Linda Vogt Turner

Priming the Pump: The Teacher of John

It took me 40 years to realize the gift of God—the one the Teacher of John spoke of when he encountered the Woman at the Well of Sum Maria.

“If you knew the gift of God,
and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’
you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
—John 4:10

This verse—so often quoted—holds a hidden treasure in a single small word: “and.”
The Teacher does not say: If you knew who I am—the gift of God.
He says: If you knew the gift of God, and who is speaking with you…

That tiny conjunction reveals something profound. The Gift of God is not the man asking for a drink. The gift and the speaker are two distinct realities. The gift is something else—someone else—yet to be found.

Who Is the Gift?

The Gospel of John is deliberate in its naming. And one name stands out, easily overlooked: Nathanael.

His name means “God has given” or “Gift of God.”

In John 1:47, Jesus declares Nathanael “a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceit.”

In John 21:2, he is again named—this time in connection with Cana, the place of the first wedding feast. This matters.

So why does the Woman suppose the Teacher is the gift?

Because he primes the pump.
He draws her out—into the Noon Day Sun and awakens the deep well inside her.
He does not give her a physical cup of water—but he gives her what no man had ever given her before: permission to seek, to ask, to believe she is worthy of the promise…
to Love and be truly loved in return.

According to John, the Teacher is Not the Christ

This is difficult to hear—let alone explain—so his disciples must listen if they have ears!

The Teacher of John—who speaks in riddles, who prepares the way, who rejoices at the Bridegroom’s voice—is not the Christ.

He says it himself:

“You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’”
—John 3:28

And again, in the same breath:

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.”

The Teacher is the Forerunner—
The friend of the Bridegroom, not the Bridegroom himself.
He is the Baptist, the Son of the Father,
The one sent to prepare the way.

He does not give the woman living water.
Not yet.

Instead, he primes her—like an old village pump needing a few strokes to clear the air from her pipe before water can rise.
He draws out her confession, she’s had five husbands who have forsaken her, and the one she is with is not really her husband.

She is not yet the source.
She is the empty vessel.
The well that has not yet begun to flow.

But once she recognizes the Gift of God,
and he her.
Then he—the true Bridegroom—will give her living water.
And it will become a spring within her—
Ever-flowing. Ever-renewing.
A river rising up from the depths of her own being.

Only then does she become the well.
Because the Teacher in his asking if you knew who asked you for a drink,
primed her spirit to go and seek.

Seeking to know more about the man she just met—
She asks: “Could this be The Bridegroom?
My Lord?
Or is there another?

And then Nathanael comes along.

Was Nathanael—the Gift of God?
The one who would give her the water she was thirsting for?

Under the Fig Tree

“Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
—John 1:48

Nathanael is found under the fig tree—
The very tree where Adam once hid from the Father in the Garden.

And as the Woman drinks in these words,
the truth begins to well up inside her.

Could it be?

Nathanael is the Christ—
The Everlasting Father Isaiah spoke of.
The Rock her soul has clung to since the beginning of time.

The one who was with her, even after the fall—
when she was lost,
when she was thirsty,
when she couldn’t remember who she was.

And the Teacher?
Yes—he is Christ,
the Son of God, the one born again of the Father,
the New Adam, the one who saw Nathanael under the fig tree.

But he is not the Christ who is the Bride— who belongs to the Bridegroom.

The Teacher of John is the Christ who comes ahead—
To prepare the way.
To prime the well …with a cup of water,
to drive out the demons,
the air, keeping her water from flowing.

Red-haired woman offering water, symbolizing the Woman at the Well primed to release the living water of memory and resurrection. — “*Primed…the water of memory* begins to push out lifeless air, bringing forth the living water of resurrection.”

He is not the Gardener, her husbandman.
He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.

And She? Well she is La Source.
She is Maria. She is the Magdalene.
The Amygdala, the almond branch.

Her faith is what makes her PURE.

The light hidden behind the veil
hammered and shaped into a golden lamp stand for the Holy of Holies.

Thus as The Teacher of John comes out of the tomb

He calls her to spring forth and blossom,
so that she might become the Christ who is the Bride—
and be re-joined to her Lord, her true husbandman, the Gift of God

She has always clung to
and as the Teacher and his disciples gathered at Bethany watch:

Nathanael, the father of Jesus of Nazareth—called Joseph, also known as Barnabas
—takes his Bride’s hand.
And a new covenant is read aloud, beneath the almond branch in bloom.

