In Scripture, God’s people don’t come to him, but he comes to them via the word that he puts into the mouth of his prophets. In Mark, John the Baptist follows this Scriptural pattern by beginning his ministry outside of Judea and Jerusalem. In other words, God appears in the wilderness and his people meet him there by hearing and accepting his words via what is preached by the one he sent, who is John. Mark also tells us they “were baptized by him in the River Jordan confessing their sins” (1:5). In Scripture the Jordan represents the line of demarcation between on the one hand, the wilderness and on the other, Canaan, the land of milk and honey. After being delivered from Egypt, the sons of Israel crossed the Red Sea; before entering Canaan, they passed through the Jordan. Thus, in the gospels, baptism is associated with the Jordan, since after entering Cannan, the Israelites sinned and were cast out again into the wilderness of Babylon. This “second” crossing, as it were, of the Jordan via baptism is like acknowledgment of that sin; and their being washed via the prophetic word of John leads them not into Canaan, but into the Kingdom of God, the Jerusalem above (see Galatians 4:26). But why is John’s food said to be locusts and (wild) honey? Mark’s reference is Scriptural, specifically to the prophets Joel (1:4) and Ezekiel (3:1-3).Join me as we continue working our way through the Gospel of Mark, 1:4-8.“Brand New Orleans” performed by Prince.

The function ש־ו־ב (shin–waw–bet) is not the sigh of remorse in a cloistered heart, but the pivot of a sword’s edge; the turn God commands into the place where his name has been denied. Abraham returns from the valley of kings; Moses returns to the mountain, still breathing the smoke of the calf’s golden stench; Gideon returns to the camp with the dream of victory burning in his ears. None turns to hide—all turn to face him.And ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun), to plead, is no bowing before the courts of men. The human reference vanishes. Job’s feeble plea to his servant falls into the void. Malachi mocks the lips that beg for favor while the hands bring defilement. Proper pleading is stripped of flattery and calculation, bare as incense in the wind, carrying no name but his.In Luke’s Gerasene plain, the return is marked by absence. The swine are gone, the crowd is gone, the man’s former companions erased. He stands alone, clothed and found, with no community left to shield him, no filth left to hide him, no power left to reference but the one who sent him. This is the Day when the disbeliever is given back his own deed, when tribe and city and oath are dust, and a man stands naked before the Face that made him. This is the Day that the Lord has made. To return is to step into that bareness now, ahead of the Hour, with only obedience in your hands.“Return to your house, habibi, and describe what great things God has done for you.”This week, I discuss Luke 8:39.Show Notesδέομαι (deomai) / ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun) / ح–ن–ن (ḥāʾ–nūn–nūn)BEGGING IN VAINThe itinerary of ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun) / ح–ن–ن (ḥāʾ–nūn–nūn) opens with righteous entreaty to God in Deuteronomy 3:23 — “I pleaded [וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן (waʾetḥannan)] with the Lord at that time” — and proceeds to submission before his prophet in 2 Kings 1:13 — “he bowed down on his knees before Elijah and begged [וַיִּתְחַנֵּ֗ן (wayyiṭḥannēn)] him.” It is upheld as the correct course in Job 8:5 — “if you will search for God and implore [תִּתְחַנָּֽן (titḥannan)] the compassion of the Almighty” — but falters in Job 19:16, when Job seeks compassion from a human servant: “I called to my servant, but he gave me no answer; I pleaded [חִנַּ֖נְתִּי (ḥinnantī)] with him with my mouth.”Here, the root meets the same fork in the road as מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) / و–ج–د (wāw–jīm–dāl) “to find.” To plead in the wrong direction is the verbal equivalent of being found in the wrong place—misoriented, exposed, and powerless. Job is “found out” in his misdirected appeal.The itinerary returns to proper alignment in Psalm 141:2 — “may my prayer be counted as incense before you” — where the supplication is again oriented toward God, the one who truly “finds” his