Strength from an angel

Luke 22:43 - An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.

I wonder what exactly an angel could do to strengthen Jesus. Speak comforting words? Remind him of his Father's promises? Impart physical strength to his anguished body? Whatever it was, God the Father must have known it was needed and known it would help or he wouldn't have sent the angel in the first place.

See how he loved his one and only Son, even and especially at such a low point in his life! See how he would do the same for any of his children!

Judas

Luke 22:3 - Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

I wonder if Judas knew that a devil -- Satan himself, no less -- had entered into him. In other cases of demon possession, the possessed usually acted in very strange ways. We don't hear of anything so strange with Judas. Yet he still may have known there was something different and evil inside that hadn't been there before.

I wonder if Satan remained in Judas until his death or if he left before that point. Perhaps he only stayed until the capture of Jesus. Then again, that wasn't very long before Judas hanged himself.

Loud stones

Luke 19:37-40 - When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:
"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"
"Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

I wonder what the sound of a stone crying out is. Would it have been human-like so the people could understand them? Would it have been in a language all its own? Stonese? Would it have been the sounds stones normally make when they clatter together?

I wonder how many Pharisees said or thought, "Yeah, right!"

Fetching a colt

Luke 19:28-32 - After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.' "

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them.

I wonder if Jesus' disciples were at all surprised at his ability to tell of future events. They still didn't understand what he was talking about related to his death because it was hidden from them, but this event was fairly straightforward. They "found it just as he had told them." After all the other miracles they had seen -- feeding thousands with little, healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead -- did seeing into the future inspire even more awe in them?

A wee little man

Luke 19:1-6 - Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

I wonder if Zacchaeus was what we would call a midget or a dwarf. Or was he just shorter than average?

I wonder if Jesus had met, or at least heard of, him before -- or did he almost knock Zacchaeus out of the sycamore-fig tree by calling him by name? How would you react if someone called you by name out of the blue?

The tower of Siloam

Luke 13:4-5 - Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

I wonder why the tower fell. Did it fall during an earthquake? Was it due to poor construction? Was it sabotage? Was it just old and dilapidated?

Was it ever repaired/rebuilt?

Healing in his wings

Luke 9:10-11 - When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

I wonder if Luke, a doctor, ever wished he could heal people as easily as Jesus did.

Herod the Curious

Luke 9:7-9 - Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see him.

I wonder what Herod did to try to see Jesus. Did he send him an invitation to the palace? Did he try to free up his schedule so he could go look for Jesus in person? Did he send couriers, guards, scouts out to find Jesus to arrange a conference? An abduction? Did he consider throwing a party/feast to tempt him into coming to visit?

Family matters

Luke 8:19-20 - Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."

I wonder why they wanted to see Jesus. Was it just because he hadn't been home in a while? Did they have something to tell him? Did they want to have him come back home with them? Did they have something to ask him -- spiritual or otherwise?

I wonder why the crowd didn't just part and let them through. I'd think they'd have VIP status as far as seeing Jesus was concerned.

Thank you for your support

Luke 8:1-3 - After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

I wonder if Joanna's support of Jesus' ministry had any repercussions at home. Did it affect Cuza's job? Did Cuza contribute as well? (It doesn't sound like it.) Where did Joanna get the funds or other contributions from? Did she have a job too? If so, I wonder what it was.

Simon the Pharisee

Luke 7:36-50 - Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner."

Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
"Tell me, teacher," he said.

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."

Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"

Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

I wonder why Simon invited Jesus to his house. Weren't (most) Pharisees Jesus' enemies? If Simon wasn't an enemy, I would think he would have treated Jesus better.

Power or persuasion?

Luke 4:28-30 - All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

I've always wondered about this incident because so few details are given. Did Jesus use a bit of his divine power to quiet the mob? Did he become invisible to them? Did he just hold up his hand as if possibly to speak to the crowd but then just quietly walk away instead? Could the crowd in the end just not bring themselves to do it, especially seeing how Jesus (apparently) put up no fight?

What about me?

Luke 3:7-14 - John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.

John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"

"Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told

them. Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."

I wonder why the tax collectors and soldiers asked what they, each as a group, should do? What did they think John would say? I mean, wasn't it obvious? Stop doing bad things!

I know what he'd say if I asked. What would he say to you?

Jesus at 12

Luke 2:41-46 - Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.

It's generally understood that the 3 days is counted as one day towards home, plus one day back to Jerusalem, plus one day searching the city for him. Even so, that's 2 nights that Jesus (at the age of a modern-day 6th grader) had to spend in the big city without his parents. I wonder who took him in. Was it one (or two) of the same teachers he was found studying with? Was there another relative in town? Maybe one the family had visited while there for the Feast?

