least three, were to be present to ensure that the sentence was properly executed, neither exceeded nor diminished.

(3) "Forty strikes he may give him, and not exceed, lest if he should exceed and beat him above these with many strikes, then your brother would be degraded to you."

Forty strikes were the most a judge could order.  If he exceeded that, the man would seem more like a beast than a man, much less a brother.  Perhaps the meaning of being degraded might be degrading the body to the point of permanent deformity or even death.

(4) "You shall not muzzle an ox when he treads out the grain."

From what I have read, oxen were often muzzled in other types of labor.  However, God's law considered it inhumane to muzzle an ox when treading out the grain, that is, being driven back and forth over the grain in order to separate it from the chaff.  It was to be allowed to eat of the grain if it wanted.

(5) "If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry outside to a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her."

If brothers lived together which may mean in the same house, as a younger brother might live with his older brother, especially if their father was dead; but it might also mean that they lived together in the same town, because if they lived far away from each other, this law could not easily be upheld.  If brothers lived together and a married one died but had no child, then the husband's unmarried brother was to take his brother's widow as his wife.  She was not allowed to marry outside the family.  From what I have read, if her husband's brother did not live close by, then she was free to marry the next kinsman who lived nearby, but she was not to marry a stranger.

(6) "And it shall be the firstborn which she bears shall succeed in the name of his dead brother that his name not be blotted out of Israel."

The firstborn child born to the union of the widow and her dead husband's brother was to succeed in the name of the dead husband, given his part of the inheritance that would have gone to the dead man, so that his name and family line wouldn't be lost in Israel.  The rest of the children would be considered the living brother's heirs.

(7) "And if the man does not like to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Isarel; he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.'"

If the dead man's brother did not want to take his widow for a wife, then the wife was to go to the gate of the city where the judges sat and tell the elders that her dead husband's brother refused to perform the duties of a husband's brother as outlined in the law.

(8) "Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he stands and says, 'I do not like to take her,' (9) Then his brother's wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders and loosen his shoe from off his foot and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to that man who will not build up his brother's house.'"

Then the elders would call her brother-in-law to them and speak to him.  If he stood firm and still said he did not want to take his brother's wife, then the widow was to come to him in the presence of the elders.  She was to loosen his shoe and remove it.  Planting the foot on a thing was a symbol of lordship and taking possession, so by her removing his shoe, she showed that he had given up his right to her.  It was a sign of shame, as well, to signify that he did not belong among free men, but deserved to be counted among servants and slaves who went about barefooted.  The widow also was to spit in her brother-in-law's face, a sign of her contempt and his shame and disgrace.  She then would declare this was done because he refused to carry on his brother's name by building up his brother's house.

(10) "And his name shall be called in Isarel, 'The house of him who had his shoe removed.'"

The brother-in-law's name and his house and his posterity would forever be called in Israel, "the house of him who had his shoe removed," a lasting blot on his name.

(11) "When men strive together one with the other, and the wife of one draws near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him who strikes him, and puts forth her hand and takes him by his secret parts, (12) Then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall not pity her."

If men are fighting and the wife of one of them sought to help her husband by taking the other man by his testicles, she was guilty of a most indecent act and was to have her hand cut off.  She was not to be pitied just because she had done it because of the love for her husband.  This law seemed severe but was designed to prevent women from doing such immodest and also injurious acts that might permanently scar a man for future generation.

(13) "You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, a great and a small."

As things were often bought and sold by weight, one was not to carry diverse weights, one heavy and one light, so as to benefit him and disadvantage another unjustly.  

(14) "You shall not have in your house diverse measures, a great and a small."

The same thing was required of measurements.  One could not use for a common measurement one slightly larger measure and one slightly smaller measure to benefit him and cheat another.  One couldn't carry diverse weights and measures and they could not use them in their homes.  

(15) "You shall have a perfect and just weight; a perfect and just measure you shall have, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God gives you."

The people were to always be righteous in their weights and measures (Leviticus 19:35).  By being just in their dealings, they may be blessed with long life in their fruitful land of Canaan that the Lord was giving them.

(16) "For all who do such things, all who do unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God."

God found those who used such things to cheat others an abomination.  Proverbs 11:1 and Proverbs 20:23 tell us the same thing:  "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight;" "Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord, and a false balance is not good."  

(17) "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way when you were coming out of Egypt, (18) How he met you on the way and struck the hindmost of you, all the feeble behind you, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God."

