Down an Unfamiliar Road

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

by Dr. Robert R. Seyda

PAUL’S LETTER TO THE GALATIAN CHURCHES

How it all began. . .

Back in 1966, I was given the privilege of becoming a faculty member at the European Bible Seminary in Wienacht, Switzerland. At that time, besides the King James Version of the English Bible, there were three other English Translations in my library. Each year I read the whole Bible through once and the Final Covenant twice. I noticed by reading different translations it forced me to pay closer attention to the text because I was so familiar with the KJV that the words and phrases became common to me.

This started me on the path that led to collecting almost two hundred English translations, some of the whole Bible, some with just the First Covenant (O.T.), some with only the Final Covenant (N.T.), and some with just the Gospels, Epistles, and some with only one particular book. As I read through the Scriptures in this manner, I began to jot down the various thoughts and revelations that the Holy Spirit flashed in my mind as I read familiar stories in unfamiliar translations, including German. I wrote each comment in whatever color ink I assigned to that particular translation. For instance, when I read using the New American Standard Bible, all my comments were in blue. That way I knew which translation I was reading when the thought occurred to me. It was then that a dream formed in my mind and ended up in my heart. I wanted to write a commentary using all these new items of inspiration.

For over the next eight years, my little notebook became thicker and thicker until the widest binder I found in the Swiss stationary store became crammed full of handwritten notes. When I returned to the United States, I often consulted my comments on the Final Covenant for sermon preparation when I pastored at Calvary Temple in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Then as Dean of Students at Northwest Bible College in Minot, North Dakota, I used it for some of my classes on Homiletics. I consulted it again when I pastored in Lemon, South Dakota. Then after being sent to Asia to help open the Asian Center for Christian Ministries in Makati, Metro Manila, again I found a use for my notebook for the classes I taught there as President and Professor for the Asian Seminary for Christian Ministries. When I left Asia, instead of the sponsoring Mission Department paying the cost of shipping my library back to the USA, I agreed to donate my two thousand book library to ASCM for their library and keep the shipping cost.

After returning to America in 1994, my career path changed when I was given the opportunity to join a Clinical Pastoral Education Group and Chaplain resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. I would later earn my Board Certification as a Hospice Chaplain. I kept my notebook on my library shelf and never knew if I’d ever use it again. After retiring from the Chaplaincy, I ended up in New Orleans, Louisiana as Director of the American Cancer Society’s Patrick F. Taylor Hope Lodge. It was during my tour there that I received a request from my sister Joan living in Maryland to do a Bible Study on the internet. That’s when I reached for my notebook that was now forty years old. This drove me to do more research and I went on the internet looking to buy my best commentaries.

That’s when the Spirit opened my eyes to the fact that most of the commentaries I once possessed were now available online and through the Logos Bible Study Application. That made it even better because now I was able to employ the search engine to find the exact word or theme I was looking for. It wasn’t until I retired from the Hope Lodge and moved to Houston, Texas, that one day while looking at my commentary notebook, it was as if the Spirit spoke to me and said now you have time to do what you’ve always wanted to do: write a commentary. So I decided to choose two of my favorite books: Romans and Galatians. For the last seven years, I’ve enjoyed and felt privileged to see my dream come true.

Through all of this another concept was conceived with the Spirit’s help: to write a commentary that took into account the following factors: In my research, I decided to look for the earliest comments made on Romans and Galatians by ancient and early church writers. After all, Paul wrote his Epistles only some twenty years after meeting and talking with the Anointed One, Jesus of Nazareth, on the road to Damascus. There’s no one better to tell us what Jesus told him than Paul himself? Then I wanted to see what any disciples of the first Apostles wrote as a commentary on what the Apostles taught them. I wanted to trace these comments down through the centuries until today so that the reader would be able to see what was said back then and what was being said today. I was also blessed to have a book I published on the Fruit of the Spirit that came from my doctoral thesis to enhance Chapter Five.

The next thing I wanted to do was be conscious of the world these writers lived in, what were the things they felt forced to deal with and how it affected the tone and content of their works. I took this from my own practice after reading a text to my congregation or audience, I’d tell them before I started my sermon or teaching: Who wrote it? Who did they write it to? What was their reason for writing it? What were they writing it for? What issues were addressed in their letter? And finally, what effect does what they wrote have on us today? That’s the context I wanted the readers to know in writing this commentary here.