Did Jesus spend the better part of those 3 days in the temple area? Did he wander around the town at all? What did he do for meals?

Simeon

Luke 2:25-26 - Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

I wonder who Simeon was; that is, did he have a family? How old was he? What was his job? (We aren't told he was a prophet before he met Jesus.) How long did he live after seeing Jesus? Besides the prophesying, did God set him apart for any other special reason?

I'm not deaf!

Luke 1:62 - Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child.

I wonder why the people thought they had to use sign language to communicate with Zechariah. He wasn't deaf; he was dumb. Perhaps it was out of a sort of respect for his handicap, but I think more likely it was sheer forgetfulness.

One among many

Luke 1:1-4 - Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

I wonder how many others Luke knew of who had written about Jesus. How many more were there besides Matthew, Mark, and John? If there were only those 3, I doubt Luke would have said "many."

That said, those 3 and Luke himself (plus Paul and a few others later) are all we need. If there were more, they may not have been inspired by the Spirit anyway.

On the cross

I wonder if you know how long Jesus was on the cross. My first answer (due to a certain church tradition and without stopping to think) would have been wrong.

See Mark 15:25 and Mark 15:33-37.

Don't I know you?

Mark 14:66-67 - While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked closely at him.
"You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus," she said.

I wonder how many times, at what distance(s), and how recently the servant girl had seen Peter with Jesus. Did she have a really good memory for faces? Had it not been that long ago? Was Peter that recognizable?

I also wonder, if Peter hadn't been associated with Jesus by those in the courtyard, would he still have been considered suspicious just for being there at that time of the night?

Proper attire, Part 2

Mark 14:51-52 - A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.

Some think that this young man was Mark himself. If it was Mark -- one of the 12 who had been with Jesus all evening -- why was he only wearing a linen garment? Why not a cloak or something underneath? Even if it wasn't Mark...same questions.

Why did they seize him in the first place? It was Jesus they wanted -- and already had.

Two lepta

Mark 12:41-44 - Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

Who was she? Was there no one to help her after her husband died?

Do you think there were people who scorned her small offering, not knowing her situation as Jesus did? Yeah, me too.

Why did the monetary system include coins (lepta) worth so little? Inflation?

Den of robbers

Mark 11:15-17 - On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written:
" 'My house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.' "

I wonder how long the "robbers" stayed out of the temple area. Were they back again a few hours later? The next day? The following week? Did they set up shop elsewhere to avoid another confrontation with Jesus?

I wonder if any of them joined the gang officially known as his enemies.

Two by two

Mark 6:7-13 - Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."

They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

I wonder if any of the Twelve were surprised at Jesus' instructions. How long were they gone? What did Jesus do in the meantime? Probably more of the same things he had been doing -- preaching, healing, etc.

I wonder if any of the disciples' family members tagged along. It seems like they didn't, so maybe they weren't gone very many days. Though it does sound like each pair would go to more than one city or town.

Talitha koum!

Mark 5:41 - He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ).

I wonder why Mark decided to write Jesus' actual words and then translate or rephrase them for us. Perhaps there's something here in the original language(s) that I'm missing.

Levi

Mark 2:14 - As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Assuming there were people in line waiting to pay taxes at Levi's booth, I wonder if they were pleased or frustrated when Levi walked away from his job.

Through the roof

Mark 2:1-12 - A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

I wonder what the people inside the building first thought when bits of the roof started falling on or around them. I wonder what the owner thought.

I wonder if any of the teachers of the law had a change of heart after hearing Jesus and seeing the miracle.

We were asleep

Matthew 28:11-15 - While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

I wonder who "leaked the story to the press," so to speak. I can think of only 3 possibilities.

• One of the chief priests and elders couldn't keep his mouth shut.
• One of the soldiers couldn't keep his mouth shut.
• Someone overheard the plot and couldn't keep his mouth shut.

My money is on the soldiers.

I wonder if they kept quiet about how much money they got. I wonder how long they kept it.

I see holy people

Matthew 27:52-53 - The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

I find it interesting that the death of Jesus caused the resurrection of many holy people right then and there. I wonder how many were raised to life. Somehow those who witnessed the resurrected people knew they were holy. Assuming their deaths were normal, their souls had been in heaven. Notice that no souls were brought back from hell -- no sparing of punishment for them.

The question of how long these people lived on earth after this resurrection often comes up. And did they have to die again? No one knows, but I have the hope and the feeling that, since God treated them specially at Jesus' death, he treated them specially and quickly by taking them directly back to heaven as soon as their witnessing work was done.

