elizabethprata

A Day in the Life of: A Professional Mourner

Posted on August 19, 2024August 19, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I created a series called “A Day in the Life of”. Here are the entries in that series:

A Day in the Life Of: A Roman Centurion
A Day in the Life of: A Fisherman
A Day in the Life of: A Potter
A Day in the Life of: A Scribe
A Day in the Life of: A Shepherd
A Day in the Life of: A Tanner
A Day in the Life of: A Seller of Purple
A Day in the Life of: Introduction

In Matthew 9 there is a passage with a mention of mourners.

Professional mourner was a job in ancient Palestine. In our culture we are self-contained. We don’t sob at the Wake or the Memorial. We try to keep a stiff upper lip and contain the tears at funerals.

In ancient Palestine, it was considered acceptable, even required, to sob loudly, wail, and express one’s self with high emotion upon the occasion of a death. Professional mourners were brought in to help create an atmosphere of bereavement, and they didn’t hold back.

Mourning: The practice of grieving through crying and vocalization, most typically for the loss of someone.

Family members’ mourning typically involved sitting on the ground and trembling, tearing one’s clothes, putting ashes on one’s head, wearing sackcloth, or walking barefoot. Family members on a rotating basis would stay with the body so it was not left unaccompanied. Burial was rapid, as embalming was not a customary practice among Jews.

Until burial, though, during the grieving period, “To enhance the atmosphere of grief professional women mourners would be invited (Jer. 9:17).” Negev, A. (1990). In The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy Land.

Professional mourners were usually women, who tend to express emotions more easily and was more socially acceptable for that gender. Professional mourning was actually an acceptable job for a woman in ancient Israel. It was a good way to make money if a woman needed to. The more professional mourners there were the wealthier a family was seen to be. Hired mourners helped the family through their grief and offered comfort.

And when Jesus came into the official’s house, and saw the flute-players and the crowd in noisy disorder, (Matthew 9:23).

The word in the verse, ‘disorder’ is from the Greek thorubeó and it means “to make an uproar”.

Their job was to make a clamor. They wailed, lamented, chanted praises in death songs, played instruments. You can imagine the noise with all this lamentation, crying, flute-playing, plus the regular noise any crowd makes as people talk, cry, and move about.

“These mourners are neither somber nor reserved. “Commotion” is from the Greek root word thorubos which means noise, clamor, and public disorder. “Wailing” is from the Greek root word alalazo. It’s the “alala” sound soldiers made when rushing into battle, similar to what is referred to as ululation.” Source: BibleRef.com.

Jeremiah 9:17 mentions professional mourners, one of many places in the Bible that mentions this job: “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “Carefully consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come; And send for the skillful women, that they may come!“

The amount of time spent mourning for the dead varied in the Bible from person to person. Jacob was mourned seventy days (Genesis 50:3); Aaron (Numbers 20:29) and Moses (Deuteronomy 34:8) were mourned thirty days; and for Saul only seven days (1 Samuel 31:13). In 2 Samuel 3:31-35, we have a description of the great mourning for the death of Abner. (Source Christians Answers).

Also Amos 5:16, Mark 5:38 mention professional women who mourn on behalf of a family. Professional mourning as a job was quite common, very normal. Here is a short Youtube clip of some professional mourners in Sardinia, filmed in 1963. This gives you an idea of the ‘clamor and disorder’ mentioned in the Matthew verse above:

Professional Mourners of Sardinia, from “Women of the World”. Filmed around 1963, from the Italian documentary “La Donna Nel Mundo” and is narrated in English by Peter Ustinov. Clip is 1:55. Sardinia is a large Island of Italy in the Mediterranean sea and north of Tunisia.

https://youtu.be/kJUQxelrZX4?si=8oULIyYVP4nASlA8

It also gives rise to a question in my mind. Death came frequently in ancient Israel. Sickness and tragedy were common. In the clip, it was stated that this group of professional mourners left their hired place of mourning at 4:00 am so as to attend another mourning job in a different village. What was it like to spend one’s days crying and lamenting? Was it hard to work up tears after a while? Or easier? Did their natural outlook become depressed and gloomy, since their entire professional career was to express sadness and grief? Did it take a toll on the emotions of the woman after a while?

