WHERE WAS JESUS BORN?

A handyman, who was working for a Synagogue, had asked for a raise and was turned down. He decided to quit and went out to look for work.

First, he went to a Catholic church and was told that in order to work there he would have to answer one question. The priest asked, "Where was Jesus born?"

The man answered, "Pittsburgh," and was thrown out on his ear.

He then went to a Baptist church. The minister told him that in order to get a job there he would have to answer a question. He was asked, "Where was Jesus born?"

The man answered, "Philadelphia." He was promptly tossed out.

Walking away he met the rabbi who was looking for him. The rabbi exclaimed, "The board approved your raise. Please come back immediately."

The man said to the rabbi, "I will come back only if you answer a question. "Where was Jesus born?"

The rabbi says, "Bethlehem."

"Of course!" cried the man. "I knew it was somewhere in Pennsylvania."

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Sometimes, like the man above, we interpret the bible according to modern understanding. We must interpret the bible according to what it meant at the time it was written.

We can't go to a modern dictionary to find the meaning of a biblical word. We must look at what it meant when it was written. Look at in a few short years the way words like "gay, text, tweet, web, thong, etc." have changed their meaning.

If you go to a modern dictionary and look up baptism, you will find meanings such as sprinkling, pouring or immersion in water. But if you look at the meaning of baptism when it was written in the New Testament, you will see it meant to dip or immerse in water. Acts 8:38  So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him.

Tongues in the New Testament were referring to known languages not some miraculous godly means of communication as many think of it today. 1 Corinthians 14:9--11  So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. ¹⁰ There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. ¹¹Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me.

May we always try to understand the meaning intended by the writers of the New Testament.

With love and concern,

Larry