You Can Shake the Gates!

"I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it!"- Mt. 16:18

graphic with the words "Praying Through July 2026"

Unexpected Twists in Our Journey

July 3, 2026 / / 0 Comments

A journey spanning decades

Papua New Guinea has long been know as The Land of the Unexpected. It earned this moniker by being home to more than 800 distinct languages and the people groups who speak them. These people live in a variety of settings. Some live amidst vast flood plains, like the Sepik basin or Gulf Province. Others occupy the rugged Highlands region, which runs the spine of the country between the north and south coasts. Mt. Wilhelm reaches a height of 14,793 feet (4,509 meters). Known for its alpine lakes and bare rock faces, is PNG’s tallest mountain. Others live on Papua New Guinea’s more than 600 outlying islands scattered along the coast of the mainland—which itself is the second largest island in the world.

But these things are merely the backdrop of our journey lived with one of those peoples: the Somau Garia. Angela and I have been associated with the Somau Garia for almost 30 years. We have learned the rhythms of their lives; learned their remarkable language. Its cadence is rapid and staccato, punctuated with a soundless feature (called a glottal stop) which is merely stopping the flow of air through the vocal cords. Though silent, it changes the meanings of words, so needs a letter in the alphabet (we used ‘x’).

Unexpected turns

In those 30 years, we’ve rarely made a plan that actually occurred as planned. Just as rarely have we ever missed a major goal. Since establishing a plan that would allow us complete translation of the Somau Garia New Testament, we have experienced incident after incident that threatened to derail our plans. In 2020, two back surgeries. The pandemic. We returned to Papua New Guinea in 2021 when much of the world remained “closed” to travelers. In 2022 my wife had major surgery which took us out of Papua New Guinea for about 4 months that year. In 2023 she had a retinal tear that forced us to return to the U.S. for emergency surgery. Since that year, I have traveled back and forth between the U.S. and Papua New Guinea every 8 to 12 weeks to conduct checking, work with the translation team, etc. And in those years God has allowed us to hit every single goal that He put on our hearts to accomplish.

This year …

The unexpected. After completing a major set of checks in Papua New Guinea in February and March, I returned to the U.S. The work permit and visa I depend upon to work legally as volunteer in Papua New Guinea was up for renewal. Due to unforeseen circumstances, approval of my permit and visa have been delayed. I was to have traveled to Papua New Guinea at the end of May to perform scheduled checks of 5 of the final 6 books of the New Testament that need to be checked. If you read the last post, you’ll see that we pivoted to plan ‘Z’ for the check: Zoom.

As you prayed with us during the checks which took place in June, we experienced some unexpected reversals. For example, one weekend, the area of the U.S. where Angela and I live part of our year had severe storms that produced hurricane-force winds. Our electric was off for 34 hours. Our internet was knocked out even longer than that. I was unable to meet with the team during our outage. (Normally this would be more expected to happen on the Papua New Guinea side of things.) Also, while I was in good health, one of our Somau Garia-speaking teammates experienced profound pain and suffering throughout the month, needing frequent medical attention.

Nonetheless, we successfully completed checks of all 884 verses of 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude. We had good connections (aside from the mentioned instance) throughout the month. We experienced relatively good mental clarity, resourcefulness, insight, and stamina.

As You Pray

As you pray during July, keep the following in mind and on your prayer list:

  • Ask the Lord to give me (Todd) clarity, insight, and discernment as I perform an exegetical check of the book of Revelation. It is the final book that needs to be checked by a consultant before we can begin the tasks associated with typesetting.
    • Ask for the same as I process through the Gospel According to Mark. It was published in 2007 and needs revision to make it more consistent with the work done in this later years.
  • Ask the Lord to open the doors for approval of my work permit and visas. I need to travel to Papua New Guinea later this year to participate in checks on the Somau Garia Revelation consultant check.
  • Thank the Lord for providing all that was needed to successfully check all 884 verses of 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude.
  • Ask the Lord to give good health, clear minds, and courageous spirits to the Somau Garia team as they serve in their communities, churches, and families.
  • Ask the Lord to bring fruit from the seeds planted in June in each heart and mind.

