Category Archives: New Testament

The Resurrection of Jesus

Posted on March 30, 2024 | 1 comment
A Roman period tomb cut from stone with a rolling stone. This tomb is located near the Jezreel Valley in Israel. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
A Roman period tomb cut from stone, using a rolling stone to cover the opening.

The following text is taken from the Gospel of John, chapter 20.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there  and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as ye they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. (Jn. 20:1-10 ESV)

Imagine the emotions of the disciples of Jesus, both women and men, when they were told that the tomb that had been so carefully secured on Friday was found empty on the first day of the week, with only the grave clothes and the cloth that covered the head still in the tomb.

[The second photo showing the disciples of Jesus at the open tomb was made in Leonardo AI. David Padfield assisted me in this project.

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Israel’s Wilderness Wandering in the Gospels

Posted on March 14, 2024 | 2 comments

In the gospels one may find several references or allusions to events of the wilderness wandering. This indicates the significance of the event and suggests that it should be studied carefully by Christians as well as Jews.

  • “The Word became flesh and dwelt [tented, tabernacled] among us…” (Jn. 1:14). The Lord made
    His presence known to the Israelites in the “tent of meeting” (the tabernacle; Ex. 29:45-46).
  • The Law was given through Moses [in the wilderness] (Jn. 1:17).
  • The serpent in the wilderness (Jn. 3:14ff.; cf. 8:28; 12:32).
  • The manna (Jn. 6:31ff.; notice the “grumbling” over the bread, vs. 41).
  • The water (Jn. 7:37-38).
  • Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil. (Mt. 4:1-11).
  • Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights (cf. Israel’s 40 years).
  • Jesus was tempted but did not succumb.
  • In response to the temptations of the devil Jesus quoted from the book of Deuteronomy (Mt. 4:4;
  • Dt. 8:3; Mt. 4:7; Dt. 6:16; Mt. 4:10; Dt. 6:13).
  • Stephen made several references to the events of the wilderness in his sermon (Acts
  • 7:30-44).
  • Paul calls attention to the exodus and events of the wilderness wandering (Acts 13:18; Gal.
    4:21-31).
    Notice his use of the phrase, “Remove the wicked man from among yourselves” (1 Cor. 5:13; cf.
    Dt. 13:5, the false prophet; 17:7, the one who served other gods; 17:12, one who acts presumptuously; 21:21, the rebellious son; 22:21, a girl not found a virgin).
  • Israel was baptized, ate spiritual food and drank spiritual drink, but practiced idolatry and immorality and fell (1 Cor. 10:1-13). Compare the situation at Corinth: Christians who had been baptized, ate and drank the Lord’s supper, were tempted by the idolatry (meat sacrificed to idols) and immorality of their city.


    The Writer of Hebrews speaks of events of the wilderness wandering.
  • The events at Mount Sinai (Heb. 12:18-29). The word spoken through angels (2:2; cf. Gal. 3:19).
  • The unfaithfulness of Israel in the wilderness (Heb. 3–4).

    In the book of Revelation.
  • “See…that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain”
    (Heb. 8:5; Ex. 25:40, the building of the tabernacle).
  • The woman who gave birth to the man child fled into the wilderness where she was nourished (Rev.
    12:6). This symbol makes the wilderness a place of protection and nourishing. The figure seems to
    be based on the experience of the nation of Israel and of Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-18) as they were cared
    for by the Lord.
  • Some of the trumpets of chapters 8-10 are drawn from the plagues of Egypt. The one like a son of
    man came on a white cloud (cf. Isa. 19:1, judgment of Egypt) and judged the enemy (Rev.
    14:14-20). The saints sing the song of Moses and the Lamb beside the sea (Rev. 15; cf. Ex. 14:31;
    15:1-19).

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Posted in Apostle Paul, Bible Lands, Bible Places, Bible Study, Egypt, Israel, New Testament, Old Testament, Photography, Revelation, Travel

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Centurions of the New Testament

Posted on September 6, 2023 | Leave a comment

Cornelius, a Roman centurion, was the first Gentile convert to the faith. He was stationed at Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast at the time when the apostle Peter was actively working in the spread of the Gospel.

A centurion in the Roman army normally had charge of 100 men (= to an Army captain). A regular cohort was one tenth of a legion and had a paper strength of 600 men. An auxiliary cohort was usually comprised of 1,000 men. Cornelius was of the Italian cohort. There is inscriptional evidence for the “Italian cohort” from Syria (See Bruce, 215).

When Paul set sail from Caesarea for Rome he was accompanied by a centurion of the Augustan cohort named Julius (Acts 27:1). All of the centurions mentioned in the New Testament make favorable impressions. This was not true of soldiers generally (Luke 3: 14). Note these examples:

  • The centurion at Capernaum (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:2-10).

  • The centurion at the crucifixion of Jesus (Luke 23:47).

F. F. Bruce (The Book of Acts, NICNT) cites Polybius (History vi.24) saying,

“Centurions are required not to be bold and adventurous so much as good leaders, of steady and prudent mind not prone to take the offensive or start fighting wantonly, but able when overwhelmed and hard-pressed to stand fast and die at their post.”

