Accountability is Fundamental

Accountability is Fundamental

True! Accountability is fundamental to being an authentic Christian.

According to the Reverend Ken Weliever: Even those identified as spiritual heroes in the Bible were accountable for their missteps and mistakes. Abraham. Jacob. Moses. Joshua. David. Solomon. As well as Jesus’ own apostles like Peter, James and John.” 

What the Reverend Ken Weliever left out were spiritual women of the Hebrew Testament and Martha and Mary of the Gospels. MMM…that’s curious because it is the women who often hold men accountable.

Of course let us not forget that in the Hebrew Testament as in the Pauline letters, women became “men” when they married in keeping with Genesis 2:24. 

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and “hold fast” to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (emphasis mine)

Another thing to keep in mind as we Christians walk in the footsteps of Jesus. We should think about how and why Peter was chosen as the Foundation Stone of the Church. We should also think about who James and John were. Scripture calls them the sons of Thunder. 

Why would these two people called the “sons of Thunder” be chosen “to ascend” go up on the mountain and witness the Transfiguration with Peter the one Jesus chose to be the foundation stone of the church. 

Of course astute bible readers will recall and share the passage in Exodus 19: 16-20, when the people having been prepared to meet God on the Third Day…waited at the bottom of the Mountain and heard the Thunder and saw the lightning while Moses their Teacher ascended the mountain to speak with God who answered him in Thunder!

On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Where does the Ascension take place that the Rabboni, The Teacher referred to when he spoke “face to face” with the Woman Jesus called Mary in the Garden of the Tombs of the dead?

According to Luke’s Gospel, the Ascension takes place on the Mount of Olives in Bethany…after the Lord appeared to Simon.

When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy…(BSB)

Is heaven our solar system…where Jupiter the “Father of the Roman gods and the King of the planets work with the Sol the Sun that sends photons to Earth, our home?

Or is that too weird? And yet, long ago the astrologers knew a lot about the stars and the planets that some of us are just now finding out about. According to modern astronomers, the other planets in the solar system including Jupiter the God of Thunder, the Romans believed to be the King of the planets and the “Father of the gods” exert a gravitational pull that help stabilize the Earth’s distance from the sun.

Many Romans as did the Greeks worshipped the God of Thunder and the other gods as idols, as if they could never sin or make a mistake. At least being so far away in the sky Jupiter could appear to mere mortals to be infallible and could never be held accountable to mere mortals or be forgiven for any mistakes or sins.

My grandchildren are teaching me about the asteroid belt and how Jupiter tries to protect earth. Confirming what they told me, I discovered today that scientific simulations reveal that Jupiter does a pretty good job of deflecting comets that come from outer space, but not so good of a job deflecting those in our solar system.

And so I think it is interesting to note that both Moses regarded as the Teacher of Israel, and the Man Jesus called the Rabboni, the Teacher ascended. Moses spoke with God and God answered him with Thunder (Exodus 19:19). While Jesus the Rabboni ascended and sat at the right hand side of God the “Father” (Mark 16:19).

Could it be possible that the Father of Jesus the Rabboni also known as Christ the Son of God, be the Thunder which Moses spoke with in Exodus 19? Could this Thunder be the Rock, that Jesus [the Holy Spirit] chose as the foundation stone of the Church (Matthew 16: 16-18)?

Many people would say NO because Simon bar Jonah like Jonah did not want the responsibility of preaching to sinners, who were liars, robbers, sex workers, enslaving women in prostitution and killing babies (Nahum 3: 1-7). Perhaps Simon like Jonah thought that would take him away from using his own prophetic voice and so he thought that by stepping away and tending to his own business by the sea, this unpleasant sinful situation would correct itself…and he could simply continue to do as he pleased and tend to his own business without this added responsibility.

However, let’s not forget. Simon bar Jonah was held accountable by Jesus the son of God. John’s Gospel records how Simon bar Jonah does try to escape the responsibility of “being the foundation stone” of the Church and protecting the sheep, the followers of Jesus the Good Shepherd. But in the final chapter of John’s Gospel, chapter 21, Simon bar Jonah hears the voice of Jesus the son of God calling out to him from the shore, telling him to cast his net on the “right side” of the boat. The disciples don’t realize or recognize that it is Jesus until his beloved disciple says “It is the Lord.” This encounter is what holds Simon bar Jonah accountable.

As soon as Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it) and jumped into the sea (John 21:7).

Could this “outer garment” be his “wedding” garment? Or is that too weird?

In ancient Hebrew culture a shepherd’s coat was an outer garment made of goat or camel hair, called an “aba”.

In the Gospel, Jesus refers to the Father as “Abba”. Could Simon bar Jonah aka Peter be Christ the Bridegroom who belongs to the Bride that the Forerunner testified about in John’s Gospel 3:38-29…when his followers “supposed” he had taken the Coat and had assumed the role of Christ the Father?

After all, the Rabbi called John the Baptist by his followers did wear a coat made from camel’s hair and a shepherd’s coat could be made from the hair of goats or camels. And he did set fathers and the children “STRAIGHT” when they were mistaken and “supposed” he was the Bridegroom.

You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’

The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete (John 3: 28-29 BSB).

Yet could it be that a wedding did take place in the vicinity of Bethany at the Mount of Olives to fulfill the prophetic testimony of John the Forerunner? Why else would the Forerunner say “The Bride belongs to [with] the Bridegroom” if the Forerunner did not envision them, eating and sleeping together in one house full of joy, raising up a divine household full of penitent sinners?

Many people look and sift through all the New Testament literature, including the apocrypha, the Gnostic Gospels and the legends and conclude that they can see no explicit evidence of such a wedding. Perhaps it is because people like the followers of the Forerunner the disciples called John confuse the Rabboni, the Teacher, with Christ the Bridegroom and fail to see the Teacher called the Rabboni as the Baptizer as the Lord of Grace who lost his head, yet was resurrected when the Woman Jesus called Mary and her sister Martha testified to the Resurrection?

Chania pronounced Hania was the female Hebrew name for Grace, and the Hebrew male name Yohannan in Greek is John and means God is gracious. So Christians need to remember that Mary and Martha witnessed the Resurrection with the men and held them accountable to the Resurrection! In fact it was Martha who was the housewife of Bethany who took care of all the preparations when her sister Mary and the disciples came to Bethany and held her Lord accountable to ensure no missteps could distract them all and lead people astray and cause a scandal.

When Martha [the housewife of Bethany] was distracted by all the preparations to be made. She came to Jesus [the Teacher] and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me!”[brackets mine]

However take note, when Martha’s Lord responds to her, he says her name twice.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.

But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Many people might think that the Lord’s reply dismisses Martha’s concern telling her she is distracted and worried about many things. However, pay attention to how he reassures her that she has nothing to be worried about. He confirms the choice Mary has made and he reminds Martha of her purposeful role as the Lord’s Lady, his Lady!

Mary has chosen to sit at his feet with the disciples to prepare herself for the portion, the purpose she has discovered because of her relationship to Martha’s Lord and Martha’s gracious hospitality. Martha was worried because she thought that the Woman Jesus calls Mary may not have made the right choice because Mary’s choice is Simon bar Jonah! Martha’s Lord is sure Mary has made the right choice. That’s enough for Martha and it should be for us too!