Thank You

Thank you for taking time to pray with us through these things. The Lord has been hearing your prayer and answering in surprising ways. May God bless you as you continue to intercede on behalf of the Somau Garia team and for us. Blessings!

Plans, Pivots, and a Deep Need for Prayer

May 31, 2026 / / 1 Comment

At the Core

Bible translation is a multi-faceted ministry. On any given day, the translation advisor studies or leads meetings or checks translated material. He or she teaches or performs linguistic analysis. The advisor takes people to the hospital, does carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, IT … This ministry places unique demands on its practitioners. Especially when in the village (rather than in a city or at a specialized training center), the translator must be a jack (or jill) of all trades—and all too often, master of none.

At the core of all of these responsibilities lies a dependence upon the grace and mercy of God to fill in what we are lacking. The primary activity of dependence is prayer.

Prayer is the primary activity of dependence

Prayer is …

People divide prayer into categories like confession or petition or intercession or adoration. Petition, for example, is when I go to God the Father with my needs. I move beyond my own needs when I ask God to meet others’ needs. Adoration is the activity of recognizing the majesty and beauty and uniqueness of God’s character and verbally (or musically) worshiping Him. We express adoration through doxology and eulogy and verse. When I confess, I admit my wrongdoing to God, seeking to set my relationship with Him aright.

Bible translation is a multi-faceted ministry in another way. The success of Bible translation depends upon those who send and those who go. The senders send by providing finances, encouraging the sent ones, and by praying. The sent ones use the finances, operate more bodly because of the encouragement, and see fruitbearing in ministry because of answered prayer.

Answers

Seeing God’s hand at work, especially if we are praying day after day specific requests, is encouraging. If you were praying with us through the month of May, you prayed for God to bring peace and restore civility to the Somau Garia-speaking area (southern Madang Province along the Ramu Highway).

Mid-May, the head Somau Garia translation, Ezekiel, began traveling safely once again between Kawawar Market and the city of Madang. Another translator, Kisama, reported that the parties involved in the violence had begun working out the differences that led to the conflict. Thank God with us for this resolution to animosity and an at least partial restoration of normalcy.

You also prayed that my work permit (Todd’s) and our visas (Todd’s and Angela’s) would make it all the way through the approval process, allowing us to travel to Papua New Guinea at the end of May for June checking sessions. Always when we pray, we desire to pray according to God’s will—which sometimes means that God will say ‘no’. That is the case with this request. At the end of May, we still wait for the approvals. 

Thank God that, in his infinite wisdom, He has said ‘no’ to this heartfelt prayer. Though it is not what we asked for, we trust that his wisdom supercedes our inability to see the whole picture. Thank God that he has provided technology and will co-workers to allow us to continue on with the consultant checking of 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude via video-conferencing software.

Intercession

We are now operating on Plan Z (for Zoom). June 1 through 26, the Somau Garia translation team, our consultant and I (Todd) will be joining together on a Zoom conference daily to check each and every one of the 884 verses that comprise the books listed above. We thus find ourselves, once again, shamelessly dependent upon the grace and mercy of God. We also, once again, find ourselves asking you to consistently pray daily with us for many things. Here are a few prayer points for you to carry into your prayer closet:

  • Ask God to allow the technology to work flawlessly.
    • Often, in the waning months of a translation program, the enemy will introduce all sorts snares and stumbling blocks to the process to interrupt people’s ability to gain access to God’s Word in their heart language.
  • Pray for God to allow us the ability to communicate clearly (it can be more challenging online than in person).
  • Call on God to give each of us clarity, resourcefulness, insight, and ability to find creative solutions to translation problems.
  • Ask God to allow us to complete checking all 884 verses in the time allotted.
  • Ask God to use the process and the Word to transform hearts and minds into the likeness of Jesus Christ

So, as we kick off the month of June, we find ourselves ever more dependent upon the grace and mercy of God, thanking him for creative alternatives to what we consider to be ideal, and ready to serve on a moment’s notice.

Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and give you peace.

Regular updates during June

If you’d like to check in from time to time throughout the month for ongoing updates, feel free to stop by our Facebook Ministry Page, Owen Prayer and Provision Team. I will be posting there regularly throughout the month. Blessings!