There is a wonderful performance in the early second century A.D. hippodrome at Jerash, Jordan. The RACE show (Roman Army Chariot Experience) shows actors dressed as Roman soldiers performing various activities of the early soldiers. Our photo shows a Roman centurion from that show.

Roman Centurion, with his chariot waiting,
in the RACE show at Jerash, Jordan.

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Girding up the loins of your mind

Posted on August 22, 2023 | 1 comment

The Apostle Simon Peter followed Jesus during His personal ministry. It is not surprising that some of the illustrations he uses come from this experience. In 1 Peter 1:13 the apostle wrote,

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; (1 Peter 1:13 NKJ).

The Louw-Nida Lexicon says that the Greek phrase used in 1 Peter 1:13 is “(an idiom, literally ‘to bind up the loins of the mind’) to prepare oneself for learning and thinking – ‘to get one’s mind ready for action, to be ready to learn and to think, to be alert.” The Greek phrase is translated this way: ‘so then, have your minds ready for action.1 Peter 1:13.” (27:55)

In The IVP Bible Background Commentary, Craig Keener writes,

Men wore long robes and would tuck them into their belt, “gird up their loins,” so they could move more freely and quickly. Although the image also occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament, here Peter may specifically allude to the Passover (Exodus 12:11): once God’s people had been redeemed by the blood of the lamb (1 Peter 1:19), they were to be ready to follow God forth until he had brought them safely into their inheritance (cf. 1:4), the Promised Land.”

Even though I have never worn a long, flowing robe I could illustrate this over and over from my years of travel in Israel. Take a look at this photo made at Horbat Adumim in upper Galilee.

Walking through thistles.
Walking across fields to get a desired photo often brings one in contact with thistles, as happened at Horbat Adumim.

Horbat Adumim is a national park in Israel, the site of an the ruins of an ancient synagogue. My frequent traveling companion on private study tours is Leon Mauldin. Leon is seen here seated at the entrance to the old synagogue.

I have used this text from 1 Peter various times in discussing the need to avoid those things that hinder us in service to God. Gird up the loins of your mind.

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Did the Prodigal Son Eat Carob Pods?

Posted on August 19, 2023 | 2 comments

In the parable of the young prodigal and his older brother, Luke says that when the younger brother ran out of money he would gladly have eaten the pods the pigs were eating.

He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:16 NET)

BDAG says that the word keration (translated pod) is used in the plural “of the fruits of the carob tree, carob pods.” Louw-Nida states that the word is “a diminutive derivative of keras which means horn.” They add,

“the pod of the carob tree (which closely resembles a small horn.…Carob pods were commonly used for fattening swine and were employed as an article of food by poor people.”

The first photo shows a carob tree loaded with green pods in the Spring of the year in the Jezreel Valley at Gan-Hashlosha.

Carob pods in the Sprint.
Green Carob pods in the Spring of the year.

Some nutritionists suggest that carob is high in protein content and is a good substitute for chocolate.

The next photo shows dried pods underneath a Carob tree at Hazor. Having been brought up on a farm, I can easily image the pigs rooting in these pods for the best one.

Dried pods from a Carob tree at Hazor. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
Dried Pods in the fall of the year at Hazor.

When the young prodigal son came to himself he headed for home. There is a good lesson in this for each of us when we become too attached to the things of this world (1 John 2:15).

 

 

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A View of Jerusalem From the Citadel

Posted on August 9, 2023 | 2 comments

The climb to the roof of the Citadel, also known as the Tower of David, is worth the climb just to see the roof tops of various significance buildings. The Citadel is located at Jaffa [Joppa] Gate which serves as the main entry to the Old City of Jerusalem on the west side of the walled city. 

Our photo looks northeast. 

View of Jerusalem from the Citadel. View is NE.

In a second photo I have placed identifying names on many of the highlights. Remember that you may download these photos for use in your Bible teaching. I had trouble uploading the second photo to WordPress, but you can see it in larger format by right clicking on it to open it.

Photo made from the Citadel. Showing identification of several of the significant rooftop buildings. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Beginning left to right here is a list of some of the significant places shown on the photo.

  • Hezekiah’s Pool. Whether this pool had anything to do with King Hezekiah is unknown. Josephus identified it by the name Amygdalon, a place where the 10th Roman Legion was active in A.D. 70 (Wars, 5:468).
  • The Holy Sepulchre. This site has marked the location of Golgotha (the smaller dome) and of the burial of Jesus (the larger dome) since the early 4th century A.D.
  • The tower of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is the white tower with a pyramidal top. It is also possible to climb to the top of that tower. 
  • At this point look to the North (left) on the horizon where you will see Mount Scopus, the place from which Alexander the Great scoped the city. Today this is the home of the Hebrew University. Continue along the mountain top right to the tower of the Victoria Augusta Hospital. Continue to the south (right) and you will see the Mosque of Omar, more commonly known as the Dome of the Rock. This site sits very near where Solomon’s Temple was built. The hill to the east of the Temple Mount is the Mount of Olives. If I had been using a slightly wider lens we would have a photo of the Tower of Ascension which is near Bethphage and Bethany.