In any case, the custom of professional mourning women was a thriving job for these women who chose it. It was a job for which there would always be a need.

I long for the day when death will be no more! No more wailing, crying, no more funerals, no more professional mourning industry! What a day that will be.

Funeral passing by below our hotel room, Elba, Italy

Fun fact: the name for professional mourners is moirologists

poetry, Uncategorized

Kay Cude Poetry: Jehovah-Elohim

Posted on August 18, 2024 by elizabethprata

Poetry by Kay Cude. Used with permission. Right click to open larger in new tab. Or read below

JEHOVA-ELOHIM
OEverlasting God, El-Olam, who can compare with Thee? Who, O Lord God, is there named amongst all creation, amongst all mankind-yea, amongst all earthly and spiritual kingdoms, principalities, powers and authorities who can speak and by his breath, creation is?
Only Thee O God, THE I AM…

Who is like unto Thee, O God, EL-Elyon, The Lord God Most High? Who can by his unspoken will instruct each star, each planet – yea, all of the universes and the trillions of galaxies, to suspend themselves in the appropriate locus? Who is able to command them – and their order and their paths and their seasons of ingress and transit, are?
Only Thee O God, THE I AM…

El Shaddai, Almighty God, The Ancient of Days, who is able to sit above the circle of the earth and the beginning from the ending of each celestrial orb, or by his hand stretch out the heavens as a curtain to spread its spanse over all creation as a tent? Who can’ by his word, cause the sun and the moon to stand still in their circuits, and by such, testify that he is The God, The El Shaddai, The Adonai? Only Thee O God, THE I AM…
kay cude, March 2016 AD

IN THE BEGINNING,
IN THE BEGINNING,
IN THE BEGINNING,
GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH
IT IS…
“By the Word of The Lord the heavens were made, and by the Breath of His Mouth all their host.” Psalm 33:6

“You alone are The Lord. You have made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.” Nehemiah 9:6

“Lift up your eyes on high and see Who has created these stars. The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name, because of the Greatness of His Might and the Strength of His Power not one of them is missing.” Isaiah 40:26

Text by author Kay Cude purposed solely for non-profit, non-commercial sharing. Image without text available at http://static.tumblr.com/tumblr_static_lazarus-nebula-space-graphics-nebula-stars-3d.jpg

theology

The tongue, that fiery rudder

Posted on August 17, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Satan convinced a third of the angels to follow him and not God. How? He spoke. His tongue seemed like it was a quicksilver miracle speaking truth and beauty. But it was actually a serpent tongue speaking lies and corruption.

That is the second instance in the Bible of how powerful the tongue is. (The first is God Himself speaking the universe into existence, but humans do not have that power). We see the fall of Lucifer was caused by his tongue in Ezekiel 28:16, 18 where satan’s evil beginnings are recounted. He turned from his beautiful, righteous self to a person of corruption and profaneness:

“By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned;” (Ezekiel 28:16).

“By the multitude of your wrongdoings, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries.” (Ezekiel 28:18).

What is this ‘trade’ spoken of? Other translations say “merchandise.” Was satan running a store? He had items to sell? No, obviously.

“One of the elements of Satan’s sin was his widespread dishonest trade. The word for trade comes from the verb rāḵal which means “to go about from one to another.” Source- The Bible Knowledge Commentary.

He wasn’t trading hard goods. Satan was trading suggestions, gossip, and slander. His very name of Lucifer changed to a title, devil, which means slanderer. He is called an accuser in Revelation 12:10.

The Bible warns against sins of the tongue many times. God hates slander, lies, and gossip. This sin is even in one of the Ten Commandments! Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, says Exodus 20:16.

When my Sunday School class was going through Esther, I learned much. One of the notes I took was the difference in speech between Esther, Haman, and Xerxes (Ahasuerus). King Xerxes was known for being rash, mercurial, and inconstant. These qualities were also part of his speech as well. He rashly made a decree at the urging of his serpent-tongued right hand man Haman, to kill all the Jews. Haman also used his tongue unwisely. He grumbled and complained to his wife and friends, he bore false witness against Mordecai, he gossiped and slandered intemperately.

