This is a provocative title which needs careful examination and explanation. It is also a delicate subject easy to argue one way or another. It does not divorce Yeshua from the godhead nor speak down to his human existence. Rather it helps define a position that counters a confusion from many theologians that makes Yeshua equivalent to God and God equivalent to Yeshua. It also counters an Apostolic view that considers Father God just another name for Yeshua in the flesh. I have to admit the incarnation is a divine mystery and does not negate the yeshua or yehoshua of the bible before incarnation nor negate his existence post resurrection. I am focused here on the earthly existence of Yeshua, the Son of the Living God.

Verses used to speak of Christ being God is the flesh in
John 1:1,2,14:: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John declares Yeshua as the word made flesh and blood. Was the Word God in the beginning? We also see that he was in the beginning with God. So which is it? God himself or one with him? So does that now follow Yeshua is God in the flesh? I think the answer to this is both Yes and No. More on that under the Philippian Definition section.

1 John 4:2-3 is also used to support the idea of Yeshua being God in the flesh.
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

But it actually argues for the idea of the Son of Man being flesh and blood, not just spirit. Saying he was spirit only is a doctrine is of the antichrist. It is a gnostic doctrine called docetism. Saying Christ was fully man is not the spirit of the antichrist here so the Muslim concept of Isa is not wrong from that standpoint. They declare him only a man which is not the spirit of the antichrist spoken of in these verses.

— Writings of Apostle Paul

Apostle Paul contrasts Yeshua to that of Adam.

1 Cor. 15:45-49:: so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord[kyrious] from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. As we have borne the image (eikon) of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image (eikon) of the heavenly Man.

I take it in the verse when Paul says the last Adam became a life-giving spirit it does NOT uphold the idea that Yeshua was always a life-giving spirit due to verb tense. The name Lord from heaven uses the greek word kyrios. This is the ruler or monarch. It defines position. Notice it does not call him Yehwey or Jehovah or even Spirit of God. From John’s writing we know the Word of God was made manifest as the man Yeshua. Corporately, Yeshua is the Son of God, not technically God himself. The longer form of Yeshua, Yehoshua actually means God is salvation. The name Yeshua is actually spoken each Sabbath in many synagogues.

The greek word for image in these passages is eikon. As you shall see, this word is not used in the Philippian Definition. The word means image, figure, or likeness. Notice that Paul says we one day bear the image of the heavenly man. He certainly was not implying we are going to be God himself. Eikon is a representation. Yeshua was the heavenly Man. It almost sounds like a contradiction. How can a Man be God himself? Using the logic that Yeshua is God himself then it follows that one day we also we be God himself!

Remember that God man Adam of the dust of the ground. He made Yeshua however from the Lord from heaven, also known as the Word of God. I find it incredible that the Muslim consider Yeshua the Son of Mary but yet fail to connect to his divine connection. God created Adam complete from the dust of the ground but Yeshua was Son of Mary and the Man from Heaven.

To the colosssians a verse does speak of the Godhead in Christ:
Col. 2:9:: For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily

This is true. All the Godhead was in Christ yet did not always manifest itself to the world. Apostle Paul also said:
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us (2 Cor. 4:7). There was a time on the mount of transfiguration that his true form was visible to a select few. Christ asked Peter what he thought men called the son of man. Peter answered the Christ, the son of the living God.

— Paul’s Philippian Definition

I love the verse Apostle Paul coined to the Philippeans. It is probably the most definitive verse in the whole bible which attempts to describe the true nature of Yeshua in the flesh.

Phil. 2:5-8:: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form (morphe) of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form (morphe) of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness (homoiōma) of men. And being found in appearance (schema) as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Here we must distinguish between form (morphe) and likeness (homoiōma) and appearance (schema).

Morphe is where we get the term morphological and that speaks of the form or structure of a thing. Notice Christ is in form both that of God and a bondservant.

homoiōma means a figure, image, likeness, or representation. In the greek old testament it often uses this to mean the form of an idol but could mean the form of many things. The form is meant to visually represent something. So Yeshua appears as a man but is much more. His form is also described using the greek word schema.

There is one verse in the old testament septuiging that uses the greek word schema
The Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will uncover their secret parts (Is. 3:17)

The secret parts in the Septuigint is the greek word schema. To those in database engineering the word schema has come to mean a group of objects with a common set of attributes. It could be a set of identity objects or types of sports or vacation spots. In terms of the verse in Philippeans this comes to mean a set of common attributes (humanity) which reveals something secret (true nature).