So for his letter to the Galatians, in answer to these questions: Paul wrote this letter; he wrote it to the churches in Galatia, just north of his hometown of Tarsus; he wrote it because he learned they were tricked into believing that he did not tell them the whole truth on how to be justified in believing that they were right with God. He left out the requirements of the Jewish Torah, Oral Traditions, and ceremonial laws that Jews believed were necessary for completing their salvation. In doing so, he attempted to persuade them to change their minds and stay in the grace of God. One of the main problems was that the Church consisted of converted Jews and Gentiles to Christianity; and one of the main issues was that some false teachers came from Jerusalem, claiming to be sent by James, the brother of our Lord, to make sure that the Gentiles became followers of the ceremonial laws of the First Covenant, especially the rite of circumcision for the male members. They were afraid that by accepting the Final Covenant from the Anointed One, they were opting out of the First Covenant that made them part of the spiritual family of Abraham as part of the Anointed One’s church.

In doing research on the older commentaries and other writings, I noticed that most of them were translated into English from Latin, Greek, and Hebrew manuscripts. The English vocabulary and grammar used by these centuries-old translators was much different than our English words and sentence structure today. Furthermore, they followed Latin grammar and made reading the English text more difficult. My thought was, that since these were English translations, I would be doing no harm in choosing the English vocabulary we use today. I did not want my readers to constantly stumble over unfamiliar antique words thereby causing them to lose interest.

My precious wife Aurora was a great help to me. Since English is her second language, she knew better than I what vocabulary made reading the text easier and more interesting to people like her. So she did the proofreading, giving me the opportunity of changing the language to make it clearer and more engrossing. Also, after teaching in Bible Schools and a Seminary I developed the language of the classroom which most laypeople do not understand without an explanation. So I rebaptized them in the pool of simplicity to make them easier to comprehend. For instance, I once spoke of an early church exegete. She was unfamiliar with that term, so I baptized it and gave him a new title: early church interpreter of the Scriptures.

And lastly, most of the over one hundred commentaries in my former library were written for Bible students, pastors, and teachers. I wanted mine to be for those who were not given the opportunity to attend a Bible College or Seminary. I wanted to make those whom I quoted from the past and from my own comments as though they and I were speaking directly to the reader in a language they understood. No, this is not dumbing down, it is exhorting and lifting up their Biblical understanding to a new, higher level.

The Scriptural text used predominantly throughout this commentary is mostly my paraphrase aided with the help of the New Life Translation, New Living Translation, Living Bible, Easy-to-Read Version, and The Complete Jewish Bible. There is one more factor I considered, I wanted the reader to know whether any Hebrew or Greek words used were nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs. Whether or not they were used in the past, present, future, or continuous tense. This would help in seeing how these apply to the meaning and intent of the sentence. Are the verbs used in the Indicative Mood – stating an actuality or fact such as “I will go;” the Imperative Mood – making a request such as “I must go;” or the Subjunctive Mood – expressing a doubtful condition, contrary to a fact such as “If I were going.” Furthermore, to choose the right meaning for such words since they are often applied to many different English words and definitions. Sometimes parsing¹ of words can be used as an excuse, but in Scripture, they help immensely in grammatically identifying an important part of the speech and how certain words are to be understood in their tense and mood.

In addition, I faced the choice of either using the common “past perfect tense of verbs” to indicate action completed at some point in the past before anything else happened. I chose rather to use the “imperfect past tense” instead. For example, instead of saying that the Jews had rejected Yeshua as the Messiah to say that the Jews rejected Yeshua the Messiah because they still reject Him today. Also, instead of saying that because of faith we were saved, I chose rather to say that because of faith we are saved. In other words, that is not something in the past but it is ongoing until the end when we are taken out of this world. The past participle “had” is one of the worst culprits.

Any and all resources quoted or alluded to in this commentary are meant to enlighten the reader as to the comments on Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians as close as possible to the earliest disciples following the original twelve Apostles. By sharing what they said does not indicate that I necessarily agree with anything or everything they wrote in sharing their interpretation of Paul’s writings. This required including some who were no doubt diametrically opposed to some of Paul’s points of view.

This is meant to alert the reader to what was being said at that time so they can look to see who among their contemporaries agreed or disputed their point of view. This is how we learn to decipher and discern those in harmony and those out of harmony with traditional understanding. This will make it easier to do the same as part of today’s exposition of Paul’s letter. Let the Holy Spirit, your conscience, and your learning be your guide.

