Church1

Church

The original meaning of the word church is a group of people called by God.  Today, the English word church is somewhat secular.  Often in a media report a church refers to a church building.  This is one of a few cases that Chinese translations are better than English.  Two words are used in Chinese: “teaching + building” and “teaching + assembly”. 

Another distinction we should know is that there are two important usages.  One is the universal church, which includes all true (born-again) Christians, starting from those in Acts to today until perhaps the end.  The second refers to a specific church, such as Fremont Community Church in Fremont, California.  Then, there are denominations.  Church is closely related to the Kingdom of God, hence, quite important. 

Parables of weeds and mustard seed

Important teachings in NT all have roots in Jesus preaching.  Let us consider parables of weeds and mustard seed in Matt. 13.  All these refer to the Kingdom of God. 

The good seed in the weeds parable (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) may be interpreted as the word of God.  Various religions and sects may result from the seed.  This is why a well-recognized Bible version is so important. 

The mustard seed parable (Matt. 13:31-32) may be interpreted for different churches.  At first, this parable looks strange.  A mustard seed grows into a tree.  The bird implies Satan (13:4,19).  One interpretation is that this implies the Roman Catholic Church, which became corrupt.  One lesson here is that big is not necessarily good.  If a church grows too big so that it lost its focus, man made rules become implicit laws. 

A distributed system

When church grows big, a distributed system is better than a centralized system.  One might think of the word democracy.  However, democracy is a political term while the word distributed has no such implication.   Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Local Churches are too centralized. 

Biblical

A good church has to be biblical.  Not only it should use a widely recognized Bible but also its doctrines and creeds must be sound. 

The NT consists of 4 books on gospels, Acts and epistles, and revelation.  Gospels are mainly historical records of Jesus teaching.  Acts and epistles give a blueprint of saints (Christians) and apostolic churches.  

Churches today

All Protestant churches today try to be biblical.  Two things are important.  Should we use a scientific approach or an engineering approach?  Perhaps a mixed one is more appropriated.  We would like a church to be perfect.  However, a church consists of a group of sinners.  Its leaders (pastors, elders, or deacons) are sinners as well. 

I hope that you can see why I insist on using English Bible now.  Tense and plurality are very important but not reflected in Chinese. 

Denominations

W. Nee strongly criticized denominations.  This is understandable at the time and place.  I disagree with him on this.  In fact, when I visit a church it is always helpful to know its denomination and history.  This helps me to know its creeds, doctrines, strong features, and weak points.  Every church has problems.  It is better to be open about it. 

Fellowship among the churches

I Corinthians 12:12-26 (although individual Christian was meant here, I think that these can apply to churches) and Matt. 7:1-5.  Leaders of churches should fellowship often on doctrines, truths, methodologies, etc.  Of course, they must start with the Bible. 

Chinese or American 

Actually, the term Chinese church is unclear.  Is it a church of Chinese or a church of Chinese speaking Christians?   Let us use a Chinese church for a church for Chinese speaking people and American church for a church for English speaking people. 

You may have noticed that I used the term Local Churches above.  This is an oxymoron but I cannot find a right phrase.  After all, there is a Buddhist Church advertised in the Argus, a local newspaper in Fremont, California. 

In the Bible, apostolic churches can be as small as a house church and can be as broad as a large region.  There are no Jew churches, Greek churches, Syrian churches, etc.  I Corinthian 12:12-13, Colossians 3:11, and Galatians 3:26-28 are teachings on this. 

Truth1

What is truth? 

The word truth is hard to define.  According to an English dictionary, truth is something that is true or real.  But there is more to that.  For example, I have a book named “What went wrong?” by Bernard Lewis, which is true.  But few would regard this as an important truth.  You may be familiar with the term relative truth and absolute truth.  These are philosophical terms and are useful to determine scientific truths.  The idea is that at any time we can discover truths.  Truths are often relative.  Through many generations, scientists may gradually approach the absolute truths.  These are largely correct.  As I said before, scientific truths are only a small portion of the truths.  There are much more important truths. 

By the way, those from mainland China may be familiar with the slogan “Practice is the sole criterion to test truth”.  I wonder what truths they have discovered so far.  The only “truth” (relative truth) I can think of is that market economy is better than central planning economy, i.e., Adam Smith is more correct than Karl Marx.  This was known long time ago. 

I think a better definition of truth is that it is true both in this world and in the world to come.  According to the Bible, the world is divided into two periods; this world and the world to come.  (Buddhists claim that the world goes in cycles; but there are no scientific evidences to support it.)  

Book of Truth

The Bible is the book of Truth.  I have not seen any other book that is even remotely closer to it.  John 14: ⁶Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  There is one sentence in the intro of http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html I like very much.  “Eastern thinkers are looking for the way; western philosophers are looking for truth; Jews are looking for everlasting life.”  In fact, all human beings are looking for the three, although for different peoples there may be different emphasis.  The Bible is the book of way, the book of truth, and the book of life.  The Bible is the book about God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

What about scientific truth? 

Some may wonder why the Bible does not have much about scientific truths.  The Bible does have some chapters dealing with scientific truths.  For example, Job 38-41.  By the way, it is interesting to read Job since it poses some very difficult questions.  Although many generations have passed, today’s sciences can only answer few, if any, the questions God asked Job. 

Another reason is what good is a book of scientific truths to a person?  Even some simple scientific truths will take many years for some well-educated person to understand them.  And what good are to him/her?  Does that ensure his/her entrance to heaven?  Suppose there is a person who is illiterate.  Does God not allow him/her to know Him?  That would be unfair since all talents ultimately come from God. 

Is knowledge good or bad? 

It is natural to discuss knowledge when talking about truths.  Proverbs 1:⁷ “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

There are two kinds of knowledge.  One may be puzzled when reading the original sin (Gen. Chapter 3), especially for a scientist like me.  It may seem incredible that God punished Adam for eating fruits from the tree of knowledge.  This contradicts to popular beliefs that knowledge is man’s strength. 

There are different types of knowledge.  In I.Cor.8, Paul said: “¹Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” It seems that knowledge is bad.  But in Colossians 1:10, Paul said “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”  So knowledge is not necessarily good or bad.  It is important to know what type of knowledge and how to use it. 

Prophet2

Different Prophecies

Let us denote prophecies in Ac. 2:17 as pro1, I Cor. 14 as pro2, and 12:28-30 as pro3. 

Preachers

Many churches today have pastors as preachers.  Ephesians 4:11 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,” According to a dictionary, pastor and shepherd means the same thing, i.e., a minister in charge of a flock.  Most often, a sermon is a pro2.  If we interpret prophets in Ep.4:11 as pro3 and pastors and teachers as pro2, then the puzzling duplicity resolves.  

Man or woman? 

