In Mark 1:14, John the Baptist is dismissed from the narrative with a reference to his being arrested. Mark mentions the arrest to close the preaching of John; he wants to move on to his real topic of interest: Jesus and the heralding of the gospel. When he introduced John in verse 4, he omitted the term “gospel,” suggesting that he is reserving it exclusively for the one who is coming after John, that is, Jesus.Mark will come back to John and tell us the circumstances surrounding his arrest and eventual death, but even then it’s not for the purpose of advancing the narrative. John is only functional in the gospel in how he relates to Jesus, who is the content of the gospel. John is the forerunner. What he says may be the same as what Jesus says - and, later, Matthew will underscore this by making the words of Jesus correspond to the words of John verbatim - but in the gospel of Mark, the sole reference is Jesus, the Christ. For him, Jesus is the gospel.  Notes:Jeremiah 40:12; 44:28Mark 6:30Galatians 1:11-12Ephesians 4:20κηρύσσων (kérussó) - to herald, proclaim λέγων  (legò) - to say, to speakκαιρὸς (kairos) - timeχρόνος (chronos) - time μετανοέω (metanoeó) - to repent, to change one’s mind שׁוּב - to return πιστεύω (pisteuó) - to believe, to trust Tarazi, Paul Nadim: New Testament An Introduction vol. 4 - Matthew and the Canon (SVS Press, 2009)“Sing A New Song Unto Me” performed by Raphael Shaheen.“Funky” performed by Miles Davis and Prince.Photo: Religion Picket On Street.

The obsession of Western spirituality with forgiveness—therapeutic forgiveness—is an obsession with the self. With control. With the usurpation of God’s throne by human power. It domesticates God, it drags wisdom into abstraction, it ties it down, it entangles it in comfort for the self, and multiplies suffering for others.But Scripture cuts the knot. Forgiveness from the cross is not therapy. It is release. Its root, ἀφίημι (aphiemi), to let go, to remit, to release, shatters settlement. It refuses possession. It suspends judgment.To release guilt through forgiveness. Nūḥ (نُوح) preaches divine مغفرة (maghfira), a release, a remission, the undoing of claim. The Gospels speak the same: ἀφίημι (aphiemi). And on the cross, Jesus says: “Father, ἄφες (aphes) them” (Luke 23:34). Not to soothe himself. Not to achieve “closure.” But to relinquish claim and leave unsettled judgment in God’s self-sufficient hand.Forgiveness here is no possession. It is gentle rain: falling, renewing, moving on. It cannot be held by the hand of man. It cannot be domesticated. It unsettles the settlement itself. It leaves all things provisionally in the hand of God.“Who is a God like you, who pardons wrongdoing and passes over a rebellious act of the remnant of his possession? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in mercy.” (Micah 7:18)This week, I discuss Luke 8:51.“When he came to the house, he did not allow [οὐκ εἴασεν, ouk eiasen] anyone to enter with him, except Peter, John, and James, and the girl’s father and mother.” (8:51)‎ἀφίημι (aphiemi) / נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) / ن-و-ح (nūn-wāw-ḥāʾ)The root נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) in Hebrew, ἀφίημι (aphiemi) in Greek, and ن-و-ح (nūn-wāw-ḥāʾ) in Arabic share a core function: to rest, to let be, to release. But in the Bible and Qurʾan, this rest is always provisional: never possession, never settlement.Settle, Remain“The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave [נוּחוּ (nuḥu)] one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go.’” (Genesis 42:33)To settle or remain as a pledge. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) functions as “leave behind.” One brother must stay behind while the others travel. The act of settling is temporary, an enforced pause, not ownership.“So the Lord allowed those nations to remain [וַיַּנַּח (wayyannaḥ)], not driving them out quickly; and he did not hand them over to Joshua.” (Judges 2:23)To let stay means to permit settlement. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) signifies God’s intentional suspension of conquest. The nations remain unsettled alongside Israel in the land. It is a pause in divine judgment that disallows human presumption.Transient Rest, Repose“Then Samson said to the boy who was holding his hand, ‘Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests [הַנִּיחֵנִי (hanniḥeni)], so that I may lean against them.’” (Judges 16:26)To rest or relax physically. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) signifies bodily relief. Samson leans for support. Rest is not a possession but a temporary dependence.“From men with your hand, Lord, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill their belly with your treasure; they are satisfied with children, and leave [הִנִּיחוּ (hinniḥu)] their abundance to their infants.” (Psalm 17:14; 16:14 LXX)To rest in satisfaction and to leave behind. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) functions as the fullness of life’s portion as rest represented in inheritance. Yet, this rest is transient: what remains passes to children, never held permanently.Leave Behind, Let Go, Abandon“So I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave [אַנִּיחֶנּוּ (ʾanniḥennu)] it to the man who will come after me.” (Ecclesiastes 2:18)To leave or give up as an inheritance for someone else. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) indicates relinquishment. What one works for cannot be held permanently but must be released.“In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not let your hand rest [תַּנַּח (tannaḥ)]; for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.” (Ecclesiastes 11:6)To wait, but not passively. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) acts under pressure: not to stop but to stay active in anticipation without assurance or any sense of control over the outcome. Rest here is paused in darkness, waiting without certainty.Abandon / Let Be“And he said, ‘Let him alone [הַנִּיחוּ (hanniḥu)]; let no one disturb his bones.’ So they left his bones undisturbed, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.” (2 Kings 23:18)To abandon in peace, to let be. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) functions as non-interference. Even in death, the prophet’s word is beyond the king’s aegis. Death, rest, etc., indicate non-possession. The bones are not to be moved or claimed. Be warned, Josiah, God Almighty has spoken the truth. Do not disturb what God has already settled.“So I will hand you over to your lovers, and they will tear down your shrines, demolish your high places, strip you of your clothing, take your beautiful jewelry, and leave [וַהֲנִיחוּךְ (wahaniḥuk)] you naked and bare.” (Ezekiel 16:39)To abandon violently. Here, נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) does not function peacefully but instead signifies forsaking, leaving someone vulnerable. Rest in this context indicates exposure, the lack of protection.Discipleship as Non-Settlement“And Jesus said to him, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’” (Luke 9:58)To deny even the minimal rest that other earth mammals are granted. Here, Jesus embodies נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) denied: no pause, no place of repose, only constant motion. Discipleship is a nomadic way of life without settled ground.“But He said to him, ‘Allow [Ἄφες (aphes)] the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:60)To release family obligations, ἀφίημι (aphiemi) signifying “let go” is reflected in the command: let the dead bury their dead; you must be on the move. The function is about detachment: not settling in family, friends, tribe, nation, institution, or inheritance.“Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” (Luke 10:4)To release possession and ties. Here, discipleship repeats the law of Sabbath rest: travel light, claim nothing, do not bind yourself. Forgiveness as release becomes life as release. Forgiveness is not psychological or therapeutic, let alone internal or spiritual. It is pragmatic. Yalla. There is work to do. Settle it quickly, but do not settle. Move on.“And forgive [ἄφες (aphes)] us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” (Luke 11:4)To release debts, whether economic obligations during the sabbatical year (cf. Nehemiah 10:31: “we will forgo [ἀφήσομεν] debts”) or sins as unpaid accounts, ἀφίημι moves from the sphere of finance into the realm of morality. Its core function is consistent: to let go of claims. Discipleship, therefore, entails refusing to settle accounts, even under the guise of justice. Modern therapeutic or spiritualized hearings of forgiveness, however, strip ἀφίημι of its practical edge, internalizing it into a private sentiment. In doing so, they domesticate and neutralize its force, turning release into a mechanism of distraction and immobilization rather than a radical act of non-settlement.Instead of relinquishing the claim, as commanded in 1 Corinthians, people puff themselves up and usurp God’s role with the words, “I forgive you.” But no one asked for your forgiveness. Luke 11:4 is not about you extending pardon: it pertains to him, and you are not him.“And he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, leave [ἄφες (aphes)] it alone this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer.’” (Luke 13:8)To suspend judgment, to delay final settlement. Here, ἄφες (aphes, from ἀφίημι aphiemi) functions as a request for non-interference and provisional release. The fig tree, though barren, is not uprooted; its fate is deferred until the Day of the Lord. This corresponds to the use of נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet) in the LXX, where God “let the nations remain” (Judges 2:23: καὶ ἀφῆκεν Κύριος, kai apheken kyrios).