Going back to the word morphe. It says he was in the form of a bondservant, not a man. It is the likenss of man, but the form of a bondservant. His structure and form was that of a servant but likeness or image/appearance that of man. Our true self, our identity is that of a servant, a servant of God, yet we can have a form or structure of a human being (head, feet, arms, etc..). His schema was a set of common attributes which are common to all of mankind. He could laugh, grieve, get hungry, sin.

I should not leave this section before giving the standard definition what the NKJV says he made himself of no reputation. Other versions says he emptied himself or laid aside his equality with God and this was temporary until after resurrection. The incarnation, as it is called, means that God became man. This is a big theological concept that has been debated for centuries.

Does this mean Christ took on the nature of man? I think this is also true. Christ had the nature and capacity to sin like any other human beings. The crux comes about when he decided to not sin and live a holy life. Psalm 82 expresses this concept when King David said ‘you are gods and all of you children of the most high’ meaning mighty ones or judges. We pick up Yeshua’s discussion in John 10 where he did many good works and then ends up saying ‘my father and I are one (heis)’ (John 10:30). The Septuigint also uses the word ‘heis’ in the Shema of Israel: Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, The LORD is is one (Deut. 6:4). The oneness or unity is what we consider when people speak of the Trinity. Trinity did not become universally accepted until the first council of Constantinople in 384 AD. Remember the Word of God was God.

— Christ in Hebrews

Heb. 1:8-9:: to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

Hebrews 2:6-9::
What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him?

You have made him a little lower than the angels;
You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands (see note on Psalms 8).

You have put all things in subjection under his feet.”[Ps. 8:4-6]
For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

The reason the MU-text and M-text might have omitted the rest of Hebrews 2:7 is that it is not an exact quote from Psalm 8 which reads:
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands (Ps. 8:6)

Having dominion is pretty much the same as set him over the works of Your hands, the main difference is one has dominion and the other is set up to have dominion. At present we do not see all things put under him. It is a secret kingdom, one within, if you so choose to follow. That is why the writer of Hebrews adds the later part of verse 8.

So now I hope you can see the provacative title ‘Yeshua Was Not Born God in the Flesh’ is true because to be birthed a little lower than the angels cannot mean ruler over everything.

— The Glorious Consummation of the Age

1 Cor. 15:24-28:: Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
For “He has put all things under His feet.”[Ps. 8:6] But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.

Notice here the one exclusion to all things put under His feet the Father is excluded which helps further clarify Hebrews. We also read in verses 24 that all rule and authority and power have not ceased up until today. Death also rules up until today (vs. 26).

Apostle Paul made a curious verse in Romans 5:14: Death reigned from Adam to Moses. It is curious because we hear verses like Romans 7:11: For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. So we think the law brings death, not life. But I don’t think this is Paul’s argument in Romans. Sin kills us, not the law. By the law we are judged for the commandment is holy and just and good (vs. 7:12). That’s why the principle here is ‘the law of sin and death’ and not ‘the law that brings death’.

Three times does the Book of Revelation speak of Yeshua ruling with a rod of iron (Rev. 2:27, 12:5, 19:15). Psalm 2 is the origin of that phrase. It speaks about ruling the nations during the millenium and beyond. In Ps. 2:8 we read ‘ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession’.

I am going to stop here for now. It is enough to say there is yet a distinction between Father and Son. It is a human mystery of what the incarnation means and so we have no idea what he became nor what we shall become so I leave you with this verse:

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

In the last lesson I worked though definitions of biblical community and also interpersonal relationships. We looked briefly of the early christian community in Jerusalem and then I went through a proposed hierarcy of relationship just to show that some relationships are really one-sided, and some stay in a frozen state, never able to build nor fully recover. We started out this series with a discussion of finding hidden hurts and animosities and then broken family relationships. During this week lets dive into how community itself helps build relationships.

Community requires more than one person. In the bible it says where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name I will be in the midst of them (Matt. 18:20). We know if one can send a thousand to flight then two can s
end ten thousand to flight.

— Force Mulitiplication in the Right Hands

How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them? (Deut. 32:30).

Who is their rock? We start out in verse 4 with the Rock is perfect and his ways are justice and he is the Rock that begot you (vs. 18).
Apostle Paul spoke of the Rock this way in 1 Cor. 10:4 this way ‘they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ’. In verse 31 we read ‘their rock is not like our Rock’

The LORD will say: ‘Where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge? (vs. 37)

Their rock is foreign gods in whom they took refuge. He is the one that sold them out and the LORD make them surrender. So we learn from this that multiplication does not always give success unless our enemies follow foreign gods then the LORD scatters them and delivers them into our hands.