It should be clear that Paul in I Corinthians 14 meant for brothers only.  A sermon by 2 or 3 is good but any number is OK.  (It seems the more the better.  However, guiding by the spirit is the key.)  Preachers should be male only. 

Woman pastors

Note that if woman pastors do not preach, especially not in a congregational meeting for church building, this does not violate I Cor. 14 in spirit.  Since pastors do not have to preach. 

If a woman pastor preaches, is it a sin?  It should be clear that, according to Paul in Chapter 11, it is. 

Homework: 

1. What other appearances of prophesying/prophecies in NT?  What types are they? 
2. Compare the NIT version with the recovery version.  Do you see problems? 
3. What meetings in NBS (“Messages for Building Up New Believers”, or “New Believers Series”)?  Where does W. Nee’ teaching agree with the Bible?  Where does not?  

Prophet1

What is prophecy? 

Some regard prophecy as predicting future events.  This does not distinguish it from scientific predictions, guessing or even fortune telling.  Prophecy really means speaking under divine inspiration.  It certainly may predict future events but more importantly the source and content is gift from God. 

Are there prophets now? 

The NT era is different from that of the OT time.  Heb. 1:^{1 “}In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ²but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, …” In the OT times, God gave words to prophets who in turn spoke to people.  These were recorded in the Bible, especially books of prophets.  Since Christ is our teacher in the new covenant (Jer.31:34; Matt. 23:10), there are no prophets in the sense of OT.  Specifically, no book or even a chapter may be added to the Bible.  All testimonies, sermons or books should be used as references.  Note that many cults or heresies add or change the Bible. 

Then, what about I Cor. 12:28-30 or 14?  In Ac. 2:¹⁷" 'In the last days, God says,
       I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
   Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
       your young men will see visions,
       your old men will dream dreams.” (from Joel 2:28)    

In the broadest sense, anyone who tells Bible verses to another is prophesying since the Word of God is true or will be true.  Prophesying in Acts 2:17-18 and in Paul’s letters means to enlighten others.  If someone interprets, preaches, testifies, or sheds light in general on some Bible verses or sound doctrines, that person is prophesying.  Martin Luther said that every Christian is a priest.  Thus, in a broad sense, anyone can prophesy. 

Ps. 119:¹⁰⁵ “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”  Prophets in I Cor. 12:28-30 get lights from God and enlighten others.  Prophets in this context must provide original insight to the Bible.  In addition, the interpretation must be biblical and relevant.  In the wide context of the Church, this is quite difficult since after studies of many generations much of the Bible is well understood.  On the other hand, the rich of the Bible is infinite.  Note that an apostle is higher than prophets.  An apostle certainly can prophesy. 

Chapter 14 of I Corinthians is on prophesying to build up the church.  This shows the importance of prophesying and provides some guidelines on prophesying.  Prophets here are slightly different from the above.  Prophecies in a congregation need not to be original but must be biblical and relevant. 

Biblical and relevant 

Prophesying must be biblical and relevant.  First, a message or testimony must be biblical.  Its spirit must agree with the Bible.  Therefore, it is essential for a person to gain a sound understanding of the Bible before prophesying.  One important point, highlighted by Watchman Nee in [1], is that only a spiritual man can gain lights from the Bible.  One must devote time to study the Bible and follow Christ in his acts.  Prophecy is a gift from God.  Since the need of prophesying is great and God is a loving God, the gift of prophecy will be given to those who are willing (Matt.7:7-11). 

Relevance to the present situation is also important.  This is one important theme in [2], an excellent book by Rick Warren, who is a pastor of a fast-growing church.  The Bible is relevant to everyone today but we have to find and show the relevance to peoples.  If sermons or other meetings can reach people in need, their minds may open to the Bible and the Holy Spirit.  This is by no means easy or simple.  The world has the work of God, Satan’s work, as well as worldly things and all sorts of views.  One needs to study many historical facts and use a biblical view to analyze the world, culture, and congregation.  I have written on Islam because the current world situation concerns many.  Many good Christians (even pastors) are also confused on this. 

One has to be aware of false teachings.  Through out the history, false teachings and heresies deviate from the original meaning of the Bible.  By studying these, such as those presented in http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html, one may increase awareness of pitfalls and mistakes. 

Interpretation

The meaning of the Bible often needs interpretation.  How to know whether the interpretation of some verses is correct and/or original?  First, one should know the interpretation system used throughout ages by previous saints and scholars.  Refer [3] and references therein for the start.  For specific verses, one can refer to one of the reference books in [3] or go to one of the public libraries to look up many reference books. 

On correctness, there are rooms for different opinions.  As Paul taught us in I Corinthians different teachers may have different viewpoints and all could be correct and beneficial.  One may favor one interpretation but the other could be equally correct.  On the other hand, since the reference books need to collect various viewpoints, some interpretations on some verses can be problematic. 

Watchman Nee and Witness Lee

Watchman Nee had strong influence on interpretation of the Bible as well as Chinese churches.  Thus, I would like to explore some now.  To me, it is clear that he is a prophet since his interpretations of the Bible shed much light.  I do not know any other contemporary has obtained as much from God.  Incidentally, this shows that God is righteous (Ac. 10:34-35).  Even though Nee had such a difficult environment and with shortcomings of Chinese language, he received great gifts from God.  His interpretations were developed from prior methodologies but many points were original.  This does not mean that he did not make mistakes (after all we are sinners).  Many his interpretations should be studied further in the mainstream system and shared by all churches. 

Witness Lee tried to carry on what W. Nee left.  My troubles with him are 1) many good points of his were from W. Nee (i.e., not original);  2) some important points of his had serious errors.  There are a number of cases to support my stand.  In addition, if you compare their styles you will find striking differences.  W. Nee rarely introduced new theological terms.  His interpretations are largely biblical as well as easy to understand.  On the other hand, Lee invented many new terms.  If you try to explain to other Christians, many are confused by his terms.  I heard some said that Nee made difficult Bible verses easy to understand while Lee made easy verses hard to understand.  There is some truth in this.  I do not think that most his terms are necessary to understand the Bible. 

One of W. Lee’s grave sins is to publish the “recovery version” of the Bible.  Today’s situation is very different from that of Martin Luther’s.  At that time, there were no German translation and ordinary people had no access to the Bible.  The English recovery version is particularly troublesome.  There are reasons to have new Chinese translation, as I mentioned earlier.  But why do we need new English versions?  If we need one, he should have talked to other denominations first. 

In addition, viewing some development in the local churches under his leadership, it is clear that he is not in the rank of prophet.  There is no point to study his work.  There are some fundamental questions regarding his interpretations, the practice of local churches, and the right ways according to the Bible.  I will explain more in the future when I have time. 

