Bible Mistranslation, Goals and Self-Care

Eli, Eli, lemana shabakthani! (Matthew 27: 46, Mark 15:34)

This phrase is uttered by Jesus on the cross and is often translated in the Bible verse as meaning:

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me!

It was always explained to me that Jesus said that because God had turned away from him because God couldn't look at sin, however, that really makes no sense.  Why? Well, for one thing, Jesus is God, just in another form.  So if that is true how can one form not look at sin, but the other be on a cross bearing the sin of the world? Also, if God's whole point of creation is to have a relationship with humans, by nature, sinful creatures, how can that work if God can't look at sin?  It just doesn't seem to fit the character of God or the rest of the Bible.  Turns out, its been misquoted.

I've mentioned before that I am reading, Light Through An Eastern Window, by Bishop K.C. Pillai and while I was reading in Chapter 5 (page 67) where he discusses this very passage above.  I then opened my Peshitta  Bible translation to follow along and see that Eli, Eli, lemana shabakthani, is actually mistranslated.  What is really says is, My God, My God, for this I was spared, or this is my destiny or even, it is fulfilled.

That translation makes more sense when in John 19:30 Jesus is quoted as saying, It is finished.  Jesus like any man on a mission, was stating that he had finished what He was sent to do.  I love this!

So what does this have to do with self-care?  Well, last month our theme was goals and I think this Bible passage is a great message in the middle of everything we've been talking about.

God had a mission: make a way for humans to get back to him. Jesus came as the final sacrifice, atonement if you will, so that our relationship established in the Garden of Eden could be restored.  Satan, our enemy, had gotten in there and blocked our path, but God protected us from our enemy and in true God form, provoked his enemy to help him fulfill his mission so that he could go on the cross, die for us, then 3 days later come back to life and go back up to heaven, leaving the other form of God - the Holy Spirit, with those of us who accepted this gift.

Jesus knew his goal, he knew what he was here to do and he did it.  Along the way he trained leaders, met the needs of the people he created and loved, and he pissed the religious leaders off, you know the ones claiming to represent him, but really just living for themselves and using religious laws to get what they wanted.

Jesus, is recorded in various passages in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) as going to a solitary place and getting away from the crowds.  He met physical as well as spiritual needs when he was with crowds, because in the midst of meeting the mission, he knew the value of taking care of our physical bodies.

You will never meet your goals and fulfill your life mission if you neglect your body, your spirit and your soul.  Self-care is not just a plain way of talking about pampering.  Its actually being mindful of the tools we need and using them with wisdom.  Our body is the vessel that houses our spirit.  It has needs of food, water, rest.  The spirit and mind need quiet meditation and time from the go, go, go and draining moments of emotions of others or even our own.

Let us learn from Jesus, and not only stay focused on our job, our mission in life, but also care for the needs of ourselves and those who cross our path.

Where are you lacking?   Do you have goals and a life mission or are you aimlessly floating through life?  That is easy to do, we have more distractions than any other time in history.  Are you staying focused on that mission and are you caring for your needs so that you can do what you were called to do?  What would it mean for your mission to be completed?  If you can't answer that, maybe its time to get in prayer and Bible study and ask God to show you.  Maybe you don't know who you are? Then its time to take the personality tests and learn about how you tick, what you need and what kinds of things bring you joy or get you excited to go out and conquer the world.  Life is hard, like we discussed last week, so stay encouraged and keep going!!! Happy Wednesday!

One Word Can Make A Difference!

This Sunday I sat in church listening to part two of a sermon series we are currently going through on the Armor of God.  I was blown away by one word. 

Before I tell you what that word was, let me say, I love our pastor, and not just because he's my dad, but also because he has an understanding of scripture from the perspective of the Jewish culture that has transformed the way I see the Bible.  Remember those posters in the 90's that if you stared at it just right you could make out a 3-D image?  That is how adding my Jewish roots has added my understanding of the Bible and my Christian faith.  

Pastor Mike shared with us the Ephesians 6 passage on the Armor of God from the Peshitta Bible in comparision with the King James Version.  

If you are like me, you might be saying, the Peshwhata?  The Peshitta is a translation of the Syriac Bible from the Ancient Eastern Text.  If you want to know more, you can read about it on Wikipedia or Britannica or do more research on it yourself at your local library.  

In my internet search, I also read some criticisms of the Peshitta - so please don't go home and throw out your NIV or KJV Bible.  My advice is to use something like this to supplement your Bible Study.  Many great Bible scholars throughout time disagreed on various doctrine so asserting that your way is the only way on secondary issues within Christianity is not what I am advocating. I am advocating you go deeper in your study of scripture.  

What I loved about the reading comparison was the use of the word - "just." By itself, that word doesn't sound very monumental, but its use in the sentence added a layer of meaning that I had never heard before.  

In the NIV or many other common translations, Ephesians 6:12 reads something like this: 

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

in the Peshitta it said: 

"For our struggle is not just against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

Did you catch it?  Did you see that word, "just?"  It fits because we do struggle against flesh and blood.  My thought life can be crazy; when I get sick, tired or hungry life is a struggle.  Taking care of myself is important so that "just" helps illuminate that fact.  

When someone doesn't know where their next meal is coming from or they are in the middle of a battle of cancer, they are fighting the flesh & blood (tangible, human needs).  We can't ignore the physical needs or dismiss them.  

In contrast, as Christians we can't live in the limitations of our flesh and blood, which is why this spiritual component is crucial.   Unfortunately, we often ignore the spiritual battle.  So much of life we don't see, can't know and have no control over, but as a Christian, we can arm up for battle and go get it spiritually.  Its amazing to see someone surrender to God's will and wait on him, and find provision in ways they never dreamed!   

Our bodies are temples of the holy spirit so we must care for our needs but we also have to understand we only see a small part of what is actually going on around us, we must be prepared with the Armor of God.  

Where are you lacking?  Do you need to give yourself some grace in this season of life?  Are you expecting too much in a season of great physical needs?  Are you prepared for life with the spiritual weapons God gives us?  Having them on helps us to look past the things we can't control and realize God's got it!  Maybe you need to delve more into scripture and study the Bible? I don't know what your take away is, but I'd love to hear it!  Happy Wednesday!