In addition, I agree with those Bible scholars who feel that the terms “Old Testament” and “New Testament” do not reflect the real property of these two covenants. First of all, they are neither old or new since they were in God’s mind from eternity. It is only that one was given before the other. But there’s another factor. There were no other covenants before them nor will there be any after them. That’s why I have chosen to use the term “First Covenant” instead of Old Testament, and “Final Covenant” in place of New Testament. I hope you can get used to it instead of it causing confusion. If it does, forgive me.

Furthermore, we have become so accustomed to saying “Jesus Christ” in English that we do not know exactly what we are calling Him. Yes, His name was “Yeshua” (a proper masculine noun – Jesus, but His name was never “Christ” (an adjective) because He was the Christ, the Messiah – a title. In Greek, Christos literally means, “anointed.” I have no argument against calling him “Christos” with the Greek understanding that He is Jesus the “Anointed One,” it’s just the misunderstanding of calling Him “Christ” in English as though that was His last name. So here in Galatians, I have chosen to designate Him as, “Jesus the Anointed One.”

Sometimes I find a quote from a person whose biography is impossible to find. But from the language used by this writer, it appears that he wrote this over one-hundred years ago when sailing boats were the main source of transportation over water. His pen name is Hanmer Parsons Grant and he said, “We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.” In other words, since you know you have to go somewhere or do something that’s very important in your life and livelihood, don’t wait for the perfect time to do it, that will never come.

Psychologists tell us that when facing hard times, we should think about what we need to do, don’t do anything foolhardy because you’re in a hurry. In fact, write down your options and see which one seems the best choice for you. Don’t get discouraged if your solution doesn’t work out exactly as you planned it. Look at your options again.

The next thing to do is ask yourself how realistic your worry is. Remember, our imaginations can create obstacles that don’t really exist. Remember Don Quixote? Never let fear of the unknown cause you to build bridges over rivers you’ll never cross. You’ve got a lot of good things in your life, let them encourage you. Not only that, but these tough times are really a learning opportunity. You can learn more by putting something together wrong than if you get it right the first time.

Then, you need not face tough times alone. Find out if your best friend or closest confident can help you think about what to do. Seeking advice is not a sign of weakness but of wisdom. When things go wrong no matter what you’ve tried up to that point. Don’t act brave by keeping your frustration bottled up inside. Let them out, even if the only person you have to talk to at the moment is the one you see in the mirror.

Of course, if you are a believing Christian and have faith and trust in God your heavenly Father, and Jesus your personal Savior, and the Holy Spirit your unerring guide and comforter, you have a lot going for you. Here’s a story from the Bible that will give you an example of those who had all the help they needed but just didn’t bother to trust in it.

One day at evening time, Jesus said to his followers, “Let’s go across this lake to the other side.” So they left the crowd behind and went with Jesus into the boat He already boarded. There were also other boats that went alongside with them. Suddenly a huge storm came up on the lake. The waves were pouring in over the sides of the boat, and it was quickly filling up with water.

Jesus was up at the stern of the boat, sleeping soundly with his head on a pillow. The disciples went to wake Him up. Shaking Him they said, “Teacher! Teacher! don’t you care about us? The ship is about to sink and we are going to drown!” Jesus opened His eyes, stood up and gave a command to the wind and the waves. “Be quiet! Settle down!”

Once the wind stopped, and the lake became as smooth as glass. He admonished His followers, “Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith at all?” They stood there in awe, and were very afraid to ask each other, “Who in the world is this man that He can say to the winds and the waves be quiet and even they obey Him as their Master?”¹

Sometimes it may seem like we need to wake Jesus up to get His attention. But our Lord laid His head on that pillow already knowing that a storm was coming. That’s why He told His disciples, in the first place, that they were going across the lake to the other side. He just wanted to see if they trusted Him whether He was wide awake and helping them or simply because He was in the boat. I’m sure we all have experienced these storms, but the real question is whether we acted like the disciples here in this case, or did we perform like Jesus was hoping we would? – Dr. Robert R Seyda

JESUS FINALLY SHOWED UP

There was something in this short story that caused me to reflect on how a child understands what we as parents mean when we talk about our church, the preacher’s message, and special days on which we celebrate Jesus and His life here on earth. So I want to share it with you as during this Easter Season.