In contrast, Esther held her peace. She considered what to say and when to say it. She listened more than spoke. Esther listened to the advice of Mordecai (Esther 2:10; 20), to the King’s eunuch Hegai and his advice (Esther 2:15), and to King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) (Esther 4:10). When she did speak, her words carried the gravity of God with them.

Queen Esther, by Andrea del Castagno (1420–1457). Public Domain

Speaking quickly often carries with it the layer of our flesh and its desires. That’s when we get into trouble with our tongue. We are warned to speak less than we listen. Listening then speaking deliberately more often carries with it the words and desires of God.

Being Quick to Hear and Slow to Speak:

Jesus listened to sinners for the same reason that He spoke to them: because He loved them (Mark 10:21). He conversed even with those who were seeking to kill Him, and even to them He said, “I say these things so that you may be saved” (John 5:34). Jesus did not listen to the musings or even the accusations of sinners in order to quickly formulate a rebuttal that would “put them in their place.” Rather, He listened to them in order to engage them with the good news of His love so they could be saved (John 3:17). Thus, when we grow as good listeners, we are not only reflecting God’s image; we are reaching out with God’s love. From TableTalk Magazine, September 2019.

Even when Jesus overturned the tables in the Temple, He was not speaking rashly. He stopped and made a cord whip first, (John 2:15) thus acting deliberately and considering what His Father would have Jesus say.

We should model our speech after Jesus, who listened first, then spoke words of God to the listeners.

church life, marriage, ministry, single ladies, singleness

Joy in singleness, though you’d never know it by Christian social media or church life. Part 1

Posted on August 16, 2024 by elizabethprata

I read through 1 Corinthians. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul outlines responsibilities of life to marrieds & singles, and mentioning young men, virgins, and widows. It is a great chapter. Paul is specific, loving, and clear, focusing on marriage, lust, and conjugal duty.

Marriage is God’s foundation block of society, procreation is strongly urged, (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:7, Psalm 128:3, Proverbs 31:27), and divorce is considered a violent act, (Luke 16:18; 1 Corinthians 7:15; Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:6,8; Genesis 2:24). As a matter of fact, unauthorized divorce prohibits men from serving in leadership capacity, (1 Timothy 3:2) so it is no wonder that churches spend a good deal of time preaching to and discipling marrieds. There are many marriage retreats, books, Sunday School curricula, and sermons given over to the subject. This is a good thing.

Marriage, the Bible tells us from the beginning of the Book of Genesis, is a divine institution. That is, it is something established by God. It is a covenant that is given by God and for that reason it is traceable to him. It has also been consecrated by him, for he has blessed the marriage relationship. And, of course, it’s the means of the preservation of the human race. ~S. Lewis Johnson, Marriage Counsel, part 1

However oftentimes so much attention is given to married couples and their issues, that an overly myopic focus descends upon any given church that leaves the other half of the population out. There are young unmarried men and women, honorably divorced folks, and widows and widowers. Because of the excessive focus on marriage and married Christians’ concerns, one would be led to believe the entire church was composed of couples. But it is not so.

Census data from 1970 show that 70 percent of American households contained a married couple. The 2006 report from the Census Bureau disclosed that fewer than half of American households are now maintained by married couples. Eye on Unmarried America

In this series I’ll focus on singleness, its joys, benefits, church life, and ministry and civic opportunities. There are several kinds of singles: singles who are frustrated in the waiting for what they know will be God’s gift of marriage to them, or who have had that gift and are now widows or widowers and are grieving the loss. Some in today’s world are simply single because the Lord has not given them a spouse yet. Maybe He will in time, or maybe a person is destined for permanently single life. Some singles yearn for a spouse.

Those aren’t the singles I am discussing. For some of these singles, they are content with the life God has set before them. I’ll address the fact that even if some singles are acknowledged and gasp! ministered to, not all singles are in a waiting room for marriage. Some, like me, know they will be single forever, and are happy with that gift. Yes, gift. Rarely is the gift of singleness discussed in the church, or even preached about, looked upon as an enhancement to the Body, let alone acknowledged as a normal segment of the family He is creating.

Churches are so committed to the idea of a family-centered church that they’re just not sure how to handle rising rates of singleness. “Are Single People the Lepers of Today?“

Further, I’ll reject the subtle cloud that usually attaches to a discussion of singles: depression, sadness, longing. There are singles out there whom God has granted a life of joy and fulfillment, with nary a search for the soulmate in sight, but only having eyes for the Groom.