From the Bible and to the Bible

Finally, it is important to understand the role of prophets in the new covenant mentioned earlier.  We are facilitators not originators.  Christ is the true teacher and the LORD.  No matter how much we know or teach, the purpose is not to convince others of specific doctrines or verses but to lead one to the Bible and God.  If our service can help others to acknowledge the authority and relevance of the Bible and encourage others to read more of the Bible, then we are doing a good job.  This is what I mean “from the Bible and to the Bible.” 

(To certain extent, Lee’s style is a hindrance.  After many years experiences in Christ, I can understand many terms he used.  However, I do not think that most the terms are necessary.) 

1. "How to Study the Bible" Watchman Nee, ISBN: 073630407X 
2. "The Purpose-Driven Church," Rick Warren, Zondervan Publishing Company; 1995
3. “The Bible, an owner's manual” Robert R. Hann, Paulist Press, c1983.

Faith2

Religion

The word religion is translated into Chinese as ‘sect + teaching.’  Strictly speaking, this is incorrect and there was no equivalent word in Chinese since God was unknown in China until modern times.  Religion concerns God and related human activities.  Since God created all peoples and there is only one God, a correct religion is not a sect but is universal.  Teaching is important.  But Jesus taught us that doing is equally important.  Luke 11: ²⁸He (Jesus) replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." 

I used the word correct religion above and earlier.  What I mean is that only two religions are God’s religions: Judaism and Christianity.  All other religions are incorrect in the sense that they are not from God. 

Why not a religion from China? 

A Chinese may question why no correct religion originated in China.  According to the Bible, Judaism started from Abraham (Gen.12).  (It may also say that it started from Moses and the first 5 books of the Bible.)  This is why Abraham is called Father of Faith.  I heard two explanations.  1) God had to start from somewhere and Abraham was the one chosen.  2) At that time, Abraham was the more righteous one among all mankind.  Whatever the reason, this is a historical fact.  My understanding is that God will not start another religion in any other place (Is.55:9-11).  God is One and Only (John 1:14). 

Some Chinese may say that we do not want to worship a “foreign” God.  First, most Christians (or, for that matter, most Muslims or Buddhists) are not blood related to the origin of the faith.  Marxism is a kind of foreign faith; a faith without God.  Many Chinese worshiped it before.  Prior to that, Buddhism was originated in India and was widely followed in China.  This is just a lame excuse. 

Second, there are ample biblical references that God intended for Him to be known to all peoples in the world through the ages.  In Gen. 12:2-3, ³ “I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you."  Note the words all peoples.  There are many additional verses in OT.  In NT, Matt. 28: …¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  Note the word all nations. 

From the biblical point of view, there are only two groups of peoples, Jews and Gentiles.  God has not created another religion for any race, nation, ethnicity, or language no matter how big, small, black, white, smart, or dumb.  I do not see why He will treat Chinese differently.  In fact, if a new religion is created in China, I am quite sure that it is not from God. 

For a Christian, nationality, ethnicity, or race are no longer that important.  The most crucial thing is that he/she is in the Kingdom of God (Ga.3:28).  Think about it.  Greek had splendid achievement in sciences, philosophy, logic, and politics.  Scientifically speaking, they were ages ahead of China.  Many Greeks became Christians (in fact Greek was part of the Roman Empire, which became the original Christendom).  Ancient Egypt had splendid civilization and wealth.  The first university was established in Egypt.  When visiting The Metropolitan Museum in New York, I was greatly impressed by achievements in ancient Egypt.  In many ways, ancient Egypt was more advanced than ancient China.  Although the Old Testament was quite negative (cf. Exodus) on Egypt, yet much of Egypt became part of Christendom in early Christianity.  These civilizations in no way were inferior to ancient China (if anything they were more advanced).   

Col.3: ¹¹Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.  (cf. I Cor. 12:12-13, Gal. 3:28.)  Scythians were a tribe of most degraded kind of barbarians.  Paul here really meant to include all peoples at that time and the region.  It is interesting to read [1].  Germans, French, English, and Russians were barbarians. 

In 1^st century when Paul preached, the Roman Empire was more diverse than today’s USA.  Cultural, ethnic, racial, and status differences were wider than nowadays in the US.  At least, we do not have slaves any more.  (By the way, Philemon concerns a runaway slave who became a brother in the Lord and is a very moving letter.)  Col.3:11 shows that all saints (Christians) could worship together and no one was higher than the other.  If you study the history of the early church, you know that was exactly what happened. 

Why gospel has not reached Chinese earlier? 

Good question.  I give two points.  First, God has His plan.  If you read the history of the early church, you will be marveled by His wisdom and power.  Jesus, the Son of God, was little known at the time even to Jews, truly fulfilling Isaiah 53.  Even his disciples were deflated by his crucifixion and went back to their old business (e.g., fishing).  If not for God’s work through the Holy Spirit, how can we have today’s billions of Christians?  The start of the Church is well recorded in the Bible.  Gradually, the gospel was preached one country after another, one language after another, and one continent after another.  China is one of the distant lands, both geographically and politically.  Second, Chinese are a very proud people and the regimes have been corruptive, repressive, or in war.   Many devoted missionaries were sent to China.  Initially, very little progress was made and many were even killed.  You must have heard the Boxer in early 1900’s.  Many Christians, both foreigners and Chinese, were killed for just being a Christian.  Slow progress of Christianity in China has to do with sins, Satan, and other worldly obstacles.  I plan to discuss this later. 

What about those who have not heard the gospel? 

A common understanding is that after death a believer will go to the heaven while a non-believer will go to hell.  This is perhaps too simplistic.  A difficult question is what about someone who died without hearing gospel or an infant died too young to make a decision?  Some take this as an excuse for not believing.  They argue how can God be so unfair?  First, no one deserves to go to heaven.  Romans 3:10-18 (and references in OT).  Note Paul really meant everyone including Abraham, Moses, King David, etc.  Suppose you and others travel aboard a ship.  Then there is a huge storm and the boat begins to sink.  Some have drowned and you are clinging to a piece of wood.  Now the Lord comes with a lifeboat and offers you a chance for life.  Are you so foolish to refuse the offer?  Do you have the right to complain why He has not arrived earlier?  Second, I firmly believe that God is righteous.  He will judge what one is given and what one has done.  Third, fairness is more or less a worldly standard while God’s standard is righteousness, which is much higher.  Jer. 17: ¹⁰ "I the LORD search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward a man according to his conduct,
according to what his deeds deserve."  Who can claim this? 

1. "What Went Wrong", Bernard Lewis, 2001

Faith1

Faith

What is faith?  Heb. 11: “¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  If explained literally, faith can be anything.  So its secular meaning is easy to understand.  What we discuss here is religious faith, which concerns all encompassing and supernatural.  There are some reasons that some academics regard Confucius or Daoism as religious faiths originated from China.  Worldwide, there are 5 major religions, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.  I would classify Confucianism, Taoism, and Falung Gong in the same category as Buddhism since they all represent effort by human to reach God and eternity. 