Moses reminded the people what the Amalekites had done to them, how they had attacked them unprovoked, when they were coming out of Egypt, where they had been in hard bondage, their spirits and some of their bodies broken.  The Amalekites had taken advantage of them, especially their weakest who brought up their rear and straggled behind the others.  The Israelites had not at all harmed the Amalekites, but they did not fear God and attacked His people unprovoked.

(19) "Therefore it shall be, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies round about, in the land which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance to possess it, you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget."

God would judge Amalek and the Amalekites.  Once the Israelites had finally been given rest from all their enemies all around them in Canaan, the land the Lord was giving them, they would then utterly destroy the Amalekites so that there were none left, to blot out even the memory of them.  The Israelites were commanded not to forget what the Amalekites had done to them nor God's order to destroy them.  This did not take place right away.  They had to subdue the Canaanites to get possession of their land and then had to get free and clear from all the surrounding nations, the Moabites, the Midianites, the Edomites, the Ammonites, and the Philistines, but they were never to forget what the Amalekites had done and to destroy them also.  It was about 400 years later before God's judgment against the Amalekites was executed.  It is noteworthy to realize how much time the Amalekites had to repent and come to God, but God had known they would not, and ordered that they be blotted out under heaven when the Israelites were finally given rest from their enemies and enjoyed full possession of the land their Lord had given them.

I marvel at the wisdom of God's laws, many of which are scoffed at by this present generation.  But had they been continually adhered to, I can only imagine the blessings and richness that would abound.  There was an instance in my extended family and in a fairly recent time in the scheme of time and things, when family was immigrating (legally) to America, and had a delay in another foreign country along the way.  There a man died leaving a young widow with two small children alone in a foreign country.  The man's aunt who was already in America sent her eldest son to take care of the young widow and her children as it was the right thing to do.  The son married his cousin's widow and raised up her children as his own, and they have lived a long and happy life together.  A selfish man could have said he did not want to go back to a foreign country and take an unknown unseen woman as his wife, not to mention two children who were not his own, but God richly blessed this family.  If we only realized that all God's laws are made for our benefit and blessing, and that to reject them only brings sorrow and curses to us.

Resurrected Christ Appears a Third Time to His Disciples

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 21:1) After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had appeared for the second time to all His disciples in a closed room, and had shown "Doubting" Thomas His wounds so that by seeing, Thomas would believe.  He now appeared to His disciples again, this time at the sea of Tiberias which is the Sea of Galilee.  What follows is how He showed Himself to them.

(2) There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples.

John named the disciples who were there, Peter, Thomas, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), Nathanael who was probably the disciple Bartholomew, and two other disciples not named.  Bartholomew or Bar-Tolmai means "son of Tolmai," which makes it probably a surname, with Nathanael his given name.

(3) Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We also are going with you." They went forth and entered into a ship immediately, and that night they caught nothing.

Peter had decided to go fishing and the other disciples went with him.  They boarded a ship or fishing boat and it seems caught no fish all night.

(4) But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

When morning had come and they were still aboard the ship, they saw Jesus standing on the shore, but they did not know it was Him.  Perhaps they were not close enough to see Him clearly, and it may have still been dim light.

(5) Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any meat?" They answered Him, "No."

Jesus called out to them, calling them "Children," a term of endearment that would seem to intimate that it was Jesus speaking to them, but it appears they still didn't know it was Him.  He asked them if they had any meat or fish, meaning had they caught any, and they told Him they had not.

(6) And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the ship and you will find." They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the ship and they would find fish.  Although it doesn't appear that they yet knew it was Jesus who spoke to them, they took His advice and cast where He told them, and they were not able to draw their net back in because of the weight of all the fish that were in it.

(7) Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat (for he was naked), and cast himself into the sea.

John was the first to recognize that it was their Lord who had told them where to cast their net, and he told Peter it was the Lord.  When Peter heard that, he put on his fishing garments, as he had been shirtless, in his undergarments only, and jumped into the sea, surely eager to get to Jesus.  You would think that he was previously better attired for swimming, but I'm sure out of respect to His Lord, he put his clothes on.

(8) And the other disciples came in the little ship (for they were not far from land but as it was two hundred cubits) dragging the net with fishes.

The other disciples came to shore in their little ship dragging the net with all the fish.  They had been only about a hundred yards from the shore, a cubit being about 18 inches.

(9) As soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. (10) Jesus said to them, "Bring of the fish which you have now caught."

When the disciples came to land, they saw a fire of coals on the shore with fish laid on it, and also bread.  Jesus told them to also bring some of the fish they had just caught.