For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it. (Matthew 19:11).

theology

Starting off well but ending badly

Posted on August 15, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Many people start off in their salvific walk with God well, but end badly. I don’t mean ones like Judas or Demas, who were always bad but hid it well until the end. I mean genuinely faithful men whom the LORD loved, but strayed from the path of righteousness and ended badly. Let’s take a look at the #1 object lesson in this sad state of affairs, King Solomon.

“But King Solomon loved many strange women — Solomon’s extraordinary gift of wisdom was not sufficient to preserve him from falling into grievous and fatal errors. A fairer promise of true greatness, a more beautiful picture of juvenile piety, never was seen than that which he exhibited at the commencement of his reign. No sadder, more humiliating, or awful spectacle can be imagined than the besotted apostasy of his old age; and to him may be applied the words of Paul (Ga 3:3), of John (Re 3:17), and of Isaiah (Isa 14:21). A love of the world, a ceaseless round of pleasure, had insensibly corrupted his heart, and produced, for a while at least, a state of mental darkness. The grace of God deserted him; and the son of the pious David — the religiously trained child of Bath-sheba (Pr 31:1-3), and pupil of Nathan, instead of showing the stability of sound principle and mature experience became at last an old and foolish king (Ec 4:13). His fall is traced to his “love of many strange women.” source (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible — Robert Jamieson at Biblehub)

It would seem that Peter started off well and it seemed his ending was a sad state of affairs. He closely followed Jesus in Jesus’ incarnation for years, was the leader of the group, was the first to say the right things (and sometimes the wrong things, but for the right reasons). But when Jesus was crucified, at the moment when Peter needed to pull together all his strength, he denied Christ.

But that was not the end! It was the beginning! The difference came when the disciples received the Holy Spirit, including Peter. He was endowed with superhuman knowledge and a tongue to preach praises to God in a sermon that stands forever. He became bold, wise, and earnest.

Solomon did not have the benefit of an indwelling Holy Spirit. He had direct access to God. God visited Solomon in dreams, but for daily holy help in resisting sin, following God’s statutes, Solomon relied on his flesh. And we know how that turned out.

We have the indwelling Spirit in us. We still have our flesh, the devil, and the world harassing us, tempting us, and trying to make us swerve from the path. But the Spirit in us is our holy help to stay inside the narrow lanes of God’s statutes and expectations. What Solomon’s experience teaches us is that no matter how wise we are, our wisdom and even our desire to please God is no match for the world. cf: Peter.

Our flesh, our emotions, and our innate weakness cannot withstand sin. Only the Holy Spirit can help us do that, because He transcends sin. He is holy, supernatural, and is present in us specifically to help us grow in Christ’s likeness.

I think of the scene in Acts where the demon-possessed slave girl kept following Paul around hollering about salvation. Even though she was saying what sounded like a true thing, it as just vague enough to please Jews and upset pagans. Paul was mightily aggravated. This is what our flesh does to us, our thoughts, the world, and our own minion demons that might be harassing us in the invisibles. Saying things that sound vaguely true but are false.

Solomon’s failure was incremental. I’m sure the first wife who had proposed setting up an altar to her false god didn’t come right out and say to Solomon, ‘Let’s worship Baal!’ Incremental creep must be nipped in the bud before it grows, settles, and spreads its tentacles. Eve’s failure was listening to the serpent for too long. She should have turned away the moment it said “Hath God said?” He caused her to doubt, then contradicted God’s word, then offered a tempting promise. Three strikes and she was out. So was Adam.

Christ’s grace is sufficient for us. But how often do we rely on it? How often do we appeal to God in our own weakness for His strength?

Peter eventually did. In the Spirit’s strength, Peter became so brave and humble he did not even want to die in the same manner as Jesus did. Tradition says he died crucified upside down.

Reliance on the Holy Spirit will aid us faster and better and more accurately in our pursuit of righteousness in sanctification than our own flesh. Here are further resources on the Holy Spirit. Remember, the very God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit is inside us, helping us become like brave like Peter end even ultimately like Jesus, and avoid pitfalling like Solomon.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

What does the Holy Spirit do?

