#77. Little-known Tidbits about Jesus

The following 12 questions about Jesus are based upon passages found in the four Gospels of the Bible. They are not theologically relevant – just tidbits! A tidbit is “a small piece of news or interesting information”. The answers are found at the conclusion of the twelve questions. 

  1. Did Jesus ever spit? 

  2. Did Jesus ever spit in another’s eyes?

  3. Did Jesus ever place his spit on another’s tongue?

  4. Did Jesus ever write down his thoughts? If so, what did he write with? And on what material did he write?
  5. Did Jesus ever tell a whopper of a story?
  6. Did Jesus ever say that rocks can talk?
  7. Did Jesus ever tell a pun about threading the eye of a needle with a rope?
  8. Did Jesus ever tell his disciples to go barefoot?

  9. Did Jesus ever restrict his disciples from ministering to non-Jews?

10. Did Jesus ever cry?

11. Did Jesus ever laugh?

12. Did Jesus ever tell a riddle?

 

Biblical Answers:

  
  1. Yes! “After saying this, (Jesus) spit on the ground” (John 9:6)

  2. Yes! “(Jesus) took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ ” (Mark 8:23)

  3. Yes! “And taking him aside from the multitude, (Jesus) put his fingers into the man’s ears; and spitting, he touched the man’s tongue with the saliva.” (Mark 7:33). Apparently, the saliva of Jesus was used in healing. 

  4. Yes! “But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.” (John 8:6 and 8)

  5. Yes! “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit (that is, 20 inches) to his stature?” (Matthew 6:27). A cubit is an ancient unit of linear measure, equal to the length of the forearm from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, averaging about 20 inches. So Jesus presented a whopper: Can anyone, by worrying, add 20 inches to his height – yes, quite a whopper indeed! Here is another one. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). Can you picture this as a cartoon?

  6. Yes! “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you that if (the people) keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting.’ ” (Luke 19:40)

  7. Yes! “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24). The Aramaic word for 'camel' is written identically to the word for 'rope.' Thus, Jesus most likely said: It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle. Makes more sense, doesn't it?

  8. Yes! "Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' ” (Luke 22:35)

  9. Yes! “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5). Gentiles is a term for non-Jews.

10. Yes! “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35). Some translations say: "Jesus cried."

11. No -- though I'm most certain that he did laugh a lot.

12. Yes! “This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ ”
(Matthew 13:13).

Here is a paraphrase version of verse 13 from The Message:  “That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it.”

How did you do, my friend? How many did you get correct? Would you like to add your own tidbit about Jesus? Thanx for sharing your 2-cents worth of information.

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#76. Mom Always Liked You Best

Christianity evolved out of another religion: Judaism. Are they similar? NOT! Let’s take a surface glance at three major differences:

1.  Jewish prophets of the Old Testament had anticipated the coming of a Messiah who would appear with power and triumph over their political enemies. However, Christian scribes of the New Testament claim that the Jewish Messiah did come, but was crucified to death at the hands of their political enemies.

2.  Judaism had emphatically rejected the concept that God could ever become a man, while Christianity claims to be the fulfillment of Judaism … as the result of God becoming a man.

3.  According to the Old Testament, the adherents of Judaism are God's chosen people -- his favorites! “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” -- Deuteronomy 7:6.

On the other hand, from the New Testament, we discover that the Christians were God's chosen people -- his favorites! “Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.” -- Ephesians 1:4

So, the Jews were the first to claim to be God’s chosen people; the Christians were the second to claim to be God’s chosen people. However, the winner are the Christians for God chose them long before He created the world! WOW!  
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