Historically, the strongest influence in China in terms of religion is Buddhism.  There are also Islamic minorities in China.  Christianity in China has a rather short history.  The following book

http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html

has much useful info including a brief history of Christianity in China.  I will refer to this book later on several different occasions. 

Which religion is correct? 

The short answer is Judaism and Christianity.  God alone can reveal Him to humankind.  Effort by human being, Buddhism is a good example, cannot reveal true God.  As for Islam, it is more complex.  I will address this issue in due course. 

I must state that no one can prove God or the Truth.  How a mere mortal like me can prove God Almighty, who has created every thing?  On the other hand, it is possible to show errors in faith.  If one can show that some belief is inconsistent with the Bible, then that belief is doubtful. 

Other faiths

I should state that I am a Christian, thus, cannot be totally objective to other faiths.  In fact, regarding to the Bible, God, and the Truth, no human being can be absolutely objective.  God did not create man that way. 

More importantly, being a Christian I must follow the Bible.  Deut. 12:30 “….be careful not to be ensnared by inquiring about their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? We will do the same." ³¹ You must not worship the LORD your God in their way, …”.  The whole Chapter 13 of Deut. has more on this.  Also Exodus 23:13 “…Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.”  I only explain enough about a faith so that you can be sure that faith is not a correct one. 

Biblical Faith

The whole Chapter of Hebrew 11 is an excellent one on Christian faith.  Below are some important points.  1) Men of faith include Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, …, all appear in the Old Testament.  Therefore, it implies that Christian faith is consistent with the faith of Godly Jews.  2) Even sinner can have faith, verse 31.  Indeed, all of us are sinners.  Rom. 4:10-11 (also Psalms 14:1-3, 53:1-3) ¹⁰As it is written:
   "There is no one righteous, not even one;
        ¹¹there is no one who understands,
       no one who seeks God.”

3) Heb.11:39-40 indicate that faith comes with a promise by God.  And that promise has not been fulfilled but will be fulfilled in the future.   

What does this concern me? 

Some of you are not believers.  Maybe you would say what about if I just want to be a moral person, just live a peaceful life?  Then, you would miss the most important thing of one’s life. 

A human being differs from animal in that a person has three parts: spirit, soul, and body.  A secular man is a two dimensional person, i.e., with soul and body but not aware of spirit while a believer is a “three dimensional” person.  In Chinese, the words spirit and soul are often used together.  From the biblical viewpoint, it is not wrong for a secular man to talk about spirit (ref. Gen. 2:7) for he is referring a natural spirit.  The spirit we believers talk is much more precious: the life giving spirit (I Corin.15:45).  John 3: “¹⁵that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Also John 3: “¹³No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man.” ¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” My interpretation is that this promise has two parts.  In this world, a believer experiences a foretaste of the life giving spirit.  In the world to come, a believer receives the full promise by God. 

Also Heb. 4: “¹²For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-­edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”  So only the Bible can help one to separate spirit from soul. 

God gives every one a chance: either be one of His children or not.  It is a choice you have to make. 

Can a scientist be a believer? 

Sure.  Especially Mainland Chinese may have been strongly misinformed by communist propaganda.  In addition, there is liberalism in scientific community at large (as well as in media, education, and academia).  But many accomplished scientists in history are believers.  Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein are two prominent examples.  Both are strong believers; also faith and philosophy had strong influence on their works.  See [1] for an intriguing account on faith of A. Einstein and its impact on his scientific contributions.  Science is a branch of Truth.  I might add, a small branch of Truth. 

Interestingly, by late 19^th century Chinese scholars sensed that something was wrong in Chinese society and by 1919 (about the time of the famous May 4 movement) they proposed that two things “Science” and “Democracy” would save China.  After that time,  the faith among Chinese in Confucius is replaced by faith in science and technology.  Please read the book [2].  Modern sciences and democracy have their roots in Greek.  Also one should study the world history of major faiths.  Faiths solely in sciences and democracy are not totally new.  They cannot solve everything one needs and nor can build a paradise by themselves. 

To a believer, science and democracy do have important roles in society and in one’s life.  But nothing can replace God.  It would be pity if one worships created things but not the Creator. 

1. “Einstein and religion : physics and theology” Max Jammer, Princeton University Press, 1999. 
2. “The Alphabet Effect” by Robert K., Logan, St. Martin's Press; (September 1987)

Bible2

1) Ps. 119:¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

2) A brother in the Lord said: “The Bible is the constitution of the Church.”  Well said. 

3) When Martin Luther faced a court of The Roman Catholic Church and possible death sentence, he defended his 95 theses.  He has nothing on his side but the Bible and God. 

The Holy Book

I like the table in the end of [1].  One important test of whether or not a religion is correct is the sacred books.  Evil religions, cults, or heresies use a sacred book(s) other than a widely accepted Bible.  (By the way, I do not agree completely with the author’s viewpoint on The Roman Catholic Church, which is way too negative.) 

What translation

Since the Bible is the constitution of the Church, not anyone who knows the biblical languages can translate the Bible.  (Not in terms of legality.  There are no copyright issues.)   A good version will take many experts and many years work (read the preface of NIV.  It took more than 100 scholars and more than 10 years).  This applies not only to Chinese but also to every language, including English.  Although English is much better than Chinese as a language for the Bible, English still lacks some expressive power for the Bible and is not as accurate as Greek. 

Different versions of translation may cause divisions in the Church.  Here, the Church refers the Universal Church including all churches through generations as well as Churches in different languages, Chinese, English, Korean, etc.  It is important to remove sectarian bias from translations.  Catholics and Protestants argued for generations of some differences, which are mostly minor or in footnotes.  Fortunately, these differences are largely resolved and the widely used versions are universally accepted by both Catholics and Protestants.  I strongly recommend the book [2].  To remove potential biases, many translations even invite Jewish scholars to verify the Old Testament. 

Translation is a type of prophecy.  Translations of the Bible were not allowed in the Catholic era.  There are reasons for this.  Possible division is one.  Another one is how to interpret the Bible.  Incorrect interpretation may have grave consequences.  In the Middle Age (prior to Reformation), this was one reason that The Roman Catholic Church did not condone unauthorized translation.  Martin Luther started translation the Bible into German because he believed that everyone should read Bible.  He is right.  In addition, he has the gift given by God.  He is an apostle (I Corinthians 12:28).  This does not mean that every spiritual person has the right to translate the Bible. 