How does the Spirit help us?

encouragement, ephesians, redeeming the time

Redeeming the Time

Posted on August 14, 2024 by elizabethprata

Ephesians 5:15-16

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Of this passage in context, Matthew Henry said,

“These verses contain a caution against all manner of uncleanness, with proper remedies and arguments proposed: some further cautions are added, and other duties recommended.”

One of the cautions is that the days are evil, so we redeem the time. If we do, we are wise. Henry further comments on the part about redeeming the time,

It follows, redeeming the time (v. 16), literally, buying the opportunity. It is a metaphor taken from merchants and traders who diligently observe and improve the seasons for merchandise and trade. It is a great part of Christian wisdom to redeem the time. Good Christians must be good stewards of their time, and take care to improve it to the best of purposes, by watching against temptations, by doing good while it is in the power of their hands, and by filling it up with proper work—one special preservative from sin.
Our time is a talent given us by God for some good end, and it is misspent and lost when it is not employed according to his design. If we have lost our time heretofore, we must endeavour to redeem it by doubling our diligence in doing our duty for the future.

The Bible Exposition Commentary by Warren Wiersbe says of the Ephesian 5:15-16 verses,

It is a mark of wisdom (v. 15). Only a fool drifts with the wind and tide. A wise man marks out his course, sets his sails, and guides the rudder until he reaches his destination. When a man wants to build a house, he first draws his plans so he knows what he is doing. Yet, how many Christians plan their days so that they use their opportunities wisely? True, we cannot know what a day may bring forth (James 4:13–17). But it is also true that a planned life can better deal with unexpected events. Someone said, “When the pilot does not know what port he is heading for, no wind is the right wind.”
Life is short (v. 16a). “Buying up the opportunity—taking advantage of it.”

An old Chinese adage says, “Opportunity has a forelock so you can seize it when you meet it. Once it is past, you cannot seize it again.” Our English word opportunity comes from the Latin and means “toward the port.” It suggests a ship taking advantage of the wind and tide to arrive safely in the harbor. The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of the opportunities God gives us.

I ask Jesus to expand the time for me, to help me make use of the time, and to convict me when I fail to be “wise.” He always hears that prayer, because it belies a heart that wants to glorify Him more, and not less. If I can glorify Him one minute more each day, even one minute, by purposeful prayer, or conduct, or Bible study, then that is a beautiful thing.

EPrata artwork, paper collage, scanned, & digitally altered

christian living, theology

A Day in the Life of: A Fisherman

Posted on August 13, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Previous essays in A Day in the Life of:

A Day in the Life of: A Concubine
A Day in the Life of: A Roman Centurion
A Day in the Life of: A Professional Mourner
A Day in the Life of: A Fisherman
A Day in the Life of: A Potter
A Day in the Life of: A Scribe
A Day in the Life of: A Shepherd
A Day in the Life of: A Tanner
A Day in the Life of: A Seller of Purple
A Day in the Life of: Introduction

I admire and respect fishermen. I’ve watched the hardy lobstermen of Maine, or the cod fishermen of Massachusetts, the watermen fishing for crabs in the Chesapeake, the shrimpers of the south or the bonefish, sponge, and conch fishermen of the Caribbean waters. Fishing for a living is hard. It is not for the weak or the lazy.

There are no days off, you go out in storms, heat, rain, and ice. You use your body as one with the boat and the sea, drawing from it food and life.

It was no different for the fishermen of Galilee in Jesus’ day. Jesus called four fishermen as His disciples. Simon-Peter and his brother Andrew, and John and his brother James, the sons of Zebedee who was also a fisherman.

Fishing villages along the shore of the Sea of Galilee included Capernaum, where Jesus based much of His ministry, (Mark 2:1); Bethsaida (Luke 9:10); and Magdala, town of Mary Magdalene (Matt 15:39).

The pictures of the Holy Land around 1900 are important because life and traditions in Palestine didn’t change much until after WWI. A photo depicting life in 1900 would be almost a copy of any scene from the time of Jesus. These Library of Congress photos offer a glimpse into not just the recent past of the 20th century, but a peek back 2000 years.

Galilean fishermen boat nets — Galilean fishing boat, around 1900. Source Library of Congress

While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-22).

We learn so much from just these 4 verses.