✦ ✦ ✦

This reflection has taken me 40 years to write.
It isn’t meant to stir controversy—but to stir the waters.
If your heart is moved and you’d like to go deeper, I welcome invitations to break bread and share more with your community or congregation.

The Gift of God is not what I imagined forty years ago.
And yet… can’t you see?

He has always been with us—waiting for his children to discover him… under the fig tree.

Simon in the Prince’s Garden

Attending a little worship service yesterday at Bethany-Newton United Church in Surrey, I heard Luke’s rendition of John’s story—the one where Simon Peter casts his nets into the deep. Only this time, I heard it in a slower, more pondersome way.

That word—pondersome—is rarely used today. But I’m using it on purpose.

Because it is important to think deeply about Simon and Jesus, out there on the edge of a pond—the one that came to be known as the Prince’s Garden, or more commonly today, Lake Gennesaret.

And perhaps Luke is recording this story as if Simon were just a fisherman, tossing out literal nets. But what if Simon was something more—a bard on the beach, an entertainer or street magician, eking out a living in the public houses and tide-washed corners of the valley?

So perhaps Luke envisions Simon as the Son of Man, as the bard who wove together networks of artists and seekers, not strands of rope. One whose very fissure—that inner cleft where longing lives—was a lonely space: the very place the Cross, like the Amygdala, would one day fill.

Black man in bardic robe singing on the beach—symbol of Simon the Bridegroom — Encourager, Bard, and Bridegroom—Simon stands at the shore, singing of love, light, and the gathering storm.

For falling in love is a marvelous thing. It does bring heartache and sorrow at times. But when two people cleave to one another—truly commit—they discover the greatest lesson of all: to love and be loved in return—as the bard Nat King Cole once crooned.

Other times when I’ve heard this story, I saw Simon simply as an ordinary fisherman, not as a bard, but merely as someone fishing and mending nets, and Jesus standing on the shore as an authoritative teacher. I saw two boats and just assumed this was a very typical and familiar scene.

More importantly, I missed the moment when Jesus got into Simon’s boat.

But yesterday, it was like cataracts had cleared my vision. I suddenly heard the phrase “in the same boat” to mean more than just being together. That phrase called out to me and pushed me to enter into Simon’s struggle, to see the plight of the poor and experience the unpleasant situation of those who are eking out a living, out on the margins—at the edge of a garden that belongs to the Prince.

And maybe, just maybe, it also means entering into the boat with those whose lives have been marked by judgment—because of their race, or their poverty, or their relationships.

Perhaps even with someone whose mother-in-law is ill, because of Jesus’ radical teaching that to divorce and remarry is to commit adultery—which would have made Simon’s household not just humble, but scandalous.

Now, dear reader, you might be wondering:

“Linda, what are you smoking? This story has nothing to do with divorce. Why go there?”

But let’s not forget: The Law of Moses said adulterers should be stoned. Still who ever heard of fishermen catching fish with stones? And yet, didn’t Jesus—when confronted with this law—turn it on its head?

“Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” When no one could, Jesus the male teacher turned to the woman brought in for questioning and asked:

“Has no one condemned you?”
“No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

In the very next verse, Jesus—the one identified as the Christ—by the crowd who do not know the Law, says:

“I am the Light of the World.”

To those who see and hear John’s testimony of John 3:28 clearly, the one the crowd identified is the Christ—the Bride who belongs to the Bridegroom.

But Simon? Simon wants to make sure everyone knows he’s a sinful man—engaged to the Master.

Maybe that’s why the boat feels too heavy, too pondersome to bear.

Maybe the disciples still think the Master must be a man—not the woman who has mastered the art of homemaking, of storytelling, of seeing light in dark places.

And storytellers and bards? They know how to listen to lyrics—how to hear what others miss.

🎶 Consider the lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women”:

“They’ll stone you when you’re trying to be so good…
They’ll stone you just like they said they would…
But I would not feel so all alone—
Everybody must get stoned.”

At first glance, many hear this and think of getting high—stoned on Mary Jane, commonly thought of as weed—that calms the nerves and sparks insight.