I wonder how many people in Jerusalem (the holy city) recognized them. The resurrected people must have either been well-known and easily recognizable or they must have gone specifically to those people they had known -- perhaps close friends, relatives, and coworkers.

The earth shook

Matthew 27:51 - At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

I wonder if this was a "normal" localized earthquake or if the entire planet gave a shudder.

Torn curtain

Matthew 27:50-51 - And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

I wonder who first put two and two together and figured out that the Temple curtain was torn at the same time that Jesus died. It was probably a priest, teacher of the law, or elder, since there were some of these men at Golgotha who would have later discussed the curtain with others who were at the Temple at the time.

I wonder if any of them grasped the significance of it -- that it was no longer needed due to Jesus' sacrifice of himself for everyone.

I wonder if anyone tried to repair the curtain. If so, they obviously didn't catch the significance.

Passers by

Matthew 27:39-40 - Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"

I wonder how well-known and widely spread Jesus' words had become. If these passers by were just your average Shekaniah from Shiloh and his brother Eliphelet from Edom, I wonder how they knew that Jesus had said this about the Temple. If they hadn't been nearby when Jesus spoke those words, they must have heard them 2nd, 3rd, or nth hand from those who had been there.

I find it interesting too that these should be some of the jeers that they shouted. They obviously didn't understand what Jesus was talking about and yet there he was -- beginning to fulfill those very words before their very eyes.

Two robbers

Matthew 27:38 - Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

I wonder what they had stolen. And how many crimes were they guilty of? Even considering Old Testament laws, this seems pretty harsh to be crucified for robbery.

Pilate's wife

Matthew 27:19 - While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this message: "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."

I wonder what the dream -- or was it a nightmare? -- was about. Was Jesus in it or was it just about him? Did Pilate's wife know who Jesus was? How much did she know about him? Did she know he was innocent from the dream or from elsewhere?

Did Pilate's wife really expect her husband to do what she said? To change his mind? Had she ever "interfered" in his business as governor before? (And been successful?) What did she fear if Pilate didn't release Jesus? More bad dreams? Something worse like bad reality? Was she afraid something bad would happen to Pilate?

Maybe she hadn't done anything like this before. Maybe it was God trying to shock Pilate into doing the right thing from a totally unexpected source.

The potter's field

Matthew 27:7 - So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners.

I wonder if the potter's field had been up for sale. How many acres was it? Was 30 pieces of silver a fair price for it?

Prior to this purchase, did they have a special place to bury foreigners? Were foreigners never shipped back home for burial?

Legions of angels

Matthew 26:53 - Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

I wonder how many angels there are. To the disciples, a legion would have conjured up thoughts of several thousand, perhaps 5000. So 12 legions would have been a number almost too large for them to imagine in one group -- 60,000. Certainly many more than needed to handle the current situation.

But are there billions of angels like there are billions of people? Is there (at least) one to watch over every individual -- Christian or not -- on the planet? (Nowhere does the Bible say so. I'm just wildly speculating on numbers.) Assume for a minute that there is. Does an angel get "reassigned" when someone dies? Or are there enough for every human that will have ever lived? Infinity plus 1? ;-)

I wonder how many fell from grace and now follow Satan. But I don't wonder much about that.

Betrayed with a kiss

Matthew 26:47-49 - While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man; arrest him." Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.

I've always wondered why Judas concocted this relatively elaborate scheme for identifying who Jesus was to the mob that was following him. I would think at least some of them already knew him. Did Judas tell them before they got there that it was Jesus they were going to capture? Perhaps not.

Still, why the fuss? Why not just point to him when they arrived and say, "Take him."? Would there really have been any doubt as to which guy to grab?

Was the plan supposed to trick the 11 disciples into thinking nothing bad was going to happen so they wouldn't be upset or be on the defensive? If so, it didn't work as fas as Peter was concerned.

A hymn

Matthew 26:30 - When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

I wonder what the lyrics were. It may have been a psalm, though psalms and hymns are elsewhere noted as if they are different from each other.

I wonder if they all knew the words from memory. They probably chose one they all knew. I wonder how many they had to choose from.

I wonder how often they sang. Did they ever sing harmony? Four part? 12? 13?

Expensive perfume

Matthew 26:6-7 - While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.

I wonder where she (Mary) got the money for the perfume. Had she saved up for it for a long time? Had it been a gift? Had she planned to use it for anointing Jesus from the start? Or even before she acquired it? Or was it a spur-of-the-moment thing?