slave. But the arc terminates with Malachi 1:9 — “will you not plead [חִנַּנְאֵל (ḥinnū-ʾēl)] for God’s favor…with such an offering…will he receive any of you kindly?” Here, the prophet exposes the futility of petition without obedience. Even the correct address is worthless if the one who pleads is “found” corrupt.In Luke, δέομαι (deomai) follows the same itinerary. As with מ־צ־א, the point is not the act itself — searching, pleading, finding — but the reference. Mercy is not secured by human initiative, whether in seeking or in supplication, but by being found by God in faithful submission. To plead wrongly is to be found wrongly; to plead rightly is to be found rightly. Luke’s use aligns with Malachi’s charge: misplaced faith or hypocritical worship is no more effective than Job’s appeal to his unresponsive servant.Deuteronomy 3:23 – וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן (waʾetḥannan) – I also pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying, – Moses petitions the Lord to let him cross the Jordan and view the promised land.2 Kings 1:13 – וַיִּתְחַנֵּ֗ן (wayyiṭḥannēn) – So the king again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, “O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight.” – A third captain approaches Elijah after the first two captains were destroyed. He kneels and requests preservation for himself and his men.Job 8:5 – וְאֶל־שַׁדַּ֥י תִּתְחַנָּֽן (weʾel-shadday titḥannan) – If you will search for God And implore the compassion of the Almighty, – Bildad advises Job to seek God and appeal for compassion.Job 19:16 – חִנַּ֖נְתִּי (ḥinnantī) – I called to my servant, but he did not answer; I implored him with my mouth. – Job recounts calling his servant and receiving no reply, even after pleading directly.Psalm 141:2 – תִּתְחַנָּֽה (titḥannah) – May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The raising of my hands as the evening offering. – The psalmist compares his prayer to incense and the lifting of hands to the evening offering.Malachi 1:9 – חִנַּנְאֵל (ḥinnū-ʾēl) – But now will you not plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the Lord of armies. – The prophet challenges the priests to request God’s favor despite their unacceptable offerings.ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō) / ש־ו־ב (shin–waw–bet) / ث-و-ب (thāʾ–wāw–bāʾ)Finding, Pleading, Returning: Three Arcs Toward ConfrontationIn Luke 8, the healed man’s commission to return [שׁוּב (shub)] to his city cannot be read in isolation. It is the culmination of three interwoven prophetic itineraries — מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) “to find,” ח־נ־ן (ḥet–nun–nun) “to plead,” and ש־ו־ב (shin–waw–bet) “to return” — each carrying its own history of confrontation, exposure, and the tearing down of human constructs.The root מ־צ־א moves through Scripture as a pivot between encounter and judgment. To “find” is not neutral; it is to be located, exposed, or confronted by what is found. In Luke 8:35, the townspeople find the formerly demon-possessed man “clothed and in his right mind” — an exposure that drives them to fear. Their response aligns them not with Abraham’s trust (Genesis 14:17), but with those who resist God’s presence. “Then after his return [בְּשׁוּבוֹ (bə·shū·bō)] from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). (Genesis 14:17)The root ש־ו־ב is typically mistranslated as repentance in a theological sense. Still, in the prophetic arc, it signals a strategic pivot, a “turn” toward confrontation, often in the face of danger. In Genesis 14:17, Abraham’s ש־ו־ב [בְּשׁוּבוֹ (bə·shū·bō)] from victory leads directly into confrontation with the king of Sodom. In Judges 3:19, Ehud turns back [שָׁב (shab)] to assassinate Eglon. But he himself turned back [שָׁב (shab)] from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And he said, “Silence!” And all who were attending him left him.” (Judges 3:19)In Exodus 32:31, Moses’ return [וַיָּשָׁב (way·yā·shab)] to God comes after shattering the tablets, standing between Israel and judgment. “Then Moses returned [וַיָּשָׁב (way·yā·shab)] to the LORD, and said, “Oh, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves!” (Exodus 32:31)Gideon’s return [וַיָּשָׁב (way·yā·shab)] in Judges 7:15 is to rally his small band for the night