Author and Guidepost contributor Marci Alborghetti mentioned that she usually deletes those e-mails forwarded to her with cute or sentimental stories without even reading them. She receives so many, and when it comes to Internet posts that are meant to impress she just doesn’t have the time. But for some reason, she read the one received on Palm Sunday.

It went like this: A little boy who was forced to stay home from church with dad because he developed a bad cold. When the service was over and his mom and older sister came home, she was waving her palm frond in the air singing “Hosanna, Hosanna…” “What’s that?” asked the little boy quizzically.

“Oh,” she answered, “they gave us these at church so we could wave them in the air and then lay them on the ground to welcome Jesus.”

The boy looked at her in horror and then started sobbing and crying. His mother quickly went over and held him and asked what was wrong? “Did your big sister say something that upset you?” Through his tears and without opening his eyes he sobbed, “The one Sunday I don’t get to go to church, Jesus shows up!”

It should be a foregone conclusion for adults and children that Jesus shows up at our churches every time we meet – if we let Him in. That’s because when we go to church He goes with us in our hearts and in our minds. Some people have been waiting for Him to come for a long time. But He’s already here, waiting to take up residence in our hearts. That’s what happened when we receive Him as our Lord and Savior. We welcome Him with joy and jubilation. The word “Hosanna” means, “Save us now!” And when we cry to Him to save us He will.

But just as Palm Sunday is joyous, it begins one of the most harrowing, tragic, grief-stricken weeks in Jesus’ life. But it ends with one of the most joyous and exciting days of the year. Once Jesus enters our lives He can take us by the hand as we begin our journey with Him. And when we have joy-filled days with Him guiding us we can rejoice, but also, when we have dark and desperate days, we can be filled with blessed assurance because He is always with us. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

I watched a video depicting this story the other day and it really impacted me, so I thought I’d share it with you. A father came home very tired and aggravated by a bad day at work. No sooner did he enter the house than his ten-year-old son asked him, “Daddy, what is your hourly wage?” His father looked at him as if he didn’t actually hear what his son said. So the Father asked him to repeat his question. Again the boy asked, “How much money do you get paid in an hour.” This proved too much. The father was already upset about how things went at the office, now he’s being interrogated by his son wanting to know how much he earns per hour?

In very strong and harsh word the father scolded him severely. “You mean, it doesn’t matter that I came home after working all day to put food on our table and a roof over our heads? Instead of asking me how was I doing, you interrogate me on my salary? What kind of spoiled brat are you? You don’t deserve anything to eat, so go to your room, close the door, and stay there until you’re told you can come out.” With tears brimming up in his eyes, the little boy slouched back to his room with head bowed and closed the door behind him.

After the father read the newspaper and calmed down, he started thinking that he had been too rough with his son. In fact, he didn’t even ask his son what he wanted to know. So slowly the father walked down to the room and opened the door to see his son sitting on the bed with his eyes closed. He said to his son, “Listen, I think I was a little to mean to you when I got home. I didn’t mean to be so hateful but I had a bad day at the office. By the way, why did you ask? The boy said, I wanted to see if you would give me ten dollars. “Ten dollars, yelled his dad! What have you done to even deserve a dollar, let alone ten dollars.” And with that, the father turned, walked out of the room, and slammed the door behind him.

When mealtime came, the mother asked if he was going to let their son eat. The father was one to be strict and discipline his son, but there was no reason to make him suffer any longer. So, again he went down to his son’s room and told him he could come out to eat. But before the boy was able to get up to leave, in a sense of remorse for treating his son the way he did, he reached into his wallet and gave his son ten dollars.

The boy was elated! He ran to his chest of draws and pulled out his piggy bank. He quickly emptied it of the coins and wadded up dollar bills that were in there. The look on the father’s face was that of one who realized he had just been scammed. “You already had money! How much did you have? Why would you need ten dollars from me?”

The boy said calmly, with a smile on his face that made it seem as though he didn’t detect his father’s anger, “The reason I asked you how much money you were paid an hour is because I wanted to give you that much so when you get home you would spend an hour with me so we could talk and have fun.” As the boy held out his twenty dollars, the father felt a sense of shame go through his whole body. With tears, he apologized to his son. He realized that he did seem to live just for himself. His time was for his interests. As they walked to the kitchen table, the mother saw them smiling and hugging each other. She was delighted when she heard their story.