I wonder where it came from. It seems (from my wiki-search) that it most likely would have been imported from the Far East. Did she have to leave town (Bethany/Jerusalem) to get it? Did she have someone get it for her? Seems like there must have been some very wealthy people in the area who could afford such items, or else they wouldn't have been available.

A year's wages. Think what one item you could spend a year's wages on. Probably a car or a down payment on a house. Would you spend it on something you intended to give away; that is, give to God -- which is to say, to the work he has given us to do today?

The tables are turned

Matthew 21:12 - Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves.

I'm a little surprised that Jesus was able to throw all these guys out by himself. Maybe he had a little help, or at least encouragement, from his friends. I wonder that no one stood up to him or tried to stop him. There's no indication that anything miraculous was going on here.

How many buyers and sellers were there to kick out? A handful? Dozens? Hundreds? Did he take them too much by surprise before they could gang up on him?

Cloak and palm

Matthew 21:8 - A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

I wonder who first thought, "Hey, I know! I'll take off my cloak and toss it down on the road in front of the donkeys so Jesus will ride over it." I'm sure they thought it was an honorable thing to do at the time. Perhaps it had some historical precedent and meaning of which I am unaware. If not, then I wonder where the idea came from.

Pretty much the same with the palm branches. Whether they had cut them earlier or on the spot, I wonder who thought it was a good idea to throw them down on the road.

Moses and Elijah

Matthew 17:1-4 - After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."

How did Peter know it was Moses and Elijah? From the topics of their conversations? Divine revelation? Once again, there were no portraits, photos, or jpegs of them that Peter might have linked them to.

12 basketfuls

Matthew 14:17-21 - "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

I wonder at what point during the distribution the disciples or any of the people realized what was happening. The story is told matter-of-factly. There's no big fanfare or hubbub mentioned to indicate when that might have been.

I remember seeing one Hollywood director's idea of how this happened. There were large baskets (probably several bushels each) with a fish or some bread deep down inside each one. As food was taken out, more replaced it (unseen) until the baskets were soon overflowing with food.

Possible. I'm not creative enough to imagine another method.

I wonder how much each person had to eat before being "satisfied." Did Jesus give the food extra "filling power"?

I wonder what was done with the 12 basketfuls. Perhaps it was given to some of the poorer folk in the crowd.

I wonder who counted the ~5000 men.

Siblings

Matthew 13:55-56 - "Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us?"

Assuming that these brothers and sisters were children of Mary and Joseph and not more distant relatives (since I think these terms can be ambiguous at times in the original -- but I may be wrong), I wonder what it was like growing up with Jesus as a sibling, a real brother, a physical, visible member of the family. I've heard comedians joke about this -- usually implying that it would be tough to be his sibling. If something was wrong, it was never, ever Jesus' fault -- really! He probably got blamed for wrong doing though -- just look at his adult life! You were never quite as good as him at anything.

But I wonder if it really would have been all that bad living with the perfect brother. He never treated you badly. He never got you into trouble by his own bad behavior. He loved you at all times. He helped you whenever possible. He was really your best friend, if you wanted him to be.

Hm, sounds like the Jesus I have as my brother today.

The carpenter's son

Matthew 13:55 - "Isn't this the carpenter's son?"

I wonder if Joseph was the only carpenter in Nazareth. If so, no competition -- a monopoly. Nice...as long as he did good work.

Where ya been?

Matthew 12:38 - Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you."

I wonder if these Pharisees and teachers of the law were new to the area. Had they never seen Jesus before? Was their timing (earlier) just bad? How could they not have seen one of his miracles if they were amongst that group who always seemed to be hanging around?

Or were they going to ask for some particular kind of miracle? Was it some sign that they thought would prove something about Jesus one way or the other?

I wonder if any of them understood the sign of Jonah that Jesus did give them.

Dead vs Asleep

Matthew 9:23-25 - When Jesus entered the ruler's house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd, he said, "Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep." But they laughed at him. After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up.

We often use Jesus' words here (and elsewhere -- see Lazarus' death) to compare death to falling asleep -- only to wake up the next time either in heaven or in hell. But I wonder if that was really what Jesus had in mind here. He said, "The girl is not dead...." And yet it seems he brought her back to life. I'm not questioning his power to bring someone back to life. (See Lazarus again where he plainly said he was dead.) I'm wondering whether or not the soul of this girl had gone to heaven or hell yet. Was it somewhere else? I'm not advocating Limbo or Purgatory either. "The girl is not dead...." Was her soul still in her body, but her bodily functions had ceased? Was she in some kind of extreme hibernation? Again, Jesus can and did raise people from the dead, but I'm not sure this example can be used to prove it.