We read in Deut. 28:7::
The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.

So it is not just force multiplication, it is also favor! Grace is often defined as unmerited favor.

Likewise community gives us more force against our enemies but we need favor as well. When our enemies follow after wickeness this forces a small multiplication to win over a huge number. Our enemies can be people but in the case of broken relationships it is those things that seperate us and keep our relationships at a low level, even open hostility and anger.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12).

We can get enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, and envy. This is what Apostle Paul told the church in Galatia are works of the flesh. Did you know when you manifest works of the flesh you are acting out what principalities, powers, rulers of the darkened world and spiritual wickeness in high place desire? We are slaves to our own masters.

How can you get God’s favor when you are allowing Satan’s kindom to control you? Without God’s favor force multiplication will only operated at the base level, that is one against one, like King Saul. That’s why we fight spiritual wickeness. The LORD is not going to give us ground when we are fighting and bickering. Satan has sold you out when you act in the flesh and so God’s favor does not come about with contentions and confusion.

A community has to be supportive. It has to build, not tear down. It has to have mutual understanding and trust. And then force multiplication gives one for a thousand and two for ten thousand.

Even in the case of King Saul and Young David it was sung ‘Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands’ (1 Sam. 21:11). We see a force multiplication of David over Saul of 10x. This was because David was righteous especially in his dealings with Saul and because Saul was not righteous and often ‘flew off the handle’. So while the numerical number of fighters in the song was only one the idea here is that favor comes when we live right. Saul was serving pagan gods for it says an evil spirit was upon him. God would give Saul some victory but not as much as young David. Remember David did not wear the king’s armor but went against Goliath only with a sling and a stone. Again, this shows are weapons, even our spiritual weapons, are powerful in the right hands.

— Personal commitment to conflict resolution and relationship building

Even if we are not a strong community with trust and mutual understanding we can build relationships and also work on ourselves.

Minfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and cognitive behavioral theory (CBT) are two current therapies aimed at reducing stress, break depression, and eliminate negative thoughts and behaviors. I am not an expert in these therapies but have had training in assisting individual in crisis, group crisis intervention, and neuroscience. Much of these therapies are focused on the individual and short-term relief from the stresses of life. Additionally, I can recommend ‘Winning the War in Your Mind’ by Craig Groeschel.

Many times we can not control what others do or don’t do. They may have wronged us or we have wronged them. We can and should seek reconciliation but often it is impossible to fully reconcile because of seperation, open hostility (on their part), deceipt, or even death. The bible gives us a guideline for forgiveness.

if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses (Matt. 6:14-15). Tresspasses include violating boundaries, breaking moral laws, or sacred trusts amongst people and with God. Basically, it means someone done you wrong! There are stipulations in the Torah about repayment and penalities for trespasses but this is not a theological discussion on this subject. The issue here is not only ‘forgiveness’ but also ‘reconciliation’.

Remember the hierarcy of relationships. It the base level we quit having open hostility and anger. This is like when King David allowed Absalam back to Jerusalem three years after killing David’s son Amnon. Yet it was another two years later on that Absalom is brought before the King after an episode involving the burning of Joab’s barley field. Now we have toleration and acceptance but is not a good place to open all our gates to give full trust. For neither dignity nor respect was yet afforded King David, his father. In many ways Absalom stole the people’s trust at the city gates, plotting against his own father. So beware how much you lower your guard when reconciliation has not been fully implemented. It took an estimated 22 years for Judah and his brothers to gain respect for Joseph and then some additional time for Joseph to fully reveal himself.

Sometimes we are alone in our despair and resentment and dealings with unforgiveness. There are no simple solutions. Time might heal all wounds but we are stuck in present time or even left dwelling in the past. That is where vision, godly vision is most useful. Habakkuk was a watchman on the walls. He was an old testament ‘minor’ prophet who prophesied the end of wicked Judah at the hands of the Babylonians and the eventual punishment of Babylon as well because they too are wicked. He says:

I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the LORD answers Habukkuk and says

“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come, it will not tarry. (Habukkuk 2:1-3)

We need to be that watchman too. Waiting to see what the Lord will do about injustice, broken relationships, and how to move forward. With our minds, our spiritual vision, we need to see the reality of justice and also completion of what is envisioned. We should not dwell on the past or even present circumstances. The LORD wants us to see a path forward. One of reconciliation and building, not tearing down. Some things might need removing but the end thereof will be reconstruction and progress. Let us also trust the LORD in the process. Let us also be active in the planning thereof. For the appointed time will come and not tarry forever. The appointed time is called the moedin. It is like the high holidays of Israel. We don’t always the schedule but we can get clues about the season of appointment if we are listening closely.

