Mark 16 - Jesus is present each time a human mimics Jesus’ civic-integrity (Yeshua note)

 

Note: In early 2024 I learned his mom and dad in Nazareth named and called him "Yeshua", and "Jesus" is a consequence of translations from Aramaic/Hebrew to Greek, to Latin, to old English, then to Protestant English. "Christ" supports Paul, and some people believe Paul without civic objection. This discovery is wonderful and to be shared.

[Please recall I ponder reliability to Genesis 1:26, NIV, “in our image so they may rule . . . earth”. May coming-from-the-God implies can and leaves the person with choice to pursue order or not. This is not equivalent to free-will, which is presented without assessment of consequences: there may be chaos (no rule). I do not know the-ineluctable-truth, and therefore seek it.

I perceive that John 1:1 asserts that Jesus is God. Further, Matthew 5:48 asserts that a human-being can pursue perfection that mimics Jesus’ perfection. It is their unique perfection no other human can pursue. Also, Matthew 25:41-45, expresses that citizens who do not treat fellow-citizens as unique images of Jesus, accept neither Genesis 1:26-28 nor its source, Jesus.

Happy is the person who joins with fellow-citizens to pursue& promote the-civic-Jesus.]

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. [Many cultures, e.g., Greece, 2800 years ago, consider obligations to dead citizens on par with obligations to the living. See Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (metmuseum.org).] ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene [Note the controversy that nothing good comes from Nazareth. See Can Anything Good Come Out Of Nazareth? | The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News — Sunday Magazine — The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News.], who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” [This suggests a supernatural yet physical resurrection of Jesus. I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth. However, I trust& am committed to the-civic-Jesus, which involves practice, facilitation& encouragement to the-good --- reliable-human-independence, which is expressed as a theism in Genesis 1:26-28.]

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

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[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

⁹ When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

¹² Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. ¹³ These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸ they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” [I agree when scholars express doubt in these supernatural claims. In fact, a civil judge who must assign children unfortunately orphaned by snake handlers is likely to seek a blood relative who opposes snake handling. And, anyone who drinks deadly poison dies. Likewise, it is healthy to doubt the physical resurrection of Jesus, because doubt positions a person to consider more earnestly the civic-lessons concerned students can glean from things Jesus is reported to have said and done. For example, from Matthew 25:41-45, citizens who do not treat fellow-citizens as unique images of Jesus, accept neither Genesis 1:26-28 nor its source, Jesus. Jesus may be the source of the-good. I do not know the-ineluctable-truth, yet I perceive evidence.]

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰ Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. [Jesus is alive and well each time a living person practices, facilitates, and/or encourages Jesus’-civic-influence -- influence to the-good.]

[I apply Genesis-1-NIV perspective to Bible interpretation -- NIV because of the phrase “so they may” in Genesis 1:26. Coming from the-God, “may” implies “can”: Each person may& can choose the-good. For all I know, Jesus is the-God, and the-God may be the-good.

“For all I know” seems a casual equivalent of “I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth”. I consider my position humble to the-God, whatever it is and would appreciate opportunity to change my opinion toward more appreciation& humility.

I think Genesis 1:26-28 expresses the-civic-Jesus-message (CJM):  Human male unites-to female human-being and their spouse-hood may& can pursue comprehensive-safety& security to the living species and to the earth (SECURITY). In self-interest, there is no race; no rights; no coercion; no force – only human-opportunity to choose the-good. Every person may& can aid SECURITY, and the civic-citizen so chooses. “Civic” means reliable in human connections& transactions. Some persons neglect, partially or wholly, civic-Jesus-appreciation, Jesus’-peace, and SECURITY. I don’t know that there are humans who cannot, rather than will-not, aid SECURITY. But some humans choose not to aid SECRITY.

I call Genesis-1’s message, “reliable-human-independence”, or RHI. Responsible is like reliable. Some human-beings, throughout history, practice, facilitate& encourage RHI. Jesus exemplified& encouraged RHI. From the past, civic-citizens guide-us to the-good, and consequences from non-civic-persons warn-us against error. I think the-civic-Jesus guides-us to RHI. Perhaps the authentic Jesus merely advocated the-good.

But I don’t know the-ineluctable-truth. “Ineluctable” means: not to be avoided, changed, escaped, neglected, obfuscated, rationalized, or resisted: I may& can choose either RHI or dependency, such as religious arrogance. I may& can choose dereliction to my self-interest.

Persons who appreciate contemporary human being (verb), during each generation, develop CJM. CJM facilitates the civic-appreciation that human being (verb) applied “before Abraham was born”, since then, and into the future. Given the question, “Was Jesus a man?”, I respond IDK, yet value CJM, an attitude which seems sufficient& complete to my person. I advocate the-civic-Jesus and admit CJM could be the-good. Yet the-good cannot replace the authentic Jesus. Nor can Christ displace Jesus. Allowing “Christ” to obfuscate Jesus seems ruinous. Yet I expect& accept judgement from higher than myself.

Perhaps CJM always was the-good human being (verb). Perhaps intention to the-good was present at the Big Bang, 13.7 billion years ago. There’s joy in accepting doubt, seeking the-ineluctable-evidence, and reserving humility to RHI. Happiness may facilitate joy.

It seems the-laws-of-physics& progeny (PHYSICS) constrains the consequences of each person’s choices. A person who claims to be a spirit nevertheless bleeds. Physics’ progeny includes: fundamental forces, mathematics, chemistries, biology, psychology, imagination, and their subsets. I choose to accept the-civic-Jesus and pursue Jesus’ “my-peace”, in-order-to commit-to and trust-in PHYSICS. For example, I work for my food& shelter rather than accept what a bureaucrat might provide. Food is essential and I have no right to it. Only if I secure my energy to work can I help fellow-citizens including the indigent. I work to aid SECURITY rather than pray for an entity to attempt to usurp RHI. Make no mistake: if one of my loved ones seems threatened beyond my protection, I pray to the-what-I-don’t-know.

Admitting I could be wrong, I accept that Genesis 1:26-28, NIV, urges me to constrain chaos in my way of living; in other words, urges me to the-good suggested by the-civic-Jesus, which I pursue by listening to fellow-citizens. I don’t know, but at age 79, I perceive joy made possible by Jesus’ direct-influence and look forward to what I may& can learn on the journey toward age 99. I hope readers will take these ideas seriously and share ideas I need to hear.]