How much would you charge your children for one hour of their undivided attention? Should they even have to pay you at all? If we were to try and calculate how much one hour of God’s time would cost, there’s no number big enough. And what if He charged us for the blessings He freely shares with us? This same principle applies not only for parents and their children but for husbands and wives. Don’t ever say to your spouse, “I love you,” unless they can have your undivided attention any minute of any day. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

THE STORY OF AN EMPTY EGG

When I discovered this story, it listed no author, so there is no one to whom I can give credit for sharing this heart-touching story about Easter. I hope its message reaches your heart as it did mine.

A little boy named Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of twelve, he still sat in second grade, six grades behind his peers. It looked like he would never learn enough to move on to the next grade. Mrs. Miller, his homeroom teacher, often became exasperated with his inability to grow mentally stronger. He’d squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light suddenly penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just proved to be a source of irritation for his teacher.

One day Mrs. Miller called his parents and asked them to come in for consultation. As Mr. and Mrs. Forrester entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, “Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It’s probably embarrassing for him to be with younger children who don’t have his learning difficulties. It just doesn’t seem fair.

Mrs. Forrester wept softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke up. “Miss Miller,” he said, “there is no such school nearby. Not only would it be very inconvenient for us to move, find a new home and a new job, but it would come as a terrible shock for Jeremy if we took him out of this school. We know he really likes it here.”

Doris sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it just didn’t seem right to keep him in her class. She had eighteen other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a constant distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried her bests to tolerate Jeremy’s noises and his blank stares. That is, until one day, he limped up to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. “I love you, Miss Miller!” he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris’ face turned red. She still managed to stammer, “Wh–wh–why that’s very nice, Jeremy. N–n—now please take your seat.”

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them that during that time of year everything in nature came alive; the trees, flowers, butterflies, and birds were returning. She gave each of the children a large colored plastic egg. “Now listen,” she said to them, “I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that reminds you of spring and shows the beginning of new life. Do you understand?”

All of the children shouted in response, “Yes, Miss Miller!” That is, all except Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. She wondered if he even understood what she just said about Spring and new life? Did he even understand the assignment? So she thought, maybe I should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, however, Doris’ kitchen sink plugged up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still needed to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy’s parents.

The next morning, nineteen children came skipping to school, laughing and talking as they entered the classroom and placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller’s desk. After they completed their math lesson, it came time to open the eggs.

In the first egg, Doris found a flower. “Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life,” she said. “When budding plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here.” A small girl in the first row waved her arm saying, “That’s my egg, Miss Miller!”

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. “We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that’s new life too.” Little Judy smiled proudly and said, “Miss Miller, that one’s mine.”

Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, “My Daddy helped me find it,” he beamed.

But when Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy’s she thought, and of course, he didn’t understand her instructions. If only she hadn’t forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. “Miss Miller, aren’t you going to talk about my egg?” Flustered, Doris replied, “But Jeremy, if that’s your egg it’s empty. He looked straight into her eyes and said softly, “Yes, said Jeremy, but I learned in Sunday school that Jesus’ tomb was empty, too.” It seemed as if time froze, her brain searched for something to say. Finally, she recovered enough from her shock to ask, “Jeremy, do you know why the tomb was empty?” “Oh, yes,” Jeremy said, “Jesus was killed and put in there. And because it was Springtime, God made Him come back to life!”

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The coldness inside her melted completely away. Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see nineteen eggs laying on top of his casket, all of them were empty.

As adults, we do not want to be accused of thinking like a child, especially one that is particularly lacking in knowledge and decorum. But Jesus didn’t feel that way. He showed a special love for children and said that the Kingdom of Heaven was like a classroom full of little children.¹ Not only that, but He said that often great wisdom would be spoken by little children.² And after all, with God being eternal, whatever our age may be we are only infants in His sight. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

There are a number of great quotes in which eagles are compared with chickens, crows, turkeys and even dogs. So I decided to add one of my own that reads: “You can’t soar high like an eagle if your head is stuck in the sand with ostriches.” If you are an ostrich Christian, then the words of the Prophet Isaiah do not mean much to you: “They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.”¹ I like the way it is rendered in another version: “Those who trust the Lord will become strong again. They will rise up as high as an eagle in the sky.”²

Sandy Warner mentions how as an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the LORD alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him. As most of you know, eagles have been classified in the prophetic world as being symbolic of the prophetic. She recently did some research about eagles and was fascinated with how the information correlated with our training up as Christians and also the prophetic giftings. She points to what we are told about all the Israelites coming together to meet with the LORD their God at the special place He chose. They must read the teachings of the LORD to the people so that they can hear them. They were told to bring together all the people – the men, the women, the little children, and the foreigners living in their cities so they will hear the teachings, and they will learn to respect the LORD your God. Then they will be able to do everything in this Book of Teachings.³