attack. “When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned [וַיָּשָׁב (way·yā·shab)] to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has handed over to you the camp of Midian!” (Judges 7:15)In Judges 14:8, Samson’s return [בְּשׁוּבוֹ (bə·shū·bō)] to Timnah brings him back to the site of his lion-kill, a prelude to confrontation at the wedding feast. “When he returned later [בְּשׁוּבוֹ (bə·shū·bō)] to take her, he turned aside to look at the carcass of the lion; and behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the body of the lion.” (Judges 14:8)The arc ends in Judges 21:23 with Benjamin’s restoration to its land—a return [וַיָּשֻׁבוּ (way·yā·shū·bū)] that reconstitutes a people.“The sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives for themselves from the women whom they carried away, according to the number, from the dancers whom they abducted. And they went and returned [וַיָּשֻׁבוּ (way·yā·shū·bū)] to their inheritance, and rebuilt the cities and lived in them.” (Judges 21:23)In Luke 8, the healed man’s ש־ו־ב to his city mirrors these prophetic returns. It is not retreat, but an advance into contested territory. Jesus’ command is a summons to re-enter the city that rejected him, to stand in the space between God’s authority and human resistance, just as Moses, Gideon, Samson, and Abraham did in their appointed moments.Convergence in Luke 8When these arcs converge, Luke’s narrative sharpens:מ־צ־א — the man has been “found” by Jesus, restored to right mind and true allegiance.ח־נ־ן — pleading to human powers is replaced by faithful witness to God’s mercy.ש־ו־ב — he is sent back, not for reconciliation with the townspeople on their terms, but for confrontation on God’s terms.The Gerasenes’ fear contrasts with Abraham’s faith. The healed man’s military commission is Abrahamic in trust, Mosaic in intercession, Gideonic in courage, and Samsonite in confrontation. The time of consequence promised after the golden calf (Exodus 32) is at hand: to be found by God is to be sent by God — not away from the city, but back into it, to bring it down. ὑποστρέφω as the Greek Bridge for ש־ו־בThroughout Luke-Acts, the Greek text renders the Semitic ש־ו־ב with the verb ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō), “to return, turn back, go back.” Its definitional weight comes from its programmatic use in Paul’s account in Galatians 1:17–18.In Galatians, it functions as the lexical blueprint for the New Testament mission. Paul uses hypostrephō to frame his movements:“…nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.” (Galatians 1:17)Here, the “return” is not an incidental travel detail; it is the strategic pivot of his apostolic trajectory. His return to Damascus is a re-entry into hostile ground, where the same synagogues [ʿēdāh (עֵדָה)] that had empowered him to persecute believers now face him as a messenger of Christ. This is ש־ו־ב in its prophetic sense: re-confrontation with the seat of resistance—and hypostrephō captures it in Greek.Luke takes this blueprint and applies hypostrephō throughout his Gospel and Acts to mark turning points that are not merely geographic but mission-critical. In Luke 8, when Jesus commands the healed Gerasene to return (hypostrephō) to his home, the term carries the same apostolic weight as Paul’s Damascus re-entry. It signals that the man’s mission is confrontational: to stand as a witness in the very place that rejected divine authority.Acts 13:13 - Confronting Jewish leadershipPaul and Barnabas, having completed their work in Cyprus, return, ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō), into the synagogues of Antioch. Paul steps again into the very halls whose authority once sanctioned him, now to proclaim the fulfillment of God’s promise in Jesus. His words cut both ways, provoking opposition from those who will not yield, and stirring trust in those who recognize the Shepherd’s voice. This is the Abrahamic return: not to claim spoils, but to name God’s victory in the hearing of those who resist it.Acts 15:36 - Confronting lingering oppositionPaul proposes to Barnabas that they should return, ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō), to every city where the words of God have been proclaimed. This is not a farewell tour but a strategic circuit: a deliberate re-entry into contested territory to