(11) Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three, and although there were so many, yet the net was not broken.

Peter went back up to the ship and drew the net onto land.  It was full of 153 large fish, but although there were so many, their fishing net was not broken.  Jesus had preserved their net for them.

(12) Jesus said to them, "Come, dine." And none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?" knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus called the disciples to come to where He had fish cooking on the coals and told them to eat.  None of the disciples asked who it was who had told them where to cast their net and was now inviting them to eat, as they all knew by that time it was their Lord.

(13) Jesus then came and took bread and gave them, and fish likewise.

Jesus came to them and gave them all bread and fish.

(14) This is now the third time that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was risen from the dead.

John made a point to tell his readers that this was the third time that Jesus had appeared to His disciples after He had risen from the dead.  Throughout the Bible, we are told that by the mouth of two or three witnesses, a thing is established.  Therefore, by these three appearances, it was firmly established as truth that Jesus had risen from the dead and had shown Himself to His disciples.

(15) So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

After they had dined, Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than the rest of the disciples did.  Peter had said in Matthew 26:33 that although all men might be offended by Jesus, he would never be offended.  However, Peter had gone on to deny he knew Jesus three times.  But now his love for Jesus made him jump into the sea to be the first to come to Him.  Peter answered Jesus that he indeed loved Him, and that Jesus knew he did.  Jesus then told him to feed His lambs which meant to care for His flock of new Christians.

(16) He said to him again the second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord, You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My sheep."

Jesus again asked Peter if he loved Him, and Peter answered as before that he did love Him, and that Jesus knew that he loved Him.  Again Jesus told Peter to feed His sheep.  Although it appears that Jesus told Peter pretty much the same thing, the word translated as "feed" is actually two different words in the two different passages.  The first time, Jesus told Peter to "bosko" (feed) His lambs, "lambs" probably denoting new baby Christians.  The second time, Jesus told Peter to "poimaino" (tend, govern) His sheep, indicating a sense of guiding and caring for His sheep, Jesus's flock of Christians.

(17) He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep."

Jesus asked Peter a third time if he loved Him.  Peter was dismayed that Jesus had to keep asking him whether he loved Him or not.  It's possible that Peter thought Jesus saw something in him which he did not see, something that would lead to another denial of Jesus, and Jesus was about to tell him about it, as He had done when He told Peter he would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.  He said to his Lord that He knew everything, so He knew that he loved Him.  Jesus said to Peter again, "Feed My sheep."  Jesus had returned to "bosko" His sheep, to feed His flock, His Christian followers.  I believe there was significance in having Peter declare three times that he loved the Lord and he would care for His flock.  For one, he had denied his Lord three times, and Jesus was giving him the chance to now confess Him three times, restoring him to his former position as Jesus's trusted apostle.  Also as discussed before, by declaring his love three times, it was established as a truthful fact.

(18) "Verily, verily, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you wished, but when you are old, you shall stretch forth your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." (19) This He spoke, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

Jesus told Peter that when he was young, not that he was old then, but while he was young, he was able to gird himself, that is clothe himself and bind himself with a belt.  But when he was old, indicating Peter would live to an old age, someone else would gird him and take him where he did not wish to go.  Jesus was telling Peter what sort of death he would suffer.  Because we have the knowledge of history, we can know that Jesus meant that Peter's arms would be outstretched and bound to a cross and he would be carried to his death where he would not naturally desire to go.  It's not that Peter would be unwilling to die for Christ, but it was not what he sought, and it stood in opposition to the freedom he had when he was young.  Note that Jesus said his death would honor God.  After Jesus had told Peter this, he told him to follow Him.

In Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible, he stated that ancient writers stated that Peter lived 34 years after this and then was crucified, "and that he deemed it so glorious a thing to die for Christ that he begged to be crucified with his head downwards, not considering himself worthy to die in the same posture in which his Lord did." 

(20) Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at supper, and said, "Lord, who is he who betrays you?" (21) Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "Lord, and what about this man?"

Peter then turned around and saw John following.  John wrote that the disciple who followed was the same one who had leaned on Jesus's breast at the Passover supper and had asked Him who it was who would betray Him.  We know this was John, also because he always called himself the disciple whom Jesus loved.  At first glance, it seems egotistical that one should call himself the one Jesus loved, as if Jesus loved him above all others.  John never mentions himself by name, but always as that other disciple or the disciple whom Jesus loved.  Far from being full of himself, I think John felt his self-worth was only in the fact that he was loved by Jesus.  He never says the disciple Jesus loved the most, but only that Jesus loved him, and he knew it and felt it.  

