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Q & A

What does Matthew 6:34 mean?

Well, let’s see what it says. "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."

When studying any scripture one must always keep the verse or verses in the original context. At first glance verse thirty-four seems to indicate that days are evil and may have the ability to think. Look back to the context of the chapter. The thought begins in verse twenty-five and continues through to verse thirty-four with the subject of ‘contentment.’ The apparent opposite of contentment is worry. Jesus is teaching that even in nature life goes on and God provides all that is needed, so no need to worry. Also, the emphasis is placed on strongly seeking the "kingdom of God."

Thus the meaning of verse thirty-four is: Don’t be anxious about a time that has not yet come. Every day has new experiences and trials, some good, some bad. You have plenty to deal with today so don’t increase your burdens by borrowing from tomorrow’s.

Why were the Corinthians "puffed up" or proud in I Cor 5?

In I Corinthians 5 the sin under consideration is fornication (incest). The Corinthian congregation was not exercising scriptural discipline on this individual(s). Instead, they were glorying in the fact that one of their members was having relations with his father’s wife. They were pleased with such behavior that God finds abominable.

Historically there have often been religions and temples where sex is celebrated as a sacred rite. These cults were in numerous supply during the days of the early church. In those days, as now, people were not just converting from Judaic religions. Sometimes old lifestyles and old religious traditions find their way into the congregations of Christ. Bible teaching, as well as church discipline is the solution to New Testament purity. This congregation was trying to be like other temples and blend in, but christians are to be a "peculiar people" (Titus 2:11-14) zealous of good works.

What does it actually mean when Jesus says, "Blessed" are you for being a certain way? For example, being a peacemaker.

The questioner is referring to the passage commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. The word makarios in Matthew 5:3-11 is translated "blessed." Blessed is often defined as happy. This definition is not quite strong enough as this blessedness comes from God. Each of these beatitudes comes with a condition, not all of those conditions would make people ‘happy’ in the sense that we understand it. Perhaps "fortunate" would be a better definition and make the context of the passage easier to understand.

In Matthew 25:34 "Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" The term blessed in this passage comes from the word eulogeo which means "praised." One can see there is a slight difference in the two meanings based on the context in which they are used.

So what does "blessed are the peacemakers" mean? Godly peacemakers are fortunate because they "shall be called the children of God."

What do you think Jesus looked like? Why is he depicted by so many artists as having long hair, being tall and thin, etc?

There are few places in scripture that give description to Jesus’ personal appearance. Apart from His transfiguration and walking on water etc. the main verse that comes to mind is Isaiah 53:2 . "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Here we see that He was not very attractive. People have a tendency to gravitate towards people and things of beauty. The wording of Isaiah 53 may indicate the reason Jesus was not highly regarded among the crowds.

Artists have always interpreted Jesus’ appearance. These interpretations often came from the look, style, and fashion of the artists contemporary world. New artists copied the old masters. Today this classical interpretation of art is what we are most familiar with.

As far as having long hair, it is not likely that He had long hair because Paul says it is against nature in I Corinthians 11. Jesus was not guilty of any transgression, including the law of nature. The only time men were noted as having long hair was when they took the Nazarite vow. Jesus is nowhere indicated as having been under such vow.

The truth is: no one knows what He looked like because the Spirit saw no need to inspire the writers with that sort of detail.

*On a side note. Satan is often described as beautiful and vain. Seems odd that people look for beautiful statues, paintings, sketches, and church buildings on which to base their faith.

In Matthew 1:21-23 what is the significance of the name Jesus over Emmanuel?

According to scripture, ‘Jesus’ means savior, for "He shall save His people from their sins." (V21). ‘Emmanuel’ means "God with us." (V23).

Jesus was His name proper because that is what the Spirit inspired writers to use the most. However, this does not throw out the name of Emmanuel. Looking back into the book of Isaiah chapter 7, we find a prophecy concerning Isaiah’s son in the short-term, but the son of God in the long-term. His name was Immanuel. It is clear that this prophecy referred to Jesus because of the similarity of wording and situation. Even though we don’t use the name Emmanuel, though we could, we do understand the principle of the name that He is ‘God with us.’

We might note that Christ is also a descriptive name. We often say, "Jesus Christ" as though it was a full name. In reality these two adjectives mean ‘the Savior Anointed.’

Jesus is: God with man that has been chosen to save His people from their sins.

In Luke 2:41-52, why did the twelve year old Jesus stay behind in the Temple? Wasn’t He being rebellious to His parents?

By His statement, "wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?" it is indicated that Jesus was coming into manhood, a time of responsibility. He was beginning to realize His super-natural birth and His role on the earth. Also, He asked them why they didn’t look there first. He was not being rebellious to His earthly parents, but submissive to His divine Parent.

It appears that He may have been rude in His remarks to His mother’s question, but in reality He was bringing to memory all the things that she previously "pondered in her heart" (Luke 2:19).

To show that He would not be rebellious towards their love and concern for Him, we see Him leaving the temple without further words and following them home (V51). Then notice the next verse (V52). "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

Who did Cain fear would kill him in Genesis 4:14?

"Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me."

Cain had just murdered a member of his family, his brother Abel. It stands to reason that they, the family, would be the "every one" who might want to kill him.