A Curtain Torn in Two

#40: “A Curtain Torn In Two” by Brendon Wahlberg

At the moment of Jesus’ death on a cross, a strange and miraculous event occurs. A large curtain in the Jerusalem Temple is suddenly torn down the middle. This event is mentioned in all three of the synoptic gospels. “Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38) “Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:50-51) “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land* until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed;* and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.” (Luke 23:44-46)

What was this torn curtain, and why was its tearing such a significant event? The entrance to the innermost room of the Temple, the Holy of Holies, which once contained the Ark of the Covenant, was covered by a very large and thick curtain. This covering is described in Exodus. “You shall make a curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and of fine twisted linen; it shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. You shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, which have hooks of gold and rest on four bases of silver. You shall hang the curtain under the clasps, and bring the Ark of the Covenant * inside, within the curtain; and the curtain shall separate for you the holy place from the most holy. You shall put the mercy-seat* on the ark of the covenant * in the most holy place.” (Exodus 26:31-34)
Only the High Priest was allowed to enter beyond the curtain, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Beyond the curtain was the actual presence of God, and the High Priest had to take various precautions to avoid seeing God and dying as a result. The High Priest came with blood to offer for the forgiveness of the sins of the entire people, as described in Leviticus. “Tell your brother Aaron not to come just at any time into the sanctuary inside the curtain before the mercy-seat* that is upon the ark, or he will die; for I appear in the cloud upon the mercy-seat.* [...] He shall slaughter the goat of the sin-offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the curtain, and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it upon the mercy-seat* and before the mercy-seat.* Thus he shall make atonement for the sanctuary, because of the uncleanness of the people of Israel, and because of their transgressions, all their sins...” (Leviticus 16:2-16)
The gospel writers recorded the tearing of the curtain as a literal and symbolic event happening at the moment of Jesus’ death. Jesus died, and as a direct result, the curtain tore. There are several meanings to be understood from this.
Christians understand Jesus’ death as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of all sin, an event analogous to the sacrifice of blood offered by the High Priest once a year. Unlike the High Priest’s sacrifice, which had to be repeated every year, Jesus’ sacrifice was once and for all. After Jesus, the yearly sacrifice was no longer needed. The curtain tore because the sacrificial system had come to an end.
The curtain was a partition separating Man from God, and access to God through the curtain was extremely limited. But Jesus’ death opened a way for people to come directly to God, to know God and be forgiven, without a Priestly intermediary. Jesus’ death atoned for sin, making us right before God, allowing us to come before God and not die. The curtain tore because the barrier between God and man was removed. Because the huge curtain was torn from top to bottom, the symbolic implication is that God did the tearing.
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews discussed the meaning of the torn curtain at length, giving us a full understanding of what it means for us. “Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:19-25) Entering beyond the torn curtain is just the beginning. This privilege must bring changes in our lives befitting our new status.
“Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Hebrews 9:23-28) The torn curtain is not the end of the story, either. We are promised that our savior’s work is not finished.
“We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)

Meet the Paraclete

#39: “Meet the Paraclete” by Brendon Wahlberg

The Gospel of John, in chapters 14-16, contains the only formal teaching about the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. These passages are part of Jesus’ farewell speech, and in them, he teaches his disciples about the Paraclete, a term for the Holy Spirit that is unique to John’s writings. The word Paraclete (Greek: parakletos) means “one called alongside”. It has been translated variously as advocate, counselor, and comforter. The Paraclete is in fact the Holy Spirit, the presence of God who will remain with the disciples after Jesus has ascended. These passages give us a rare insight into the nature of the third person of the Trinity. Here they are in order:

“‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate [Paraclete], to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)

“‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” (14:25-26)

“‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.” (15:26)

“But I have said these things to you so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you about them. The Work of the S ‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (16:4-15)

What can we learn about the Holy Spirit from these passages? The word Paraclete belongs to the language of law courts, and means our defender in court, our advocate. Notice that Jesus says he is sending “another” advocate. This is because both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are our advocates. The Holy Spirit is to continue in Jesus’ role on Earth while Jesus takes up the role in Heaven, as seen in John’s first letter. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate [paraclete] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1)

What else can these passages teach us? The Paraclete is an advocate. In court, an advocate stands opposed to an adversary. You may remember that the word for devil, “diabolos”, means the opposite of an advocate, an accuser. The accuser’s role is described in Revelation. “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” (Revelation 12:10) So, the Holy Spirit’s purpose is opposite to that of Satan. One function of our advocate is to turn the attack against Satan by accusing the accuser. The Paraclete condemns Satan, the “ruler of this world,” in judgment. The Paraclete also works to bring people to Christ, by arguing that they sin by not believing in Christ, and testifying to the world about the righteousness of those who do believe.
Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