The topic here, however, is the synergism of community. So how does our reaction to adverse things help build and advance community? We watch to see what the Lord is doing. We are the watchman so his ideas and his ways are what we are to promote. Whether it be one person or a multitude we can promote the ways of peace and reconciliation. When a group of people work together to promote community the effect is multiplied, many times greatly. Have others strayed far off course and followed the ways of foreign gods? Remember, when their god sells them out the effect can get even more multiplied as repentence kicks in. The Lord lines up reconciliation like dominoes lined up to fall.

— The Hidden Effects on the Synergism of Community Building

I spoke on force multiplication and how working together greatly multiplies the effects of reconciliation. But some things are hidden and suprising. Things are hidden in God not because he is unwilling or unable to give us what we need but because of ignorance and stubborness on our parts.

God gives all good things, even gifts, to his children. The problem is not on the giving side, it is on the receiving side. Our reception gets obscured, our antennae are many times defective.

Faith is the evidence of things unseen and the substance of things hoped for (Heb. 11:1). It is the unseen reality that gives us hope. It is the intangibles that help to build community. Faith, hope, and love yet the greatest of these is love. This is what remains (1 Cor. 13:13). Love never fails. It builds relationships and also sacrifices for the common good.

There are times when it seems that nothing is happening, at least nothing in the natural. Things are building behind the scenes and we are unaware of things going on but might be able to observe the effects, if we have the keen perception of a seer. The Apostle says we know in part and then we shall know as we are known (vs. 12). We might not recognize true friendship and new relationships right away. In fact it might come across as hostility at first. Without stressors the genuiness of true faith and friendship cannot be tested to withstand the test of time and trial.

We need to press on despite what natural circumstances seem to indicate. This is the faith aspect of relationship building. Abraham knew that God could raise his son from the dead, if necessary. Yet he pressed on the last three days toward his goal which is the ultimate test of a father.

Hope is between faith and love because it binds together the two. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life (Prov. 13:12). So the longer we have to hope for something the stronger the desire. If we just got everthing right away, served as fast food, then we would never learn what it means to be steadfast, unmovable in the work of the Lord.

In Hebrews 12:1 it says we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. Faithful witnesses (of history) surround those doing God’s work. But even in our current situation we often miss the hidden support we have and do not even realize that it is present.

For by faith the elders obtained a good testimony (Heb. 11:2). The idea of testimony here is the report given by a faithful witness. It is our testimony that brings about overcoming faith.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible (Heb. 11:3). So if the every world was framed by the invisible word of God then rest assured we have more with us than against us (2 Ki. 6:16). This unseen cloud will prevail against that attacking in the natural. It does not have to just be heaven’s armies. There are many who will join the fight when proper leadership prevails. Proper leadership builds support and that builds synergism. It is also a personality trait that manifests itself in the natural.

I first described this as building biblical community and then realized it is so much more than that. Interpersonal relationships is the basic core for any community. Without relationships no matter how much we structure a community and give it names and titles it is not a true community, no matter how much effort is put into oversight and growth. At best we could end up with a bunch of cliques which is what many times we see at what is called ‘church’. I have already covered discovering hidden hurts and anamosities, and repairing broken family relationships. At the core here are problems that interrupt proper family order. Some are hidden, many are just ignored. At the heart of this lies the responsibility of the leader or leaders to uncover and repair problems that break down family cohesion. The church and for that matter most organizations will benefit from conflict resolution.

— Definitions of Community

So what is community? A community is a group of people connected by shared characteristics, location, interests, or identity, forming a sense of belonging, mutual support, and shared purpose. These days not all communities meet in person. With the rapid expance of the internet and social media we now have millions of online or virtual communities that rarely, if ever, meet in person. This does not mean there is no interpersonal dialogue. Breakout rooms and direct messaging should be encourage in virtual communities.

A biblical community is a community based upon biblical concepts which help bind people together in common purpose, support, and encouragement. Interpersonal community is not a community, per se, but covers a whole range of groups which tend to get networked together. Each cell or specific group runs semi-autonomously with a common unifying organization pulling together the cells under one umbrella. Each group does not necessarily have to be christian but should include a set of core values and beliefs to keep the community united.

