Common People, Common Sense

Common People, Common Sense

The most profound truths can so often be evaluated and understood by just using common sense. The reality is that God did not write the Bible in such a way that only the most scholarly could comprehend it. It was written for ordinary people with common sense. To see this, read these words from Mark about the profound teaching of Jesus. “And the common people heard Him gladly” (Mark 12:37).

The prophet Isaiah showed the folly of those who worshiped idols in his day. He described that artisan who was creating his idol, fashioning it “…with his hammers and working with the strength of his arm…He is hungry, and his strength fails; He drinks no water and is faint” (44:12). Common sense would tell you that his idol/god should feed him!

The next few verses describe the process of producing a wooden idol. He cuts down the cedars, the cypress and the oak. He first takes some of the timber to warm himself and bake his bread. “He burns half of it in the fires; with this half he eats meat; he roasts a roast …and says, ‘Ah, I am warm, I have seen the fire.’” He then takes the rest of the “firewood” and carves it into an image. “He falls down before it and worships it, prays to it and says, ‘Deliver me for you are my god.’” Common sense says, “How can firewood do anything for you?” His actions show that his cedar tree is helpless! Idolatry simply does not make sense. An idol is nothing more than a tree!

To see the folly of idolatry read Psalm 115. “Their idols are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes they have but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear; noses they have but they do not smell; they have hands, but they do not handle; feet they have but they do not walk; nor do they mutter through their throat.” The most amazing observation is that in the history of mankind millions and millions have fallen down, bringing gifts and burning incense to a piece of metal or wood or some precious stone. Their actions of worship were not seen, heard, or smelled by the idol. Its hands never moved, and its feet never walked.

Finally hear the words of Paul to those who had left idolatry to become Christians. “You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were lead” (1 Cor. 12:2). Those idols were deaf mutes. He says a similar thing to the Christians in Thessalonica. “You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thess. 1:9). Hear the contrast and stand in amazement of how anyone could worship an idol. You turned from dumb, blind, deaf pieces of wood to serve a living God. Next week, we will look at the hands, eyes, ears, feet and mouth of our living God.

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¿MARCOS 16:16 En El AL CANON DEL N.T.?

¿PERTENECE MARCOS 16:16 AL CANON DEL N.T.?

¿Pertenece Marcos 16:16 al canon del N.T.? Bastante controversia ha existido a causa de esta pregunta. Peculiarmente nuestros amigos bautistas han estado sustentando esto, para desestimar la legítima apelación a la necesidad del bautismo mando por Cristo en la gran comisión. Indudablemente una gran cantidad de personas están comprando esta idea.  Algunas versiones ofrecen una nota explicativa no tan escandalosa como lo es la Biblia de Estudio Harper:

Otros manuscritos omiten vv.9-20. Algunos de los más antiguos terminan el libro en el v.8. La versión italiana griega agrega: Pero informaron en breve a Pedro y a los que estaban con él acerca de todo lo que se les había dicho. Y después de eso Jesús mismo envió por medio de ellos, del este al oeste, la sagrada e imperecedera proclamación de la salvación eterna. Otros manuscritos incluyen el pasaje anterior y continúan con los vv. 9-20. La mayoría de los manuscritos tienen vv. 9-20 siguiendo al 8; unos pocos insertan material adicional después del v.14. Aunque el pasaje (vv.9-20) probablemente no fue redactado por Marcos, igualmente debe considerarse como parte del canon de la Escritura.

Otras versiones como la Nueva versión internacional en inglés iniciando el v.9 hace una interpolación como con paréntesis o en ocasiones con una línea muy marcada para explicar que la sección que corresponde a continuación no aparece en los manuscritos más antiguos.

Evidencia fuerte a favor

 En mi estimación la sección tal cual la presenta el texto mayoritario es muy apropiada y dentro de las razones de peso puedo observar las siguientes.

1.     La gran mayoría de manuscritos más antiguos lo contienen tal y como aparece en Reina Valera 1960.

2.     Los manuscritos que no lo contienen y que son muy respetados son muy pocos.

3.     Dentro de esos que no lo contienen se encuentra el códice vaticano que dentro de los unciales es el más completo y más claro de todos.

4.     Existe un espacio inusual, en la sección del texto correspondiente que comparado con el final de Mateo o de Lucas nos hace entrever que el copista tenía dudas y conocía de la existencia de esta sección, sin embargo, decidió no escribirla.

5.     Fluye perfectamente bien con la corriente de pensamiento de todo el capítulo. Desestimar sería como quitarle la mitad de los pétalos a una flor de girasol.

6.     La enseñanza de la necesidad del bautismo dentro del plan redentivo de Dios se encuentra establecida desde siempre iniciando en el Génesis mediante el diluvio (1 Pedro 3:18-21) y terminando en Apocalipsis (Apo.22:14).

7.     Los relatos sinópticos revelan cuál es la lectura más adecuada donde indudablemente la lectura más larga que incluye el bautismo es la estructura paralela que más rápido se reconoce en el encaje de los testimonios de los otros 2 testigos (Mateo y Lucas).