Pharisees abounding

Matthew 9:10-11 - While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

There often seem to be Pharisees around ready to criticize Jesus and his followers. It probably wasn't always the same bunch of Pharisees, but I wonder...Didn't they have day jobs to go to? How could they spend so much time following Jesus?

Peter's mother-in-law

Matthew 8:14-15 - When Jesus came into Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

I wonder why Peter hadn't (apparently) mentioned to Jesus that his mother-in-law was sick.

• Didn't he know?
• Didn't he like her?
• Did he think Jesus' healing powers were only meant for others?
• Did he "get it" that Jesus hadn't come mainly to heal people's bodies?
• Didn't he think the illness was severe enough to pray; that is, ask Jesus about?
• Was he just too busy, and it slipped his mind?
• Was he just about to mention it, but Jesus beat him to it?

I wonder if anyone in Peter's family asked Jesus to heal her or if he did this miracle of his own accord.

Don't tell anyone

Matthew 8:1-4 - When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."

Very often Jesus told those on the receiving end of a miracle, "Don't tell anyone." (Jesus didn't want to be known primarily as a miracle worker but as the promised Savior and Redeemer of everyone.) I wonder how many actually did what he told them to; that is, didn't do what he told them not to do.

It had to be tough to keep something so good to yourself. How could you not tell your family, neighbors, and coworkers? If you had been healed of an awful disease like this man, they'd notice something different about you. If you had a demon removed, they'd notice a drastic change in your behavior.

Faith in Jesus as your Savior and Redeemer is a miracle too -- something only God can accomplish. If you've been the recipient of that miracle, do you find it hard to keep it to yourself? Do your coworkers, neighbors, and family members notice anything different about you, a difference in your behavior, compared to those who haven't yet experienced the miracle of faith?

The Father who sees all

Matthew 6:1-18 - "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This, then, is how you should pray:

" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

On the face of it, this section of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" is about giving, asking, and giving up (food). All good things if done according to Jesus' guidelines. But I wonder if Jesus was trying to sneak in another point here that's just as important. Did you notice the phrase he used 3 times? "Your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

It's not for the reward in and of itself that we do these things -- giving to the needy, praying, fasting. That's like the icing on the cake. Actually I wonder most about that phrase in the middle -- "who sees what is done in secret." I imagine Jesus saying that each time in a tone of voice that would allow the words "mind you" to fit nicely at the end of the phrase. Maybe even holding his pointer finger in the air too, drawing special attention to it, noting that it's a two-sided coin. It's good that the Father sees the good you do in secret, but the implication is that he can see the bad too. So don't do it!

Satan tempts Jesus

Matthew 4:1-11 - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

First, I think it's important to note (and this often is glossed over or completely overlooked) that Satan tempted Jesus for 40 days -- not just 3 times on the 40th day. (Mark and Luke make this fact clearer.)

I wonder if Satan really thought Jesus would give in to any of his temptations. Maybe he thought he could wear him down by trying over and over again for 40 days. Who knows how many times he tried! Perhaps hundreds or thousands of times.

Not much different than some of the temptations we experience over and over again, is it?

Locusts and honey

Matthew 3:4 - John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

How many locusts are there in one serving? What I'm getting at is this: How many locusts did John have to eat to survive out there? Were the locusts plentiful or scarce? Were they hard to catch? How much honey was available? Was it easy to find? Was there any competition with the local wildlife?

I wonder how long John maintained this diet? Was this his only food in the wilderness or just the unusual items that people mentioned first and most often when John's name came up in the conversation?

Another route

Matthew 2:12 - And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

I wonder how many Magi there were in this party that visited Jesus. There may very well have been just three. Maybe only two. Maybe 24. The exact number doesn't matter, but what I really wonder about relative to this verse is this -- How many of them dreamed the warning dream? Did God give them all the same dream (easily done) and allow them all to remember it (not always easy for you to do, right?)?

Whether it was just one, several, or all of the Magi who were warned, they obviously put more stock in the dream than in the command of Herod. I wonder if they knew the dream was from God. That is, did God tell them so in the dream itself? Or did they just know from experience that a dream like this was not one to dismiss lightly without acting upon it? Or did they already know God well enough to understand that he controlled their dream?

I don't know if this is applying too much meaning to the one word "country", but it sounds like they were all from the same one -- contrary to some traditional stories about these Magi. I wonder which country that was. Perhaps Babylon, where Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were once wise men.

Christmas presents

Matthew 2:11 - On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

I wonder why the Magi decided they should bring gifts to Jesus. The items they brought were expensive. I wonder how much of a security force traveled with them.