“So in the present case I say to you, stay away [ἀπόστητε (apostete)] from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown.” (Acts 5:38)Gamaliel’s reasoning is pragmatic: if the movement is human, it will collapse; if it is from God, no human can stop it. This is non-settlement elevated to strategy: do not disturb what God may be doing. It reflects the same mechanism at work in 2 Kings 23:18, “ἀφετε αυτον” (aphete auton, let him be), Josiah’s command not to disturb the prophet’s bones. In both cases, aphiemi functions as restraint: release control, refuse interference, acknowledge that what God has settled lies beyond human hands. The result is that witness is preserved and God’s work continues: the prophet’s bones remain as testimony to the word fulfilled, and the apostles, released rather than destroyed, become living testimony as the gospel spreads unchecked. Yet this restraint cuts both ways. Again, the double-edged sword of Damocles: God’s word is fixed, settled once for all, while the disciples who bear it must remain perpetually unsettled, always in motion under its pressure, never laying their heads down to rest.نُوح (Nūḥ) Noah in the Qurʾan“And it was said, ‘O earth, swallow your water, and O sky, withhold [your rain].’ And the water subsided, and the matter was accomplished, and the ship came to rest [وَاسْتَوَتْ (wastawat)] upon al-Judiyy, and it was said, ‘Away with the wrongdoing people!’” (Qurʾan, Surat Hūd سورة هود “Hud” 11:44)To rest without settlement. The ark “rests” [وَاسْتَوَتْ (wastawat), from a different root, yet echoing the Hebrew נ־ו־ח (nun-waw-ḥet)], but this “rest” is provisional: not the founding of a city, not the permanence of possession, but simple survival upon the mountain. Noah’s deliverance is shadowed by loss. His son was left behind to perish (Qurʾan, Surat Hūd 11:42-43). Thus, the ark’s rest is not triumph but unsettled nomadic living: a continuation with a pause granted by God, not an end secured by human striving.“[Noah said], ‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send rain from the sky upon you in continuing showers.’” (Qurʾan, Surat Nūḥ سورة نوح “Noah” 71:10–11)To release guilt through forgiveness. Nūḥ (نُوح) preaches divine مغفرة (maghfira), which functions like ἀφίημι (aphiemi) in the Gospels: release, remission, non-settlement of sin. On the cross, Jesus says, “Father, ἄφες (aphes) them” (Luke 23:34): not to soothe Himself, not to achieve closure, but to suspend judgment and relinquish claim. This is forgiveness as anti-therapeutic release: destabilizing rather than consoling, refusing to domesticate the offense, leaving it provisionally in God’s hands. Forgiveness, like rain, renews without permanent possession. It falls, restores, and moves on, unsettling the settlement itself.

In this episode we continue our reading of the Gospel of Mark, covering Chapter 1:9-14. Although Mark had introduced his work as the Gospel of Jesus, calling him “the Christ” and “the Son of God” he qualifies both of these titles, which are parallel, by the phrase, as it is written in the prophets. Mark is telling his hearers that they cannot understand Jesus as Christ/Son of God, in just any old way, but exclusively according to Scripture, and specifically its second part, the prophets. And Mark uses both Isaiah and Ezekiel as his touchstones. Mark’s expression that Jesus “comes from Nazareth of Galilee,” as well as his mention of Jordan as the location of Jesus’ baptism connects Jesus, via Isaiah, to the mission to the Gentiles. In Mark, Jesus as a teacher, the use of parables to teach, and the title Son of Man are all connected in that they have their source in Ezekiel. Notes:Isaiah 1:9ἐλάλει αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον - he was speaking to them the word Mark 3:7Ezekiel 1:1Mark 4:33-34ἐγένετο - it came to pass, it happened ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις - in those days Mark 13:24-27ἀγαπητός - beloved εὐθὺς - straightway, immediately εὐθείας - straightרוּחַ - spiritEzekiel 1:7, 12“Sing A New Song Unto Me” performed by Raphael Shaheen.“Voodoo Who” performed by The Flesh.Photo by Ron Lach : https://www.pexels.com/photo/orthodox-icon-of-jesus-christ-baptism-scene-10619928/

Every dynasty insists on its permanence. Every people clings to the hollow echo of its own voice. Every generation invents its own despair and dares to call it light. Yet Scripture unmasks the fragility of these human building projects.The voices of despair rise in the camp, soothing themselves with stories of morality, while kings and judges build false legacies and nations carve idols in the light of their own eyes. Again and again, the words of God cut across this chorus, splitting the false consolation of narrative with the constellation of Abrahamic function: exposing human futility with divine riddle, and announcing what no human voice can summon: the surplus of grace and light. Or perhaps, when hope is gone and the fall seems final, it descends for you not as light but as despair.Can you even tell the difference? Are you still confused about the Shepherd’s identity? Yes, you are. Because you are a Westerner. And now even the East has turned West. All of you are talking about yourselves.Catch up quickly, ḥabībī. God is written. God does not forget. God does not turn. And God, as the Apostle said, is not mocked.This week, I discuss Luke 8:41.