But those who have learned their lessons well know another kind of stoning:

The kind that marks the end of the single life—the old pursuit of fishing for a mate, a one night stand, or merely wandering alone in the dark, no longer half-hearted, but fully committed.

The kind of stoning that prepares a soul to be born again by the Light of the World, not just committed to a partner—but committed to Christ the Rock, the adult male Jesus—the Bride chose to be the foundation of her Church.

And if we linger here a moment longer, we’ll notice: there isn’t just one boat in Luke’s story. Luke tells us there were two boats, and the sons of Zebedee were in the other—James and John, whom Jesus would later call the Sons of Thunder.

The Sons of Thunder is not just a poetic nickname, but a revelation:

Thunder is the Our Father—the one who listens to and answers Lightning’s spark, who reverberates with creative power as He did so in the beginning:

“Let there be light.”

Can you hear Simon? The one who fell at Jesus’ feet and cried, “Depart from me, Master, for I am a sinful man.”

Surely this cry was not cowardice. It was Thunder responding with humility to Lightning—not fleeing the Light, but trembling before it. Pondering and reflecting on the streams of living water filling his dark life…asking how can this be?

And yet in time, Simon comes to himself and accepts that he is the voice that booms forth from a dark cloud full of rain. He is the one whose soul was full of pondering. Who felt truly humble, unworthy, poor and powerless.

He is the Rock and the fissure, where the Cross plants herself in hope. He is the one who denied that “anyone” could grasp the nature of God.

And yet, when Simon heard the Rooster crow, and felt the testimony of John stir deep within his soul, he knew—he was being called as the God Father of a multitude, and to don his morning coat, his wedding garment that he had once taken off.

Simon the Bard Bridegroom standing beneath a tree by the water, wearing a white robe symbolizing redemption and readiness. — Simon, the Bridegroom Bard—robed in white beneath the Tree of Life. Washed, inspired, and ready.

He was going to get stoned
and not feel so alone.

He was going to bring hope to rainy day women
He was going to get married.

Celebrating Canada Day and the Fourth of July

Peace Arch border at night with fireworks and symbolic hands reaching across the US–Canada border

Happy National Holidays to all my friends, colleagues, readers—and family—on both sides of the border! 🇨🇦🇺🇸

May your celebrations be filled with light, joy, peace, and hope.

Let freedom ring—let peace make it possible, and sustain our brotherhood.

Kissing Donkeys

What does a kissing donkey have to do with good teeth, biblical prophecy, and the unity of Jew and Gentile?

In my latest post blog at Linda Vogt Turner.ca I explore the rich symbolism behind the lowly donkey—how he carried the Madonna and the weight of messianic hope.

Curious? Don’t miss:

GO AHEAD… KISS ME! A DONKEY’S TALE OF PROPHECY AND PROMISE

Discover how Psalm 3:7 and Amos 4:6 connect to a medieval legend about kissing donkeys to cure a toothache—and why the faithful (even dentists!) haven’t stopped smiling since.

Barnabas and The Ministry of Encouragement

I enjoy reading and commenting on ThePreachersWord blog, written by Ken Weliever, as often as my schedule allows. In a recent post, he lifts up 1 Thessalonians 5:11—“The Ministry of Encouragement”—and shares how he once preached a lesson entitled “Disciples Bear Burdens.” I’ve reblogged it below so you can read it first, then scroll down to read the comment I have posted here in response.

1 Thessalonians 5:11- The Ministry of Encouragement

Barnabas is remembered by the early Church as a father in the faith — a Levite from Cyprus, a companion of Paul, and a man whose name is often translated as “Son of Encouragement.” This reflection was was originally shared on June 11 — the Feast of Saint Barnabas — and now offered again in time for Father’s Day…

In Acts 4:36, we’re told that Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, was nicknamed Barnabas—meaning “Son of Encouragement.”

But what many miss is that the Gospel writers gave the earthly father of Jesus the name Joseph. Later traditions place Joseph of Nazareth in the barn at the Nativity, holding the lamp over the manger—bearing witness as Abba, the one who carries the Light— not merely carrying the Light, but lifting it high, so others may see the new family being born.

Another detail often overlooked: the capital of Cyprus is Kyrenia.

And it is here the story deepens.

The name Cyrene, from Simon of Cyrene, has been anglicized from Kyrene, an ancient Greek city in the region of Cyrenaica—one of five cities in the Pentapolis. This opens the possibility that Barnabas and Simon of Cyrene are one and the same.