Peace, Paperwork, and the Call to Prayer

May 2, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Praying through May 2026

Perhaps you wonder what it takes to be a Bible translator. For those of us working on New Testament translation in Papua New Guinea, the ability to plod  would be towards the top of the list of qualifications. On must patiently work month after month, year after year, methodically moving from verse to verse, studying each and every one of the 7,956 verses of the New Testament, clarifying its meaning, finding ways of expressing that meaning in a language that has perhaps never had a writing system, a dictionary, or a grammar. This process often takes decades.

But there is more to translation than being tucked away in an office, studying. Vitally important is the development of deep, inter-dependent relationships. In the mission world we call this incarnational ministry. We do life together, cry together, rejoice together, sing together, work together, dream together. This kind of relationship is very compatible with Melanesian cultures.

As we close in on finishing the translation checking of the final books (1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation), it seems that the enemy of our souls has intensified his opposition to our work. He has attempted to disrupt our work at every level. You will have read last month that he, along with the fallen nature of a bunch of people, incited a great deal of violence in the Somau Garia speaking area. Pray that God will bring peace and restore civility to the peoples and villages adjacent to the Ramu Highway, that they might cooperate with one another for everyone’s good. Pray that the fallout from the previous violence will subside and order will return to these societies.

Parallel to his attacks, my work permit and the attendant visas expired between scheduled checking sessions. These are necessary for us to enter and work in Papua New Guinea. Our applications are in process and we are waiting for approval. Pray that our paperwork will be approved sooner than later and that we will be able to travel to Papua New Guinea later this month, as scheduled. The enemy can certainly use delay to disrupt the work God has laid before us–and God can certainly use delay to build the faith, hope, and love of those who give all things into his hands.

So, as we kick off the month of May, we find ourselves plodding along, hoping that the Prince of Peace will intervene in the mayhem of this world, that the Holy Spirit will raise the awareness of government employees who also plod along day by day, making it possible for people like us to enter and work in Papua New Guinea.

Thank the Lord that he has provided for our deepest needs—through Jesus Christ His Son. Thank Him also that He has provided us the resources to continue working—even when things are not proceeding according to our plans.

Perhaps this is your first visit to our website. To learn more about who we are and what we do, explore the various pages listed at the top of this page. You’ll find our story, latest news, prayer needs, photos, resources, how to donate, etc.

Thanks for stopping by! We appreciate your time!

Pray for the Somau Garia people during April 2026!

April 1, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Unexpected

Papua New Guinea is famously known as the Land of the Unexpected. Surely some clever marketing writer came up with that phrase to sell tours to a country positioned just off the equator, far from North America or Europe. Having lived and worked in Papua New Guinea off an on over the last 29 years, I can confirm that the title is well deserved. The spine of Papua New Guinea geography is a range of impossibly rugged mountains, cut by deep ravines and raging rivers. It is geologically active, earthquakes as regular as its torrential rains. Move away the central cordillera toward the coast and you encounter vast plains containing meandering rivers, oxbow lakes, and swamps. Most of the country is ringed by world-class reefs.

The people are as rugged as the environment which they inhabit. Tough and resourceful, they overcome conditions that would break most other people. Their languages and cultures are among the most diverse in the world—over 840 living languages and many more that have begun to fall out of use. Each language constitutes a distinct culture. Each people group, with its language, struggles to maintain a sense of ethnic identity and cultural heritage in a world that grows “smaller” every day. The advent of cellular communications and alternative power sources has given younger people challenges that their fathers never needed to grapple with. They are being drawn away from ethnic identity toward national identity.

Context

It is in this context that Bible translators minister. Each of the peoples that speak those 840 + languages represents a people called by God to be represented at the Throne of the Lamb that was slain, casting their crowns at his feet in worship. Many of those peoples see the value of having God’s Word in their heart language. Others see Bible translation as a means of preserving their language and culture. Bible translators, by and large, have training in linguistics and anthropology, in addition to Biblical languages and expertise used to amplify the resources, skills, and abilities of local speakers.

Yet this very context is that which introduces the unexpected into every interaction, every plan, and every relationship. It is this unexpectedness that moves us far deeper into prayer and intercession than we might choose to in any other context.