Ἰάϊρος (Iairos) ‎/י־א־ר (yod-alef-resh, “light”)‎י־א־ש (yod-alef-shin, “despair”) /‎ي־ء־س (yāʾ-hamza-sīn)The functions י־א־ר (yod-alef-resh, “shine”, “light”) and י־א־ש (yod-alef-shin, “despair”) share the same first two letters (י + א). Only the last letter is different: resh (ר) for shine, shin (ש) for despair. In Semitic languages, this kind of overlap often forms a word-family or cluster where similar-looking roots embody opposite meanings. The placement and structure leave the door open to hear and see them as two edges of the same blade—one edge to shine, the other to despair. The Arabic cognate يَئِسَ (yaʾisa, “to despair”) expands this constellation of function, confirming the polarity as it treads across the breadth of Semitic tradition. (HALOT, pp. 381-382)The Double-Edged Sword of Semitic Function: Despair and Light1. The Voice of the People: DespairLuke 8:49 “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any longer.”The crowd speaks. The household voices despair.This is not faith, not trust, not light, not life. It is the voice of the human being declaring finality. It is the voice of war in the camp, of the cruelty of throwing children away.The Hebrew/Arabic root י־א־ש / ي-ء-س (to despair) captures this perfectly. Across Semitic tradition, despair is the word of man: resignation, futility, darkness.“None despairs تَيْأَسُوا (tayʾasu) of the mercy of God except the disbelieving people.” (Qurʾan, Surah Yūsuf سورة يوسف “Joseph” 12:87)Again, despair is attributed to the people.Human communities, when confronted with death, loss, or trial, give voice to hopelessness.2. The Voice of God: Light and HopeLuke 8:50 “Do not fear; only trust, and she will be saved.”This is not the voice of the people. It is the word of the Lord, cutting through human despair.The name Jairus (יָאִיר, yaʾir “he will shine”) itself belongs not to human commentary but to God’s proclamation. The child will live; light will shine.“Until, when the messengers despaired ٱسْتَيْـَٔسَ (istaʾyasa) and thought that they were denied, our help came to them, and whoever we willed was saved. But our might cannot be repelled from the guilty people.” (Qurʾan, Surah Yūsuf سورة يوسف “Joseph” 12:110)The human limit is despair. God’s instruction interrupts where human beings fail. His mercy and help arrive at the point where human voices collapse.In both the Gospel and the Qur’an, the sword of Pauline Grace hangs above the scene. On one edge is the people’s despair: sharp, cutting, self-inflicted, and final. On the other edge is God’s light: sharper still, decisive, and life-giving. Scripture allows no compromise between the two. One voice must be silenced: the word of the people falls, and the word of God stands, forever.‎πίπτω (pipto) / נ־פ־ל (nun-fe-lamed) / ن־ف־ل (nūn-fāʾ-lām)The root carries the function “to fall, fall down, be slain, collapse, fail; to fall in battle, collapse in death, or prostrate,” and in its semantics it denotes a sense of finality, the collapse of life or order.According to Lane’s Lexicon, the root ن-ف-ل (nūn–fāʾ–lām) indicates “he gave without obligation, akin to Pauline grace as a free gift” (نَفَلَ nafala), “that which falls to a man’s lot without his seeking it” (نَفْل nafl), or “booty, spoil, bounty” (أَنْفَال anfāl), while Tāj al-ʿArūs describes it as “that which falls (يَقَعُ yaqaʿu) to someone’s portion.” This resonates with Paul’s use of χάρις (charis, grace), where salvation is not earned but freely given: “For by grace [χάριτί (chariti)] you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Likewise, Paul stresses that justification comes “being justified as a gift [δωρεάν (dorean)] by his grace [τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι (te autou chariti)] through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).“She has fallen [נָפְלָה (nafelah)], she will not rise again, the virgin Israel. She lies neglected on her land; There is no one to raise her up.” (Amos 5:2)“They fell [ἔπεσαν (epesan)] on their faces before the throne.” (Revelation 7:11)In the Qur’an, Paul’s teaching is carried forward from Luke, and the function of the fall is inverted: human failure becomes a gift, a “surplus”, not the false surplus of the billionaire abundance mafia, but what God allots beyond human expectation. Where Hebrew נ־פ־ל (nun-fe-lamed) and Greek πίπτω (pipto) establish the fall as collapse, ruin, and death, Arabic ن-ف-ل (nūn-fāʾ-lām) reshapes the same constellation into grace: what falls to one’s portion without effort, the unearned bounty. Thus, the Jairus mashal, where the daughter falls into death yet rises as a surplus of life, finds its perpetuation in the term’s Qur’anic itinerary: the fall itself becomes the site of God’s grace.Luke 8:49-50: “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” But He answered, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be saved.”Romans 3:24: “Being made righteous as a gift [δωρεάν (dorean)] by his grace [χάριτι (chariti)] through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”Qurʾan, Surat