So what?

Why does it matter if Simon of Cyrene—the man who carried the cross of Jesus—and Barnabas—the man who later carried Paul—were one and the same?

Here’s why:

The name Simon means “one who listens and heeds.”

It was the name of the man Jesus called Peter, the rock upon whom Jesus said the Church would be built. And it was Peter who stood at Pentecost, boldly encouraging the crowd to believe in the Crucifixion and the Resurrection—to see and trust the Good News.

“Christ is risen from the dead,
Trampling down death by death,
And upon those in the tombs bestowing life.”

As Paul later writes in 1 Corinthians 15:13:
“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.”

And if Christ has not been raised, how can we dare to hope?

But He has been raised.
And so we do hope.

We are called, as was the one known as Barnabas—Simon, Peter—to live in faith, to witness the Resurrection, to carry the message, to lift the burden, and to embody the ministry of encouragement.

And perhaps the greatest encouragement is this:

That the Body of Christ—Jesus the Man called Peter,
Jesus the Woman called Paul,
and the newborn child they resurrect, bring back to life in love—
is still working among us.

Some know this Child as John,
the one beloved,
the one who hears the Voice of the Bridegroom
and testifies to Him as His friend and forerunner.

Others know the Mother—Mary,
also called Paul,
as the one sent with Barnabas
to show and tell the Good News: the Resurrection.

Still others know the Father—Joseph,
called Peter, the earthly foundation stone,
as the one who bears the keys and casts the net.

And in Bethany, the House of Grace and House of Figs,
waits Martha—the faithful housewife,
the one who was told she worried too much—
but whose welcome set the table
for Salome, whom some now see as Mary,
to come and dance and sing,
bringing Peace and Love into the world.

So what is encouragement, if not this?

*Barnabas — Christ the Everlasting Father, reborn to declare with thunder: The Light has come!*

To show and tell.
To know we are not alone.
To know the Father and Mother of God—and their begotten Son of faith—are here.

Still bearing.
Still breaking bread.
Still rising.

Do you think you’re special?
or do you need to know?

🎶 "I Need to Know"– DonStewart

“I guess I’ll always be your friend,
That’s the label you give all your men…”
you say I’m special…but sometimes I wonder when you’re not here… ”

This original song by Canadian jazz vocalist DonStewart was performed live at Blue Frog Studios in White Rock, BC, as part of a tribute to Burt Bacharach in September 2024.

Watch the performance on YouTube

DonStewart’s lyrics echo the longing for clarity—the ache of love that asks, How do I stand?

Yet like Barnabas, — who is Simon, who is Peter — the one who heeds the Word and lifts the Light of the Cross, his voice— full of thunder— helps us remember who we are.

He takes us to the Gate called Beautiful.

“I have no silver or gold,
but what I have, I give you —
the name of Jesus of Nazer…eth…
a branch from the root of Jesse.”
(Acts 3:6; Isaiah 11:1)

The son who becomes a father who remembers—
becomes the voice who helps us remember who we are.

Water and the Gift of God

*“If you knew the gift of God — **and** who it is who asks — you would ask Him, and He would give you a spring welling up to eternal life.”*

This week Triathlon Training in the River Seine was cancelled because of pollution caused by too much rain overwhelming the sewage system of Paris.

Did you know that Coal can be used to filter drinking water? Check out this YouTube video and discover how.

Also this week, my peer review paper entitled Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage was published online. On page 257, in the open remarks of my paper, I make a bold statement.

The black rock we call coal can be faithfully viewed as a gift of God, at least if one considers how important coal was for the ancient Hebrew prophets Moses and Isaiah (Vogt Turner p. 257)

Many environmentalists and corporate media blame weather events on the excess of Carbon in the atmosphere, claiming this excess is what is causing climate change. Yet do you know Carbon is the “building block of all life”?

Environmentalists have linked this Carbon Excess to human behaviour and the extraction and the burning of coal and oil, his oily bride. What do you think? Are coal and oil the problem? Or are unbridled consumerism and prodigal, wastefully extravagant, habits at play here?

My paper “Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage” speaks to the need to stop demonizing Carbon and Green House Gas emissions. The reason being that our failure to redeem our waste is the bigger problem. We can not stop the rain from falling or the human body from creating waste or breathing out Carbon dioxide. Yet we can collect the rain and the waste and use them as a resource and recycle and reuse them over and over again.