Answers & Challenges

If you were involved in praying through March, you know that I (Todd) departed Papua New Guinea mid-month and that the Somau Garia team returned to their villages. Each of us have been working separately in the mean time. God has been gracious to us in the working. Prior to leaving, the team and I successfully completed the consultant checks of the books of Hebrews and James. In the weeks following those checks, we worked on editing 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude. Shortly after arriving in the U.S., I was able to generate and send the files of several New Testament books to Papua New Guinea for the team to use in a literacy course that was scheduled for late March, to take place in Somau Garia villages.

That was Plan A, anyway. Then the unexpected happened. The New Testament books were printed. Arrangements were made for the literacy course. People were appointed to travel to the provincial capital to pick up the materials and to accompany the literacy specialist to the village. A few days prior to the course, however, a group of people from another language group came to one of the Somau
Garia markets situated along the Ramu Highway to confront a man who was married to one of their women. The confrontation resulted in the death of the husband. Somau Garia people responded to that death in a very traditional way—reciprocity. Though they didn’t kill anyone, they did burn a 12-passenger van belonging to the people who killed the husband.

Now it is unsafe for Somau Garia people to travel to and from the area. Somau Garia representatives are unable to travel to the city to pick up the printed Scripture portions, the literacy specialist is unable to travel to the area to conduct the literacy course. People are on edge.

Pray!

As you pray during April, please pray:

  • that cooler heads will prevail and reconciliation can be made between Somau Garia speakers and those who killed one of their men.;
  • that the way will open for the scripture portions to be delivered to the Somau Garia translation and literacy teammates for use in local churches and during the literacy course
  • that God will use this series of unfortunate events to bring people to a recognition of their need to be in relationship with the Prince of Peace
  • that the current work I (Todd) am doing in checking the meaning of 1 & 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Peter, and Jude will get into the hands of the translation team for their input and corrections—and that in a timely fashion, that we will be ready for checks which are scheduled for June
  • that I (Todd), as the exegete, will be energetic, focused, and attentive as I examine the drafts of these books—and that I will be wise, discerning, and insightful in my suggestions for necessary changes to the drafts.

Thank You!

Thank you for praying through these requests. I know that God will allow our prayers to bear good fruit for the Kingdom.

Blessings!!

Somau Garia translation team members work at the table together

Praying for the Somau Garia people during March

February 27, 2026 / / 0 Comments

Thank You for Praying

In last month’s post, I asked you to pray for the upcoming consultant checks of the books of Hebrews and James, two of the harder books to be checked during 2026. Thank you for praying, friend. We met during the first three weeks of February in the city of Madang, on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. Our consultant was a professor from the Midwest in America, a scholar who has taught Greek and New Testament for over 30 years.

The first week was consumed with final preparations for the check. During the last two weeks we performed the checks. At the end of the three week period, we had successfully completed the checks, which means that these powerful books may now be distributed throughout the Somau Garia speaking community.

As the community uses these books in their heart language, they will potentially gain a much deeper understanding of Christ’s role in our salvation. Indeed, it is through Christ that God has spoken in these last days. It is through Christ that an everlasting priesthood has been established—one not based on lineage, but upon the power of an indestructible life. Because Christ lives for ever to intercede, he takes his own blood as an offering into the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary, where he makes atonement for our sin. It is Christ who has overcome the last enemy, death, and has sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews takes us from law to the finished work of Christ, from ritual to restored relationship. Properly understood, Hebrews empowers the believer to walk victoriously by faith.

James takes expands beyond the foundational principle of living by faith, espousing the need to put hands and feet on faith, to practically live out the reality of faith. In his letter the believer learns the conditions and practice of effective prayer. The believer learns to reign in the tongue and bless rather than curse. In this way, the believer is equipped to function in godly wisdom.

Just imagine the difference that could characterize a group of people informed and inspired by these powerful truths!

Please Pray!

During the month of March, Angela and I are asking you to continue to pray as we dive into the books of 1 and 2 Corinthians. We are scheduled to check these books mid-year.