Note that Jesus told Peter to follow Him, and it appears that John did not wait for an invitation, but followed, as well.  When Peter saw John following, he asked Jesus what would happen to John.

(22) Jesus said to him, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."

Jesus asked Peter what concern was it of his if He willed that John should live until He returned.  Jesus pretty much told Peter that it was none of his business what happened to John.  Jesus had told Peter his concern was to follow Him.  

(23) Then went this saying abroad among the brethren that that disciple would not die, yet Jesus did not say to him, "He shall not die," but, "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you?"

It appears that because of what Jesus said and the way He said it that the other disciples thought He meant that John would not die.  However, John makes it a point to tell us that Jesus had not said that at all, but only that if Jesus willed he should not die, that was no concern of Peter's.

(24) This is the disciple who testifies of these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

This statement proves that John was the disciple whom Jesus loved.  John wrote that he himself testified of the things he wrote and knew them to be true as he was an eye and ear witness to what he wrote.  The fact that he wrote "we know" might mean that he was well known as a man of truth and what he wrote could be trusted as fact.

(25) And there are also many other things which Jesus did which if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

What a beautiful end to John's Gospel!  He acknowledged that Jesus had done so many other noteworthy things that if every one of them was written down that the world itself could not hold all the books it would take to record them all.  Of course, he used hyperbole, but by this, he told us Jesus Christ did more works and miracles during His short time in ministry on earth than could ever be all recorded.

So ends what I consider to be one of the most beautiful books in the Bible, and also my study of the Gospels.  I took a break from my chronological Bible study to study the four Gospels as I was challenged to read what Jesus said about certain modern cultural things as if to see that because Jesus did not address homosexuality and transgenderism specifically, that meant it was okay.  While Jesus definitely taught us to love all people regardless of their sexual sin (the woman at the well, for example), He made it clear that He was the only way to be saved from our sins and enjoy eternal life in heaven.  We are not to judge people, as we tend to judge by outward appearances, but God judges their hearts.  By showing love and living like Jesus, people will be naturally drawn to Him.  And once they have asked forgiveness and asked to have Jesus within their hearts, His Holy Spirit will meet them where they are and will show them truth as they become new creations in Christ.  Like Peter above, what is it to us what God decides about one we consider to be a sinner?  After all, we are all sinners, but we are to do what Jesus called us to do, follow Him.  And His example is to love them and if we love them and want them to be saved from eternal damnation, we will pray for them to come to Jesus and let Him take it from there.

However, that being said, I do not see that Jesus approved these sexual deviations.  He definitely affirmed God's design for just two sexes, male and female, and His design for marriage that a man and a woman be joined together as one, quoting Old Testament scripture (Matthew 19:4-6).  He also referred to sexual immorality as being something that defiles a person (Matthew 15:19-20) and that nothing unclean may enter into paradise (Revelation 21:27).  Although Jesus didn't speak specifically about all the different laws of God, He made it clear that He did not come to do away with any of them (Matthew 5:17), but He had come to fulfill the law by giving us a way to be saved from our discretions against the law.  And if He didn't do away with the Old Testament laws, then we can refer to the Old Testament to see what God considered sexual immorality, and that included adultery (Exodus 20:14), homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22), bestiality (Leviticus 18:23), sex with mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, or sister (Leviticus 18:11, 12, 17).  Additionally, cross-dressing is forbidden (Deuteronomy 22:5), definitely a sign that transsexual expression is nothing new.  God created male and female only (Genesis 5:2), and science tells us that “Human sexuality is an objective biological binary trait: “XY” and “XX” are genetic markers of male and female, respectively – not genetic markers of a disorder. The norm for human design is to be conceived either male or female. Human sexuality is binary by design with the obvious purpose being the reproduction and flourishing of our species. This principle is self-evident." (The American College of Pediatricians)  The X and Y chromosomes are what determine male and female, not what one feels.

So, in conclusion, I learned much about the love of Jesus toward all people, but His love did not mean that He approved of sexual deviations.  I will return to my chronological study in the next post.

Resurrection of Jesus and His Appearance to Mary and His Disciples

Continuing a Bible study of the Gospels:

(John 20:1) Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early, when it was yet dark, to the sepulchre, and saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

At the end of the last chapter, Jesus had been buried in the new tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, and Matthew 27:60 had told us Joseph had rolled a large stone against the opening of the tomb.  Mary Magdalene now came to the sepulchre very early in the morning on the day after the Sabbath and saw that the stone had been taken away.