They seem to have understood that Jesus was more than an earthly king. Sure, some kings claimed to be gods and forced you to worship them and sacrifice to them, but this was a child whom they voluntarily worshiped and gave gifts to.

I wonder what Mary and Joseph thought of all this. True, they already knew Jesus was special, but foreigners tracking them down, bowing down in worship, and leaving expensive treasures? They hadn't publicized this to anyone yet really -- much less to guys like these from far away. Remember, no cell phones or TV yet.

I wonder what they did with the treasures. Probably sold at least some of it for the trip to Egypt. Or maybe used it as needed along the way.

The star

Matthew 2:9 - After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.

Bethlehem is not that far from Jerusalem. It's just a few miles south. It wouldn't have taken the Magi days to get there. More likely just a few hours. So I wonder if they left Herod and set out after sunset. How else would they have been able to see the guiding star?

I wonder how specific the star was. That is, did it show them the very house where Jesus was? Does "the place" mean "the house"? Or did they only get led to the city and had to ask around once there? Even just leading them to a new city a few miles down the road would have been pretty special.

I wonder if anyone else noticed the star. Surely it was visible to everyone. Even after the Magi mentioned it to Herod and company, did no one else take an interest in it? I suppose it wasn't the first time nor the last when some important item or event was out in the open for all to see, but only those wise enough to realize what it was took any notice of it.

Nineveh: Take two

Jonah 2:10-3:5 - And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."

Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very important city—a visit required three days. On the first day, Jonah started into the city. He proclaimed: "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned." The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

I wonder where the beach was that Jonah was spit up on. Was it far from Joppa where he had started? Was it right back in Joppa that he landed? I wonder if anyone saw him come out of the fish.

I wonder if the Ninevites had heard about Jonah before he got there. Had he told his story to others who spread the news? Did that maybe help in the spreading of his real message? Not that a word from God isn't powerful enough in and of itself, but they certainly seemed ready and willing to listen to Jonah. He didn't even have to go through the whole city himself. His first hearers did a lot of secondary evangelizing for him.

Tarshish or bust

Jonah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."

But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.

Why Tarshish? It seems to be in the opposite direction from where he was supposed to go, but why go somewhere that required sailing? I think I remember reading a generalization once that said something to the effect that Jews don't like being on the sea.

Did Jonah have friends in Tarshish? Or was that a distant place where he knew he didn't have any friends? Was it the farthest place from where he was that he'd ever heard of? For that matter, how had he heard of this distant place? Why was there even a ship going there? For trade, probably. Trading what? Was Tarshish the most ungodly place Jonah knew of?

If you were going to run away from God today, where would you go?

Did Jonah really think he could leave God behind?

Improv

Amos 6:5 - You strum away on your harps like David
and improvise on musical instruments.

I wonder if jazz really wasn't "invented" in New Orleans. And I wonder if some of those harps were maybe more like guitars.

Shepherd and prophet

Amos 1:1 - The words of Amos, one of the shepherds of Tekoa—what he saw concerning Israel two years before the earthquake, when Uzziah was king of Judah and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.

I wonder if Amos was surprised that he was given a prophetic vision. Assuming he wrote this introduction, he makes himself sound like just one of the guys -- just an ordinary shepherd from a little place up the road called Tekoa.

Makes you wonder what surprising things God might use you for someday, doesn't it?

The suffering land

Hosea 4:1-3 - Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites,
because the LORD has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
"There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.

There is only cursing, lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.

Because of this the land mourns,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.

I may have officially wondered about something like this before, but I think it's worth mentioning more than once.

I wonder how many of today's "natural" problems -- droughts, famines, storms, "global warming"(?), etc. -- could be connected to the ungodliness of the people living in the land.

What cost?

Hosea 3:2-3 - So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. Then I told her, "You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will live with you."

Gomer was still Hosea's wife. Why did he have to pay for her? Had she gone (back) into prostitution? Had her pimp come to reclaim her? Was she expensive? Had Hosea paid for her the first time too?

It sounds like Hosea didn't expect Gomer to stick around till death did them part. Oi! What must day to day life have been like for the two of them?

The sacred raisin-cakes

Hosea 3:1 - The LORD said to me, "Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin-cakes."

I wonder who first decided to make raisin-cakes a sacred object. [Insert your favorite Monty Python sketch here and substitute raisin-cakes for the main topic.] Or...

Shekaniah: Rules, rules, rules. What's next...holy raisin-cakes?

[silence]

Shekaniah: No, I was kidding. Kid-ding!

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Unusual commands

Hosea 1:2-9 - When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel."

Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them—not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God."

After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.