One such historical community was the Essenes near to the Dead Sea. This is the group that is attributed to hiding scrolls in caves which stood hidden for almost 2000 years. Traits of the community included communal living facilities, sharing things in common, ritual and spiritual purity. They envisioned arrival of Messiah in both priestly and kingly fashion. Their existence largely disappeared after Rome sacked Jerusalem in AD 70.

Other communities adhering to strict guidelines and purity are the Puritans of New England and the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania. In the world we live in today it is very difficult for any group to remain strictly isolation.

I have experience some of this community life during disaster relief rebuilding and one some missions trips overseas. In general the American culture is very individualistic and lacks good communal characteristics. Some churches strive to add community into their agendas, especially at midweek meetings. As part of some home church and home cell organizations I share in community as we strive to interract in each other’s lives and share life and worship and study together. Biblical community includes all of the benefits of communal life with the added emphasis on learning and expressing judeo-christian values and teachings.

Sometimes organizations, especially those I have seen online, can get heavily focused on one thing or another. For instance, some groups emphasis sabbath keeping and following the Torah, almost to the exclusion of following grace and christian freedom. Other groups I am not part of focus on things like free expression and even LGBTQ+ rights. Let us focus on one biblical community found in the bible at Jerusalem.

— The Church in Jerusalem

Acts 2:42::
they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

44-46: All who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

There we have a total of three verses that attemp to describe a biblical community.

The Apostle’s docrines probably emphasizing Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and the believer’s response through repentance, baptism in his name, and receiving the Holy Spirit. Obviously the whole cannon of scripture was not available during this Jerusalem church.

The day of Pentecost had recently occured so they had that experience but the church had not yet spread out to the Gentiles. Speaking in tongues then was probably regulated to speaking to people in other languages that visit Jerusalem. Even the idea of ‘believer’s baptism’ was probably not a topic they spoke about and probably consisted more of the idea of mikveh’s (ritual baths) that the Jews and John the Baptist preaced.

Fellowship is absolutely key to group cohesion. That means sharing life together, not just a communal meal. Christ’s followers were with him almost all of the time. That is community. Breaking of bread was something they had learnt from Christ as the fed the 4000 and 5000 who gathered to hear Christ preach. The idea of some special service to break bread and drink from the cup was known but most likely more as a seder dinner or as a group gathering for a meal. Group prayers are also essential as in any group to be praying the same direction and for a common purpose.

Then we get to verse 44 which says they shared all things in common, sold possessions and good, and divided them among all.

Acts 4:32 highlights the communal nature of the gatherings in Jerusalem: Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

This did highlight the idea that sharing everything helps give people a sense of being of one heart and soul. This worked well for awhile. Even Barnabus (Joseph) a Levite from Cyprus shared in this giving. The problems soon creep in when Ananais and Saphira sold a possession and only brought in a portion of the proceeeds, lying that it was all they received. Their decision to lie ended up having deadly consequences.

They also met in the temple daily and broke bread from house to house. Most likely the temple provided a central meeting place and houses a communal setting for meals and fellowship.

Beyond that we have little knowledge of how this community progressed, especially after AD 70.

Christ said, “When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains (Matt. 24:15-16, Mark 13:14). So these early followers eventually went to the mountains and then scattered. They had probably alread scattered much during the time of persecutions of Saul of Tarsus which started within a few years of the crucifixion.

As I said before, the Essenes continued communal living all the way up until the desctruction of the temple. Beyond this we have no record of widespread communal living in the New Testament. In fact, most Jews then and now believe in personal property. The Torah and Gospels teach us to be generous and to share with those in need. It also distates punishment and restitution for lands stolen or boundary markers moved. There are special provisions in the Torah to keep ancestral land within families, often reverting to original owners during the year of Jubilee. Of interest here, the law of Jubilee land return is not normally applied to lands outside of Israel so that if Barnabus sold lands in Cyprus they may never have gotten returned to his family. Levites had no inheritance in Israel so Cypress land was understandable or even land in Israel acquired by purchase or gifted.

So we really have no definitive example of ‘biblical community’.

— What biblical community has come to mean

I was part of a church in Raleigh which had community on Wednesday evenings. We met each week to share a meal together and fellowship and attend a class. It was good community as far as what I have seen elsewhere. It was not quite sharing life together but was a step in the right direction. True biblical community should involve sharing life together, meaning our good times and our bad times, our triumphs and our failures, our special days and our not-so-special days. We have biological families and also we should have bibilcal families, sometimes the later even being the closer family.