strengthen the faithful and to face down whatever opposition remains. Like Gideon returning to his camp after hearing the dream of Midian’s defeat, Paul moves with the quiet certainty that the battle is already decided, but the ground still needs to be claimed.A Detheological Abrahamic ReturnIn Hebrew Scripture, ש־ו־ב (shub) marks not a retreat into safety but a strategic pivot into confrontation: Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Samson, Benjamin. In Luke’s Greek, ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō) inherits this burden, marking not incidental travel but decisive re-entry into contested territory.The Qur’anic root ث-و-ب (thāʾ–wāw–bāʾ) carries the same prophetic weight. To “return” in this sense is to be brought back to the very ground of risk; the place where one’s fate and obedience will be tested. This is the arc that comes to its sharpest edge in the final confrontation of the Day of Judgment, when the disbelievers are given back in full what they once dealt out:هَلْ ثُوِّبَ ٱلْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَhal thuwwiba l-kufāru mā kānū yafʿalūn“Have the disbelievers not been repaid for what they used to do?” — Surah Al-Muṭaffifīn 83:36Here ثُوِّبَ (thuwwiba) is the return of deeds upon their doers, the inevitable re-entry into the consequences one has made. The confrontation is not on the offender’s terms, but on God’s.Paul’s own ὑποστρέφω (hypostrephō) in Galatians 1:17–18 follows the same itinerary: after retreating into Arabia, he returns to Damascus to the very city whose synagogues [ʿēdāh (עֵדָה)] once backed his persecution. He does so in anticipation of the coming judgment, standing as a witness against the powers he once served, in the hope of the vindication of the Jesus he proclaims in 1 Corinthians. His return is both a present confrontation and a future-oriented act of loyalty to the one who will be revealed as Judge.In Luke 8, Jesus sends the healed man back (ὑποστρέφω / שׁוּב / ث-و-ب) into the city that had just rejected him. His commission is not a dispersal but a reinsertion into the fray: Abrahamic in trust, Mosaic in obedience, Gideonic in courage, Samsonite in confrontation, Pauline in trajectory. Across Torah, Gospel, and Qur’an, the prophetic return is one continuous motion: to be found by God is to be sent by God, until the Day of the Lord, when the Lord’s work finds its own completion.

A guest lecture and followup discussion with an adult English fellowship at an Eritrean Orthodox parish in London. We discuss the meaning of love according to the Gospel of John Chapter 21 verses 15-19.

In Scripture, to “find” is never mere discovery.It is encounter—a turning of the text where mercy meets rebellion,where favor walks hand-in-hand with wrath.In Gerasa, the people find the healed man—clothed, sane, silent—and they tremble.He is a mirror, a testimony they cannot bear.Restoration becomes a scandal. Mercy, a threat.As well it should be.They send away the one who scattered their demonsbecause he disturbed their peace.The Scriptures whisper:To find a man is to stand at the edge of wrath—to be weighed, watched.Will you be spared?In Hebrew: to find, to meet, to expose.In Arabic: to find—yes—but also to be found out.To be found wandering.To be guided.The disbeliever finds God waiting—and no one can shield him.Every expectation collapses under the weight of divine wisdom.Everything found is double-edged:Grace, if received.Judgment, if refused.So—finders, beware.The light of instruction burns.This week, I discuss Luke 8:35-37.Show Notesεὑρίσκω (heuriskō) / מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) / و–ج–د (wāw–jīm–dāl)find; reach; meet accidentally; obtain, achieveFOUND THE MANThe people “find” the healed man—מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph)—and become afraid, encountering divine judgment. He stands as a sign of both judgment and mercy: restored and sent out as a witness. In Scripture, finding a man—whether by apparent chance, deliberate search, or divine appointment—often precedes divine entrapment: a moment of redirection, confrontation, or exposure.Their encounter with this man echoes a biblical pattern in which finding a man signals the onset of divine action.Joseph, found wandering, is sent on a path of suffering to deliver many from famine (Genesis 37:15).