Separation of power.  As an analogy, the US polity has three branches to share power: the administration, the Congress, and the Supreme Court.  Similarly, the Constitution of the Church should remove any sectarian bias.  Those who translate the Bible should not belong to only one denomination.  To avoid sectarian bias, the NIV is the work of almost all Protestant Churches. 

What about Chinese translations? 

Although Chinese lacks expressive power and is not accurate, good translations are still possible.  In addition, Chinese versions can be useful to many who do not know English, German, or another alphabetic language.  On the other hand, we should be aware the limitations of Chinese.  Perhaps Chinese versions of the Bible should be used only as references and should be updated periodically. 

Of the old Chinese translations, the Union version is widely recognized as a good one.  However, as mentioned in [2] there has much research done in the last 50 years and the Union version is too old (100 years old) to reflect that.  Plus, the Union version contains some serious mistakes.  It should be time to have a new Chinese translation. 

However, a good Chinese translation requires collaboration of all major Chinese churches and many years of scholarly work.  As you know, in the current environment this is not possible.  For the start, in mainland China there is an official Chinese church (three-self) and underground churches.  There is also a group known as the Local Church that uses a version called recovery version.  The Local Church was known as Christian Assembly and started by Watchman Nee.  Historically, it resembles Brethren (a Protestant denomination).  There are two problems with the so called “recovery version”.  First, it was translated by a group lead by Witness Lee.  Witness Lee was a co-leader with Watchman Nee and the most prominent leader of the Local Church after Watchman Nee was put into prison in 1952.  It is possible to consider Watchman Nee as an apostle in terms of I Corin.12:28.  However, it is clear that Witness Lee is not even a prophet in that sense.  And there are serious mistakes in the recovery version.  Second, even if the recovery version is correct, it is difficult to promote it since it will cause division in Chinese churches.  In Chapter 10 of [2] cults and extremes are prevalent in mainland China.  A Bible translation with serious errors can only make things worse.  

References:

1. http://www.gcciusa.org/b5/eBooks/Truth/truthIndex.html. 
2. “The Bible, an owner's manual” Robert R. Hann, Paulist Press, c1983. 

Bible1

The Bible

The Bible is Word of God.  All true Jews and Christians believe this.  The difference between Jews and Christians is that for Jews the Bible has only the Old Testament while for Christians the Bible includes both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  It should be easy to buy a copy of Bible.  There are also many online search sites for the Bible.  I found this site useful: http://www.biblegateway.com/

God is a living God.  Therefore, God speaks everyday in many different ways.  However, the Holy Bible as God’s word in written form is special.  Unless one knows well the Bible, in other words, what God had said throughout the ages, he will not be able to hear or discern God’s speaking.  I like Isaiah 55

⁹ "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

As we Christian acknowledge, last God’s word in written form was given about 2000 years ago.  Even after almost 2000 years, God’s Word in written form has not finished its purpose. 

Truth

I am amazed by the power of the Word of God.  I am a scientist.  We know great scientists in modern times are perhaps Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.  What they discovered are scientific truths.  I think that Isaac Newton is perhaps the greatest scientist in modern times because he founded many branches of sciences and mathematics.  Yet some of his theories have been proven to be inaccurate by Albert Einstein after merely a few generations.  It is likely that some years later, scientists will discover inaccuracies of some of Albert Einstein’s theories.  On the other hand, The Word of God is still the Truth after so many years.  No human is capable of this feat; only God alone can. 

Languages

The Old Testament is in Hebrew or Aramaic while the New Testament is in Greek.  Even what language God uses to transmit His Word has meanings.  Recently, I read [1] and strongly recommend the book.  Greek in fact is the most accurate language in modern times.  And it is no accident that many great philosophical, scientific, mathematical, political (e.g., democracy) ideas originated from Greek.  Incidentally, (this might be a blow to many Chinese’s ego) one interesting point of this book, well founded I might add, is that one big obstacle to advances in science and mathematics in China in the past was that Chinese is not alphabetic. 

To see the role of languages, recall Genesis 11:1-9 (The tower of Babel).  9: “That is why it was called Babel-because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”  The meaning of this story is that man wanted to reach the heavens by their own strength and God did not like that and let the world to have many different languages. 

In some sense, the opposite happened in Acts, known as Pentecost.  Acts 2:1-41, especially “⁶When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.”  The difference this time is that God initiated the move and through the Holy Spirit people of many spoken languages understand the message.  Also Matt. 28:18-20 gave the great commission and prepared the background. 

What translation? 

Most of us do not know Hebrew or Greek.  We have to read Bible in either English or Chinese.  If you can read English, use an English Bible.  I found that Chinese versions do not translate some books well.  For example, many verses of Ephesians are in the past finished tense.  It is difficult to express them in Chinese.  After reading [1], it becomes clear to me that Chinese as a language is not accurate as well as lacks expressive power (meaning cannot express things that some other languages can).  If Chinese is not accurate for studying scientific truths, how can it be suitable to study the ultimate Truth? 

If you know English reasonably well, an English Bible is preferred.  Although an English version is not as good as the original text in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek, it still keeps most important aspects of alphabetic languages.  There are several good English versions of the Bible.  The most popular one is perhaps the NIV version.  The book [2] is a good reference (though it could be somewhat out of date).  This book explains a brief history of the Bible and compared several main English translations of the Bible.  NIV among one of several good translations and is relatively easy to read.  I heard that American Standard Version is good. 

Sometimes we need to use a Chinese Bible, for example, discussion with other Chinese.  You may consider the Union version.  In addition to deficiencies of the language, the Union version is somewhat old.  Translation of some verses is inaccurate (e.g., compare Zech.11:12-13, Matt. 27:9-10). 

A very important reason that English Bible should be used instead of Chinese versions is that many critical phrases in the Bible have no equals in Chinese.  Often translations of such words into Chinese cause confusions.  For example, sin is a very important concept in the Bible.  But there is no equivalent word, even a remote concept, in Chinese.  Most Chinese versions translate it into a Chinese word equivalent to “crime”.  Sin and crime are two concepts in two different realms.  Sin refers to human separation from God while crime refers one’s wrong act against laws in a society.  It is difficult to convince a Chinese who is not a Christian that a man is sinful.  To him, it looks like that you want to convict him of some crime that he is not aware of.  Other similar words are: faith, religion, grace, righteous, church, etc. 

1. “The Alphabet Effect” by Robert K., Logan, St. Martin's Press; (September 1987)
2. “The Bible, an owner's manual” Robert R. Hann, : Paulist Press, c1983.

Study of Mark

Chapter 16 

John (J L) Han


Jesus was crucified on Friday.  Verses 2, 9 happened on the first of the week which was Sunday.  Verses 1-8 describe Jesus’ resurrection.  

The footnote says that most reliable manuscripts do not have verses 9-20.  Some may be confused.  However, just as a very good textbook [1] says  such discrepancies are not important in interpreting the Bible.  Indeed, similar verses appear in other parts of the Bible.  