Most of you know that eagles must LEARN to fly and hunt and are taught by OBSERVING their parents? These skills are not instinctive like some of God’s creatures. However, eagles are born with a different instinct called “imprinting.” Konrad Lorenz first discovered imprinting when he observed ducks and geese hatching out of their eggs. He noticed they would bond with the first moving object they saw, regardless of whether this was their parent. From that first moment of imprinting, they follow their moving parent (or adopted parent) until raised.⁴

The concept of imprinting is fascinating. Bird shelters that rescue eagle eggs, must hand-feed them with an eagle puppet so that the eagles do not think they are human and end up resisting their own kind when it is time to mate. In Kondrad’s imprinting studies, he saw one egg hatch near a rolling ping pong ball. When the duck grew old enough, it tried to mate with anything that was round and rolling. One group of ducklings imprinted on his moving boots. In the morning when he would go outside to put on his boots, instead of being in their nest, the ducks were curled up and sleeping on his boots. They followed Kondrad – everywhere his boots took him.

So it is with imitating the Anointed One – Jesus of Nazareth. As infants in the Lord’s family, we must grow up in constant contact with His Word. So as we grow older as spiritual adults, people will see us always following God’s Word wherever it takes us and duplicating whatever it teaches us. It is God through His Holy Spirit who teaches us how to fly higher each day in the atmosphere of His presence through the Word. So when you meet another believer who seems to be stuck in the routine of going to church to be fed the Word of God but then never does anything with what they learn, they just keep coming back week after week at the same feeding time, you may be looking at an ostrich. No matter how big they may seem in people’s eyes, remember this: They still can’t fly like those of you who are eagles. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

GOD JUST WANTS TO HOLD YOUR HAND

The lady who wrote this touching story did not attach her name, but having worked in a hospital as a chaplain it sounds very credible to me. It’s not so much the story, as it is the lesson it teaches us. I hope you appreciate her testimony as I did.

She tells us that her mother lay dying of an aggressive form of cancer for which no cure existed. She learned that a person never survived more than five years after being diagnosed with this type of cancer. Her mom was diagnosed at the age of 61 while living a vibrant, happy, enthusiastic life as a loving, caring woman. She fought this cancer with all her strength, submitting to an experimental operation to remove a tumor to give her a few more precious months here on Earth.

This lady, along with her sister and stepfather, cared for her mother after the operation, while painfully watching her waste away in the ICU of a wonderful national cancer center. She received the best care anyone could ask for. However, all three of their hearts ached as they watched her grow worse and worse, weaker and weaker. She reluctantly allowed herself to be put on life support with the promise that she would be taken off in order to go home soon. But weeks later, there seemed little hope she would ever be able to survive off the machines.

After long deliberations of tear-filled soul-searching for answers, all three of them decided that it was time to ask the hospital to allow them to take their beloved mother off life support and to let her die at home in dignity without pain. They promised her throughout their lives that they would never allow her to be kept alive as a vegetable on life-support machines, and they wanted to do their duty for her no matter how difficult and heart-wrenching they found it to be.

After days of meetings, the hospital ethics committee agreed with them that it was time to take their mother off life support. Together, the three of them stood around their mother’s bedside, more upset and stressed than they ever imagined because of having to make such a grief-filled decision. She remembers thinking, as she observed how distressed her sister and stepfather were, there were few situations on earth more challenging than the one they faced. Suddenly, she was filled with great love and empathy for family members of those on death row, waiting in a room to hear that their loved one was dead. She thought to herself, “I don’t know if I can’t take much more of this.”

Then the hospital chaplain, a member of the ethics committee, came hurriedly into the room. He said, “I’m very sorry to tell you this, but the ethics committee changed its mind. Your mother’s doctors withdrew their names from the committee and from your mother’s case. They said it feels like euthanasia to them. I must also tell you that there is great disagreement among other doctors on the committee who feel that your mother’s doctors are more interested in protecting their reputations than taking care of your mother and the three of you. We are going to have another meeting this afternoon. I will keep you posted on the outcome.”

