Matthew 23: 24 Strain Out A Gnat And Swallow A Camel

British Columbia-trekearth

Matthew 23:24

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

Matthew 23:24

English Standard Version (ESV)

24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

R.T. France from his Matthew commentary states: 'This lack of sense of proportion is delightfully burlesqued in the ridiculous picture of a gnat strained out of a drink to avoid impurity (Leviticus 11: 20-23) while a camel also impure, (Leviticus 11: 4) is swallowed whole. The joke may have been aided by an Aramaic pun on qalma (gnat) and gamla (camel).' France (1985: 329).

FRANCE, R.T. (1985) Matthew, Grand Rapids, IVP, Eerdmans.

Following is not a perfect example by any means, but it made me ponder...

On the corporate site I was informed in regard to the landlord reasonably being green in accordance with a major corporate tenant's wishes to also be green and turn the lights down in certain areas after regular working hours.

The results were that certain employees were left in the dark as they needed to perform required functions and were put in slightly dangerous situations that were potentially even more dangerous.

The intellectual and philosophical blindness came to mind of Matthew 23: 24.

In this corporate example an attempt to be green was well-meaning, but placing an area of the site in darkness also placed persons performing functions after regular business hours in darkness and in danger.

A worse thing and evil proportionally was committed.

A problem in this story from the both the billion dollar corporate landlord and trillion dollar corporate tenant is that in their attempts to be green and politically correct they both overlooked the potential human need for regular lighting that would be required in that particular area involved. As a result an incident occurred and now changes are now required to bring the lighting back to regular working hours settings, after hours in that area.

A camel was swallowed (human beings were placed in danger) in an attempt to strain out a gnat (save human beings some energy and be green).

Modern Fashion: Audio

Milan: Facebook

Paris: Facebook & Travel+ Leisure

Old Navy, military, windbreaker, Wind River, military, windbreaker, Wind River, black, windbreaker

Romans 12: 2 New American Standard Bible

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

ISIL Members Demand Equal Opportunity To Blow Themselves Up

Syria: Facebook

National Post May 21

Cited

'ISIL members decry nepotistic suicide bomber wait list, demand equal opportunity to blow themselves up'

Davide Mastracci

Cited

'Saudi militants in ISIL are using nepotism to ensure friends and family members get bumped to the top of suicide bombing wait lists, according to a frustrated Chechen militant.'

Cited

'In a recent post on a website believed to be linked to a Chechen ISIL battalion, Kamil Abu Sultan ad-Daghestani complained that Chechens are being robbed of their hard-earned chance to blow themselves up because of the Saudis.'

Cited

'A recent ISIL guidebook explicitly mentioned the high supply of suicide bombers, telling potential “martyrs” to be patient after their training period, as they’d have to deal with a waiting list.' 

Cited

'Abu Sultan said the lengthy waiting list, which can reach up to several months, leads to some ISIL fighters dying before getting the chance to kill themselves.'

Cited

'Ahmed’s efforts were successful after a move to Iraq, where he killed himself and a senior police official during a suicide-bombing mission in November.

A death by suicide bombing is in high demand for tactical reasons, not theological ones, according to Thomas Pierret of the University of Edinburgh.

Pierret says that while death on the battlefield or by suicide bombing are both perceived to be martyrdom operations by ISIL fighters, suicide bombings are preferred due to the amount of damage they can inflict.

“In my view, the tactical advantage of suicide VBIEDs [vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices] largely outweighs their symbolic or propaganda value, hence (ISIL)’s heavy reliance on them,” Pierret said in an interview with Radio Free Europe.'

End Citations

One wise statement my Mom has made in the past is 'Why don't they just kill themselves first? 

Reasonable...

As I have noted previously in posts the radical Islam of ISIS/ISIL can be contrasted with the gospel and Biblical Christianity quite drastically.

The gospel and Biblical Christianity presents God as trinity (Matthew 28), as eternal God in spirit (John 1, John 4).

God the Son is incarnated in human history. Jesus Christ did the salvific work of atonement and resurrection which is shared with those in Christ.