These passages say that the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, is the Spirit of truth. Sent by God in Jesus’ name, the Spirit teaches everything that Jesus did not teach while living among us, and reminds us of everything Jesus taught when he was among us. The Spirit also declares the future. So, the Paraclete is a teacher of all truth, past, present and future. We are further defended against Satan by learning the truth about God. Furthermore, the telling of this truth glorifies Jesus Christ. The New Testament scriptures themselves accomplish many of these same goals in the world. Both scripture and the Paraclete teach us about what Jesus did among us, and glorify him. No wonder it is said that scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. Together they do the same work.

Finally, these passages reassure us that the presence of the Holy Spirit is with us and within us, forever, even if it is unseen and unknown by many in the world. Paul has further teaching about the Spirit and its gifts. “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:7-13)

That's Where That Saying Came From!

#38: “That’s where that saying came from!” by Brendon Wahlberg

Many of our common phrases and sayings actually came from the Bible. Sometimes, the original form and context of a saying is surprising. Here are some famous sayings and the Bible passages they came from (All passages are from the NRSV translation).

Money is the root of all evil. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.” (1 Timothy 6:10)

There’s nothing new under the sun. “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15)

You reap what you sow. “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” (Galatians 6:7-8)

Pride goes before a fall. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18)

I made it by the skin of my teeth. “My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth.” (Job 19:20)

Two sayings in one passage: (A) Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. (B) It is a sign of the times. “He answered them, ‘When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” (Matthew 16:2-3)

It’s just a drop in the bucket. “Even the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as dust on the scales; see, he takes up the isles like fine dust.” (Isaiah 40:15)

He’s a man after my own heart. “The Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever, but now your kingdom will not continue; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart; and the Lord has appointed him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” (1 Samuel 13:13-14)

A leopard can’t change his spots. “Can Cushites change their skin or leopards their spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil.” (Jeremiah 13:23)

Eat, drink, and be merry! “So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

Fight the good fight. “Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (1 Timothy 6:12)

Out of the mouths of babes. “Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.” (Psalms 8:2)

It was a labor of love. “We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)

There’s no rest for the wicked. “But the wicked are like the tossing sea that cannot keep still; its waters toss up mire and mud. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” (Isaiah 57:20-21)

I can see the handwriting on the wall. “Immediately the fingers of a human hand appeared and began writing on the plaster of the wall of the royal palace, next to the lampstand. The king was watching the hand as it wrote.” (Daniel 5:5)

It’s like the blind leading the blind. “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14)

Keep on the straight and narrow. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

He’s like a law unto himself. “When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves.” (Romans 2:14)

He followed the letter of the law. “Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6)

He’s the apple of my eye. “For thus said the Lord of hosts (after his glory sent me) regarding the nations that plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye. See now, I am going to raise my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves.” (Zechariah 2:8-9)

I’m at my wit’s end. “They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity; they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.” (Psalm 107:26-27)

It happened in the twinkling of an eye. “We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

I don’t suffer fools gladly. “What I am saying in regards to this boastful confidence, I am saying not with the Lord’s authority, but as a fool; since many boast according to human standards, I will also boast. For you gladly put up with fools, being wise yourselves!” (2 Corinthians 11:17-19)

An eye for an eye. “If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Exodus 21:23-25)

Put your house in order. “The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him, and said to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’” (2 Kings 20:1)

The truth shall set you free. “Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Joshua Anointed

#37: “Joshua Anointed” by Brendon Wahlberg

The name Jesus Christ is so familiar to us that we might sometimes forget that “Christ” is not a last name, but a title. We know that the name “Jesus” may be translated as “Joshua”, and that even gives us the correct impression that Jesus had a common name in his day. But the Greek-derived word “Christ” sounds more exotic. Christ is a translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah”, which means “Anointed.” So, Jesus Christ is Joshua Anointed. Despite Jesus/Joshua being a common name, “Anointed” was a title with great significance. It was the “Anointed” which set Jesus apart.