Recently I was part of an effort on behalf of our local assembly ensuring legal paperwork was set up for an elderly lady upon death or regarding near-to-death issues. There is really nothing to share materially so don’t get the idea anyone here is going to make lots of money. It was done just to show that in death, as in life, we need to help each other with burdens. A friend of this friend died unexpectently with no paperwork done. Things did not go as hope afterwards. Making final arrangements is important! Likewise, helping with financial matters while living is also part of sharing community together. This is also our trust base. There are many scammers and online predators out there so having biblical family is essential, especially for the elderly, infirm, and poor. We can help each other in many different ways beyond financial advice or help. Prayer is essential as was in the early church model in Jerusalem.

— Interpersonal community as an extension of community

So I said before that interpersonal communities are not communities per se, not even really a virtual community. We can be tied together by specific values, goals, and traditions. In the business world we have ties such as a memorandum of understanding. The is a business document spelling out two or more organizations interract. This might be a bit formal for an ad hoc group who just likes to meet together on Thursday online for a discussion about poker or religion. Without some ground rules, however, things can get misunderstood and even become hostile. Most online social media sites have at least a few basic ground rules: no hate speech, no political commentary, no religious discussions, etc… The goal is a smooth flowing communications, friendships, and cooperation.

So how does all of this aid in repairing broken relationships?

At the heart of repair and mending is the idea of understanding and trust. I understand your views and you understand my views.

This follows closely with respect. I may not fully agree with you or even fully understand you but I respect your views and your methods. The old adage respect is earned hold true here. Sometimes you even have to earn respect if you don’t already have it. I have leared that the hard way when some don’t respect my views and opinions. Dignity is a cousin to respect because that is how we treat others we respect.

Patience and vigilence often are traits we need to develop over the long run. If we disagree on a point then time sometimes bring us closer or at least builds up a wall of seperation. Walls keep things out and also things within. For instance, we might know to keep our political views to ourselves within certain groups.

A third point on repairing broken relationships is toleration. If I don’t completley understand another and have little respect for them or their views then I can at least tolerate you and your opinions. Toleration and acceptance are close cousins because when we tolerate others we accept them for who they are and what they believe.

The bottom of relationships is open hostility and anger. Pretty much no relationship at all.

— Hierarchy of Relationships

Just like Maslow’s hierarcy of needs there is a hierarchy of relationships:
If no mutual understanding and trust, then at least respect and dignity. If neither then toleration and acceptance. The bottom of the pyramid is hostility and anger.

Hostility and anger are not a good place to be. David and Saul never reconciled. David always respected the house of Saul but Saul got fits of rage and died indirectly because of his hostility toward David. Unfortunately David and Jonathan’s relationship got cut short because of Saul’s behavior.

Over the long term Jacob and Esau had toleration and acceptance. They never seemed to really trust each other nor understand each other well. Maybe they respected each other’s boundaries so they agreed to stay apart most of the time. Years after their split Jacob sent waves of gifts ahead of him toward Esau to ensure peace and tranquility. Jacob respected his elder brother with a dignified reunion. Esau for his part did not kill Jacob and so tolerated him.

King David’s anger was quelled after awhile against Absalom in regards to Amnon’s death. King David eventually let down his guard against Absalom and that had tragic consequences. When we move into toleration and acceptance that should not be the same as complacency. We like to say forgive and forget yet sometimes ill behavior lingers and ends up being problematic in the long run as it did with Abaslom. We can forgive but do not forget when someone is unrepentant and rebellious.

Judah and Joseph eventually reconciled completely with Judah respeciting Joseph’s new position in Egypt. If you remember the story, young Joseph had several dreams of grandeur so his brothers despised him. If it wasn’t for the intervention of Reuben, the eldest, they would have killed Joseph. Joseph ends up saving all of Israel by becoming the second most powerful person in all of Egypt. The brothers even prostrated before him.

I think the pyramid of relationships can also work as co-equals not just as ruler to subject. Jacob and Esau were brothers and Esau was the eldest. David and Jonathan are probably the closest we have here of mutual understanding and respect, Jonathan just had family problems which clouded his relationship with David.

The whole community benefits when we reach the top of the hierarchy in terms of our relationships. Guards need to be maintained while operating at the toleration and accptance level. It is true that respect needs to be earned. Eli’s sons neither respected their father’s wishes nor the office for which they inherited. Inheritance is not enough, we need to be true leaders. Leaders need respect and dignity which is often earned, but it is even better when they are fully understood and trusted.