al-Anfāl سورة الأنفال “The Spoils of War” 8:1: “They ask you about the spoils [ٱلۡأَنفَالِ (al-anfāl)]. Say, ‘The spoils belong to God and the Apostle.’”Judges were intended to function as earthen vessels: temporary saviors raised up by God to deliver Israel, re-establish order under the Torah, and cultivate dependence on him and him alone. Instead, like all dynastic bureaucrats, they mistook the spoils of God’s victory as their own possession, converting deliverance into personal legacy. Jair’s brief rule in Judges (10:3-5) perfectly illustrates this failure: his thirty sons, riding on thirty donkeys, ruling thirty towns, embody administration without light, wealth without instruction, and dynastic order without deliverance. His reign becomes an ironic commentary on his own name, יָאִיר (yaʾir, “he enlightens”), since no light shone in the darkness of his generation. This hollowness is what the book hammers home in its refrain: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). The refrain is not a nostalgic longing for David’s throne; it is a cry for the reign of God: for the true King whose instruction alone brings light, whose deliverance cannot be seized as human legacy, and whose word alone interrupts the cycle of despair in life:“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).(17:6) The condemnation is aimed at Israel’s religious disorder: individuals setting up private shrines, inventing their own priesthood, without divine command.(18:1) The tribe of Dan acts autonomously, stealing Micah’s idol, setting up its own cult, and seizing land as if the land could be a possession.(19:1) No judge is present; all of Israel unravels into collapse and civil war.(21:25) The final refrain condemns the entire system: everyone did what was right in their own eyes. By implication, even “minor judges” like Jair (10:3-5) fall under condemnation.Unlike Tola, whose obedience to God “saved Israel” after Abimelech’s violent reign, Jair’s rule is not marked by divine deliverance but by the vanity of human laws, administration, and dynastic control. Again, his reign is summed up in the ledgers of greed: thirty sons, riding on thirty donkeys, ruling over thirty towns in Gilead. The triple thirty highlights not liberation but bureaucracy: a system of inherited privilege, nobility, and local authority spread across a patchwork of encampments. The repetition of חַוֹּתחַוֹּת יָאִיר (ḥawwot yaʾir, “the tent-villages of Jair”) identifies him with Jair son of Manasseh (Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14), rooting his name in self-referential territorial identity. Ironic, for a people who dwell in tents, but no less ironic than his name. Despite a name that means יָאִיר (yaʾir, “he enlightens”), his rule produces no light or instruction, only the semblance of order and false stability, a disbelief alluded to in the Qurʾan (12:87). In contrast, Jairus in Luke 8 fulfills the name’s assigned promise. When his daughter falls into death, the human community voices the same despair. Still, God’s anointed Judge interrupts Jairus with true enlightenment, transforming human despair with the light to the nations. Thus, the functional “Jair” of Judges embodies human rule “in one’s own eyes,” while Jairus in Luke becomes the earthen vessel through whom God implements his powerful rule, revealing the “surplus” of his Pauline grace.

In Matthew 17, a boy’s father brings him to Jesus’ disciples to be healed but they cannot do it. Since the man is “from the multitude”, that is a Gentile, his son may be said to represent the second generation of the ekklesia, the Church, the primary addresses of Matthew’s Gospel. This story depicts the Gentiles in need of healing (the gospel), but prevented from hearing it because of the disciples’ “little faith.” Matthew is intentional in his word choice, changing Mark’s “having a mute spirit” to “an epileptic,” which in Greek means literally “under the influence of the moon,” or “moonstruck.” In Scripture the first reference to the moon in the creation narrative says it is “for a sign.” Thus, as a sign, it is merely a pointer to something, and not itself the reference. Matthew’s use of “epileptic” suggests that, as a Gentile, the boy was under the control of the sign, but kept from accessing the thing he really needed, which the sign merely points to: the preaching unto repentance.Join me in a discussion of Matthew 17:14-23. *Note that the next episode will continue our reading through the Gospel of Mark. Stay tuned!Notes:Genesis 1:14Galatians 1:11-12Matthew 12:38-39; 16:1, 4; 28:18-20κατ’ἰδίαν (kat’idian) - apart, by themselves, privatelyκατεγνωσμένος (kategnosmenos) - fully condemnedσεληνιάζεται (selēniazetai) - epileptic, literally under the influence of the moon; moonstruck אוֹת (ōth) - sign, miracle; Greek σημεῖον (sēmeion)προσευχῇ (proseuchē) - praying, prayer, place of prayerPhoto by Joonas kääriäinen: https://www.pexels.com/photo/clouds-under-full-moon-239107/“Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book” performed by Dead Can Dance.