22 Pentecost – Sunday
First Posted October 12, 2008
Isaiah 45:1-7 -- The Commission of Cyrus;
Psalm 96 -- Call to Worship;
1 Thessalonians 1:1-5a -- Spiritual Growth;
Matthew 22:15-21 -- Paying Taxes;
Isaiah:
Isaiah prophesied that Cyrus was God's "anointed" (i.e. Messiah;
Christ; both words mean "anointed" in Hebrew and Greek, respectively).
The Lord had given Cyrus the power to subdue nations and kings, to open
doors and gates which won't be closed. The Lord promises to go before
Cyrus to level mountains, break bronze doors, and cut through bars of
iron.
The Lord will give Cyrus the treasures of darkness and secret hoards,
so that Cyrus may know that it is the Lord, the God of Israel, who
called him by name. The Lord had called Cyrus and had given him his
title for the sake of Jacob (Israel, the father of the heads of the
twelve tribes), although Cyrus did not know or acknowledge God. God
wants all people everywhere to know that he alone is the one true God;
there is no other. He is the Creator of everything; of light and
darkness, of well-being and woe.
Psalm:
Those who have accepted and experienced the Lord's salvation (of us;
from eternal destruction), have a new song to sing to the Lord, to
bless his name. We are called to declare his glory and his wonderful
deeds to all people.
The Lord is awesome and great, above every thing or person in Creation,
and his power and authority are to be respected. All other so-called
"gods" are idols, the creation of human imagination and craftsmanship.
But the Lord is the Creator of this entire universe! He is worthy of
honor and majesty, and strength and beauty are his nature and presence.
Acknowledge his glory and strength, everyone!
1 Thessalonians:
On his second missionary journey Paul took with him his protégé,
Timothy, a young Christian whom Paul had met and "discipled" on Paul’s
first missionary journey, in Lystra in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey)
and Silas (Silvanus), whom Paul had met in Jerusalem. Silus had returned
with Paul to Antioch, after the Church Council ruling on the matter of the
"Judaisers" (the "circumcision party," who insisted that Christians
must be obedient to the Law of Moses; see False Teachings, sidebar, top
right).
During the second missionary trip with Timothy and Silas, Paul preached
the Gospel for three weeks at Thessalonica in Macedonia north of
Greece, and founded the first Christian Church on the European
continent. The Jewish leaders were angry that Paul was converting some
of the Jews and many Gentile proselytes (new converts to Judaism), and
they persecuted and drove Paul out of the area.
Paul was concerned for the new Christians at Thessalonica and sent
Timothy to encourage and strengthen the congregation. When Timothy
returned with a good report of their steadfast faith, Paul wrote this
letter to encourage and “disciple" them.
He greeted them on behalf of his fellow missionaries who had
accompanied Paul on the first missionary visit, and prayed that they
might have the grace and peace of God (which are only through Jesus
Christ).
Paul wanted them to know that he and his co-workers were praying
constantly with thanksgiving to God for the Thessalonians’ perseverance
in faith, their commitment to love, and their steadfast hope that we
have in Jesus Christ. They had the assurance that God had chosen them,
because they had received the Gospel not only in words but in power and
the Holy Spirit, with full assurance.
Matthew:
Jesus had come to Jerusalem the week before his betrayal and execution,
knowing that he would be crucified (Matthew 20:17-19). The Jewish
religious leaders hated Jesus because of his popularity with the
people, and his teachings threatened the religious leaders’ status and
authority. The Pharisees (a strict, legalistic faction of Judaism) plotted to find
a way to get Jesus to say something they could use to destroy him.
The religious leaders sent their disciples and the Herodians (Jews who
supported the Roman Empire and the dynasty of the Herods who governed
the region) to Jesus. They addressed him as “teacher,” and said that
they knew that Jesus is true, was teaching God’s ways truthfully, and
regarded all people impartially, without regard for their status or
position. They asked Jesus to tell them whether it was legal to pay
taxes to Caesar or not. Jesus knew their evil intention and asked why
they were putting Jesus to this test, and he called them hypocrites
(people who pretend to be pious (devoted and religious or morally
virtuous).