WHERE: They fished the Sea of Galilee
WHO: as mentioned, the two sets of brothers
WHAT: They were net fishermen as opposed to hook and line fishermen. They cast from boats they owned and they mended their nets (this shows us they were diligent).
WHY: Fishing was hard, but gave a living, generationally, in John and James’s case. The dad was a fisherman. Yet when THE Father called, the men left their profession and immediately followed Jesus.

The Sea of Galilee was also called Kinneret or Kinnereth, and Lake Tiberias. It’s Israel’s largest freshwater lake. A fisherman’s day would begin at pre-dusk, because they fished at night. Why? The nets were made of linen which were lighter colored. They’d be more visible to the fish by day, since the waters were cool and clear. The fish would avoid the nets.

In addition, the fish were more active and feeding closer to the surface at night. You caught fish at night, in shallow water.

So they fished at night. (John 21:3). The men would launch their boat from shore and sail gently into the shallow areas along the shore. They’d cast their nets, which were really a three-walled net of decreasing size mesh holes, into the water. Little weights along the bottom would help the net sink vertically down, and the top would float, since there were little buoys of cork or wood attached.

They might be catching little fish, (Matthew 15:34), a Kinneret sardine, processed at the salting and drying station of the town of Bethsaida (House of Fish). Or they might be catching big fish, a kind of tilapia with white flesh and good to eat. (John 21:11).

If the fisherman wasn’t using his boat or didn’t have one, he stood near shore, casting a smaller net. When Jesus called Simon-Peter and Andrew, they were on the shore throwing out their nets from land. (Matthew 4:18). When He called James and John, they were throwing nets from their boat with their father Zebedee.

One other way to fish with nets was with a dragnet. Jesus compared dragnet fishing to the kingdom of heaven-

Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and caught fish of every kind. (Matthew 13:47)

This is where a net would be laid out in a horseshoe shape from shore, and dragged in, catching many different kinds of fish. The men would then sort the good fish from the bad, tossing the unmarketable fish away and keeping the good.

Dragnet fishing at Sea of Galilee, circa 1900. Library of Congress, LC-matpc-04570

Either way, the fisherman would swim to the center and dive down to gather either the fish or draw up the net. He’d do this naked. (Meaning with only his light undergarment on, not bare-skin naked). Peter was fishing this way when the verse says he put on his clothes to go meet Jesus. (John 21:7). The nets set from the boat could be several hundred feet long and 20 feet high. In Luke 5:6 when Jesus miraculously filled their nets, the huge nets became so heavy that they needed the other boat crew to help drag it aboard, then the nets were breaking, and the boat began to sink as they brought in the haul!

On a normal, miracle-less day, whether from the boat or from the shore, it still was heavy labor to throw the nets out, wait for them to settle, and then circle back by sail or swim back to haul them in. Repeat. All night. Fishermen were hard workers, strong, and were usually peasants and therefore used to a rough life.

In the morning, the fishermen would stop and bring their gear ashore. They’d eat breakfast. Then they would set to fixing their gear. It was time to spread their nets and examine them. (Ezekiel 47:10). Do any of the stone weights along the bottom need replacing? They’d have to gather more stones, drill holes, and tie them to the bottom. Do any of the cork or wood buoys along the top need replacing? Do the nets need re-sewing? Are they rinsed off? Is the debris picked out of the nets?

galilee fisherman — Photo **Library of Congress**, Galilean Fishermen, approx 1900.

The same attention needs to be given to the boat. These items were their livelihood. So the fishermen would examine the sails and sew or patch any worn areas. Check the anchor rope and the mast and the underside. Tar or pitch could be heated to cover the planks to seal them. Ropes need to be re-twined and add pitch to the ends to ensure it doesn’t fray.

At the end of their day they would fold the nets and store them in the boat, waiting for the night-time when they’d put out in the Sea of Galilee again.

A day in the life of a Galilean fisherman was hard, but it offered a living. As with any trade, a father taught the son. Joseph taught Jesus carpentry. Zebedee taught his sons James and John how to fish. Net fishing hasn’t changed much in 2000 years. You could see similar scenes as the ones above in Indonesia, China, Viet Nam, Venezuela or any place. What has changed is the incarnation of Jesus, molding these rough outdoor peasant men into gentle, loving Christians, ready to catch men with the net of the Gospel. And as with these men, our spiritual forefathers, they teach us to this day.

