Take due cognizance of the cost of discipleship

Luke 9:57 – 62

Take due cognizance of the cost of discipleship

Luke 9:57-62 New King James Version (NKJV) -

⁵⁷ Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
⁵⁹ Then He said to another, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
⁶¹ And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
⁶² But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 8:19-22 New King James Version (NKJV) -

¹⁹ Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
²⁰ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
²¹ Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
²² But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

While Luke gospel mentions “someone”, the parallel account in Matthew gospel says “scribe”.   The latter description is the accurate rendition, i.e. a “scribe” is a better description than just “someone.”

Therefore, if the person was a scribe, it would appear that he was an informed person and would have been familiar with Christ’s ministry by being on his trail.  So his request to become one of Jesus’ intimate associates was not out of place; and Jesus did not reject that request, for He had enjoined that whoever made a request deserved a granting. (Matt 5:42)

However, Jesus summarily explained to the scribe the uneasy life of a disciple by saying, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”  That was probably too hard for the scribe to bear.  The scribe certainly lived a life of comfort – far better than that of the fisherman like Peter, or a tax collector like Matthew.  Though the scriptures do not tell whether or not the scribe eventually became one of Christ’s disciples, the inference may be correct that he did not.  But certainly Jesus did not reject the scribe as a disciple; and He would never have rejected his proposal, for He would in no wise cast away anyone coming to him.  The confirmation of this all-embracing love is the healing of ALL the sick that came to him. (Matt 12:15, 15:30)

And Jesus would not have commandeered the second applicant to “follow Him” but the man must have made a request like the scribe did.  Compare Matthew 8:21 with Luke 9:59.  Matthew’s account here is more in the character of Jesus than Luke’s parallel account.  There is no compulsion in Jesus’ relation with others, even though He is the Lord.  This character is attested to when Jesus rebuked John and James for asking to call down fire to destroy those who rejected them in Samaria. (Luke 9:53-55)

The lesson from the gospel narrative of the three applicants for discipleship is that the ministry of the gospel of God’s Kingdom is not merriment and wealth acquisition; it is rather a tough ministry though with a glorious future in the new earth society wherein those who endured to the end will have everlasting life – the real life. (I Tim 6:17-19)  It is not a ministry of excuses and rationalizations; it is a ministry of wholehearted service by unrelenting followers of the Master and Great Shepherd.  (Deut 6:5, Deut 1:36, Josh 14:8-10)

CF Monye

1 November 2018

Anointing oil of any recipe - Is it still valid?

Contrasting the fake anointing oil of the churches with Jehovah's exclusively Aaronic anointing oil

The churches are awash with olive oil - with the deceptive misnomer, "anointing oil."  Now the question: Is what they bandy about as anointing oil truly according to the recipe handed down to Moses by Jehovah?  Another question: Is the use of anointing oil (pardon me, the popular olive oil by the name Goya) still authorized in view of the work of Jesus Christ in finishing off with the Law?  Yet another question:  Are all people allowed to use anointing oil* apart from the priests descended from Aaron?  The scriptures below answer these questions. You may now see how the churches, in concert with Satan, are misleading the entire world. 

*Please note that the oil used in Mark 6:13 by the apostles was not the one with the Aaronic oil recipe.  Yes, it is reasonable to think that the Aaronic oil ought to cease in usage, given the fact that the Aaronic priesthood and the system for which the oil was used have equally ceased to be.

 - CF Monye: 9 August 2018

Anointing Oil (Exodus 30:22-29)

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is, 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant calamus, ²⁴ 500 shekels of cassia—all according to the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil. ²⁵ Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. ²⁶ Then use it to anoint the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law, ²⁷ the table and all its articles, the lampstand and its accessories, the altar of incense, ²⁸ the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. ²⁹ You shall consecrate them so they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.

³⁰ “Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. ³¹ Say to the Israelites, ‘This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. ³² Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. ³³ Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.’”

And see what will happen to the Churches for counterfeiting Jehovah’s Aaronic anointing oil. (Rev. 18:11-13):

¹¹ “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore— ¹² cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; ¹³ cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves.