OUTLINE of a Scriptural path toward Christ’s walk to Gethsemane, Calvary, beyond Bethany and anticipating the Lord’s return in glory in these last days.
The liturgical season of Lent although having no Biblical requirement has always been a reflective time for me. I have provided some glances back for any who have not followed Talk of JESUS in previous Lenten seasons.
This YEAR – A.D. 2025 to most of you (2025 C.E. to most of our unbelieving world) – I wanted to lead you through some Old Testament Scriptures looking through Jewish eyes (yes JESUS and EVERY Apostle was Jewish). You may glance at a HEBREW organization of the BIBLE below which orders and groups our O.T. Books differently.
G_d only knows how many of the 40 days of Lent I will publish, but each will likely be briefer than my usual 5-minute READ.
Finally, beloved brother or sister in Christ,
IF you look for a connecting thread between these O.T. Scriptures and Christ you may discover a faithful Jewish thread of contrition not seen in the Gospels except in the Person of Jesus. (Think of Gethsemane, now.. and follow Him along the narrow path.)
Won’t you pray for me and comment here encouraging all?
Roger Harned – Author and Site administrator, Talk of JESUS .com
a picture of LENT from AD 2014
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
This phrase refers to the entirety of the Hebrew Scriptures, known as the Tanakh, which is divided into the Torah (Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).
In the context of Matthew 22:40, “the Law and the Prophets” is a shorthand for the Old Testament.
Or should I say, Love, love, love, love perhaps four times?
(As just a bit earlier than the Beatles another Englishman, Clive Staples, pointed out 4 loves — each at least somewhat different from the others?)
Christians throw around the LOVE jargon rather vaguely and with much overlap (as does the world).
For God so loved the world.. John 3:16
The word, “Love” occurs over 500 times in the Bible
translated more than 200 times from New Testament Greek into the English Standard Version
Let’s have some Biblical intercourse about the real definitions of the Biblical loves to which C.S. Lewis referred.
The Four Loves
Love, of course, is quite popular now (February), as it is every year.
C.S. Lewis, born just a couple of years before my grandfathers, capitalized on this in his popular RADIO program and published a book called THE FOUR LOVES in A..D. 1960 (when I was only ten and John Lennon was just twenty).
To outline Lewis’ approach briefly:
The Four Loves was Lewis’ look at some of the different loves described in Greek thought: familial or affectionate love (storge); friendship (philia); romantic love (eros); and spiritual love (agape) in the light of Christian commentary on ordinate loves.
The New Testament was written in Greek, which is why we will apply some New Testament Scripture using these words based on Lewis' outline for the same 'four loves.'
Although in A.D. 1960 Lewis began elsewhere, today let’s start with the world’s contemporary favorite:
Eros – ἔρως
Eros is the Greek term for romantic or passionate love. While the word itself is not used in the New Testament, the concept is present in the biblical understanding of marriage and the intimate relationship between husband and wife. Eros is seen as a gift from God, intended to be expressed within the covenant of marriage.
The Song of Solomon [O.T.] is often cited as a biblical celebration of eros, highlighting the beauty and intensity of romantic love.
Affection covers an array of loves. Like animals, the care of mother to babe is a picture of affection. It relies on the expected and the familiar. Lewis describes it as humble.
It’s the familiarity of, “the people with whom you are thrown together in the family, the college, the mess, the ship, the religious house,” says Lewis.
I do not mean affection literally (in English), but a Greek word for affection, STORGE.
God blessed me with an additional embrace of His Personal and mysterious, complex love for us through searching aimlessly for love in the Bible. Only after researching further in other commentaries did I connect this word of affection with the Lord’s additional loves we experience so personally.
God’s affection in the Person of His only Son JESUS was there all along and I had missed it.
..says Lewis. The affection for the people always around us, in the normal day-to-day of life, is the majority of the love we experience, even if we don’t label it.
‘Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.’ had jumped out to me in the NIV
But in addition to our affection meaning devoted, when Paul writes to the Romans, the word the Apostle uses here for love obviously applies to brotherly love – philadelphia.
I also liked his mention to ‘honor‘ each other above your SELF.
Seems familiar to JESUS’ second summary point from the Commandments. LOVE actually appears in BOTH of these commandments cited by our Lord:
Jesus said to him,
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
We'll get to what it is in a moment, but for now note that here in relation to PERSONS we seem have a better chance for AFFECTION as I noted in Paul's verse from Romans.
Storge – Other Loves plusDevotion
Although the specific term storge is not used in the New Testament, the concept is evident in passages that emphasize family relationships and responsibilities. Romans 12:10
a verb with similar meaning that we won’t want to miss
to love
to approve of
to like
sanction
to treat affectionately or kindly, to welcome, befriend
to show signs of love
to kiss
to be fond of doing
be wont [an accustomed familiarity], use to do
Perhaps the most convicting encounter with JESUS using this word phileōfor LOVE occurs in His most personal encounter with the Apostle Peter after our Lord’s resurrection.
Here’s an excerpt:
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love G5368 You.”
“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love G5368 You.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love G5368 Me?”
IF you don't already know what word JESUS used for LOVE in His first two questions I'll bet you can guess - Jesus asks Simon Peter if he agapaos Him; yet this third time the Lord uses Peter's word for friendship - φιλέω phileō, which Peter again confirms.
Now returning to our compound Greek word for Philadelphia we must consider one additional connection of LOVE:
We've quoted these four writers of the Gospels many times AND we cross-reference these Scriptures in other accounts as well.
TalkofJESUS.com treats the GOSPELS as a single category due to the connected importance of the Good News of Jesus Christ reported LIVE and IN PERSON from different perspectives.
Gospel of Matthew 28:30 – Quote of JESUS after the Lord’s resurrection.
Gospel of LUKE 1:4
John Mark (mentioned above) and Luke, the physician who continued his detailed account of Jesus and the early Church with Acts of the Apostles, were both gentile (non-Jewish) believers who interviewed the Twelve and other witnesses of JESUS.
Matthew (quoted above) and John are two of the Twelve Apostles. Jesus includes John and his brother James along with Simon Peter in the Lord's inner circle of closest confidants and friends.
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
The term “Gospel” originates from the Old English word “godspel,” meaning “good news” or “glad tidings,” which is a translation of the Greek word “euangelion.”
In the context of the Christian faith, the Gospel refers to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, encompassing His life, death, resurrection, and the promise of eternal life for believers.
gos’-pel (to euaggelion): The word gospel is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word which meant “the story concerning God.”
The Gospel is simple really, yet with the mysterious depth of God proclaimed as the good Word of saving sinners.
I have written topically about the Gospel at least twice:
Vine’s Expository Dictionary of NT Words offers a deeper study of biblical words used in the English language. English entries are mapped to each applicable Greek root according to the Strong’s reference numbers, and include biblical usage, main occurrences in the Bible, English transliteration, and definitions.
Gospel (Noun and Verb: to Preach):“to bring or announce glad tidings” (Eng., “evangelize”), is used
(a) in the Active Voice in Rev 10:7 (“declared”) and Rev 14:6 (“to proclaim,” RV, AV, “to preach”);
Some claiming Christ, christians or even churches, will claim the Gospel without understanding.
OR worse, pulpits may proclaim the Gospel while hiding behind it.
AND some christians and churches take no action at all in evangelization or preaching the Gospel to our own personal need of Christ Jesus for salvation.
Good News before our inevitable end
death — and the JUDGMENT of ALMIGHTY GOD!
2025 of the Common Era seems to have begun with story after story and yet more of the continuing BREAKING NEWS of our fallen world.
Common Era NEWS begins with the same old sins of the world wrapped in the false idolatry: MOTHER NATURE and a world out of control * and a human-created environmental apocalypse – impending DISASTER out of reach of all their hand-holding gods.
Fire Maui Hawaii US1945 dead slave laborsAnd the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound…
.. but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He proclaimedG2097 goodG2097 newsG2097 to His slaves, the prophets.
How many died THIS TIME? And how many were SAVED for nothing more than BAD NEWS? (And for how long until the inevitable return of each broken body into the dust of the grave?)
Does the world’s news end with a feel-good story? *Do YOU feel good about YOURSELF now?
What percentage of us will die sometime soon?
What does the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST mean to your eternal soul
— your deeper human created in God’s image — the YOU by which so many souls you love in this world (or perhaps just a few) know you well as more than flesh and blood?
DON’T YOU think, mere mortal, that God in his Only Son Jesus Christ enbraces and knows your soul more than any?
Of course! the GOSPEL proclaims.
Repentance!
and BELIEVE the Gospel.
“Many false prophets will arise and will deceive man.
And because lawlessness is multiplied, most people’s love will grow cold.
But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