I wonder what the relatives thought. It probably depended on whether they were godly folk or not. Or would it? I could see even the ungodly (today, non-Christians) being "nice people" who would object to Hosea's marrying Gomer. And they all probably wondered at first how Hosea came up with the strange names. I wonder if their attitudes changed after he explained where he got all these ideas from.

Who is wise?

Daniel 12:10 - None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.

I understand some parts of Daniel's vision. Does that make me a little bit wise?

A deep sleep

Daniel 10:9 - Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.

I think there are several instances in the Bible similar to this where humans fall asleep during a time when you'd think they'd want to be wide awake -- like during the chase or the fight scene of a sci-fi flick -- so as not to miss anything important. I wonder if that's the body's natural reaction to something as intense as this. Or maybe God actively brought about the sleep to protect the sleeper physically and/or emotionally and/or some other way-ally.

At the Tigris

Daniel 10:4-8 - On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless.

If only Daniel saw the frightening vision, what made his companions so terrified that they ran away? Daniel had seen visions of this magnitude (or greater?) before. What made this one so scary?

I wonder how Daniel knew his face "turned deathly pale."

Understand the vision

Daniel 9:20-27 - While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill - while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:

"Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

"Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."

I wonder if Daniel really did understand all he was told. It seems cryptic to us, but maybe he "got it." After all, Gabriel said that's why he was delivering the message in the first place -- to give Daniel "insight and understanding."

I wonder if "in swift flight" means Gabriel was literally flying or if it simply means he was running at top speed. If Daniel got to see him flying through the air...what a sight!

Angels and lions

Daniel 6:21-22 - Daniel answered, "O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king."

I wonder if Daniel actually got to see the angels protecting him, keeping the lions at bay, or if he simply surmised that that is how God saved him from begin killed by them.

Surprise attack?

Daniel 5:30-31 - That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

I confess that I don't know the historical record of this time and place very well, but wouldn't a king normally have some knowledge - an inkling, even - that an enemy army was about to invade and overthrow him? How do you (seemingly) matter-of-factly walk into the center of the kingdom, assassinate the leader, and take over the joint? Maybe it's just the way it's told here with the lack of details. Or maybe it tells us more about what kind of king Belshazzar was.

The hand, writing on the wall

Daniel 5:1-16 - King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.

Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way.

The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers and diviners to be brought and said to these wise men of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."

Then all the king's wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. "O king, live forever!" she said. "Don't be alarmed! Don't look so pale! There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king, I say—appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. This man Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means."

So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, "Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah? I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom. The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it. Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems. If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom."

I wonder how many people realize that the phrase, "the handwriting on the wall," comes from this account of Belshazzar and Daniel.

Why wasn't Daniel brought in with the first batch of enchanters, astrologers, and diviners? Daniel was their chief. How is it that Belshazzar didn't even know who he was? Apparently they had never met in person. Seems strange that the king wouldn't take time to get acquainted with his head wise man (and possibly still "ruler over the entire province of Babylon"). Does that tell us something about what kind of a king Belshazzar was?

Third highest? Belshazzar was first. Was the queen (possibly, queen mother) second? Wasn't Daniel almost third already -- being ruler over Babylon?

Who's running the show?

Daniel 4:33 - Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.

I wonder who ran the empire while Nebuchadnezzar was away. No mention is made, but I wonder if whoever was temporarily in charge put up a fuss about relinquishing authority when Nebuchadnezzar returned.

Did anyone keep tabs on him while he was gone?

"Oh, he's not so good today. Tried to fly by jumping off a pile of rocks. Low pile. Maybe if it was higher...."

"Bogus. Wasn't too bad last time I saw him...just munching on a bit of grass and picking the fleas off himself."

"Pssh! That's nothing! My neighbor was doing the same thing last week."

Hot, hot, hot

Daniel 3:19-20 - Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.

Why stop at 7 times? Did they have any idea how to make it 7 times hotter? Had anyone ever asked for the temperature to be increased (by any amount) before? Did they make any attempt at measuring the temperature before throwing the men in?

Was this a common method of execution? Or was it unique to this special occasion? Interesting that, from the start, the threat of death was considered necessary to encourage everyone to worship the image of gold.

What was the furnace normally used for? Glass making? Smelting? Refining (the gold used for the image)? Was it part of a larger building or a standalone?

Can't we all just get along?

Daniel 3:13-18 - Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Even though furious at being disobeyed, I can still imagine Nebuchadnezzar calmly saying, "C'mon, guys, you're some of the best I've got around here. Won't you do this for me just this once so I can let you off the hook?"

I wonder if he realized he was making himself a god -- greater than all gods -- when he asked, "Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" If his hand was more powerful than any (other) god, that makes him top dog (er, god). Yeah, he probably knew what he was saying.