El muy ya famoso crítico de textos Bruce M. Metzger con gran presión en su libro; comentario textual del nuevo testamento menciona elocuentemente lo siguiente que considero vale la pena observar. El dice:

En los manuscritos del Evangelio según Marcos es normal hallar cuatro finales.  Los últimos doce versículos del texto de Marcos comúnmente recibido no se encuentran en los dos manuscritos griegos más antiguos ni en el códice Bobiense de Vetus Latina (it), ni en el manuscrito siriaco sinaítico, ni en aproximadamente cien manuscritos armenios, ni en dos de los manuscritos más antiguos gregorianos. Ni Clemente ni Origenes dan muestras de saber sobre la existencia de estos versículos. Y continúa diciendo… El final tradicional de Marcos, que por medio de Reina Valera y otras traducciones de Textus Receptus nos es tan familiar, se encuentra en un vasto número de testigos A C D K W X Δ Θ Π Ψ 099 0112. Los   testigos patrísticos más antiguos de todo el final largo, o de parte de este son Ireneo y el Diatesarón.

En el final del comentario Bruce M. deja ver que es difícil determinar con precisión cuál debería de ser el mejor final para Marcos. Para este autor una cosa está clara. Aún cuando la evidencia para la inclusión sea débil, sigue siendo la conclusión más natural de entre los cuatro finales posibles y que además está en armonía con muchos lugares donde el bautismo es esencial para la salvación. El hermano James B. Coffman tiene algo importante a la discusión cuando escribe:

Mucho se ha escrito acerca de los últimos versículos del evangelio (cap. 16:9-20), debido a que faltan en algunos de los antiguos manuscritos griegos del Nuevo Testamento (Códice Sinaítico y Códice Vaticano). Otros manuscritos, nuevamente, contienen una versión más corta. Los editores de la edición científica del NT griego (Nestlé-Aland) enumeran los versículos del 9 al 20, pero los enumeran entre paréntesis dobles, lo que significa que son muy antiguos, pero los editores no los consideran originales. Como estos versículos están contenidos en la mayoría de los manuscritos griegos y traducciones antiguas, no hay duda de que el párrafo es anterior a los manuscritos que lo omiten o lo cuestionan. Los diversos científicos que no consideran que el párrafo sea original intentan defender esta opinión presentando argumentos que tienen que ver con el estilo y el contenido de este pasaje. En mi opinión, sin embargo, estos han sido suficientemente contradichos en el siglo XIX, entre otros, por H. Olshausen, J.P. Lange, J.W. Burgón, CF Keil y W. Kelly y, en tiempos más recientes, por W.R. Farmer y J. van Bruggen.

La cantidad de comentaristas que repudian el final largo y tradicional de Marcos 16 alegando que no pertenece al estilo de Marcos, en su gran mayoría están apuntando al asunto del bautismo en el v.16 como blanco a ser eliminado.  Con toda la artillería  pesada alrededor del capítulo existen algunos que aún están a su defensa. El hermano Wayne Jackson en su apología escribe:

En la gramática del Nuevo Testamento griego, hay reglas por las cuales a veces se puede determinar el orden de los eventos. Por ejemplo, tanto “cree” como “es bautizado” en el Testamento griego son lo que los gramáticos llaman “participios en tiempo aoristo”. (Un participio es una palabra que tiene las características tanto de un adjetivo como de un verbo.) El tiempo aoristo tiene que ver con un tipo específico de acción. Aunque hay excepciones, el participio aoristo “ordinariamente” expresa una acción que ocurre antes que el verbo principal en una oración (Dana, 230). En Marcos 16:16, el verbo principal es “serán salvos”. La plena fuerza de la afirmación, por lo tanto, es esta: “El que, habiendo ya creído y ya habiendo sido sumergido, es el que se salvará” [énfasis añadido]. WJ]. Nótese la declaración clara de Lenski: “Ambos actos [creencia y bautismo] precedieron al acto futuro sothesetai [serán salvos]” (766). También debemos notar que el participio aoristo, “cree”, tiene fuerza constativa, es decir, abarca toda la vida del creyente en su fidelidad a Cristo (Lenski, 766; cf. “vivió” y “reinó” en Apocalipsis 20 :4). La persona que se niega a mantener su fidelidad no se salvará al final.

En otras palabras, de cualquier forma, que la verdad sobre la necesidad del bautismo para salvación quiera ser desestimada ya sea por la no inclusión en algunos de los manuscritos como en la formación de la gramática, el texto y la verdad eterna de Dios se sostiene por sí sola. La evidencia ratifica el excelente trabajo de algunas traducciones como lo es Reina Valera entre otras y si incluso el libro completo de Marcos no fuera parte del canon, la verdad de que el pecador debe ser sumergido en agua para ser salvo se sostiene y se sostendrá hasta el final de los siglos.  

Referencias.

Coffman, James Burton. “Commentary on Mark 1”. “Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible”. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bcc/mark.html. Abilene Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.