Somau Garia translation team members work at the table together

As you pray, please pray for the following:

  • Our team will be working remotely from one another, beginning mid-month. Pray that each of us will have wisdom and discernment as we work.
  •  As the team member responsible for ensuring accuracy, pray that I will see potential issues very clearly and that I will find creative solutions to whatever issues arise.
  • Pray for the Somau Garia-speaking teammates, that they will also be able to offer creative solutions to translation issues—solutions that result in clear, accurate, and natural translation.
  • Pray that the portions of Scripture that are already checked and in circulation will bring about genuine transformation into the likeness of Christ.
  • Pray for God’s favor as we work toward finishing the checking of the Somau Garia New Testament in 2026.

Crossing the Finish Line: Transformation

February 6, 2026 / / 0 Comments

The Final Stages of a Bible Translation Project

Because Bible translation is a decades-long endeavor, it is divided into multiple stages. Stage one involves learning the language and culture of the intended language group. Stage two is initial training of the local team, translating the first book, and producing a print run of that book (in our case, Xoiteupo Asinaku Kuna Makie Xayawoki, i.e. God’s Good Talk that Mark Wrote or the Gospel According to Mark)—celebrated and distributed to the people. Stage three is the full production phase, when the bulk of the New Testament is translated and checked. Stage four, combines final checking with preparations for typesetting and publication. We are in this stage of the project.

While each stage serves its purpose, the current stage aims at consistency across all of the New Testament. The ideas vital to gaining clear understanding and insight from the Scriptures are often phrases rather than single words (as they are in Koine Greek). These need to be consistently translated book to book. That is this stage’s purpose.

For example, consider the word “church”. In Koine Greek this word is ἐκκλησία, which is based upon the root καλέω “to call”. Its New Testament usage refers to a congregation or assembly, or in modern parlance, “church”. However, its constituent parts add up to “called out”. This word is more than the sum of its parts. A whole sub-discipline of theology (ecclesiology) is devoted to its study. There is no one word in the Somau Garia language that encapsulates its meaning. We, therefore, derived a phrase that, for Somau Garia speakers, best describes what the church is: “the (group of) men and women who believe in and follow Jesus.” So, as we review the New Testament in its entirety, we are examining how ἐκκλησία is rendered in each instance and making adjustments where necessary to make its usage consistent. This is one but scores of such key terms.

The aim is that the translation be received and used by the local churches, pastors, teachers, and families in their homes. When the Scriptures are learned, memorized, studied, and used in the language of the heart, transformation in lives, communities, and people groups is far more likely. Transformation of men and women into the likeness of Jesus Christ is our primary desire.

2026 and Beyond

By God’s grace, in 2025 we successfully achieved the translation goals the Lord put before us. In 2026, we are scheduled to check the final books:

  • Hebrews
  • James
  • 1 & 2 Corinthians
  • 1 & 2 Peter
  • Jude
  • Revelation

You Can Get Involved

The enemy of our souls is heavily invested in keeping people ignorant, enslaved, and downtrodden. His native language is deception, his operational attitude is hatred and division. His fingerprints are all over the division and irrational hatred so prevalent today. As a Bible translation project nears completion, the enemy becomes more and more stirred to oppose anyone and anything involved in completing that project. He knows all too well that the Word changes people, correcting his lies with Truth, breaking open the gates of death and hatred that hold so many captive, setting people free from fear.

However, the power of our enemy to interrupt people gaining access to the Word of God in their own language is limited. One way in which God limits the enemy’s success is by calling his people to intercede for the translation team through prayer. God involves each of us in his great mission to make Jesus known in every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. He asks us to pray, to give, and to go.

Here are a few ways to participate:

  • You can pray. At the beginning of each month in 2026, I will be updating this website with current prayer needs.
    • If you are interested in receiving weekly prayer and ministry updates in your email inbox, click here and request to be added.
    • Each update has a list of five priority prayers for the week, three photos or graphics, and a brief article with news or a devotional thought.
  • You can donate. See our donate page for instructions and a link to our mission’s giving page.
  • You can invite others to join the prayer or provision team by directing them to this website or to our ministry page on Facebook. 

Thank you for giving your time and attention for the last few minutes. Thank you for the time and energy you can give toward praying purposefully for the successful completion of the Somau Garia New Testament translation. Your prayer and participation is leaving an indelible mark on the future history of an entire people.

