Sunday, December 15, 2024 - I’m Your Lily
The command in Genesis to leave your tribe is a radical rejection of institutional continuity and human construction in all its forms, leaving us with nothing to cling to but God’s wisdom.
When the text says “recline” in Greek, it doesn’t mean “recline.” When the Greek text differentiates “recline” through repetition, it still doesn’t mean “recline,” even in translation. Even when Greek functions correctly, Greek alone is insufficient—it doesn’t work without lexicography. Without proper word study, there is no such thing as Scripture. If you merely hear the original Greek text in Greek without studying its Semitic inter-function, you are nothing more than a Greek. Jesus has not yet restored your ears, crippled by Hellenism.
What is an alabaster flask? Oh yes, you want to discuss your ancient theology of burial—wrong again. What is an alabaster flask? Do you know where your theology originates, who it was crafted for in antiquity, and how it was used? Or would you prefer to talk about how noble it is that someone as esteemed as you deigns to meet with people you perceive as lesser?
You hypocrite.
You are not Jesus; he may be least, but he is less than no one in the story. They have nothing to offer him, and he has nothing to learn from them. Your theology of reclining is silly, too.
If you disagree, it is because you still have not understood the command against patriarchy, family, institution, and Alexandrian Greco-imperialism in Genesis: you must leave your father and mother and cling to your wife.
As a long-time listener wrote in this week:
“In your last podcast, did you argue that the idea is not about continuation in a particular place? That the entire point is to disappear, ensuring that nothing continues from one generation to the next? Is it less about mother, father, husband, wife, nuclear family, sentimentality, and romantic ideals and more about living your time without worrying about progeny, trusting instead that God will provide?
That looking back to our father’s generation and our ancestors is futile because clinging to what they had means we are simply trying to preserve an institution that God places no value on because continuing where you came from isn’t the command?”
Yes…yes.
Would you rather be a lily in God's field or a slave in Solomon's brig?
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Or, as I am wont to shout from the rooftops:
“Free Palestine!”
This week, I discuss Luke 7:36-39.
Show Notes
φάγω-ἐσθίω / א-כ-ל (aleph-kaf-lamed) / أ-ك-ل (ʾalif-kāf-lām)
To “to eat” or “consume.” أَكَلَ (akala)
“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat (אָכַל, akal) freely.’” (Genesis 2:16)
“For God knows that in the day you eat (תֹּאכֵלוּ, tokelu) from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)
κατεκλίθη / נ-פ-ל (nun-pe-lamed) / ن-ف-ل (nun-fa-lam)
From the verb κατακλίνω, κατεκλίθη means to lay down or to cause to recline. It corresponds to נפל, which indicates fall, collapse, aggressive action, to fall upon in raid, to force to lie down, bring to ruin, drop to the ground, and by extension, to give birth (the related concept of dropping something to the ground).
“If men have a quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and he does not die but falls (נָפַל, nafal) to bed,” (Exodus 21:18)
نَفَّلَ (naffala) “he fell to his share” or “assigned as a share.”
الْأَنْفَالُ لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ
(al-anfālu lillāhi wa-l-rasūli)
“The spoils are for God and the Apostle.”
Surat al-Anfal 8:1
κατάκειμαι / ש-כ-ב (shin-kaf-bet) / س-ك-ب (sīn-kāf-bāʼ)
From the verb κατάκειται, κατάκειμαι means to lie down or to be laid out. It aligns with שׁכב, which can indicate to lie down, lie, lie asleep, or lie sick. سَكَبَ (sakaba) to pour or spill.
“How long will you lie down (תִּשְׁכָּב tishkab), lazy one? When will you arise from your sleep?” (Proverbs 6:9)
“And you will be like one who lies (כְּשֹׁכֵב, ke-shokheb) down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies (כְּשֹׁכֵב, ke-shokheb) down on the top of a mast.”
وَيُسْكَبُ مَآءٌۭ حَمِيمٌۭ
(wa-yuskabu māʾun ḥamīmun)
“And scalding water will be poured.”