Check out this video clip from my paper “Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage.”

In this video, the CEO of CCm Technologies, Pawel Kisielewski quotes Mahatma Gandhi believing whole heartedly that “Waste is only a resource in the wrong place.”

Waste is only a resource in the wrong place
Mahatma Ghandi

As for human behaviour that is prodigal, Jesus told a story about that. As the Jesus story goes, the prodigal son took his inheritance and ran away with it. Free from the restrictions of his Jewish upbringing, he spent his inheritance freely on prostitutes, unbridled women and men who sold sex or promoted sex to people looking to hook up for a night or a few hours without the responsibility and suffering that comes with having children.

You can watch this “sanitized” kids version …that leaves out the fact that the Righteous Son is angry because his brother has wasted his father’s money on prostitutes (Luke 15:30). The clip does show the prodigal confessing his sins and asking for a chance to earn back his father’s trust. The clip in keeping with the Parable shows how the Father is overjoyed when he finds this Son whom he says had died and was lost and now was found.

Kids will point out the fact that the Son did not “actually” die he merely ran away from home.

Yet do you see how timeless this parable is? The runaway in the parable gives a sincere apology, admitting he has sinned, and is ready to repent, to stop sinning and wasting his talents on those who are consumed with unbridled living and unrestrained spending and consuming.

Today’s children will ask. “Where is the Mother?” Why is the story only about the Son and the Father and the Elder Bother?

Guide the children back into the story. Have them look carefully at the pictures. All that the Father and the Son and the Elder brother are blessed with comes from the Mother. The Mother is the Light that twinkles and shines in the Father’s eye. The Mother is the Bride who chose the Father as the foundation stone of the life she intends to build with him. As the Christian Story goes in the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, the Father called Joseph almost divorces the Mother called Mary before the wedding. Yet in John’s Gospel, the Father is called Simon bar Jonah aka Peter. He comes through in the end, demonstrating to his sons, his male disciples, how important it is to give honour and respect to the Woman Jesus by putting on the Coat the “outer garment” he had taken off to fish “at night” with his pals.

Like the prodigal in the Parable, Peter becomes the Father who redeems his Bride, the Mother when he dons the Coat (the ABA mentioned in yesterday’s post) and says I LOVE YOU to Jesus the Holy Spirit and agrees and promises to care for her family of penitent sinners (John 21:7-17).

In the Parable of the Prodigal, the Father gives a robe and a ring to the Prodigal as if he were passing down a “patriarchal covenant” that carries with it a profound mystery of the Kingdom of God (Ephesians 5: 31-12) Christians are taught to keep and pass down to the next generation.

As the Pauline letters convey. When a man leaves his parents and unites with his wife, the two become one flesh, reinforcing how the Prodigal the Son repented.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her body? For it is said, “the two will become one flesh.”

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!

Giving what is Holy to the Dogwoods

Matthew 7:6–Hogs and Dogs

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine… (Matthew 7:6) When I checked out a similar verse to this one about the Woman who Jesus the Jewish Teacher compared her (and her countrymen) to Dogs, I noticed something quite striking.

The (Canaanite) woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she said. But Jesus replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”“Yes, Lord,” she said, “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” “O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour (Matthew 15: 21-28).

After speaking with the Woman, Jesus the Jewish Teacher called her “O Woman as if referring to her as a great pearl of faith and wisdom. In addition, I checked out the Greek word used for Dog in Ancient Greek and noticed that it was κυνάρια! This Greek word means dogwoods. Coincidently, dogwoods are protected here in Canada because the dogwood is the official flower of the province of British Columbia, located on the west coast of Canada.

However, check out what Ken Weliever, the author of ThePreachersWord, says about the dogs and the pigs IN THE CONTEXT of what the many followers of Jesus thought in the first century. The Reverend Weliever interprets the scripture as if the dogs and the pigs were wild as if they were from the woods! In other words they would lack the culture and “good” manners of the respectable, law abiding city dwellers.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces,” commanded Jesus in His famous Mountain Message.

This is one of the more difficult sayings of the Savior. What did He mean? To whom was He referring? And how can we apply it?