Blessings!

Racing Towards the Finish Line

April 18, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Building Up to the Production Phase

Translating the New Testament in Papua New Guinea is, for most, a lifetime endeavor. Angela and I started learning the language and culture of the Somau Garia people in the late 1990s. Life in the late nineties was analog, so language learning was done with a little notebook and a cheap Bic ink pen. Photos were developed from my 35mm Ricoh SLR camera. Evenings were spent reading to our children from printed books, like Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. Computer work was done at desktop computers in the city of Madang, at the Barton McElroy Translation Center.

Much has changed since then. Technology has provided better solar panels, batteries, and communications. Life is digital. The cell tower a mile, line of sight from our house on the slopes of Mount Somau allow us to access internet, email, etc. while in the village. Laptop computers last all day on a single charge. Software has made the task more efficient.

Production by the Numbers

After the pandemic we entered the most productive phase of translation we have known in 28 years. In 2022 – 2023 we brought Luke’s Gospel and his history, Acts of the Apostles, through all the checks necessary to print and circulate those books. Those two books comprise about 27% of the New Testament. During those years the Lord added many young people to our team, many of whom revived and pushed the literacy program forward, writing and producing Somau Garia reading materials and primers.

A portion of Acts Chapter 1 in Somau Garia …

In 2024 we brought 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1,2, & 3 John (13 books comprised of 1039 verses comprising 13% of the New Testament) through the checks necessary to print and distribute those books.

By March, 2025, we had checked Matthew’s Gospel, comprised of 1071 verses or 13.46% of the New Testament through the checks necessary to print and distribute that book.

As I write this post, Romans is in process and is scheduled to be checked in June. John’s Gospel is on the schedule for late this year–a further 16.5% of the New Testament.

Giving Meaning to the Numbers

But Bible translation is not simply a matter of managing data and producing material. Bible translation is about building people through education in using the Scriptures. It is about showing them how to follow Jesus as his disciples. This ministry equips local leaders to use the Bible in their churches, communities, and families. Translation is concerned with transformation.

The further we move toward the finish line, the more we see this kind of godly, positive change happening. God the Father, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit, is raising up a generation of world changers, compelled by the love of Christ, to take God’s word to their people.

For example, two of the young men on the translation team were once, not all that long ago, feared for their violent, murderous behavior. These young men were children when Angela and my children were growing up in the village. Over the years, being exposed to God’s word in their heart language (the various portions made available bit by bit), they began to soften to the message of the gospel. Our head translator confronted them and then invited them to follow Jesus. They both surrendered to the light and life found in Jesus.

One of them is a firebrand preacher. He memorizes Scripture and passionately preaches. The other is meek and gentle and draws others through kindness and grace. Both are deeply committed to helping us finish the translation of the Somau Garia New Testament.

Please Pray With Us

Angela and I would appreciate your prayers as we move toward the completion of the Somau Garia New Testament. As you pray, please pray:

  • Pray that we will be wise and discerning in our oversight of the translation program
  • Pray that we will be well provisioned in the coming months:
    • Spiritually for
      • inner resources to both grow and remain spiritually vital throughout the intensity of the coming months
    • Physically for
      • healthy bodies, protection from sickness or injury
    • Psychologically for
      • flexibility through almost continual transition and travel
      • peace in each situation
    • Financially for
      • adapting to the inflation Americans have known over the last few years
      • travel expenses
      • the coming expenses involved in printing the Somau Garia New Testament (in 2027)
  • Thank God for loving us and providing for our deepest need: to have our sin dealt with and to be reconciled to Him.

Thank You

Angela and I appreciate you giving your valuable time to reading through this brief update. Thank you for taking the time. Thank you also for praying. It makes a difference.

Click here for a Photo Gallery of Uria Village

Smells, Signs, and an Indignant Savior

January 26, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Click Here to Read John 2:13-25

An Unusual Day in the Temple

I imagine that Jesus’ actions in the temple that day raised a lot of eyebrows. The rumors must’ve been flying, the comments a mixture of wonder and criticism. Who had ever come into the temple, overturned tables, and whipped merchants? Merchants in the temple courts?