In the first section we looked into hidden hurts and anamosities. It might be things we remember but most likely have buried deep within and may not consciously remember the details. Generational anamosities can easily fall into this category as well as long term issues. We eventually may even completely forget why we are even fighting! Here we delve more into something we are consciously dealing with but maybe do not know exactly why we are behaving badly. Some bible examples show consequences of bad behavior and leave it up to us on how to do the right things.

— Bitterness and Resentment in an Organization

Heb. 12:14-15:: Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

Eph. 4:31-32:: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Is Apostle Paul talking to the world here or the church? The church pursues peace with all men. It is not always possible.

Now peace is not necessarily the way the world sees peace. The world sees peace as lack of confrontation. God sees peace as a way of life. We are told to rejoice in all circumstances, the good and the bad. We are called to be gentle. But there is a time to take a stand and there is a way that seems right unto a man but the ends thereof is death (Prov. 4:12). What stands have you taken lately that are unpopular?

Phil. 4:4-7:: Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The injuction in Hebrews 12:18 is if it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

Remember, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he might devour (1 Pet. 5:8). It does not say he sneaks up or approaches stealthily. We hear him coming. We see his teeth and hear his roar. He is big and obvious. We are to respond with prayer and supplication. Patience! Always being thankful, even in the testing. Our response, if full of bitterness, resentment, and harsh reactions does nothing to calm the roarding lion. A strong rebuke (in love) might turn away the lion but sometimes such words are easily misinterpreted.

That does not mean we don’t use tools to trap the raging lion. We could lull him to sleep but better soon entrap him into a cage. Proverbs 15:1 says a soft word turns away anger but a harsh word stirs up anger. Soft words many times allow defenses to be lowered. We pull in prey using some bait. Then we slam the cage shut as the bait is taken. This does not mean our first course of action against an embittered and resentful person is one of capturing a wild animal (nor should we go around caging people).

What I am saying here is spiritual. A soft word is always good. When that does not work sometimes you can trap people in wording of their own design. David got entraped by Nathan speaking of his rightful punishment for killing Uriah the Hittite. He took the bait of the rich man with many sheep who took the lamb of the poor man with only one little lamb. Sometimes people get goated to follow after the 99 instead of the one lost sheep. This is also a trap and often leads to destruction for the 99 can all be wrong, following after their own evil desires. There is wisdom in a multitude of counselors, if they are good counselors, but looking for that one outlyer is sometimes the key to success!

Even in our own families there can be arguments and dissentions. The church organization in many ways is one big disfunctional family. Let’s look at a couple of biblical examples.

— The case of Eli the Priest and His Two Wicked Sons

Here is another case of an elderly father not keeping in step with what is going on his own family. We first hear of the two sons in 1 Sam. 2:12: the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD.

The actual names is Sons of Belial, meaning wicked, worthless, or unlawful. For sure they did not follow what was proscribed by the law for the service of the priestly line.

1 Sam. 2:22:: Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting

the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering I have taken from the children of Israel, from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and I have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons from the children of Israel by a statute forever (Lev. 7:34)

Eli’s sons rather took a large three-prongued fork to take whatever they wanted while the meat was boiling. Also the fat was to be burned on the alter, not consumed.

Lev. 7:25 says ‘‘For whoever eats the fat of the animal of which men offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, the person who eats it shall be cut off from his people’

For Eli did get a report regarding the wicked behavior of his sons but ignored it. Rules for priests can also affect our lives. Religious authorities should only take what is desginated their portion and not abuse women who come to receive ministry. We should likewise not do these things while trying to help people.

But the issue here is not just what the sons were doing but what their father failed to do. The bible says ‘train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it’ (Prov. 22:6). We are not told what Eli did in bringing up his children nor whether there was a mother involved. As head of his house it does not matter. He was ultimately responsible for their upbringing.

Perhaps they just rebelled. It is says is they were called Sons of Beliel which means worthless. Perhaps they got spoiled so they did not turn out good despite their upbringing. Whatever the upbringing or cause of their behavior it was up to Eli to take action.

Eli said to them ‘why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?’ (1 Sam. 2:23-25)

This was a rather weak rebuke. He basically says at the end he is not going to intercede for his children.

Apostle Paul tells Timothy ‘there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim. 2:5). Yeshua is our great intercessor.

King David, after he arranged the murder of Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba’s husband, said ‘against you, you only, have I sinned’ (Psalm 51:4). It is clear there as with Eli that sin against others can be considered sin against God himself. For sin is violation of God’s laws, no matter how you cut it. But when it comes to ceremonial law, sin is against God. Eli was not going to intercede for his sons and so judgement was inevitable.