Defining the Terms

First of all, it’s important to understand He was not speaking of a dog like we do today. It was not a cute, domesticated house pet. A dog was a wild, scavenger animal. Dogs would roam the streets looking for any bit of food they could find. They were unclean animals. Fierce. And would often attack.

Secondly, to the Jews, pigs were an unclean animal (Lev. 11:7). They were viewed with contempt and considered filthy. Eating their meat was an abomination under the Old Law (Deut. 14:8). Demons were banished to a herd of pigs (Matt. 8:30-32).

The Reverend Weliever goes on to make the point that it is pointless to keep trying to convert these dogs and pigs. He says…

I have known folks through the years who have been trying to convert the same neighbor, friend, relative, or co-worker for 20 years. They are not interested. They could care less about the gospel, the church, or the salvation of their soul. Yet, I’ve heard some say, “We should never give up.” Well, maybe. But this text says not to extend the pearl of great price to those who deny, reject and ridicule its value.

A pearl is priceless. But not to a pig. That which is holy holds sacred value. But not to a dog. Let’s not allow the Word of God to be blasphemed.

True, sometimes one just has to stop trying so hard and just let the neighbour be. If one’s neighbour wants nothing to do with the Gospel, it is heartbreaking. One feels like one’s faith is being lived out in vain.

You can read the whole blog that Reverend Weliever posted and view my comment.

In my comment I tried to once again point out that Jesus the Teacher is speaking to the Woman Jesus called the Pearl of great price!

Today it is extremely difficult for people in a progressive multicultural province such as British Columbia, Canada to see the Woman Jesus. People only see Jesus the Jewish Teacher and fail to see how Jesus the Jewish Teacher came to the Woman Jesus under the cover of darkness!

Even here in the land of the dogwoods, Patriarchal language, the language of HIM, has veiled the Woman Jesus. It takes a keen ear and a keen eye to see and hear the Woman Jesus speaking and distinguish her words from Jesus the Teacher’s.

Dan Brown’s and Margaret Starbird’s assertion that Jesus was married and had two children has been rejected, denied and ridiculed.

The agenda here in progressive British Columbia is to promote Christ as Queer in keeping with the idea that Jesus never married. Queer folk want to believe that Christ is the foundation upon which the Church is built. Yet they cannot see that the Rabbi called John by his followers testified that Christ is the Bride who belongs to the Bridegroom! They cannot see the evidence (John 3:28-29).

Queer folk are not alone. Many modern worshippers have lost sight of the Woman Jesus and the Rock she loves. The Story talks about being the light and letting the light shine. No one lights a light and puts it under the bed or under the table! People who value the light put it on a lamp stand.

So why do people read John 8:12 and assume Jesus the Teacher of Israel is speaking and not the Woman Jesus trapped in adultery? Why don’t people living in the land of the Dog woods see the Woman Jesus as the Light of the World?

Yes Queer folk and adulterous men and women would like to be accepted and affirmed as civilized people, worthy of eating at the table with righteous believers.

However, I must point out. Jesus the Teacher standing with her, did not condemn her. But he did tell her to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Thus it is important to repent and become a “turner” and turn from sin.

Adultery and sex outside marriage has always been the big taboo. Civilized people need to honour and cherish their loved ones and treat them with dignity and respect with a covenant, a promise that they regard as “sacred”.

So where does this leave Queer folk? Some say as long as Queer folk live in committed loving relationships with one another…let them be. Others insist their way of life needs to be protected. Others insist the Queering of Christ is threatening the Light of the Gospel and keeping an adulterous generation from seeing the Light of the World as the Penitent Woman!

Could it be that many non-Queer affirming people are also keeping this adulterous generation from seeing Jesus as Penitent, because they do not understand that to be like Jesus who was/is sinless, one must repent and actively “go and sin no more”?

Remember, when Jesus the Teacher and Simon the Father of the Law and Oral Tradition (aka the Pharisee) met and spoke about sin. The moral teaching came to light when Simon concluded that the one who was forgiven the most would love the most. Thus the Woman whose sin was greater than Simon’s and was forgiven was deemed to be more loving than Simon the Father of the Oral Tradition and the Law! And the story concludes…

But those at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Again the Woman’s faith is what saves her. She goes in peace. She doesn’t go condemned with a scarlet A marked on her forehead.