Jesus asked them to show him the coin used to pay the tax and they
handed him a denarius. Jesus asked them whose likeness and inscription
it bore and they said it was Caesar's. Then Jesus told them to give to
Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God, what belongs to God.
Commentary:
Cyrus was chosen by God to be a forerunner and illustration of the
Christ. Cyrus was called and empowered to accomplish God’s purpose.
Even though Cyrus did not know or acknowledge God, God knew him.
God had punished Judah, the remnant of Israel, by exiling them in
Babylon for seventy years, for their disobedience of God’s Word and
their idolatry. They could have avoided the punishment if they had
repented and returned to obedient trust in God’s Word, but they had
refused to heed God’s prophets, up to the moment of the destruction of
Jerusalem and the temple by the army of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon.
God promised beforehand to bring Judah back to the Promised Land after
seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12), and he fulfilled that promise through
Cyrus, King of Persia. Cyrus allowed the exiles to leave and return to
their land, he returned to them the treasures that had been looted from
their temple and he gave them authorization and money to rebuild their
temple.
God intentionally chose Cyrus to prefigure the Christ. Jesus is the
victorious king who defeats the worldly king, Satan, and releases the
exiles Satan holds in bondage. Jesus leads them back to the Promised
Land
of Gods eternal kingdom.
Seventy years is a virtual life sentence for those who were adult at
the time of the deportation. The Israelites who returned were not the
same ones who went into exile. The Israelites were to learn to return
to obedient trust in God’s Word during the time of their exile.
Likewise we are in exile in the “Babylon” of this world; we must learn
to trust and obey God’s Word during our earthly “exile, and must be
spiritually “reborn” and renewed by the gift of the indwelling Holy
Spirit in order to be able to come to the Promised Land in heaven.
This
is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Only
Jesus gives the gift of eternal life (John 1:31-34), only to his
disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is
the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2
Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The
presence of the Holy Spirit confirms our faith (obedient trust) and
assures us of our salvation and eternal life. Though the indwelling
Holy Spirit we experience the power of God working in and through us.
God wants us to seek, find and know God (Acts 17:26-27), which is only
possible through Jesus Christ, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). Those who accept
God’s offer of forgiveness of sin (disobedience of God’s Word) and
salvation (from eternal condemnation and destruction in hell) through
faith in Jesus will experience a personal relationship with the Lord.
We will learn that the Lord is the one true, all-powerful God, who
hears and answers the prayers of those who trust and obey him.
The Lord will give us a new song of joy and thanksgiving. We will
experience his ability and faithfulness to save and restore us, and we
will gladly testify to what he as done personally for us. When we
realize that all Creation and we ourselves belong to God we will give
him thanksgiving and praise, and use our lives to serve him, because he
is worthy.
God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people
who willingly trust and obey him. This lifetime is our opportunity to
learn by trial and error to trust and obey God’s Word. He has designed
this Creation to allow for the possibility of sin, so that we will have
the freedom to choose whether to obey his Word or not. This is our
opportunity to choose where we will spend eternity. God loves us and
doesn’t want any one to perish eternally (John 3:16-17), but he won’t
force us.
Jesus came humbly and gently and gave his life as the only sacrifice
acceptable of God for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John
14:6). How we respond to Jesus will determine our eternal destiny.
There are many enemies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this world
today. They hated Jesus and plotted to destroy him then, and they do so
today.
The disciples of Jesus Christ cannot expect any better treatment than
Jesus received in
this world. Paul preached the Gospel (meaning “Good News”) of
forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ as a free gift of God to
be receive by faith (obedient trust), and he was hated and persecuted
for it.