“A man found [וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ (wayyimṣaʾēhu)] him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, ‘What are you looking for?’”Benjamin, found out by a planted cup, exposes guilt but leads to submission and reconciliation (Genesis 44:12).“He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found [וַיִּמָּצֵא (wayyimmāṣēʾ)] in Benjamin’s sack.”The prophet, found under the oak, faces judgment for disobedience (1 Kings 13:14). The “finding” (מ־צ־א) here is a trap—not for the wicked, but for the prophet who fails to remain obedient to God’s direct command.“He went after the man of God and found [וַיִּמְצָאֵהוּ (wayyimṣaʾēhu)] him sitting under an oak…”“You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way you came.” (1 Kings 13:9)“So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.” (v. 19)Jonah, who finds a ship, is caught in a storm of God’s judgment—and becomes a reluctant prophet (Jonah 1:3).“But Jonah rose up to flee… and found [וַיִּמְצָא (wayyimṣaʾ)] a ship going to Tarshish…”FOUND FAVORIn Luke 8:35–37, after Jesus casts out Legion, the people come and find the man “sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind.” Rather than rejoicing in the mercy extended, they are seized with fear. They do not celebrate the restoration but instead beg Jesus to leave. This rebellion—typical of the עֵדָה ʿ(ēdāh) that Jesus scatters throughout the Gospel of Luke—reveals a tragic irony: grace is offered, but rejected.This moment echoes a recurring biblical pattern centered around the root מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph), which signifies finding, meeting, or encountering. When someone “finds favor” [מָצָא חֵן (māṣāʾ ḥēn)] in God’s sight, it often leads to intercession on behalf of others—even the wicked:Abraham pleads for Sodom upon having found favor (Genesis 18:3).“He said, ‘My Lord, if now I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.’”Lot, though surrounded by destruction, acknowledges divine mercy (Genesis 19:19).“Now behold, your servant has found [מָצָא (māṣāʾ)] favor in your sight, and you have magnified your zealous care…”Moses repeatedly intercedes for Israel’s rebellious collective after finding favor in God’s sight (Numbers 11:11).“Why have you been so hard on your servant? And why have I not found [לֹא מָצָאתִי (lōʾ māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight, that you have laid the burden of all this people on me?”In the golden calf incident, no favor is found in God’s sight—only consequence. Yet, Moses stands in the breach and intercedes (Exodus 34:9).“If now I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor in your sight…”Esther, having found favor, risks her life to save her people (Esther 8:5).“If it pleases the king, and if I have found [מָצָאתִי (māṣāʾtī)] favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king…”In all these examples, those who found favor stood in the breach for others—unlike the people of the Gerasenes, who reject the one who intercedes against the Roman Legion. Their response echoes Israel’s rebellion in the wilderness, when the people grumbled against Moses and said:“If only the Lord had killed us in the land of Egypt when we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have brought us out into this wilderness to make us all die of hunger.” (Exodus 16:3).Though they had been delivered, they longed for the security of slavery rather than trust in the provision of God. So too in Luke 8, the people, confronted with divine mercy in the healed man, recoil in fear and send Jesus away.Bloody cowards.They cannot bear the grace that unmasks their allegiance to the 1%—the settled urban elites who love injustice. As in the wilderness, favor is offered—but refused. Grace stands before them, confronting their false peace—and they choose Pharaoh. Cowardice draped in civility. In the end, refusing to take a stand is the most wicked stand of all. May their dinner parties be found worthy of the price.FOUND JUDGMENTThe people “find” judgment—מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph)—not by seeking it, but by standing in the way of divine mercy. In Luke 8:35–37, those who witness the healed man respond with fear rather than submission. The grace shown to the possessed becomes a sign of judgment for those who reject it. This reversal echoes throughout Scripture: to “find” is to be found out by God—exposed, weighed, measured, and confronted. “Finding” unmasks guilt, and divine justice follows swiftly—even when grace has already been extended:Egypt, the symbol of empire and wealth, is found stripped bare—exposed in its powerlessness before God. The Egyptians, found lacking, are emptied of silver and reduced to servitude (Genesis 47:14).