During key moments of the Gospel of Matthew, two very different people call Jesus “the Christ.” “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’” (16:15-16) “Then the high priest said to him, ‘I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’” (26:63) One person, Peter, calls Jesus the Christ because he joyfully believes it is true. The other, the high priest Caiaphas, is angry and fearful that it might be true. Notice that for both people, the title of Christ goes along with being the Son of God. So we have two titles to understand, “Anointed”, and “Son of God.” What do they mean, and how are they tied together? The obvious place to look and see from where these titles come is the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament scriptures that were holy to both Peter and the high priest.

Anointing is smearing or rubbing a person or an object with precious scented oil. A person or object is anointed in order to show that it is dedicated to God. Good examples of this are found in Exodus. “The Lord spoke to Moses: Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh [...] of sweet-smelling cinnamon [...] of aromatic cane [...] cassia [...] and a hin of olive oil; and you shall make of these a sacred anointing-oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing-oil. With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant, and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, and the altar of burnt-offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its stand; you shall consecrate them, so that they may be most holy; whatever touches them will become holy. You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, in order that they may serve me as priests.” (30:22-30)

“You shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and wash them with water. Then you shall take the vestments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastpiece, and gird him with the decorated band of the ephod; and you shall set the turban on his head, and put the holy diadem on the turban. You shall take the anointing-oil, and pour it on his head and anoint him.” (29:4-7) Perhaps in these passages, we can see part of what upset the high priest Caiaphas in Matthew. The high priest Aaron of old was anointed. If common people were giving Jesus the title “Anointed”, would they see him as the true high priest of Israel instead of Caiaphas?

There was much more for Caiaphas to worry about. Besides the high priest, another important anointed person in scripture was the true King of Israel. A good example of this is found in 1 Kings. “There the priest Zadok took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ And all the people went up following him, playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth quaked at their noise.” (1:39-40) From the very beginning of Kingship in Israel, the King was anointed with oil. Samuel the prophet anointed Saul and David. Anointing, instead of crowning, was the ceremony by which a King took office. The oil was a symbol of the King’s relationship with God. The King was given the title of “The Lord’s Anointed.” As applied to King David and the House of David, the word Anointed basically meant King.

So Caiaphas was also afraid that the people calling Jesus “Anointed” might follow him as a King of Israel, of the house of David. This was sure to cause great trouble with the Roman authorities, and the high priest worked to keep the Romans pacified, in order to protect the vulnerable Jewish people.

Caiaphas called Jesus Anointed and Son of God. Did this mean that Caiaphas had heard of the strange manner of Jesus’ birth? Was Caiaphas thinking about the Christian concept of the “only begotten Son of God”? Or, did “Son of God” mean something else to him? Notice that he called Jesus Anointed and Son of God as if they meant the same thing. Most likely, to him, they did. We read in 2 Samuel that the Kings of the house of David were adopted as “Sons of God”. “Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. [...] your throne shall be established for ever. In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.” (2 Samuel 7:11-17)

“Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said: ‘I have set the crown on one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him; [...] He shall cry to me, “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!” (Psalm 89:19-26) If we look at the two passages above without seeing them as prophecies about Jesus, but instead seeing them as Caiaphas might, we can see how the high priest would think of an Anointed King and a Son of God as the same thing. The Anointed King of Israel was also an adopted Son of God, according to the scriptures. So, of course Caiaphas was upset. If the people were going to follow Jesus as a figure like that, then Jesus deeply threatened the religious and political status quo the high priest protected.

As fearful as the title “Anointed” was for Caiaphas, it was hopeful for Peter. When Peter called Jesus the Anointed, the Son of God, he was expressing the Jewish hope for a savior. Although the title of Anointed was held by kings and priests of old, by Peter’s time, there were no more kings in Israel, and even the high priest was no longer anointed, but invested instead. The anointed leaders were gone, but the need for them remained. Over time, the words and ideas - King, Anointed, Son of God - were associated with a hoped-for future savior who would deliver the people from their suffering.

It is ironic that, despite Jesus being called the Anointed, he was never ceremonially anointed with oil as King David was. And yet, for David, the anointing with oil was the moment when the King received God’s Holy Spirit. Christians believe instead that Jesus was anointed directly with the Holy Spirit; no oil was needed. “And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16-17) “That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10:37-38) Oil or no oil, Jesus was still all of the things an “Anointed one” had meant in the past: High Priest, true King, and Son of God.

#36 Hallelujah and Amen

#36: “Hallelujah and Amen!” by Brendon Wahlberg

The Bible is so much a part of our culture that some biblical Hebrew words have entered into our English language. We say them all the time, sometimes without fully knowing what they mean. Hallelujah and Amen are two good examples. There is a rich history behind both of these words, and if we are going to use them so often, we might as well know better what we are saying, right?