How do you respond to Jesus? Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’
disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the
indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are
you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that
Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you
will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
22 Pentecost – Monday (Variable)
The person who does not heed the counsel of the wicked, or follow the example of sinners, or associate with scoffers will be blessed. He will delight in the Word of God and will meditate on it day and night. He will be like a tree planted near a stream. He will produce fruit in the proper season, his leaves will not wither, and he will be successful in all that he does.
Not so, the wicked; they will be blown away like
chaff. They
will be swept away in the day of judgment; sinners will not be included
among
the congregation of the righteous. The way of the righteous is known to
the
Lord but the destiny of the wicked is eternal destruction.
Commentary:
God has alway intended from the very beginning of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly choose to trust and obey God. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to know God (Acts 17:26-27), and to learn, by trial and error, to live according to God's Word.
This world was created good (perfect; a paradise; Genesis 1:31). God has given us the freedom to disobey God's Word (which is the definition of sin). We have corrupted this paradise by sin. God is not going to tolerate disobedience and rebellion forever, nor at all in his eternal kingdom, or it wouldn't be paradise, so this world and we ourselves are limited by time.
God has given us his Word in the Bible and in the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God's Word, lived in human flesh in this world (John 1:1-5, 14). We are all guilty of sin (disobedience of God's Word) and fall short of God's righteousness (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10), and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God doesn't want anyone to perish, but for all to have eternal life with him in his kingdom in paradise (John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8). Jesus Christ is God's only provision for forgiveness of our sin and salvation from eternal death and destruction in hell (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God's Plan of Salvation sidebar, top right).
We are all born physically alive but spiritually "unborn." This lifetime is our opportunity to be "born-again" (John 3:3, 5-8) spiritually to eternal life by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34) only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
This lifetime is not all there is! Jesus' miracles of resurrection and his own resurrection from the dead demonstrates that there is existence after physical death. Every "born-again" Christian disciple of Jesus Christ testifies to the reality of Jesus' resurrection and eternal life, by personal experience.
We are all created as eternal beings in temporal bodies. Every thing we have in this world in this lifetime has been given to us by God. We will either learn to live according to God's will and Word, now in this lifetime, or we will live to pursue our own worldly human goals and desires, and spend eternity in misery and torment, knowing that we are eternally separated from the love and providence of God. If everything God has provided in this Creation were removed, what would we be left with? Nothing but sin and evil would remain!
We must choose whether to follow the counsel of God's Word, or what the world falsely calls "wisdom" (1 Corinthians 1:17-25; 2:1-8). It is not true that we can't know for sure whether there is a heaven and a hell, or whether there is life after physical death. When we begin to trust and obey Jesus we will experience and come to know with certainty the reality of God's kingdom and eternal life, now, in this world and in our lives (John 6:68-69). The only ones who don't know where they're going to spend eternity are those who are spiritually lost and perishing eternally.
There is a Day of Judgment coming for all of us within the span of our lifetime. We will all be accountable for what we have done in this lifetime (John 5:28-29). Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been "born-again" and will enter eternal life in the presence of the Lord in a new creation restored to paradise. Those who have rejected and refused to trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
22 Pentecost – Tuesday (Variable)
To be used only if there is a 23 Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost.
The Lord commanded Moses to tell the congregation of Israel that they must be holy because they are the people of the holy God. They are to be just in all their affairs, not partial to either rich or poor. They are not to slander others or seek the death of a neighbor.
They are not to hate their brothers, nor quarrel
with their
neighbors; they are to forgive their neighbors if they have sinned against
them.
They are not to bear grudges against their own people. They are to love
their
neighbors as they love themselves.
Commentary:
God calls his people to holiness as God himself is holy (perfect in goodness and righteousness). Like a good father raises his children to have the same values, the Lord wants us to learn and practice his values and standards.
The people of the world around us don't know the Lord. What we do in daily life influences their perception of our Lord.
Jesus is the fullness and revelation of God in human flesh (Colossians 2:8-9). Those who have seen Jesus have seen God the Father also (John 14:7). Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments which God gave to Moses into two: to love God, and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). If we love the Lord we will keep his commandments (John 14:15).