For some violations the priest could make intercession. For a trespass like lying to a neighbor, a priest could make atonement (Lev. 6:7). When one sins unintentionally or out of ignorance atonement can be obtained. When one sins against holy things a tresspass or guilt offering can be made for atonement.

Leviticus 5:14-19 is the main passage regarding tresspass/guilt offerings which require a 20% penalty in addition to restoring the value of what was lost/stolen. Examples here are: 1) not witnessing (and reporting) the utterance of an oath 2) unknowingly touches an unclean thing, 3) unknowingly touches human uncleanness (like leprosy), 4) when one swears thoughtlessly to do something then realizes his violation. Also if one sins unintentionally regarding the holy things of the LORD restitation can also be made.

The problem is Eli’s sons were not ignorant of what they were supposed to do with offerings. No atonement could be made by Eli.

Willful sins are a serious matter! They are something for which atonement thru sacrifice cannot be obtained:
if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries (Heb. 10:26-27).

The ramifications of this for us today are huge. We could also say who will make restitution for my intentional sins, especially when it comes to ceremonial items. Thanks be to God that Christ fulfilled (ceremonial) requirements of the law.

Christ himself said ‘do not think that I came to destroy the Law (nomos or torah) or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled’. (Matt. 5:17-18)

— David and Absalom

First, ignoring what happened to Tamar resulting in the death of Amnon at the hands of Absalom

When Tamar was alone with Amnon in his bedroom and started making the moves on his half sister she said ‘please speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you’. (2 Sam. 13:13).

For the idea that she was willing but only with the King’s permission is debatable. She may have been trying a stall tactic or seeking an out by royal decree. Amnon did not care. Raw passion many times blinds people to right action.

But since he was much stronger he forced her to have sex with him. Then he hated her more than he previously wanted her (2 Sam. 13:15).

Commentators think he hated her because she was now defiled, no longer a virgin. Whatever the actual reason for his hate this shows us the unbridled emotions can often have some severe and terrible consequence.

2 Sam 13:21-22: when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry. Absalom spoke to his brother Amnon neither good nor bad. For Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forced his sister Tamar.

Additionally, she tore her coat of many colors which each of David’ virgin daughters wore (as did Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob). It was a disgrace to now show she had lost her virginity. She also put on ashes as she wept. She stayed in Absalom’s house alone, deserted. After two years Absolom invited all of the kings son’s including Amnon to a sheepshearing near Epharaim. It was a plot so he would have occasion to murder Amnon as revenge for raping his sister.

Afterwards Absalom flees to Geshur for three years, his mother’s home town. He then returns after David’s wrath subsided.. After two more years in Jerusalem David formally forgives Absalom. But this is by far not near to the end of David’s troubles.

Second, ignoring the open rebellion of Absalom eventually resulting in war within the kingdom. We cannot ignore issues withou our own house because they will eventually catch up to us and hurt us.

Absalom was reported as being very good looking, without any blemish, and had heavy hair. I can almost imagine his hair was very wavy an curly. He was a man respeced for his looks as was King Saul years before. He began judging the people’s cases at the city gates, winning over their favor.

Now after 4 years Absalom asked the king to venture down to Hebron with the pretense he had to pay a vow there. He was actually planning a coup from Hebron, declaring he was ruling from there.

If you remember, David reigned from Hebron for about 7 1/2 years as things progressed in Jerusalem. Saul’s general Abner gets killed by Joab, David’s commander. Eventually some brothers kill Ishbosheth, Saul’s son. Then the leaders anoint David leader over all of Israel. Hebron is the burial place of the patriachs and their wives so it is only natural to seek this place as a ruling location outside of Jerusalem.

Sometimes going back to our roots, so to speak, is a good idea. Rebellion in our house, however, is never good. Remember, Absalom first fled to Gesher, which is his mother’s house. He goes back to Hebron to find Israel’s roots but it is really just a big ploy to gather forces and plan his attack. Many events transpire during this war. Eventually Absolom is defeated and was killed by Joab, hanging on a terebinth branch.

So this son was rebellious. Absalom also abused David’s ten concubines in sight of all Israel.

If you remember Nathan’s prophesy against King David it said:
2 Sam. 12:10-11:: the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.

So we learn in David and Absalom the consequences of not dealing properly with misbehaving family. We don’t excuse the violation of Tamar by Amnon. But we also have to deal with sons and daughters who cannot get along. Open rebellion is not normal. Sometimes what happens in our family are direct consequences of what sins the parents have committed which are not completely resolved and flow down to subsequent generations.