15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. This passage is similar to Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said,“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

References:
[1] Robert R. Hann, “The Bible, an owner's manual” : Paulist Press, c1983.

Chapter 15 

John (J L) Han


Verse 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.
“You have said so,” Jesus replied. Here Jesus acknowledged.  Even though he was not a king in a secular sense, he is the king of jews in the sense that he was sent by God to lead jews.   Verses 1-15 recorded how Jesus was tried.  

Verses 16-20 describe how soldiers mocked Jesus.  Verses 21-32 are about The Crucifixion of Jesus.   Verses 33-41 describe the death of Jesus.  Verses 42-47 recorded the burial of Jesus.  Note verse 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid. Note who knew the burial place.  They would witness Jesus risen in the next chapter.  

Chapter 14 

John (J L) Han


This Chapter is quite long.  I will only highlight some key points.  Verses 1-9 tell the story of Jesus anointed.  In verse 8, “She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.”  Again Jesus predicted his death and burial.  

The Passover was the most important festival in the Jewish calendar (cf. Exodus).  Jesus was put to death during the Passover.  This has an important symbolic meaning,  He died for us so that we can be saved in God’s eye. The Lord’s supper has great symbolic meaning as well.  It is a covenant between Christians and God.  Part of verse 24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” Covenant is a solemn word.  God has two covenants: (1) the old covenant with Abraham, (2) the new covenant with all Christians.  Christians have Lord’s supper to remember the covenant with God through Jesus.  

Verses 27-31 tell a well known story: Peter’s 3 denials of Jesus. Peter is the most loyal disciple among the 12 yet he denied that he knew Jesus under duress.  So if we rely on our flesh we might sin under pressure.  Another thing is that verse 27 quoted Zechariah 13:7.  Jesus predicted that Peter denied him 3 times.  Such predictive power came from God.  

Verses 32- 41 are known as Gethsemane, that is the place where it happened.  It illustrated what Jesus did just before he was arrested.  Gethsemane now represents the pain Jesus suffered.  I wish to call you attention verse 36: (Jesus said) “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”  Here shows that Jesus is human and he knows that suffering is hard.  Yet he does not want to have his will but the Father’s will.  The same thing in the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), “your will be done”.  

Verses 53-65 tell that Jesus was tried in front of Sanhedrin.  61 …... Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 63 The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?” They all condemned him as worthy of death.  To Jewish elders, priests, and teachers of law, Jesus’ answer in verse 62 is blasphemy.  On the other hand, this is where Jesus directly claimed that he is Son of God.  

Verses 66-72 realized earlier Jesus’ prediction that Peter would deny him 3 times (verses 27-31).  

Chapter 13 

John (J L) Han

In verses 1-2 Jesus prophesied destruction of the Jewish Temple.  Many considered this fulfilled 70 A.D. when Roman army destroyed Jerusalem.   Jesus’ disciples asked him about when these things might happen.  In verses 5-31, Jesus actually did not refer the previous events but prophesied about apocalypse, i.e. the end of world.  The things described by Jesus are really terrible.  Similar prophecies also appear in Revelation.  Interpretations of these are not simple.  Since I assume you this being your first reading, I will not go into the details.  

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. This verse is interesting.  If you recall Chapter 11 fig tree appeared twice (12-14, 20-21).  The fig tree was found no fruit.  Some interpret that fig tree represents Jewish people.  Because they did not produce righteous fruits, they were cursed.  Yet at the end of world Jewish people being represented by fig tree will reborn, which was thought to be re-establishment of Israel.  This might be the case.  

In verses 32-37, Jesus told his disciples that no one know when the end of world would come.  
32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  From time to time, some, I heard even some pastors, may proclaim knew exact time Jesus will come back or the end of world will come.  Clearly, they are wrong since this is against Jesus’ teaching.  Jesus asked his followers to be prepared.  

Chapter 12 

John (J L) Han


Verses 1-12 are the parable of the tenants.  Its meaning is not difficult to know.  Tenants are Israelis.  Servants are prophets.  The last sent by God is His son.  In verses 13-17, the Pharisees and Herodians wanted to find fault in Jesus on whether to pay tax.  Jesus answered the question with great wisdom.  

In verses 18-27, Jesus answered Sadducees who doubt resurrection.  In verses 28-34, Jesus summarised commandments into two.  There are 10 commandments.  The two Jesus gave are the essence of 10 commandments.  In verses 35-37, Jesus asked whose son is the Messiah.  Although in name Jesus is a descendant of David, he was really conceived by the Holy Spirit.  In verses 38-40, Jesus warned against teachers of law who are pious on the outside but are hypocrite in fact.  In verses 41-44, Jesus praised a poor widow’s offering of two copper coins.  It taught us that the exact amount of offerings is not important but one’s heart.  

Chapter 11 

John (J L) Han


This chapter has less to explain than the previous chapter.  

Verses 1-11 are narrative.  

The story of fig tree (verses 12-14, 20-21)  shows the power of faith.  Verses 22-24 explain more on this.  Jesus said 24 “ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”  Then Jesus said 25 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Thus, you need to forgive others before you pray.  Otherwise, your prayer may not reach God.  Verses 15-17 Jesus cleansed the temple.  We should learn that worship place is not meant to exchange money.  A pure heart is important in worship.  

Verse 26 to the end of this chapter is narrative of Jesus being questioned of his authority.  

Chapter 10 

John (J L) Han


Pharisees asked Jesus about divorce in verse 2 in order to test Jesus.  Jesus asked them back.  Then Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ 7 ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, 8 and the two will become one flesh.’ Jesus used verses from Genesis to answer.  This passage has profound implications, which I might discuss them in the future.  At the moment, it is useful to note that Jesus’ teaching is higher than Moses command and is from God’s original intention.  


The passage of verses 13-16 tells us that Jesus loved children.  You should also read carefully “not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (in verse 15) Thus, a believer should receive God’s word with full confidence.  

Verses 17-31 tell one of my favorite story in the Bible.  Similar stories appear in other gospel books for example Matthew 19.  Even though it is neither long nor complicated, this story contains a lot information.  The man whom we know was rich ask Jesus “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” As Christians, we know that this is impossible (see also verse 27) since we are all sinners and we do not deserve to get eternal life no matter what we do.  Jesus told him  ““No one is good—except God alone.” Paul wrote in Romans 3:10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

11     there is no one who understands;

   there is no one who seeks God.

Jesus is good because he is God.  In verse 19, Jesus told this rich young man some commandments, which were part of Moses’ Ten Commandments.  This young man said “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” He observed these in the face value.  But if you understand so call Sermon on the Mountains, e.g. Matthew 5:21-48 you know that no one could have fulfilled God’s commandments.  