“And Joseph collected all the money that was found [הַנִּמְצָא (hannimṣāʾ)] in the land of Egypt…”A thief is found in possession of stolen goods, and the act triggers justice (Exodus 22:4).“If what he stole is actually found [נִמְצָא (nimṣāʾ)] alive in his possession… he shall pay double.”The people gather manna on the Sabbath against God’s command—and are found in rebellion (Exodus 16:27).“Yet it came about on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather, but they found [לֹא מָצָאוּ (lōʾ māṣāʾū)] none.”The prophet searches for one righteous person in Jerusalem—but finds none (Ezekiel 22:30).“I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall… but I found [וְלֹא מָצָאתִי (wəlōʾ māṣāʾtī)] no one.”To “find” in these passages is not merely to locate, but to encounter the wrath of divine justice. As in Luke 8:35, where the people find the healed man and respond with fear, these examples reveal how the moment of discovery exposes the vanity and wickedness inherent in human beings. What is found, then, is judgment.Gathered or Exiled?The final verse exemplifies מ־צ־א (mem–ṣade–aleph) in the context of judgment fully realized—everything “found” is destroyed. The act of finding is inseparable from condemnation, a pattern echoed in Luke 8:35–37, where those who “find” the healed man do not rejoice, but recoil, thus condemning themselves:Judges 20:48 – In Judges, the tribe of Benjamin, having committed a grievous crime, is defeated by the other tribes of Israel. In the aftermath, the Israelites destroy every city they come across—executing judgment through complete annihilation.“The men of Israel then turned back against the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, the cattle, and everything they found [נִמְצָא (nimṣāʾ)]; they also set on fire all the cities which they found [נִמְצְאוּ (nimṣəʾū)].”The text does not say that God ordered the destruction described in Judges 20:48. The violence is Israel’s own doing—a grim outcome when human vengeance masquerades as divine justice.The burning of cities and the annihilation of everything “found” reflects the arrogance of civilization—of settled elites taking matters into their own hands.In Luke 8:35–37, rather than embracing the judgment that restores, the people enact—or invite—judgment that destroys. Proximity to God’s justice, when resisted, turns grace into condemnation. Following the pattern of Luke, in Qur’an 59:2, the Banū Naḍīr bring destruction upon themselves—not because God desires it, but because they reject his mercy:“He it is who expelled those who disbelieved among the People of the Scripture from their homes at the first gathering. You did not think they would go out, and they thought that their fortresses would protect them from God. But God came at them from where they did not expect, and he cast terror into their hearts, so they ruined their houses with their own hands and the hands of the believers. So take warning, O people of vision.” (Surah al-Ḥashr 59:2)This judgment fell not simply because of rebellion, but because the mercy of divine judgment was refused, twisted into a justification for power—and in the end, what is “found” is ruin. Notably, the Arabic title ٱلْحَشْر (al-Ḥashr)—which can be heard as “The Gathering” or “The Exile”—reflects the double-edged sword of biblical and Pauline grace “found” in the Lukan parable: the same mercy that restores the outcast scatters the proud, “in the imagination of their hearts.” (Luke 1:51)“To Find” (و–ج–د) as Judgment, Mercy, and UnveilingIn its Qur’anic itinerary, the root و–ج–د (wāw–jīm–dāl)—“to find”—functions not merely as discovery, but as confrontation: an encounter between the human being and God’s will, mercy, or judgment.Surah Ad-Duḥā (93:7, “The Morning Brightness”) — God Finds His Slaveوَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَى (wawajadaka ḍāllan fahadā)“And he found you lost and guided you.”Here, God finds the