Category: Bible

Posts from The Bible Blog, by Peter DeHaan

Bible

9 Guys in the Bible Named Simon

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 22, 2012

In the last post, we talked about the disciple Simon, who Jesus named Peter.

I only know of one person called Peter in the Bible, but there are several guys named Simon:

Simon Peter (the disciple)
Simon the Zealot (another disciple, which may be why Jesus called the other Simon, Peter)
Simon the brother of Jesus (his other brothers were James, Joseph, and Judas)
Simon the leper (the owner of the home where Jesus’ head was anointed with oil)
Simon from Cyrene (who carried Jesus’ cross)
Simon the Pharisee (the owner of the home where Jesus feet were washed with perfume)
Simon Iscariot (father of Judas Iscariot)
Simon the sorcerer (who asked to buy Holy Spirit power)
Simon the tanner (who Peter stayed with in Joppa when Cornelius sent for him)

I would have never guessed there were this many Simons in the Bible.

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

Tags Jesus, Simon

Bible

Jesus Gives a New Name to Simon

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 20, 2012

One of Jesus’ disciples was Simon, who Jesus renamed Peter.

According to the Amplified Bible, Peter means “stone” or “a large piece of rock.”

Sometimes the Bible refers to him as Simon (47 times) and other times Simon Peter (33 times) but mostly just Peter (139 times).

Peter was the first leader of Jesus’ followers, so calling him “rock” fits. Perhaps Jesus gave Peter a new name to preview his future as a leader.

Even more interesting is a play on words Jesus uses in Matthew 16:16-18. The implication isn’t apparent in most versions of the Bible, but the Amplified Bible captures it nicely (even throwing in some Greek to make sure we don’t miss it).

Peter (Petros, “a large piece of rock,” essentially a rock) gives a proclamation (Petra, “a huge rock-like Gibraltar,” essentially the rock) saying Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Jesus affirms Peter’s words, declaring them to be the foundation on which he will build his church.

Peter is not the foundation, but his testimony is.

Tags Jesus, Peter, Simon

Bible

Blindness Leads to Sight

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 15, 2012

When God needed to turn Saul’s life around, he used a supernatural light, an unseen voice, and temporary blindness to get Saul’s attention (Acts 9:3-9).

Some time later, Saul (Paul), under the power of the Holy Spirit, did the same thing to a guy named Elymas. Elymas was supernaturally blinded for a time so God could get his attention (Acts 13:9-11).

These two accounts have amazing similarities.

Before both of these occurred, Jesus healed a blind man. When questioned about it, the man said, “I once was blind, but now I see.”

What he said literally about Jesus healing him, we can say figuratively about Jesus saving us.

Tags Elymas, Jesus, Paul, Saul

Bible

When Did Saul Become Paul?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 13, 2012

In reading the book of Acts in the Bible we learn about a badly misguided dude named Saul who turns his life around and later goes by the name of Paul. When did this name change take place?

If you say his name changed when he stopped killing Jesus’ followers to become one himself, I’d agree with you — and we’d be wrong.

Saul started following Jesus in Acts chapter 9, but continues to go by Saul until Acts chapter 13. What happened there?

It’s subtle, but Acts 13:9 says, “Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit…” I can’t say for sure, but this seems to be the first indication of God’s spirit filling Saul.

Sure, he was a follower of Jesus before that and he was doing things for God before that, but when the Holy Spirit filled him, it’s as if God gave him a new name, Paul.

The change is abrupt. In Acts 7:58 through Acts 13:9 he is Saul. The Holy Spirit shows up in Acts 13:9 and for the rest of the book of Acts (and the rest of the Bible) he goes by Paul.

And that’s when his ministry took off.

Tags Paul, Saul

Bible

Four People Stripped of the Name God Gave Them

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 8, 2012

In my last post, Three People Given a New Name by God, we looked at God renaming people to give them a new identity.

Today we will consider the opposite: people whose names were changed in order to strip away their identity. I’m talking about a young man named Daniel and his three friends.

These lads were forcibly relocated after their country was overthrown. They were removed from their families and all they knew in order to be indoctrinated into the king’s service.

In a final act of reprogramming, they were stripped of their Hebrew names and given new identities.

This was not to encourage them or elevate the trajectory of their lives as God did with Abraham, Sarah, and Israel, but an attempt to remove every last bit of who they were, including their faith.

Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.