The young men's reply is one of my favorites in the whole Bible. Not to question the accuracy of the text, but I doubt they all recited the reply in unison. I hear it going something like this...

Shadrach, stepping forward: O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.

Meshach, stepping up next to Shadrach: Yeah, but even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

Abednego, nodding almost constantly till now, joins his friends: What they said!

One final nod in unison from all three.

Okay, too cliche, but I hope that's how it really happened.

Ain't gonna do it

Daniel 3:1-12 - King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.

Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language: As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."

Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever! You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

The obvious question here is: Where was Daniel? He was the "ruler over the entire province of Babylon" and so should have been included in the invitation given to the "satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all other provincial officials." I wonder if he simply(?) refused the invitation and if the refusal was accepted by Nebuchadnezzar. Perhaps he was held in such high esteem that he could get away with rebuffing the king.

That would also help explain why the astrologers who complained about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn't have anything to say about Daniel. If he was already out of the picture with the approval of the king, they would have realized it was pointless to mention his name later.

An image of gold

Daniel 3:1 - King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

It was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide, or so. That is, about 10 stories tall and the width of a smallish room across. I wonder what it was an image of. I think we sometimes assume it was a likeness of Nebuchadnezzar himself -- perhaps a bust of him or a smaller statue on top of a pillar. And that could make sense, considering that kings sometimes thought of themselves as gods worthy of worship. Was Nebuchadnezzar thinking of literally putting his dream into practice? But it doesn't say that's what the image was. You'd think it would say so if it were something as basic as that.

So what was it? Something too complex to warrant description? Something too simple to warrant description? It does say image, which conjures up a picture of something -- a face, a body, even a scenic view, as opposed to just a plain pillar or obelisk (like the Washington Monument).

The there's also the question of how they got it to stay standing. Did it also go 10 stories underground? Were there guy-wires holding it in place like those around a TV, radio, or cell phone tower? Was it 9 feet square from bottom to top? Did it narrow (to a point) as it went up? From a distance it might easily have looked like a big, shiny pencil sticking out of the ground.

Daniel promoted

Daniel 2:47-49 - The king said to Daniel, "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery."

Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. Moreover, at Daniel's request the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon, while Daniel himself remained at the royal court.

I wonder if Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten his dream or if he had just refused to tell it as a test of his wise men. In any case, he seems to have recognized Daniel's retelling of the dream as the same one that he had had a few nights before.

I wonder what kinds of gifts the king gave Daniel.

I wonder if Daniel still went through the rest of his training on schedule over the next one to two years. He probably still had a lot to learn if he was going to complete his duties satisfactorily.

I had a dream

Daniel 2:1-15 - In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means."

Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it."

The king replied to the astrologers, "This is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. So tell me the dream and interpret it for me."

Once more they replied, "Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it."

Then the king answered, "I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: If you do not tell me the dream, there is just one penalty for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me."

The astrologers answered the king, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among men."

This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.

When Arioch, the commander of the king's guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. He asked the king's officer, "Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?" Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.

I wonder why the astrologers replied in Aramaic. Could Nebuchadnezzar understand Aramaic? If not, were the astrologers trying to show off their knowledge of languages before the king? Or was that the only language they knew? Assuming an interpreter was used, was this the only pair of languages -- Aramaic and whatever Nebuchadnezzar was speaking -- that the interpreter(s) at hand could understand and translate?

I wonder why Daniel and his 3 friends were not summoned with the others. Perhaps it was because they were still only sophomore "wise men." This was only the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign (over Israel, at least). The trainees were to be schooled for 3 years and then enter the king's service. Still, the king knew how good these men were. So why didn't he think to call them? Was he just testing the others? And yet they were included in the count when it came time to destroy all the wise men. It doesn't seem very fair of Nebuchadnezzar.

Notice how young Daniel reacts to the news of the decree. Instead of ranting or whining about how unfair it was, he used wisdom and tact. Word to those who would be wise.

Veggie tale

Daniel 1:8-15 - But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you."

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see." So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.

I wonder why Danial suggested a vegetarian diet. The Israelites were permitted to eat many meats under God's laws -- just not those that were categorized as unclean. We think of pork in particular, but there were some others too. Maybe there was something Daniel had found out about the king's meat that made him decide it would be defiling himself to eat any of it. Maybe it had been sacrificed to an idol or used in some other religious ceremony.

I have always found it interesting that those in charge of Daniel and the other trainees could see a difference in the looks and health of these young men after just 10 days on their respective diets. I wonder if the king himself ever heard about the menu change that was later made for all the trainees.