(2) Then she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre and we do not know where they have laid Him."

Mary Magdalene had surely looked inside the tomb after seeing the stone rolled away to know that Jesus was not there.  She assumed the Romans had removed His body or perhaps the men who had laid Jesus there in the first place and she ran to Peter and John to tell them.  Joseph and Nicodemus had laid Jesus in Joseph's tomb because it was nearby, and the Sabbath was soon to commence.  Perhaps she thought they had now moved Him to another location.  The other Gospel accounts speak of other women who were with Mary Magdalene and that they saw angels who told them Jesus had risen.  However, those accounts state the women came at dawn or just after sunrise, and here John said Mary Magdalene came while it was still dark.  It seems she must have come first and then returned a little later with the other women.

(3) Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. (4) So they ran both together and the other disciple outran Peter and came first to the sepulchre.

Peter and John both ran to the sepulchre to see for themselves.  John outran Peter and got there first.

(5) And he, stooping down, saw the linen clothes lying, but he did not go in.

John stooped down to look into the sepulchre and saw the linen wraps that had bound Jesus lying on the ground.  However, he did not go into the sepulchre.

(6) Then came Simon Peter following him and went into the sepulchre and saw the linen clothes, (7) And the napkin that was around His head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Then Peter came and he went straight into the sepulchre and also saw the linen wraps lying on the ground.  He also saw the separate wrap that had been wrapped around Jesus's head.  However, it was not lying with the linen wraps, but was wrapped together in another place by itself.  That would suggest that Jesus had not been taken away in a hurry, but that either Jesus Himself or angels had taken time to orderly remove His wraps.

(8) Then the other disciple went in also, who came first to the sepulchre, and he saw and believed. (9) For as yet they did not know the scripture that He must rise again from the dead.

Then John went into the sepulchre also.  He saw the linen wraps and the napkin and he believed.  What exactly he believed, scripture does not tell us.  It says that they didn't yet know and understand the scriptures that said Jesus must rise again from the dead.  Perhaps he believed that what Mary Magdalene had said was true.  But as "believing" usually takes on a deeper sense as truly believing in the Lord, I can't help but wonder if John was sensing that Jesus had risen of His own accord.  After all, Jesus had told His disciples that He would be risen from the dead, even if they did not fully understand the scriptures at that point.

(10) Then the disciples went away again to their own home.

Peter and John then went home.

(11) But Mary stood outside at the sepulchre weeping and as she wept, she stooped down into the sepulchre, (12) And saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain.

Mary Magdalene stayed behind at the sepulchre, weeping outside of it.  She stooped down to look into the tomb.  She saw two angels in white sitting inside the tomb, one at the head of where Jesus's body had lain, and the other at the feet.

(13) And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him."

The angels asked Mary Magdalene why she was crying.  She told them what she had assumed, that they (the Romans or Joseph and Nicodemus) had taken away the body of Jesus and she did not know where it was. 

(14) And when she had said this, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and did not know that it was Jesus.

Mary then turned away from inside the tomb and saw Jesus standing there, only she did not realize that it was Jesus.  She may have only modestly glanced at whom she thought to be just a man, and also her eyes were full of tears.

(15) Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if you have carried Him from here, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Jesus asked Mary Magdalene why she was crying and who it was she was seeking.  Mary assumed He was the gardener and asked Him if He had carried Jesus's body away and asked Him to tell her where He had taken His body so that she could take it away.

(16) Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned herself and said to Him, "Rabboni," which is to say, "Master."

Jesus then spoke only Mary's name and she turned toward Him and immediately recognized Him as her Lord.

(17) Jesus said to her, "Do not touch Me, for I am not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

I don't believe Jesus's meaning was that He couldn't be touched at all because He had not yet ascended to His Father in heaven.  We are told in other scriptures that people touched Jesus before He ascended.  In Matthew 28:9, Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" held Jesus by His feet and worshipped Him.  Jesus told "Doubting" Thomas to touch His side (later in this chapter).  In Luke 24:39, Jesus told His disciples to touch Him and see His nail-scarred hands and feet to know that it was really Him.  I believe Jesus's point was that Mary needn't cling to Him because He wasn't going to His Father just yet, and He had a mission for her, to go tell His disciples that He would be ascending to His Father God who was their Father and God.  This would assure them that even though Christ had died, they were still united to Him and to the same Father God in heaven.