And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10b).

I pray you and I catch many souls with our net of the Gospel and a life well lived through following Him.

olivet discourse, prophecy, spurgeon, tribulation

Love gone cold in a world gone cold: Spurgeon and "A Prophetic Warning"

Posted on August 12, 2024 by elizabethprata

What word in the New Testament is used only once, in Matthew 24:12?

First, the scene.

The disciples had asked Jesus about the Temple, the times, and when His return would be. His answer is the longest discourse in the NT after the Sermon on the Mount, and the longest answer to any question the disciples asked. It comprises the entire chapters of Matthew 24 and goes on to Matthew 25. The response, given on the Mount of Olives and thus known as the Olivet Discourse, is about the Tribulation period. The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, when Jesus pours out His wrath on the unbelieving world, and punishes Israel for the final 7 years of time, three and a half of which are called the Great Tribulation. (Revelation 12:14, Daniel 7:25; Daniel 12:7).

Jesus lists the conditions that will be on earth during the time, synopsis of the lengthier descriptions of the judgments of Revelation 6-18, which parallel Matthew 24 and 25. Jesus said one of the conditions on earth will be:

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. (Matthew 24:12)

The “many” here means the “majority.”

Jesus means lawlessness in the spiritual sense. The Tribulation will be a time when Jesus asked if He would even find faith on the earth, so few will real believers be, (Luke 18:8) compared to the numerous population that will revel in a false religion of the global deception that the antichrist will perpetrate. The Greek synonyms for lawlessness in this verse are disobedience and sin, the end-result of a negative influence on a person’s soul.

iniquity is especially injurious to the growth of love.
~Charles Spurgeon
It is an interesting metaphor, the love gone cold. We often think of love between a man and a woman or husband and wife, in romantic terms as fiery, hot, the spark between us, a fire is kindled. When love dims between unsaved people, the songsters sing of love cold as ashes, the fire is gone out, the heat is gone. Of course, the songsters and poets mean sexual love and romantic love, but it is a common metaphor, love is hot or cold.

The unusual word Jesus uses uniquely here in Matthew 24:12 is psuchó. Psucho is used this one and only time in the NT. Strong’s Concordance defines it:

originally, “to breathe out,” cf. J. Thayer) – properly, “to blow, refresh with cool air” (figuratively) “to breathe cool by blowing, to grow cold, ‘spiritual energy blighted or chilled by a malign or poisonous wind’, used only in Mt 24:12.

Here Jesus means the love of Christians will grow cold. Love will be cold for Him, and love will be cold for each other (the two greatest commandments).

What could not be accomplished by persecutors outside the Church and traitors inside, would be attempted by teachers of heresy—“Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” They have risen in all ages! In these modern times they have risen in clouds till the air is thick with them, as with an army of devouring locusts!

These are the men who invent new doctrines and who seem to think that the religion of Jesus Christ is something that a man may twist into any form and shape that he pleases. Alas that such teachers should have any disciples! It is doubly sad that they should be able to lead astray “many.” Yet, when it so happens, let us remember that the King said that it would be so.

Is it any wonder that where such “iniquity abounds” and such lawlessness is multiplied, “the love of many shall grow cold”? If the teachers deceive the people and give them “another gospel which is not another,” it is no marvel that there is a lack of love and zeal.

Spurgeon, sermon #3301, A Prophetic Warning

Spurgeon spoke more as to the specifics of what causes love to grow cold, as the Strong’s definition interestingly shows us from this basis, “spiritual energy blighted or chilled by a malign or poisonous wind'”. Spurgeon poetically and theologically describes just how spiritual energy is blighted-

Iniquity is naturally opposed to Grace, but it is most of all injurious to the Grace of love. If sin abounds in a Church, it is little wonder if the love of many should grow cold. Young members introduced into the Church after a short time find that those whom they looked upon as being examples are walking disorderly and using lightness of speech and of behavior. Those young people cannot be very warm in love—they are led to stumble and are scandalized. Older saints who have for years held onto their way in integrity, and by Grace have kept their garments unspotted from the world, see those around them who have come into the Church who seem to be of quite another race, who can drink of the cup of Belial and of the cup of the Lord, who seem to follow Christ and the devil, too! Seeing this evil, these godly men and women gather up their garments in holy indignation and find it difficult to feel the love of purer days.