Yet today people still demonize her, they speak ill of her, as if she was the town prostitute. They just can’t see Simon’s point of view.

Simon thought, Jesus the man she anointed with her “alabaster” jar, should acknowledge how he knew this woman was a sinner and why she was “touching” him (Luke 7:39). In other words, Simon thought that Jesus the Teacher was not worthy of being the “anointed” one and should confess that he had spent the night under the cover of darkness with her and repent!!!

I realize this is difficult for many Christians to realize. We are all sinners and the death of Jesus on the Cross does keep the Sun from shining for three whole hours (Luke 23:44).

It is difficult to deny oneself and take up the Cross…especially if your worldly thoughts and worries are keeping you from seeing the Pearl of Great Price that the Cross is.

But as Jesus turned…and said to Simon…

But Jesus turned and said to (Simon) Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.

When one denies oneself, one dies to self and begins to learn how to love God with one’s whole heart and mind and one’s neighbour as one’s self.

However, thinking like a man, a person without any desire for the Woman of Faith or any appreciation of her as the Pearl of Great Price, one may likely see the Cross as a lifeless lamp stand or a lifeless piece of dogwood that is detached, that has been cut down and without roots.

Yet the Hope of the Gospel is that…Simon bar Jonah, also called Peter the Rock, does declare his love for Jesus and takes on the responsibility of feeding the sheep of Jesus (John 21:17). He too repents and turns from his sin, his lack of faith in the Light, working by the sea at night, without the morning Light, hoping to secure gold and silver like the billionaires controlling the world.

What Simon does is awesome. Make no mistake. Simon allows himself to be human and allows his story to shape the Jesus story. At first like the disciples, like sinners, Simon fails to realize the catch of the day, and fails to realize that the Woman of Faith he dearly loves is the Pearl of great price, and the coin of true wealth, hidden in the mouth of the Fish, waiting for him to embrace.

Having faith in Simon bar Jonah is what Jesus the Teacher and Jesus the Woman of Faith and their disciples must have. For without Simon and the sheep he feeds there would be no Gospel!

Alligators

Escaping Satan’s Clutches

Watch out the Alligator teaches Sunday School! Yes many of the teachers in our Sunday Schools put Zacchaeus down to put Jesus the Teacher up. They do the same with the Woman Caught in Adultery. They do this with Simon the Pharisee and lump all the Simons together. And then they release Jesus Barabbas as the notorious robber who steals Simon’s thunder and robs Zacchaeus of “her” virtue and resurrects the Son of the Father and claims he is the only one who kept all 10 commandments!

Preserving the 10 commandments is noble! However, as the Apostle to the Apostles states…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Grace is forgiveness that comes when we have faith in the blood that pulses through the veins of Christ Jesus. When young Christians see Christ hanging on the Cross, the alligator lets them think Christ’s death is something so horrible they would never ever want to imitate that death and let themselves be crucified! The alligator also convinces them that everyone who participates in crucifying Christ is a murderer.

Yes…dear children, don’t let the Alligator devour your faith. In the Christian Faith Story, do as Rachél did in the true story above. Grab both sides of the gator’s jaws and pry them open. Take the gator’s own words and pry open the words of Scripture and see the miracle of how Jesus the Christ comes to life eternally as a perfecting Trinity.

Hint…let the math concept of a triangle based pyramid help you understand and conceptualize how the transfiguration of James, John and Simon-Peter standing on home base at the foot of the mount of transfiguration in Martha’s hometown…trusting in divine hospitality and grace come together as ONE faithful divine body that serves as a model for others to follow.

Now don’t let the name James fool you or the fact that James is a son of Thunder. Technically thunder and lightning always come together. Lightning is quicker than the sound of lightning…yet which one really comes first?

While the two events occur simultaneously, you see lightning before you hear thunder because the speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound.

The Alligator also uses the word “son” and lets you think the word “son” is male as in the name Zacchaeus and in the name James aka Jacob who loves Rachel! Jacob remember wrestles with the angel of the lord all night and becomes a new man, bearing the name Israel. In that story, Jacob is a man with more than one wife.

Stay on your guard. Remember when a man leaves his parents he dies to his old bachelor self…and unites with his wife and the two become one new man, one flesh (Matthew 19:5; Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31).

In the olden days, when a woman married she would have taken her husband’s first and last name. If they divorced the woman would likely have reassumed her maiden name, but it was not and is not mandatory.