(18) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and He had spoken these things to her.

Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen Jesus and she told them what He had told her to tell them.

(19) Then the same day at evening, being the first of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, "Peace to you."

The evening of that same day the disciples had assembled together behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.  However, Jesus was able to divinely come in there and stood in the midst of them and spoke to them a greeting of peace.

(20) And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

Jesus then showed the disciples His hands and His side partly to prove that it was really Him and not a spirit, and to prove that He had been truly resurrected from the dead with the marks of the nails in His hands and the stabbed place in His side.  He had not yet ascended to heaven in His glorified form.  The disciples were very glad to see their Lord.

(21) Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you; as the Father has sent Me, even so I send you."

Jesus again gave them a greeting of peace, and then told them that He was sending them out on a mission as the Father had sent Him on one.  Nothing had changed because of His death.  In fact, it would be enhanced by His resurrection and ascension back to heaven.

(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."

After Jesus told the disciples He was sending them out, He breathed on them and told them to receive His Holy Spirit.  I believe it was symbolic of when God first breathed life into man at the beginning of creation.  He was now breathing new life into them to be renewed to their mission without Him physically, but with His spirit and everything He had taught and shown them.

(23) "Whosever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; whosever sins you retain, they are retained."

Only God and Jesus as God can truly forgive sins.  But Jesus was giving them permission as part of their mission to tell one who had repented and professed Jesus as his Savior that his sins were forgiven and God would honor that.  Actually God forgave first; they would have already been forgiven because he had repented and accepted Jesus, but Jesus would have His disciples doing His work as He had done while He was with them.  On the other hand, if they perceived one had not repented and accepted Jesus, then they could declare his sins were still retained by him.

(24) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

It seems that all of the disciples had assembled together except for Thomas who was not with them when Jesus came to them.  Thomas is the Hebrew name meaning "twin," and Didymus is the Greek name meaning the same thing.  By his name, one would gather that Thomas had a twin, but the Bible never mentioned who that might be.  In an apocryphal book called The Acts of Thomas, it is suggested that Thomas was called Twin because he looked like Jesus, however as that book was rejected as part of the Bible, we can't really know if that was true or not.

(25) The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Except I see in His hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe."

The other disciples told Thomas afterward that they had seen the Lord, but Thomas did not believe that it had really been Jesus they saw.  He told them that unless he could see Him himself and see the wounds of the nails in His hands and even put his fingers into those wounds, as well as put his hand into Jesus's side where He had been stabbed by the Roman soldier, he would not believe that it had been Jesus they saw.

(26) And after eight days, again His disciples were inside and Thomas with them, Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you."

Eight days after Jesus had appeared to His disciples, they were again gathered together behind closed doors and Thomas was with them that time.  Jesus came to them again even though the doors were shut, suggesting it was in a supernatural manner that Jesus appeared to them.  He stood in the midst of His disciples and again gave them a greeting of peace.

(27) Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here and behold My hands, and reach your hand here and thrust into My side; and do not be faithless but believing."

Jesus, knowing what Thomas had said to the other disciples, told Thomas to look at His hands and put his finger into the wounds, and put his hand into His side so that he would believe it was really Jesus who appeared before them and not to remain faithless.

(28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God."

It seems Thomas did not have to touch Jesus's wounds, but that he acknowledged Jesus as his Lord.  Not only Lord, but he acknowledged that Jesus was God Himself.  I believe that is the first time any disciple had gone as far as to say that besides John writing it in the beginning of his gospel account.

(29) Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed they who have not seen and have believed."

Jesus acknowledged that He knew that Thomas truly believed in Him at that point because he had seen Him.  However, He added that those who believed in Him, having not seen Him physically, were blessed, perhaps the more blessed.  Their faith would seem to be greater because they hadn't seen physical proof but believed God's word.  As 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

(30) And many other signs Jesus truly did in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book.

John revealed that Jesus had done many other works in the presence of His disciples about which he had not written in his Gospel.

(31) But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you might have life through His name.

John went on to reveal his purpose in writing his gospel account the way he did.  He wrote to prove that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing that of Him and believing in Him, one would have everlasting life.  Truly, John seemed to go above and beyond the mere actions of Jesus, to show his readers the deity of Christ Jesus more than the previous Gospels did.  And writing this right after he wrote that Jesus said those who had not seen but still believed were blessed, he gives his readers assurance and confidence that although we were not there to witness Jesus in the flesh, what he wrote is true and we may be saved and have everlasting life if we believe.