1 John 2 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an [a]Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the [b]propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

1 Corinthians 15: 45-49

45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, [n]earthy; the second man is from heaven. 48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, [o]we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The radical Islam of ISIS/ISIL is in contrast interested in murdering those that will not follow its religion.

Or enslaving those it captures.

Or committing other evils against outsiders.

It has the spirit of fallen human nature (Romans 1-6) and is not from the Biblical God.

Two Doors: Audio

Barcelona-trekearth

puzzlingstackexchange

Cited

'You are a prisoner in a room with 2 doors and 2 guards. One of the doors will guide you to freedom and behind the other is a hangman - you don't know which is which. One of the guards always tell the truth and the other always lies. You don't know which one is the truth-teller or the liar either. You have to choose and open one of these doors, but you can only ask a single question from one of the guards. What do you ask to lead you to the door of freedom?'

'The answer I've consistently heard to this is: If I asked what door lead to freedom, what door would the other guard point to? If you asked the truth-guard, the truth-guard would tell you that the liar-guard would point to the door that leads to death. If you asked the liar-guard, the liar-guard would tell you that the truth-guard would point to the door that leads to death. Therefore, no matter who you ask, the guards tell you which door leads to death, and therefore you can pick the other door.'

Further

'This assumes that the liar guard will only tell a lie. (As opposed to trying to deceive you.) There is more to lying than words - there is body language.'

End

In my short audio/video presentation I explain that in Bible School I came up with a similar idea independently.

Hallstatt, Austria-Facebook

Corporate Lessons From The Week: Audio

Google+

In regard to the audio post:

Dads: how your age can affect your fertility and your baby's health

I thought this seems a reasonable and balanced article last reviewed: May 2012.

It points out possible negatives, but in the end is in basic agreement with my former MD that is a friend and corporate colleague from Uganda.

To cite the article:

'Finally, you can comfort yourself with the fact that, while male fertility may gradually decline with the years, the majority of men will still be fertile and functioning at 60 and beyond.'

Sixty years old and beyond, so basically until near dead; yet another philosophical point against ageism.

Spring and the Fraser Valley

Live Elevator Music

Barcelona-trekearth

Fourth Floor: During an evening corporate security patrol for the trillion dollar corporation, I hear coming from the washroom area, near the elevators, 'Happy Birthday to you' being sung sort of 'Marilyn Monroe' style with a female voice, as in Happy Birthday Mr. President, but just Happy Birthday to you, although I am not very familiar with the Monroe rendition.

I know enough that it was not the standard way of singing the song and it sounded professional.

I avoided the washroom, but searched nearby to see if there was a party of sorts, but saw none. I thought perhaps a woman was rehearsing in the washroom.

Third Floor: I walk the stairs to the third floor and once again from the washroom area near the elevators hear Happy Birthday to you. I once again search and find nothing. I continue...

Second Floor: Again the singing continues from the washroom area near the elevators but this time a female employee enters the washroom, When she exits, I kindly ask her if she was alone in washroom. She states yes and I then explain the situation.

She opines and theorizes that the singing is perhaps from a mobile phone ringer from a mobile phone, possibly left from an office party.

I reason that seems plausible and take the elevator to P5 in the garage which has P4, P3, P2, between G, 2, 3 and 4 on the main floors, and 4 is where where I started my evening patrol.

A total of eight floors.

When I arrive via elevator at P5, through the glass part of the door, I see a female employee in her car in a black dress facing my direction holding her mobile phone to her mouth with her car window open singing Happy Birthday to you.

Yes, the sound travelled the eight floors up the elevator...

I informed her she sounded very good, but I was wondering who it was. She seemed embarrassed and stopped immediately although I informed her it was not necessary.

That's Facebook: Audio

Dublin-Facebook & Travel+Leisure

Not a likely future PhD candidate by any stretch of the imagination at that time. As well, this was my pre-combing era and no I am not meaning a philosophical era, although on the other hand I was a philosophical little kid...

Mr. Angley