Today things are changing and the legal approval of same sex marriages are complicating things even more…so it is more important than ever to be aware of the Alligators in our churches. Alligators swim in “shallow” water. This generation and the next need to push out into “deep” water. Christians in shallow water are in danger of losing sight of Christ as the Bride who belongs to the Bridegroom as the Forerunner testifies (John 3: 28-29; Hebrews 6:19).

Jesus Woman!

According to ThePreachersWord, a recent graduation speech caused such controversy that over 216,600 people have signed a petition calling for the removal of the Kansas City Chief’s Kicker, Harrison Butker from the National Football League.

Addressing the female graduates, Butker said.

“I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolic lies told to you,” Butker said. “Some of you may go on to lead successful careers in the world, but I would venture to guess that the majority of you are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.”

Living in a Post-God World

Here’s a snippet from The PreachersWord:

Yep, that’s what’s causing such an uproar.

Sounds strangely like a Bible command I read from the apostle Paul where older women were commanded to teach younger women to love their husbands and their children (Titus 2:3-5). And for younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their household (1 Tim. 5:14).

However, such Biblical exhortations ought not to be publicly uttered in our politically correct world, according to the far leaning left. So, the NFL issued a statement through their Chief Diversity Officer, Jonathan Beane, saying Butkner “gave a speech in his personal capacity. His views are not those of the NFL as an organization.”

To be fair, the kicker also spoke against abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, and dangerous gender ideologies which he described as “degenerate cultural values.” He further challenged the men in the audience to embrace their masculinity and the role God has given them in the home and in society.

For these remarks Harrison Butker has been labeled as “sexist, homophobic, anti-trans, anti-abortion and racist.”…

While ThePreachersWord does not agree with all of Butker’s theology he did urge his audience to draw closer to God in their daily lives. He even criticized bishops in the Catholic church for their lack of leadership, for keeping silent when they should speak, and for becoming politicians instead of Shepherds. He said spiritual leaders need to be more vocal, “instead of fitting in the world by going along to get along, they too need to stay in their lane and lead.”

Thus One Reader commented saying:

So, why aren’t we putting a petition together to praise Butker’s respect for woman and the virtue of the family? Why aren’t we sending it to the NFL and praising the return to principles that use to be praised in our society.

I then added a lengthy comment, I’ve posted here.

One way to praise and demonstrate respect for “woman” and the virtue of the family is to get behind the Woman Jesus called the Magdalene! She is the penitent model that is the Light of the World! (John 8:2). She was the Woman Caught in Adultery that the Teacher of Israel encouraged the Religious Leaders of his day to bring in for questioning.

This is the Truth that too many Religious Leaders of today are running away from–at the Church’s peril. I’ve written plenty on this topic. http://www.lindavogtturner.ca

The Magdalene stood in the Garden of the Tombs “face to face” with the Teacher of Israel she called the Rabboni. She is the Teacher the rabble identified as the Christ (John 7: 37-53) who had met with the Teacher of Israel (John called Nicodemus) under the cover of darkness and who had said “as Moses lifted up the (bronze) SNAKE in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15).

She like the followers of The Rabboni also known as John by his followers “supposed” he was the Christ and had taken the body of her Lord, the Bridegroom (John 20:15: John 3:28)

HOWEVER…the Rabboni told the Woman Jesus called Mary aka the Magdalene. “do not ‘cling’ to me” (John 20:17).

Many people down through the ages have wondered why the Teacher said this to the Woman? Had they forgotten the words of Joshua who reminded the people of Israel to [cling] “hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day” (Joshua 23:8).

Have people forgotten or overlooked the teaching of the Rabbi called the Forerunner aka John? When his followers “supposed” he was the Christ he said.

“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…”

Getting married and raising a “godly” family is a noble virtue. Raising a family to love God with their whole heart, mind and body and to love their neighbour as themselves is important. Raising a family doesn’t mean a Mom and or a Dad cannot have a career outside the family. It simply means that when parents raise up a family to honour and respect the Word of God and to obey the TEN commandments, including the FOURTH ONE to honour your father and your mother, God will equip parents, the family and the community who supports these beliefs to serve God and be the blessing God has called them to be.

The Truth is. Many of us women do still share the dream of “Getting Married” and raising a godly family.