Prophet Muhammad lacking guidance and brings him under divine instruction. To be found is to hear the words of the text and submit. It is a turning point, not earned, but gifted. This is Pauline Grace, preached by the “found man,” akin to the Prophet, and rejected by the people in Luke 8:35.Surah An-Nūr (24:39, “The Light”) — The Mirage and the Reckoningوَوَجَدَ ٱللَّهَ عِندَهُ فَوَفَّىٰهُ حِسَابَهُ (wawajada allāha ʿindahu fawaffāhu ḥisābahu)“And he finds God before him, and he fully pays him his due.”This verse contrasts superficial appearance with divine fruit. The disbeliever’s deeds are like a mirage—seemingly full but empty. When he “finds” God, it is not for mercy but for reckoning. As the Apostle Paul said, you do not “know” God, but are “known” by him. (Galatians 4:9) To be found out is to stand exposed, with no illusions able to shield your deeds. This is the light (al-nur) that shines in the darkness. (John 1:5)Surah al-Kahf (18:60–65, “The Cave”) — Moses Finds a Slave of Godفَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا (fawajadā ʿabdan min ʿibādinā)“So they found one of our slaves…”Moses, seeking a deeper understanding of the Torah, encounters a slave of God (traditionally identified as al-Khiḍr), who imparts divine wisdom through unsettling actions. To “find” in this context is to be confronted by a divine wisdom that defies human reason—especially the moral reasoning of Greek ethics and Roman law. Moses, temporarily misled by Hellenistic ideals of justice, is humbled by al-Khiḍr’s divine instruction. Al-Khiḍr means “The Green One” or “The Verdant One,” a name associated with life, renewal, and hidden vitality—a symbol of the garden in Genesis, a world untouched by Greco-Roman tyranny.YOU WILL NOT FINDElijah was not found, yet he was fed by nomadic pastoral tribes—ע־ר־ב (ʿayin–resh–bet)—interwoven—mixed—peoples who move under the moonlight, the Arabs, like birds—ravens—regional desert nomads hidden from the reach of kings and the judgments of men.As it is written:“His descendants shall endure forever and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever like the moon, and a witness in the sky is faithful.” (Psalm 89:36–37)“Blessed is he who made constellations in the skies and placed therein a lamp and a moon giving light.” (Surah al-Furqān 25:61, “The Criterion”)Thus, the New Testament identifies Jesus with Elias: for he too was not found among the condemned, but was justified by God and raised in power against the ruler of this world.Again, as it is written:“They searched for three days but did not find [וְלֹא מְצָאֻהוּ (wəlōʾ məṣāʾuhu)] him” (2 Kings 2:17)For the righteous are not found, because they are not condemned.“You will not find تَجِدَ (tajida) a people who believe in God and the Last Day having affection for those who oppose God and his Apostle—even if they were their fathers or sons or brothers or kindred. God has decreed trust in their hearts and strengthened them with a spirit from him…” (سورة المجادلة, Surah al-Mujādilah 58:22, “The Woman Who Disputes”)

Many biblical scholars consider Mark to be the earliest production among the four gospels. Unlike Luke and Matthew, Mark contains no infancy narrative of Jesus. And compared to the other three, there is little by way of a post-resurrection appearance. What is there (Mark 16:8-20) seems to be compiled from the accounts in the other gospels; moreover, these verses are not found in the earliest manuscripts. When one considers how, for centuries, Jesus’ nativity and resurrection have been the main foci of Christian theology, the virtual absence of both in Mark, the first written gospel, is striking. In Mark, we are left to deal with Jesus first and foremost as teacher. The concern isn’t so much who Jesus is as what he says. Still, who he is matters. and Mark addresses it in the opening verse of his gospel scripturally, having no need to resort to philosophy or theology: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it it written in the prophets.”With this episode, A Light To The Nations begins an exclusive focus on the Gospel of Mark. Every two weeks we will hear the text and discuss its content, particularly the terminology in the original Greek. Join me today for The Beginning Of The Gospel (Episode 58), and our discussion of Mark 1:1-3.Notes:“Passing Clouds” performed by Roger Limb