She and her sister began to sob and cry, and her stepfather turned beet red with anger. She felt her own stress level climb to intolerable levels. In her mind, she silently cried out to God, “ O Lord! If you have any more strength to give me, I need it more than ever. I need Your help right now or I won’t be able to get through this and to help my family to get through this! Please God, Help me, God! Please!”

Suddenly felt faint and slumped toward the floor. Then just as quickly, it felt like she was being transported from her mother’s hospital room. She found herself standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking a green and gold colored ocean heaving with huge waves. The air felt soft as velvet against her skin and a light seemed to cover her like the finest silk cloth. Somehow, she knew in her heart that the ocean was infinitely wide and infinitely deep. She knew inside herself that the strength of God was surrounding her. Suddenly someone like an angel behind her leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear with a soft and loving voice, “Take as much strength as you need.”

At that moment, she opened her eyes and found herself still standing up in the room with her emotional, grieving, distressed family, Then she experienced the strength she just prayed for flood into her body and soul. Miraculously she made it through the rest of the afternoon and into the evening as the hospital ethics committee went through the processes they needed in order to feel comfortable in allowing them to take their mother off life support.

Together, they remained there as a family fulfilling their promise to their mother, making sure she received the support she needed to gracefully leave this planet surrounded by love. For this lady, the words of that angel, “Take as much as you need” remains to this day such a loving invitation and one she’s remembered many times since then, especially whenever she begins to doubt the infinite love of God. And one day she hopes to thank, in person, the angel whose gentle, supportive voice whispered those words into her ear.

Maybe your personal experience was not the same as this lady’s, nor perhaps will such a heartbreaking situation face you with equal pain and devastation. But the God who heard her prayer and sent the angel to whisper such hope in her ear is still the same. Always keep in mind, just like Job of old in the Bible, God never takes away from your past without replacing what you lost with something you’ll need for the future. As the old song goes, you may not know about tomorrow, but the One who holds tomorrow holds your hand, so take as much strength as you need, He’s ready to give it to you. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

Ovid (BC 43-17 AD), writer of classic ancient Roman poetry said this in one of his poems in Latin: “Materiae autem praestet, opus fac.” As we all know, that our understanding in English all depends on the translator. John Dryden rendered it this way: “The matter vied not with the sculptor’s thought,” and another wrote, ”The work of art was finer than the material.” But A. S. Kline translated it thus: “The workmanship exceeded the matter.”¹

No matter which one we choose, the meaning is still the same: take something of inferior material and make it into a superior product. If that relates to taking a slice of an old Red Wood tree and making into a beautiful coffee table, or an old rundown former factory and remodeling it into upscale apartments, it also can apply to life.

Maybe our height, weight, hair color, skin color or facial features make not pass a screening test for a Hollywood movie, that still doesn’t mean we can’t take what we have and transform it so that when people look at us they marvel at how well we’ve done with what we were given.

But it goes deeper than that. Perhaps we weren’t raised in a highly functional family with model parents or were given the opportunity to attend the best schools or even get into college, but these are not the only forces and factors that shape our lives, attitudes, mindset, talents, virtues, and character. Like a potter who takes a clump of ordinary clay and molds it into a beautiful vase that sells for a high price, so can the One who made us in the first place, do the same.

I heard this poem many years ago, and I’m sure you’ve heard it too, but the message is still loud and clear.

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin, but held it up with a smile; “What am I bidden, good folks,” he cried, “Who’ll start the bidding for me?” “A dollar, a dollar”; then two!” “Only two? Two dollars, and who’ll make it three? Three dollars, once; three dollars twice; going for three..”But no, from the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody pure and sweet as caroling angel sings. The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low, said; “What am I bid for the old violin?” And he held it up with the bow. A thousand dollars, and who’ll make it two? Two thousand! And who’ll make it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and gone,” said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We do not quite understand what changed its worth.” Swift came the reply: “The touch of a master’s hand.” And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin, A “mess of pottage,” a glass of wine; a game – and he travels on. “He is going” once, and “going twice, He’s going and almost gone.” But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul and the change that’s wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand. Myra ‘Brooks’ Welch

More recently, Bill and Gloria Gather wrote this beautiful song:

If there ever were dreams That were lofty and noble They were my dreams at the start And hope for life’s best were the hopes That I harbor down deep in my heart But my dreams turned to ashes And my castles all crumbled, my fortune turned to loss So I wrapped it all in the rags of life And laid it at the cross.Something beautiful, something good All my confusion He understood All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife But he made something beautiful of my life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMQqSarDf8Y

Does this sound like fanciful thinking? Is it some pie-in-the-sky idea? If one were to think so, they must then convince over 2.18 billion Christians around the word that it’s not true. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

I JUST SAW JESUS!