Another Kind of Aroma

The habit of selling animals and changing coinage began as a convenience for worshippers to buy the animals needed for sacrifice. It started in the city, but turned profane when it moved into the temple courts. The purpose of the temple was prayer, worship, and sacrifice—not business.

Not only had the merchants turned the temple courts into a currency exchange, they had turned it into a barn. Herd animals urinate and defecate at random, attracting all manner of flies, parasites, and vermin. The floor of the temple courts was covered with filth. The pleasant aroma of incense wafting heavenward from the altar of incense (signifying prayers) was replaced with the smell of a feed lot.

Incensed (no pun intended), Jesus fashioned a whip made of several cords and drove the oxen and sheep out, along with those who were selling pigeons (with their caged pigeons). 

The disciples recognized the prophetic significance of his actions. “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me1.’”

Demand for a Sign

Jesus provoked his adversaries. They pushed back.

“What sign do you show us for doing these things?” They wanted proof his authority to regulate the temple was greater than theirs.

Significantly, this happened during Passover2, the festival commemorating the night that every home in Goshen marked with the blood of a lamb was spared the death of the firstborn of that household.

An Indignant Savior

Jesus, God incarnate, responded prophetically.

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” While they thought that he meant Herod’s temple, he was speaking of his body. He was referring to sacrifice, atonement, and resurrection.

While fathers were recounting the story of lamb’s blood on the lintels and doorposts in Goshen to their children, Jesus pointed them back to the words of John the Baptist: “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” His blood would not be spread upon doorposts, but would carried into the holy places in Heaven.

“… He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”3

John reports that “many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he [Jesus] was doing.”

When I was younger I was a straight arrow. I depended upon the knowledge that if I just lived by certain principles I’d be “in”. However, in these later years, I see things a bit differently. Usually within the first few minutes after waking each day, the thought crosses my mind that if Jesus doesn’t save me, I cannot be saved. I cannot carry a sack full of merits into the Holy Place and exchange them for salvation or redemption. I must trust that Jesus himself will walk into the holy places with and by his own blood to make atonement for my sin and rebellion.

Questions for reflection:

  • Who or what do I believe will make my life whole or complete?
  • What role does prayer and worship play in my life?
  • Who do I believe Jesus to be? Does my belief correspond to what we see written in this passage?

  1. Psalm 69:9, ESV ↩︎
  2. Exodus chapter 12 ↩︎
  3. Hebrews 9:12, ESV ↩︎

A Wedding, a Sign, and the Son of God

January 19, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Click Here to Read John 2:1-12

From the very first words of his Gospel account, John has been establishing Jesus’ deity: as God, Creator, pre-existent, eternal.

The first witness he called was John the Baptist, who was baptizing near Bethany across the Jordan River. John identified Jesus as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world1” and as “the Son of God2”. He goes so far as to direct Philip and Nathaniel to Jesus, thus beginning to relinquish his influence to the One who rightly deserved it.

A Wedding

John then places the reader in Cana3, about eight or so miles north of Nazareth, at a wedding. It is here that John the apostle says that Jesus performed the very first sign showing that he is, indeed, Messiah. The witness to his deity, in a moment, shifts from external (John the Baptist’s preaching) to internal (a demonstration of his power).

There is much speculation about the specific meaning of the act itself—changing the water into high quality wine. Some point to the significance of Jesus starting his public ministry at a wedding, foreshadowing the wedding feast of the Lamb, when Jesus marries his bride, the Church. 

Others speculate that the water, used for the purification rites of ancient Israel, was being replaced by a better purification, that is, by Jesus’ blood shed on the cross. Indeed, Jesus later connects the Passover cup to the blood he would shed on the cross4. 

One might speculate that Jesus turned something common into something remarkable.

However compelling these sound, they are all speculation. But there are things that can be known without speculating.

A Son

First, the relationship that Jesus had with his mother and siblings changed. Mary is mentioned twice in John, here and later while Jesus is hanging on the cross. In both instances, Jesus refers to her as γυνη, “woman”, rather than the more intimate term, “mother”. 

His response to Mary in regards to the lack of wine for celebration reflected that change of relationship. “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not come.” While he is respectful of her, he subtly reminds her that his priorities are now aligned with his role as Messiah, not as her firstborn son.