Oh, Friends, if the frost of sin rules in a Church, every tender flower is injured and nothing flourishes! Love is a sensitive plant and if it is touched by the finger of sin, it will show it. The lilies of Love’s Paradise cannot bloom amid the smoke and dust of unholiness!

I was reading the passage this week and thinking deeply about the theological definitions and implications of love gone cold (and Revelation 3:15-16 also). I was also reading the ‘Christian” headlines and noting the devastating apostasy abounding, the acceptance of gay marriage in the church, the refusal to draw doctrinal lines between believers and unbelievers, the refusal to rebuke false teachers, the refusal even to recognize them, the seeking after pornography, the ridiculous church services that are mere entertainments for the goats…and I noted finally the weather.

I could not help but notice the rapid apostasizing of “Christians” and the rapid cooling of the world. The word psucho and its definition, “to breathe cool by blowing, to grow cold” has poignant meaning.

O church, where are you? Spurgeon said that a boat is fine even when waters storm outside it. But when the waters breach and stream inside the boat, the boat is in danger. It is the same with the church. When the world stays outside, no matter how they rage and storm, the church is OK. When the pollution of sin streams inside, there is the danger. Worse is when the sailors inside the boat pull up the boat’s wooden planks, ALLOWING the icy waters to stream inside.

So you see the cycle. Love grows cold, and that is because sin abounds. If not dealt with, the icy sin’s fingers reach more hearts, and the ship of the church grows heavy and stuck in Arctic ice. Sin unaddressed allows more sin.

Listen to Spurgeon’s pleas from his sermon A Prophetic Warning, Matthew 24:12

theology

It’s the Lord’s Day

Posted on August 11, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Rest in Him. Be refreshed by the Word. Be energized by the fellowship.

theology

They banned me

Posted on August 10, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Reddit is so woke. I like to lurk in Reddit groups that discuss TV programs. I enjoy seeing other people’s perspective of a character arc, or share details that I missed. I also enjoy reality TV competitive creative shows like Blown Away (glassblowing) Masterchef (cooking), and fashion like project Runway, Making the Cut, Next in Fashion. VERY occasionally, I comment.

Now, I know Project Runway is totally culturally caved in to all the liberal philosophies that exist, but get this. I followed a thread on a new program under Project Runway, “Dress My Tour”. It’s pretty rough & I didn’t finish the series. But early on, someone on Reddit asked-

“Is Vee a man or a woman or trans? Seriously can not tell? I am binging the show.😂.”

I replied to the commenter: “Veejay born a boy. Transitioned to a girl. Still looks like a boy.”

Reddit jumped in. The moderators said they muted my answer and I could not reply or comment for 28 days due to breaking the content rules about derogatory language and slurs.

Mind you, the original question still stands to this day, where the commenter asked which gender that particular contestant was. I messaged the mods and said that the contestant was open about the sex change, even participating in a trans beauty contest. We weren’t outing anyone. I said that it was a fact, V WAS born a boy and V DID transition to a girl. That is what transitioning means, changing from one thing to another thing. It was my opinion V looked like a boy, and that perhaps the transitioning process was not completed yet. I asked for my comment to be reinstated. I was careful to use the contestant’s name only, not a gender (mis)identification of he or she which would violate my conscience.

So then the mods permanently banned me from that subreddit. (But only that subreddit, I can still comment on Masterchef, Burn Notice or White Collar if I want).

I had quit watching the show by then, there were too many cultural excesses to overlook. I had nothing more to say in the discussion about Dress My Tour, anyway. The fashion wasn’t that good (although I liked how the mentors approached helping the contestant) but the emphasis was on drama and backbiting in addition to all the queer and trans lifestyles etc being shown. And skin.

Liberals who hold to the current cultural philosophies are fiercely attached to them. The tentacles run deep and strong.

But the speed and harshness with which the liberal population, an ever-growing one by the way, is in a sense to be admired. The liberal population certainly does defend their philosophies with vigor. Christians in that regard could take a page from their book. Do we defend Jesus as protectively, swiftly, and fiercely?