Surah Al-Infitar (82:19)
ἀλάβαστρον
The name “Alabastron” derives from the Egyptian city of the same name, where high-quality alabaster stone was quarried. The use of the alabaster flask is associated with the cult of Osiris and, by extension, Hathor. Sealed alabastrons were placed in tombs as offerings to the gods or for the deceased’s “ka” in the afterlife.
The Phoenicians Were Brilliant — A Study in Semitic Lexicography
Shepherd’s Note: As Blaise brilliantly illustrates, beyond its practical application in trade, the Phoenician alphabet’s structure enabled universal literacy, laying the groundwork for transmitting Scripture and culture across civilizations. His essay highlights the interconnectedness of Semitic and Mediterranean traditions, showcasing how the Phoenician system influenced Greek, Latin, and modern scripts, cementing its role as a crucial bridge between Semitic and Indo-European traditions. This piece is a powerful reminder of how ancient grammar revolutionized communication and continues to shape our understanding of language, culture, and history today.
Iron Sharpens Iron
Fr. Aaron Warwick
Fr. Aaron and Jason Ewertt host Teach Me Thy Statutes on the Ephesus School Network.
Fr. Fred Shaheen
Fr. Fred hosts A Light to the Nations on the Ephesus School Network.
The errors of Josephus and Philo
Shepherd’s Note: This week, Matthew offers a critique of two interpretative approaches to Scripture represented by Josephus and Philo of Alexandria, arguing that both are flawed in their anthropocentric handling of the biblical text. Cooper contrasts their methodologies with reverential and text-centered approaches, drawing on practices from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.
Where Suffering Abounds, Complicity All the More
Rev. Deacon Anthony Jarrell
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Christ is in our midst!
When Jesus saw him, He said to him, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now, he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus said, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:14–19)
I was struck last night by what Father said in his teaching. He reminded us of the importance of the words “Thou shalt not kill” and of Jesus Christ’s teaching. What does it mean to follow this commandment? Father suggested that it is not enough to avoid killing in the literal sense; we must also be reconciled to God and to one another. If we approach the altar with enmity toward our neighbor, we must first reconcile before offering our gifts to God.
I confess that I am far from God. I recognize my sinfulness and the distance between me and the divine. We are all far from God, and though we may give thanks in prayer, we must show gratitude through our actions. Jesus, through his painful sacrifice, has reconciled us, breaking down the divisions that separate us—between the holy and the profane, the sacred and the common. His sacrifice unites us, and in him, there is no division: Jew or Gentile, Christian or Buddhist, gay or straight. If we are not seen as one, we are not saved.
The commandment calls us to reconcile, love, and trust in God. If we judge others, we fail to live out this commandment. Jesus teaches us to approach the altar only after we have sought peace with our neighbor. This is the true offering—the reconciliation, not the ritual.
We live in a world where suffering abounds—in Sudan, Yemen, Ukraine, West Asia, and elsewhere. We are complicit in this suffering through our comfort, wealth, and consumption. We cannot claim to be reconciled to God while others suffer under systems of oppression that benefit us. To be reconciled to God is to act in justice and love, to give of the gospel in words and deeds.
When God judges the earth on the final day, we will know whether we are truly reconciled. Until then, we live in hope and strive to obey the gospel. The gospel is not meant for our mouths alone but for our actions. We begin to understand the gospel when we align our thoughts, words, and deeds with Christ’s teachings.
Knowledge alone is not enough; we are called to walk in the good works God has prepared for us. Let our lives bear witness to the gospel, and let our prayers be lifted in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl from Gaza, was murdered during the Gaza Genocide in January 2024.
While fleeing with her family, their vehicle was assaulted by Israeli tank fire, killing her uncle, aunt, and three cousins. Hind and her 15-year-old cousin, Layan, initially survived. Layan was later murdered during a call for help. Hind remained trapped alone in the car for hours, pleading for rescue with emergency workers.
An ambulance was finally dispatched to save her, but it too was attacked, and the medical workers and Hind were murdered.
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)
The Lord your God said:
“THOU SHALT NOT KILL”
Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17