We live in a world that continually gives us names, names to push us down, names to remove the identity God gave us or how he sees us.

Though these may be in the form of nicknames, such as “Shorty,” “Gomer,” or “Blondie,” they are more often labels: loser, worthless, klutz, or stupid.

Daniel and his friends didn’t let others reprogram them from who God made them be — and neither should we.

[Daniel 1:6-7]

Tags Belteshazzar, Daniel

Bible

Three People Given a New Name by God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 6, 2012

In the book of Genesis, God gives new names to three people.

In doing so, God is effectively saying, I’m giving you a new identity. You may see yourself according to your old name, but I see you differently. I’m giving you a new name and a new future.

Abram becomes Abraham
Sarai becomes Sarah
Jacob becomes Israel

The Amplified Bible tells us the meaning for five of these names:

Abram means “high, exalted father,” whereas Abraham means “father of a multitude” (Genesis 17:5).

The meaning of Sarai is not given, but Sarah means “Princess” (Genesis 17:15).

Jacob means “supplanter” (one who usurps or replaces another), whereas Israel means “contender with God” (Genesis 32:28).

Would you like God to give you a new name? Just ask.

Tags Abraham, God, Israel, Jacob, Sarah

Bible

What Does it Mean to Give False Testimony?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date November 1, 2012

One of the 10 commandments is “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”

Other translations of the Bible state this passage as “do not give false testimony” or more simply, “do not tell lies about others.”

We typically think of this as a command to not perjure ourselves, that is to not give false or misleading information in a courtroom while under oath. We would certainly never do that, so we can check this command off our list — right?

What about gossip, of spreading intimate or private rumors or facts about another person, of talking behind their back? Could that be another type of “false witness?”

Perhaps we need to more carefully consider God’s instruction to not bear false witness, by understanding it to mean “don’t gossip.”

[Exodus 20:16]

Tags Ten Commandments

Bible

Do You Need a Doctor?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 30, 2012

In the accounts of Jesus’ life, there’s a curious exchange he has with the religious leaders. Although he has many such interactions, this is perhaps the most perplexing.

He tells them sick people don’t need a doctor. True. Then he makes a parallel assertion that his purpose isn’t to help good people (the “righteous”) but bad people (the “sinners”).

What does this mean?

Is he implying the religious leaders are healthy and in no need of his help, that they’re doing fine by adhering to their traditions? While it’s true that following their laws could be sufficient, they would need to do so perfectly. This is humanly impossible.

Or could this be a sarcastic statement, calling them good (righteous) when everyone — including themselves — knew it wasn’t true, that they fell short of God’s standard as well.

Last, Jesus could have meant, that since the religious leaders considered themselves to be healthy, there was nothing he could do for them. Although they were really sick, he couldn’t be their doctor until they admitted they were ill.

We all need a doctor, but are we willing to admit it?

[Mark 2:17 and Luke 5:31-32]

Tags doctor, Jesus, righteous, sin

Bible

Three Responses to Jesus

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 25, 2012

In Matthew’s biography of Jesus, he repeats one phrase three times: “When Jesus had finished saying these things…”

This phrase signals a transition in the story. Jesus spoke to the people and afterwards the people respond:

One time they were amazed.
One time they followed him.
One time they did nothing.

Today people react to Jesus in the same three ways:

They may respect him as a teacher, but nothing more.
They may follow him.
They may ignore him.

Respecting Jesus is a great place to start, but following him is what he desires.

[Matthew 7:28, 19:1, and 26:1]

Tags Jesus

Bible

Why Should I Follow Your Advice?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date October 23, 2012

A guy named Peter knew how to fish. That was his trade, his livelihood. When it came to catching fish, he was the expert.

Peter’s buddy Jesus was a carpenter by trade. He knew how to make things with his hands, things constructed of wood. He was an expert at woodworking.

So when the professional fisherman didn’t catch a thing, it seems strange for the professional carpenter to offer him fishing advice.

But that’s exactly what Jesus did to Peter, the novice told the expert what to do.

It would have been entirely reasonable for Peter to dismiss Jesus, after all, Peter had been fishing his entire life; Jesus had not.

Yet Peter set aside his pride and disregarded his experience, agreeing to do what Jesus said, just “because you say so.”

Sometimes what God tells us to do seems foolish, sometimes we know better and want to ignore his advice. But if we are truly wise we will do it anyway, just because he says so.

[Luke 5:1-11]

Tags Jesus, Peter