Hallelujah! We shout it in church, we use it in song, and we say it when great things happen. What does this ancient word mean? Hallelujah is really a transliteration of two Hebrew words, which means that the sounds of the original words are simply written out in English, and are not actually translated. A good example of a transliteration is the word “Hanukkah/Chanuka/Hanaka, etc.” The reason there are so many spellings is that this is a non-English word sounded out and written like it sounds. For the same reason, Hallelujah might be spelled Alleluia. Transliteration of the word Hallelujah goes all the way back to Greek and Latin versions of the Bible.

Hallelujah is really a phrase made up of two words, Hallelu and Jah. The first part of the word, Hallelu, is a request to the congregation to joyously praise, and the second part, Jah (or, Yah), is a short form of Yahweh, the biblical name of God. So, translated, Hallelujah means “Praise the Lord, all you people!” In the Hebrew Bible, the word Hallelujah is only found in the book of Psalms, where it is used in 16 of the 150 Psalms. As the Psalms were meant to be sung, it is fitting that we use Hallelujah in song today, just as they did long ago. Psalms 146-150 are known as the “Hallelujah Psalms.” They were meant for use in joyful public worship. In each one of these Psalms, the word Hallelujah begins and ends the Psalm.

“Praise the Lord [Hallelu Yah]! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord [Hallelu Yah]!” (Psalm 150)

In the New Testament, Hallelujah appears only in the book of Revelation (19:1-6), again as an introduction to praising God. “After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power to our God, for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ Once more they said, ‘Hallelujah! The smoke goes up from her for ever and ever.’ And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God who is seated on the throne, saying ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ And from the throne came a voice saying, ‘Praise our God, all you his servants, and all who fear him, small and great.’ Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.” Despite this limited usage in the actual Bible, Hallelujah has become a household word, used by Christians everywhere to praise God.

Amen! Amen is another transliterated Hebrew word found in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. We use it today as an expression of agreement, as in “Amen to that”, and in worship, it is the almost automatic ending of a spoken prayer or a hymn. But how was Amen used originally? It may be translated in several ways, including “so be it”, “truly”, “certainly”, “may it be so”, “let it happen”, and “verily.”

Amen appears in many places in the Hebrew Bible. Here are examples of Jeremiah using Amen to say “so be it.” “So shall you be my people, and I will be your God, that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day. Then I answered, ‘So be it [Amen], Lord.’” (Jeremiah 11:4-5) “and the prophet Jeremiah said, ‘Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied.” (Jeremiah 28:6)

Amen was also used in the Psalms as a liturgical response, appearing along with Hallelujah. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, ‘Amen.’ Praise the Lord [Hallelu Yah]! (Psalm 106:48) The book of Psalms is divided into five parts, and the ending of each part is marked by an Amen, or even a double Amen, as in “Amen and Amen.” (Psalm 41:13)

Early Christians adopted the use of Amen as a confirmatory response to a prayer, as shown by these passages. “I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also. Otherwise, if you say a blessing with the spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say the ‘Amen’ to your thanksgiving, since the outsider does not know what you are saying?” (1 Corinthians 14:15-16) “[...] to bring about the obedience of faith - to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory for ever! Amen.” (Romans 16:26-27) According to the writer Justin Martyr (150 CE), second century Christians said Amen to the blessing after the Eucharist.

Besides those kinds of liturgical usage, Amen also has a special place in the words of Jesus. In the gospels, Jesus uses Amen in an exclusive and unusual way: not to close a prayer, but as an introduction to his next words, which is meant to emphasize the importance, authority, and truth of what he is about to say. Here are two examples. In one, Jesus even uses a double Amen! (Note that the word Amen has been translated as “truly” in the NRSV.) “For truly [Amen] I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18) “And he said to him, ‘Very truly [Amen, Amen], I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’” (John 1:51)

Finally, Amen can be an aspect of God. Amen is the embodiment of truth and faithfulness associated with God – this is used to powerful effect in the words of Isaiah, when he calls God the “God of Amen.” “Then whoever invokes a blessing in the land shall bless by the God of faithfulness [of Amen], and whoever takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of faithfulness [of Amen]” (Isaiah 65:16). And in Revelation 3:14, Jesus is called “the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin of God’s creation.” Paul says of Jesus, “For in him every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20) Therefore it is fitting that the New Testament itself ends with the word Amen. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21)