A Sign

Second, despite what appears to be initial reluctance to comply with her wishes, Jesus quietly does as she asked. Very few in attendance were aware of it: Mary, Jesus, and his disciples. Verse eleven states, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

These words remind us of John 1:14, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

As the disciples witnessed the sign, which brought to light the glory of the Son, they believed. John always refers to these supernatural occurrences as signs rather than works or miracles. The signs affirmed that Jesus was the anticipated Messiah and is the Son of God. The signs were performed not to impress or gain power, but that you might “believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

John wrote his Gospel for a wider audience, which included many Gentiles who were unfamiliar with Jewish life and practice. He writes the account in such a way as to produce faith in the reader/hearer.

The Son of God

Jesus, affirmed by his Father at his baptism, by triumphing over Satan in the wilderness, and returning home to begin his public ministry, is found to be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and “the Son of God”.

Questions for reflection:

  • What is your relationship with Jesus? Is it constant or has it changed over time?
  • How have the signs written in John’s Gospel affected your belief? Do you believe?
  • Do your acts of obedience show the glory of Christ in you?
  1. John 1:29 ↩︎
  2. John 1:34 ↩︎
  3. Click on “Cana” above to view a map of the area described in this passage. The map is copyrighted by Logos Bible Software, 2014 ↩︎
  4. Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ↩︎

Behold! The Lamb of God!

January 12, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Background

John the Baptizer was out in the wilderness, along the Jordan River, baptizing. He was a child of Torah, having memorized Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy by the time he was ten years old. His father was a Levitical priest.
As he grew, he would have become intimately familiar with the other books of the Jewish Bible, now called the Tanakh1.

Click to Read: John 1:29-34

Identity

The day before, John had been grilled by representatives of Jewish ruling council regarding his identity. “Who are you?” they asked. “If you are not the Christ, what then? Elijah?” The Holy Spirit had indwelled John since before he was born, the Word of God filled his mind and heart throughout his lifetime. Drawing from that well, he responded,

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”2

He knew with certainty that he himself was not the Anointed One, sent to take away the sins of the world. He was the forerunner, sent to turn people’s attention to the Anointed One, who was there with God in the beginning; who was God himself.

I presume that he was so certain of this because he had been told by God or one of his messengers, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.”

Fulfillment and Diminishing Influence

He testified to this when he saw Jesus coming toward him the next day, declaring, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

To some degree, this signaled the fulfillment of his ministry. While he continued to baptize and preach, his influence increasingly diminished as he turned more and more of his followers to Jesus.3

World System

Perhaps you’ve noticed how much our world seems to be spinning out of control. Year by year natural disasters, wars, intrigues, political movements, and power plays seem to be on the increase. Media outlets are signaling increasing fear of nuclear holocaust in our time, financial disaster, and religious persecution.
The influence of the Roman Empire in John’s day was nothing compared to the power of the world system in our day. While the Roman’s power was distributed and external, the world system’s power is individualized and in our homes, ostensibly by means of ubiquitous technology.

Proactive Action

Now is not the time to allow the spirit of the age to direct us into its pernicious plans. There has never been a more opportune time to bear witness to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The more dark and demented society becomes, the more it needs the Light and Life.
We do well to follow in John’s footsteps by:

  1. Recognizing who we are and who we are not.
  2. Resisting the temptation to make a name for ourselves, instead turning others’ attention to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
  3. Encouraging those who would follow us to instead follow Him.

Conclusion

It is not an easy road to follow. It takes a quality of humility that is rare in our time. John willingly and rightfully ceded his influence to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. We must do the same if those entrapped in the world system are to see something qualitatively different in those who follow the Lamb.
The world system is filled with ladder climbers, platform builders, and influencers who seek power/attention/influence for themselves.
Through our attitudes, actions, and words we must consistently trumpet the message of John the Baptist, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”

  1. A name made by combining the names of its parts: Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim.⁠ The Nevi’im are the Prophets and the Kethuvim are the Writings. Together with the Torah, they comprise the same books as are in the Old Testament, albeit in a different order and arrangement. ↩︎
  2. Isaiah 40:3 ↩︎
  3. Cf. John 3:22-30 ↩︎

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