After the rich young man answered Jesus’ question on commandments with affirmative, Jesus told him “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.  

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” This and the whole story tell us that we cannot save by ourselves and only God can.  The central theme of Christianity is that Jesus saves us by dying on the Cross.  We can be saved by accepting him as our savior.  There is no other way.  

Verses 32-34 repeat we have learned before.  

The passage of verses 35-45 concerns Jesus disciples wanting to be great.  Jesus taught them “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. So in Christianity serving is the paramount.  

The last passage (from verse 46) tells Jesus healing of a blind man.  

Chapter 9

John (J L) Han

In verse 1, Jesus told his disciples that before their death, they would see “the kingdom of God has come with power.”  This referred to transfiguration in verses 2-13.  The word transfiguration means the appearance is transformed (see verses 2-4).  In verse 5 Peter more or less equaled Jesus with Elijah and Moses.  But in verse 7, a voice from heaven announced that Jesus is Son of God and instructed others to listen to him.  So Jesus’ special status was made clear.  Jesus is higher than other prophets (cf. 8:27-30).  

The passage of verses 14-29 is about healing of a possessed boy.  Like healings earlier, for a sick to be healed, the sick or their parents needed to have faith first (verses 23-24).  

In verses 30-32, Jesus again (cf. 8:31-33) predicted his suffering, death, and resurrection.  

Verses 38-41 may be summarised “whoever is not against us is for us”.  Here Jesus taught his disciples to focus on the work not about who did the work.  

In verses 42-50, Jesus taught the importance for not causing others to stumble.  Here stumble is in the spiritual sense and means to cause others to be away from truth or from God.  

Chapter 8

John (J L) Han


Verses 1-10 tell that Jesus fed 4000 people.  There is a similar story in Chapter 6.  In verses 11-13 Pharisees asked Jesus for a sign from heaven.  A sign here means a miracle.  Jesus had already done many miracles earlier.  But Pharisees still did not believe him.  Asking a miracle here is a test of God.  Matthew 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

and they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” So Jesus said Jesus said in verse Mark 8:12 “...... no signs will be given to it.”  God performs miracle if there is a need, not to satisfy someone’s curiosity.  

The passage of verses 14-21 concerns yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.  Because the disciples had forgotten to bring bread except for one loaf, when Jesus warned them “yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod” (vs.15) they thought of physical yeast.  But here, as well as in many places in the gospel, Jesus used yeast metaphorically for corruption or unauthentic.  Jesus here warned his disciples of corruption of his message.  His disciples did not understand Jesus’ warning.  Jesus had the power to feed thousands.  Why would he worry about whether they had enough bread or yeast for making bread?  

Verses 22-26 are about Jesus healing of a blind man.  The people who brought him in thought that Jesus only touching him would cure him (verse 22).  However, it turned out that Jesus did much more work.  Therefore, each case of healing can be different.  

Verses 27-30 revealed who Jesus truly is.  Many said that Jesus is one of the prophets (verse 28).  Peter said that Jesus is the Messiah.  Messiah is the central figure in Judaism and Christianity (cf. Basics of Bible).  Matthew 16:16 is even clearer: Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  

After this Jesus began to teach his disciples that he “must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.” These prophecies would turn out true later.  In verses 34-38, Jesus warned his followers the price they must be ready to pay.  

Chapter 7 

John (J L) Han

Verses 1-23 concern Jewish customs.  Read carefully the latter half of verse 3 “.....holding to the tradition of the elders.” In other words, the tradition required Jews to wash their hands before eating.  But this custom was not required by God.  Jesus said in verse 8 “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Jesus criticised these Pharisees and teachers of law for creating own rules and customs but neglecting God’s laws.  

The Torah does require not eating some food, for example not eating pork.  Leviticus Chapter 11 lists many meat unclean and should not be eaten.  Most Jews still observe these while most Christians do not observe them.  Acts have more on this.  Here we need to pay attention to verse 15 (Jesus said) “Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” So eating certain food will not defile a person while what he/she said could.  

The passage of Syrophoenician woman (verses 14-30) shows two things: she was humble and she had faith.  Jesus tested her faith and her answer was very humble.  Like we have seen in early chapters, her faith healed her daughter.  She needed to come to God.  But if she did not have faith, it would not cure her daughter.  

Verses 31-37 tell Jesus healing a deaf and mute man.  

Chapter 6 

John (J L) Han

Verses 1-6 record what Jesus was treated in his hometown.  People there questioned his status.  Jesus is Son of God but was in human form.  He had an ordinary life earlier and many in his hometown did not imagine that he could do great things.  One lesson here is that do not judge a person by his/her family or appearance.  In addition, because these people lacked faith Jesus could  perform only few miracles.  Recall the role of faith played in previous chapters.  Faith is essential in healings, miracles and prayers.  

In verses 6 (second half) to 13 Jesus sent out 12 disciples.  Verses 14-29 tell the story of Baptist John’s death.  Verses 30-44 record Jesus feeding 5000.  Verses 45-56 are about Jesus walking on the water.  The second part of verse 52 “...their hearts were hardened.”  In the Bible, the word “hardened” often means that a person (persons) becomes stubborn and does not listen to God.  For example, in Exodus the Pharaoh’s heart became hardened again and again.  

Narratives and miracles in this chapter are not difficult to understand.  If you have questions, post them.  I will try to answer them.  

Chapter 5 

John (J L) Han

This chapter has only two miracles.  The first one is about healing of a demon-possessed man.  It is rather easy to understand.  At the end verse 15 “...... they were afraid.” Why they were afraid since Jesus did a good thing？  These people were likely not Jews since they raised pigs.  Jews consider pork unclean and do not eat pork.  If they were Jews, they were more likely to welcome Jesus since Jews believe in miracles.  Verse 17 “Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. “ Perhaps because of the above reason, these people did not welcome someone who could perform miracles.  

The rest is really two miracles: one is about a sick woman and the other concerns a dead girl.  The key about these miracles are faith.  Verse 34 “...... Daughter, your faith has healed you.....”  Jesus did not say that I healed you but your faith has healed.  Often, things are not accomplished because we lack of faith.  Similarly, verse 36 …... Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Chapter 4 

John (J L) Han

This chapter has several parables.  Parables have deep meanings that believers may understand but unbelievers cannot.  The first parable of the sower (1-20) tells how people respond to gospel (Word of God).  When gospel is preached, some will reject, some will accept initially but without deep commitment, some will be faithful followers.  This has profound meanings.  

Verses 21-24 may be regarded as two parables, but they also may be considered one related parable.  The first tells his disciples to openly testify about Jesus.  This sometimes means hardship even death.  But true believers should not hide the fact that they believe Jesus.  25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. It seems a bit puzzling by the first reading.  But verses 24-25 are related to the previous two verses.  If one puts gift of God into usage, he/she will be given more God’s gift.  On the other hand, those who do not use God’s gift will be taken away.  

