kingdomready.org

In the introductory notes to the gospel of John in William Barclay’s New Testament translation, some interesting comments are made about the use of logos.

“Logos has two meanings, which no one English word can express. Logos means word, and logos means mind. A word is the expression of a thought. Therefore, Jesus is the expression of the thought of God. Or, to take the other meaning, in Jesus we see the mind of God. John says to us: ‘If you want to see what God is thinking, if you want to see how God feels to men, and how God thinks of men, look at Jesus. In Jesus the mind of God became a person.”

James 1: 19- 22 (A Translation by William Barclay):
My dear brothers, there is something that you must bear in mind. Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. Human anger can never produce the kind of conduct God desires. So then, you must strip off everything that would soil life and all that malice that is like an alien growth on life, and in a teachable spirit you must receive implanted in your heart the word which is able to save your souls. You must not only listen to the word; you must act on it. Otherwise, you engage in self-deception.

Acts 3: 19-21
Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

Proverbs 16: 2
All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight,
But the LORD weighs the motives.

And Jesus, aware of this (discussion about not having bread), said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? Mark 8: 17

In our modern use of idioms in English “hardheartedness” means a lack of care or compassion for others. Although the Bible addresses the sin of not being merciful, “hardness of heart” refers biblically to a different reality, the lack of receptivity to really perceive the gospel. The Pharisees were guilty of this type of hardheartedness along with many in Israel during the earthly ministry of the Messiah.

Many people are aware of a legendary account about a famous Jewish rabbi named Hillel who taught in Jerusalem until the early first century (about 10 A.D.) The essence of the legend is that a man challenged Hillel, who was famous for promoting that Jews practice a kind, genuinely loving approach toward one another. This cynical man is said to have approached the rabbi, asking him to teach him everything he needed to know while he (the man) stood on one leg. Instead of replying with impatience at what obviously was intended to provoke him, Hillel remained calm. He told the man, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” This statement has come down to us as, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We call it “The Golden Rule” and sometimes take it for granted as a mere platitude about how people should be “nice” to each other. According to the old legend, the man was so impressed by Hillel’s example of patience and his wise response that he dedicated himself to practicing this truth.

The apostle John wrote Revelation in approximately 95 A.D., according to most scholars. Thus he wrote this message revealed to him by Jesus Christ about 65 years after having heard Jesus himself speak urgently about his powerful, glorious return. The writing of the Revelation was a full 25 years after the destruction of Herod’s temple in 70 A.D. John wrote this last book of the Bible maybe 10, 20, or 30 years after Luke, Matthew, and Mark had written faithful records of Jesus’ words and deeds. John was undoubtedly knowledgeable of the meaning of Jesus’ call to live a godly life rooted in genuine repentance in light of the coming kingdom of God. He was not ignorant of the concept of “imminence”, nor was he unaware of the context of Jesus’ declarations about his return.

Jesus asked a thought- provoking question after “a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart.” (Luke 18: 1) The parable describes how a widow was persistent to clamor for justice before a godless judge, who had no respect for God or men. She prevailed because of the man’s evaluation of his self interest not to get worn out by the widow’s insistence.

And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18: 6-8

All bitterness and bad temper and anger, the loud voice and the slanderous tongue must be removed from your lives, and so must all maliciousness. You must be kind to one another; you must be compassionate; you must forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4: 31,32

Forgive us for our failures in our duty to you, as we have forgiven those who have failed in their duty to us. For if you forgive your fellow men For the wrongs they have done to you, your Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive your fellow men, then your Father will not forgive you either for the wrongs you have done to him, Matthew 6:12, 14-15

(A Translation by William Barclay)

The Sermon on the Mount provides a detailed, foundational understanding of what it means “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6: 8 ) The first three beatitudes can be seen, in a sense, as brief descriptions of three basic aspects of the humble mindset that are required for a life according to the steps of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle (or humble, meek), for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:3-5

I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. (I Timothy 4: 1, 2)