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Posted in Bible Lands, Bible Places, Bible Study, Israel, New Testament, New Testament Times, Old Testament, Photography, Travel

They tried to kill Jesus

Posted on July 25, 2023 | 3 comments

True. It happened more than once. Here I have in mind the event at Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry (Luke 4:16-30). Jesus read a portion of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue and claimed that He fulfilled that scripture. His teaching outraged those present. They took Jesus to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him down the cliff. Jesus passed through the crowd and left Nazareth to go down to Capernaum, a town that would become the headquarters for His earthly ministry.

Nazareth is located in the hills of Lower Galilee, where the elevation is about 2000 feet above sea level. These hills lie on the north side of the Valley of Jezreel (Esdraelon, or Megiddo). The hill of precipitation overlooks the Jezreel valley.

The Mount of Precipitation at Nazareth. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
The Mount of Precipitation at Nazareth.

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Posted in Bible Lands, Bible Places, Bible Study, Israel, New Testament, Old Testament, Photography, Travel

The Eastern View of the Mount of Olives

Posted on July 18, 2023 | 2 comments

Today’s photo shows the Mount of Olives from the east. The tall tower on the peak is the traditional place of the ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:9-11).

Luke’s account of the ascension says Jesus took the disciples as far from Jerusalem as Bethany where he was taken up (Luke 24:59-51). Both Bethphage and Bethany are located on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives. Bethphage is nearest to the tower of ascension with Bethany being a short distance further to the south (left in the photo).

The Mount of Olives is about 200 feet higher in elevation than the ridge on which the city of Jerusalem is built. The city of Jerusalem is not visible from the east until one is on the Olivet ridge, or Mount Scopus further to the north (right). This is the view of the Mount of Olives Jesus and others would have seen when walking from Jericho to Jerusalem.

You may download the photo and use it in your teaching of the Bible. Please maintain our credit logo which shows in the lower right corner.

 

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Luke the Physician Records a Resurrection at Nain

Posted on July 13, 2023 | 2 comments

 

Only one of the Gospel accounts of the ministry of Jesus records a visit by Jesus to the town of Nain. Strangely it is Luke who wrote two volumes (Luke and Acts of the Apostles) to a man known as Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1).

John, who was a personal eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus, included only seven miraculous signs of Jesus in his gospel. He exaggerated for the sake of emphasis, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25 ESV). In addition to the resurrection of Jesus, John included the account of the resurrection of Lazarus in John 11.

I find it intriguing that Luke mentions this account of the resurrection of a young man as his mother was on the way to bury him. Luke was a physician who became what we might call the primary physician of the apostle Paul (Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; see also the “We” sections of Acts where Luke is traveling with Paul.

Scholars have written about the medical language of Luke used in his two volumes.

On our visit to Israel earlier this year I stopped to make a new photo of the town of Nain on the north side of the the Hill of Moreh.

The town of Nain on the northern slopes of the Hill of Moreh.

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Did Paul visit Adramyttium?

Posted on July 5, 2023 | 1 comment

Adramyttium is mentioned only once in the New Testament. In Acts 27:2 we are informed that the ship used to transport Paul to Rome for his appeal before Caesar was “a ship of Adramyttium” (Acts 27:1-2). Paul continued in this ship as far as Myra in Lycia (Acts 27:5-6) where he was transferred to an Alexandrian ship.

But there is still a chance that Paul stopped at Adramyttium on the return from his second preaching journey. Luke provides us with a detailed account of the stops along the way. He says, “And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus” (Acts 20:14-15 ESV).

Notice the reference to Chios. When we check a variety of versions we come up with some interesting results.

  • The ESV says “we came…opposite Chios.”
  • ASV, NKJ: “over against Chios”
  • NAS, NAU: “opposite Chios”
  • CSB: “off Chios”
  • NIV, NET: “off Chios”
  • NLT: “past the island of Kios”

The Greek word used here is antikpus and usually means off or opposite. Mark Wilson suggests that “Paul probably passed near Adramyttium on his second journey to Troas, if the southern route below Mysia is reckoned (Acts 16:8). He also probably passed through the city following his departure from Ephesus while traveling up the coast to Troas (Acts 20:1-2; 2 Corinthians 2:12).” (15

So, whether or not, here is a photo from ancient Adramyttium in the modern Turkish town of Ören in the Mersin district of Turkey.

Some of the ruins of Adramyttium at the modern site of Oren.This area of excavation is under some large trees causing
the dark spots in some places.

The next photo shows the beautiful beach at Ören.

Source: Williams, Mark. Biblical Turkey. 4th ed., Yayinlari, 2020, pp. 185-87.

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Posted in Apostle Paul, Archaeology, Bible Lands, Bible Places, Bible Study, Book of Acts, New Testament, Photography, Travel, Turkey