Parable of the weed (verses 30-34) is hard.  We will skip it for now.  

Verses 35-41 tells a story of Jesus calming the storm.  It is a miracle hard to believe.  It has meanings but we again skip it for now, only point out that Jesus has supernatural power.  

Chapter 3

John (J L) Han

Verses 3:1-6 concern Jesus healing on Sabbath day.  Sabbath is part of Ten Commandments.  Exodus 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. In the previous Chapter, Jesus told us that he was going to change the religious rules.  Sabbath is revered by most Jews who followed it to the letter.  Mark 3:4  Then Jesus asked them, “What does the Law say we should do on the Sabbath day? Should we do good? Or should we do evil? Should we save life? Or should we kill?” So Jesus pointed out that the nature of Ten Commandments is good.  

3:6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to make plans with the Herodians. They wanted to kill Jesus.  Here Pharisees were Jews who followed Judaism to the letter.  These Pharisees wanted to murder Jesus because although Jesus did good but in their mind he did not observe Sabbath strictly.  This showed their wickedness.  

Some incorrectly regard Sunday, the worship day of Christians, as Sabbath day.  Sabbath day is the 7th day of God’s creation, as stated in Genesis 1 and Exodus 20:7 above, while Sunday is the first day of the week.  Christians worship on Sunday because it is the day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead.  

In verses 20-30, some teachers of law attacked Jesus as being controlled by prince of demons.  They used smear campaign against Jesus.  Jesus rebuked them: 29 “But anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. His guilt will last forever.”.  

Chapter 2 

John (J L) Han

In 2:1-12, Jesus healed a man who could not walk.  Some teachers of laws thought “Only God can forgive sins!”.  You may recall Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.  Pay attention the sins in Matthew 18:21-22 are one person against another.  (You may also recall Lord’s Prayer. Search it if you do not know.)  On the other hand, apparently here these teachers of laws thought that man was disabled because he sinned against God.  Thus, only God can forgive and heal that man.

Another point is verse 9 says “Is it easier to say to this man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’? Or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ” Neither is easy for a mortal man.  The first because we do not have such right; he did not sin against us.  The second because we do not have such power. But for Jesus, neither is difficult.  The third point is in verse 10, Son of Man is used.  In Chapter 1, we learn that Jesus is Son of God.  Now he calls himself Son of Man.  Is this a contradiction? No, in fact Jesus often called himself Son of Man.  Here, we see two in the Trinity, i.e., he is both man and God.  Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Also Philippians
2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

   did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing

   by taking the very nature of a servant,

   being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,

   he humbled himself

   by becoming obedient to death—

       even death on a cross!

This passage is accurate and poetic.  So he is both Son of God and Son of Man.  

Verses 13-17 tells us that Jesus chose Levi.  Notice that some teachers of law criticize Jesus for being associated with sinners.  Although they are self-righteous but they are also sinners.  As Romans 3:10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

11     there is no one who understands;

   there is no one who seeks God.

So these teachers of law are also sinners but are not aware of it.  

In verses 18-27 Jesus indicates that he is going to make rule changes.  Jews obey many rules, some come from Torah (first 5 books of Moses) while others are customs from their ancestors.  Read 2:21-22 carefully.  21 “People don’t sew a patch of new cloth on old clothes. If they do, the new piece will pull away from the old. That will make the tear worse. 22 People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will burst the skins. Then the wine and the wineskins will both be destroyed. No, everyone pours new wine into new wineskins.” Jesus uses clothes and wineskins as metaphor for religious rule sets.  He implies that his disciples obey a different set of rules.  

Introduction

John (J L) Han and Nathan Sanders

We now begin our study of Mark.  The Bible has 66 books which are rich in contents.  Some books are easier to understand than others.  It is possible to start with some easy to understand Old Testament books (e.g., Ruth, Samuel).  However, to Christians The New Testament is more important than The Old Testament.  That is why we choose a book from The New Testament.  The center of The New Testament is Jesus.  The first 4 books known as gospels tell the life of Jesus.  Among the four, gospel Mark is relatively short and easier to understand.  That is the reason we choose Mark.  

Where can I find Bible?  Biblegateway (http://www.biblegateway.com/) is a possible choice.  You may find in it many different versions(even other languages) and good search engine.  We mainly use New International Version (NIV).  NIV is the most popular version.  Occasionally, we may find another version good for some verses and use that version.  Kenmore Baptist Church has a single book of Mark.  It uses the NIV and small in size.  I encourage you to get a copy.  

Some try to learn contents of the Bible by reading other books, novels, movies.  This approach often does not help.  Sometime it can even be misleading to wrong ideas about the Bible.  If the Bible is Word of God, does God not want you, children of God, to understand His word?  What we try to do is to help you get started, teach you conventions and methods, explain how mainstream Christians interpreter the Bible.  Then you can understand meaning of the Bible on your own.  

One book very helpful to a beginner is “The Bible, an owner's manual”[1].  This book tries to find common ground for Catholics and Protestants.  It explains many technical details, such as footnotes and differences among some widely used Bible versions.  It is out of print but can be found on eBay or other internet sites.  An essay Basics of Bible (http://www.c4c.name/gospel/index.htm) might also be helpful.  

Our plan is one chapter one week. We will try to answer your questions. Comments are also welcome.

Chapter 1

Immediately in verse 1 we encounter a footnote problem.  The footnote says that “some manuscript does not have the Son of God.” Since this is the center of Christian belief, some may question whether this casts doubts on either Christianity or accuracy of the Bible or both.  One chapter of [1] is largely devoted to footnotes.  Such verses are due to historical technicalities and not central to Christianity.  Indeed, both verses 11 and 24 of this chapter show that Jesus is the Son of God.  For more, refer to [1].  

Verses 2 and 3 both use “prepare the/your way”.  It is not a Way in the physical sense.  In order to see the Lord, one’s heart needs to be pure.  This was the reason that John the Baptist was sent before Jesus to prepare the way.  The beginning of verse 2 mentions Isaiah.  Isaiah was a prophet who lived about 700 years before Jesus was born.  The importance of prophets is explained in Basics of Bible.  There are more than 50 places in the Book of Isaiah refer to Jesus.  

This chapter has mentioned at least 3 miracles (also known as signs): 21-27, 29-34, 40-42.  Did miracles exist?  As Christians, we believe God created everything and has the power to do these miracles.  Some may say if these are true repeat for me.  Miracles are done by God.  Humen cannot repeat miracles, otherwise they are not miracles.  

References:
[1] Robert R. Hann, “The Bible, an owner's manual” : Paulist Press, c1983.