Jackson, Wayne. “The Assault upon Mark 16:16.” ChristianCourier.com. Access date: April 11, 2022. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/605-the-assault-upon-mark-16-16

Metzger, Bruce. Un comentario Textual al Nuevo Testamento griego. Sociedad Bíblica Americana, New York 2005.

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“Between a Rock and a Hard Place”

“Between a Rock and a Hard Place”

My dad grew up in Northeast Texas picking cotton in Honey Grove. There’s nothing there now, but it must have been a colorful place since most of the colloquialisms I know came from him. One of these was the expression “between a rock and a hard place.” It means that you have gotten yourself into a situation that is difficult or impossible to escape. I once had the nerve-wracking experience of being literally caught between a rock and a hard place.rock and hard place

A friend of mine and I were coming down off the top of Enchanted Rock in two different directions; he went around the obstacles and I went through them. I don’t remember exactly how I got there, but I ended up with my back against one rock, my legs stretched out in front of me against another rock, and nothing below me but 30 feet of air into what looked like a pit of no escape. (Maybe there were a few rattlesnakes down there!) The way out was another rock to my right about six feet down—too far for me to jump. I was able to turn over onto my stomach and extend my legs to that rock and “step” down. I remember experiencing great relief when I made it.

Sinful man is stuck between a rock and hard place: sin and humanly devised efforts. Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), but humanly devised efforts cannot extricate us. Isaiah 64:6 says “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” Only God can save us. Paul best expressed the way out: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25), and that’s a relief!

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The Last Enemy Destroyed is Death

The Last Enemy Destroyed is Death

Consider these words of Paul describing the one enemy we all face and who seemingly is winning the battle in which we are engaged. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:56). It is a common enemy for every person who has been born on this earth for “it is appointed unto man to die” (Heb. 9:27). Knowing more about death helps us deal with it. Think of some deaths in the Bible.

· Who died because his brother killed him?
· Who died and was eaten by worms?
· Who died the same day he planned to build a new barn?
· Who died by suicide after losing his “paycheck?”
· Who died because he touched the ark?
· Who died but was not buried for 400 years?
· Who died just after seeing Jesus in heaven?
· Who died in perfect health at the age of 120?
· Who died when she was 12 years old?
· Who died when the roof fell on him?
· Who died with a tent peg in his head?
· Who died immediately after telling a lie (2)?
· Who died by being hanged on his own gallows?
· Who never died (2)?

So how did you do? The answers are: Abel, Herod, Foolish farmer, Judas, Uzzah, Joseph, Stephen, Moses, Jairus’ daughter, Samson, Sisera, Ananias and Sapphira, Haman, Enoch and Elijah.

Very few of the individuals listed above knew the circumstances under which they would die. Very few knew the time of their death. This is the nature of death. We all know that we are appointed to die and after that comes the judgment. Because we do not know when or how we will die, all that matters is that we prepare for it.

Thanks be to God that He, in His wisdom, has given us an understanding that no one in the Old Testament had. It is in the New Testament where immortality is revealed and brought openly into the light (2 Tim. 1:10). Those saints of old were bound by the fear of death, but the resurrection of Jesus has removed this fear from us (Heb. 2:14-15). The open tomb of Jesus assures us of our own resurrection, and we can pray with greater understanding the prayer Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59).

When you think about death and the grave remember that God who raised Jesus from the dead raises us!

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He Hears Our Prayers and Our Groaning

He Hears Our Prayers and Our Groaning

Hear these words of David from the depths of despair: “My soul also is greatly troubled…return O Lord, deliver me! Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake! I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (Psa. 6:3-5). Have you ever been at this same place? If not, some day you may be. The trials of life come upon us, and we groan and seek for God. At times like this, rest assured that He hears more than our prayers. He hears our groaning.

When Hagar had been sent away from Abraham’s household, she took her son, Ishmael, and fled into the wilderness. It was not long before they ran out of water and were dying of thirst. She was watching her own son as he was dying. Read the text carefully as it describes her prayer for death and deliverance from watching her child die. “Let me not see the death of the boy…And God heard the voice of the lad…and said to her, ‘What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is’” (Gen. 21:16-17). God heard the voice of Hagar and even the voice of Ishmael as death approached.

God heard the groanings of the Jews in Egyptian bondage as their taskmasters oppressed them. “Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage…So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Ex. 2:23-24). They cried out and God heard both their groanings and their prayers! Stephen reminded the Jews of the events at the burning bush. God said to Moses, “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and I have come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send you to Egypt” (Acts 7:34).

The trials in Egypt began with the oppression of evil men and this brought about the agony and groaning of the slaves in bondage. It was so severe that they first groaned. Then they cried out, and God responded. But note that even before they prayed, God heard the groaning. Before He heard them pray, He heard them groaning.

What does this have to do with us? God is eternal, and He never changes. These verses do not describe how God was. It describes how He is—the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Remember His name given at this burning bush: He is I AM.

A small child wakes in the middle of the night with pain. He is hurting and begins to sob. He hurts and feels so alone in the darkness. Unknown to him, his mom hears him crying and is rushing to his side, even before he calls out to her. Remember He hears both our groanings and prayers.

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