When I read this story I found myself thinking whether I should take this as a made-up fishing tale or to accept it as another one of those miracles that only a child’s faith is able to believe and grasp. Since the real names of people and places were given, I decided to receive it as a true story.

Howard County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call one Saturday afternoon, His six-year-old grandson, Mikey, was hit by a car while fishing with his dad just outside Greentown, Indiana. They were near a bridge on the bank of the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph.

Sheriff Marr’s pulse began to race, he saw the results of many such accidents like this and feared the worst. When he finally got to Saint Joseph Hospital, he rushed through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits.

“Mikey, what happened?” Sheriff Marr asked breathlessly. Mikey replied calmly, ‘Well, Papaw, I was fishin’ with Dad, and some old lady ran me over with her car. It knocked me into a big mud-puddle and broke my fishin’ pole, so I didn’t get a chance to catch a fish!”

As it turned out, the impact with the care sent Mikey flying about 500 feet, over some small trees and an embankment, landing right in the middle of a large puddle of mud. His only injuries occurred when the car smashed into him and broke his right femur bone in two places. Mikey underwent surgery to place pins in his leg. Otherwise, the boy was shaken up but just fine.

All the boy talked about was that his fishing rod got broken, so while he was in surgery, Sheriff Marr went out to Wall-Mart and bought him a new one so he could give it to him when he came out. The next day, the Sheriff sat in the hospital room with Mikey keeping him company. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and talked about when he could go fishing again, as he cast the hook into the trash can.

When they were alone, young Mikey turned to his grandfather and asked him matter-of-factly, “Papaw, did you know that Jesus is a real person?” Being somewhat startled by the sudden question, Sheriff Marr stuttered a little as he replied, “Ye, ye, yes! I believe Jesus is real. But He’s only real to people who believe in Him and love Him.” “Why do you ask?” Papaw inquired somewhat quizzically.

“I mean, do you really believe that Jesus is a real person?” asked Mikey again. “What do you mean?” asked the Sheriff? “I mean, that now I know He’s a real man because I saw him,” explained Mikey somewhat nonchalantly while still casting his fishing hook toward the recycle bin. Now sitting up straight and with eyebrows raised, the Sheriff looked at him said seriously, “’You did!” “When?”

Mikey kept casting his fishing line and continued. “When that lady hit me and I went flyin’ up into the air, but just before I hit the ground I saw Jesus and He caught me in His arms, walked me over to the middle of the mud puddle and laid me down in the water.”

I don’t doubt but what Sheriff Marr felt tears well-up in his eyes. His grandson saw something he dreamed of seeing ever since he made Jesus Lord of his life. Then a sense of thrill and joy filled his heart when he realized that he did see Jesus through his grandson’s eyes. If that was one of my grandkids I surely would have felt the same way. And as I finished reading this story I was so glad that our Lord still reveals Himself at the right time and right place so that we witness miracles of this kind so that we also can say, “I just saw Jesus!” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

TO ALL MY READERS AND FACEBOOK FRIENDS

I have some good news to share with you. A few months ago, during a Governors Meeting of the Phrear School of Theology where I am privileged to serve as an Academic Officer Operations Trustee, the Chancellor informed us that they were considering initiating a Masters Degree level course on Ministry, and were looking for some Textbooks or Supplemental Reading Material for that course.

When I told him about our study here, and on Facebook, on Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. he graciously asked me to send him a draft for consideration. Praise the Lord, I was able to send the whole commentary to the school yesterday. Now it is a matter of simply waiting to see what God has in store for the work His Holy Spirit helped me to research and write.

I informed the Chancellor that I did not want any remuneration for the commentary were they to decide to use it and publish it, I desired that all proceeds go to the School to help the students and expenses of the operation. That would be my contribution. Any reward I might receive is knowing that students as far away as the Republic of the Philippines on one side of the world and the country of Malawi in Africa on the other side of the world would be given a chance to see and study what the Lord shared with me.

Researching and writing this work has taken over five years. So now I’m leaving it in the Lord’s hands, and the capable hands of the Chancellor and his staff. All I ask is that you pray with me that God’s will is done to His honor, praise, and glory. – Dr. Robert R Seyda