Jesus asks how people can claim him as their Lord and not do what he says (Luke 6:46). Obedient trust in the Lord is the foundation of eternal life (Matthew 7:21-27).
Those who trust and obey Jesus, who practice his commandments and teachings will have personal fellowship with the Lord, through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17, 21). We experience his goodness, his steadfast love and faithfulness. through his Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
22 Pentecost – Wednesday (Variable)
To be
used only if there is a 23 Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27
Pentecost.
First published October 15, 2008
Paul and his missionary co-workers, Silvanus
(Silas) and
Timothy (Paul’s protégé) were examples of Christian disciples as they
proclaimed the Gospel and “discipled” the believers at Thessalonica in
The Thessalonians had received the Gospel (gospel
means
“good news”) “with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians
1:6),
although amidst much affliction. So the Thessalonian Christians were an
example
to all the believers in
Commentary:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and example of a “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8), disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, as all of us can be. Paul came to a personal relationship with Jesus after Jesus had ascended into heaven, by the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). Paul was following the teaching and example of Jesus Christ which Jesus taught during his physical lifetime, as recorded in the New Testament Gospels, and personally to Paul by his indwelling Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9).
Paul was radically changed by his Damascus-road conversion (Acts 9:1-21). He went from persecutor of Christians to foremost apostle to the Gentiles. Note that Paul was “discipled” by a “born-again” disciple, Ananias, who led Paul to spiritual “rebirth” (Acts 9:10-18). Paul was then repeating the process of discipleship which Jesus had demonstrated during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Paul had “discipled” Timothy until Timothy had been “reborn” (2 Timothy 1:6), and was teaching Timothy to do the same with other disciples (2 Timothy 2:2), such as the Thessalonians, for example.
Note that Paul was not making disciples of himself, but of the Lord Jesus Christ. The goal of discipleship is to lead the “seeker” unto spiritual “rebirth” by obedient trust in Jesus Christ. Thereafter, the “born-again” disciple is guided to spiritual maturity by the indwelling Holy Spirit within him.
Paul had proclaimed the Gospel in the synagogue in Thessalonica, and some Jews were converted, with many Gentile proselytes of Judaism. This made the Jewish religious leaders jealous and angry (Acts 17:1-10). They forced Paul out of town, and they were troubling the new believers with attacks on the Gospel and on the character and motives of Paul (1 Thessalonians 2:3-6).
The Thessalonian converts had received the Gospel with great joy although it was attended with persecution from the Jews. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit the Lord comforts us and we experience his love and power to deliver us from every trial.
The example of the Thessalonian Christians was testimony, to the Gospel and their faith, among the people around them. The way they were changed was apparent and more effective than words.
When people accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ and begin trusting and obeying Jesus they receive the indwelling Holy Spirit which is spiritual rebirth. They experience a personal relationship with the risen and ascended Jesus Christ. They personally testify that Jesus is risen from death to eternal life.
Jesus has promised to return on the Day of Judgment at the end of our lifetime. He will judge the living and the dead, in both the physical and spiritual senses (1 Peter 4:5; John 5:28-29). Jesus is the standard by which all will be judged. Those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and have trusted and obeyed Jesus will have been spiritually “reborn” to eternal life by his indwelling Holy Spirit, and will enter God’s eternal kingdom in paradise. Those who have rejected Jesus, who have refused or failed to trust and obey Jesus will be condemned to eternal destruction in hell with all evil, eternally separated from the love and providence of the Lord (Matthew 25:31-46).
The Lord’s return will be welcomed by his disciples, but it will be bad news for those who have refused to be his disciples. This is the wrath that is going to come upon this Creation on the Day of Judgment (2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Only Jesus can deliver us from that wrath and eternal destruction.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
22 Pentecost – Thursday (Variable)
22 Pentecost – Friday (Variable)
22 Pentecost – Saturday (Variable)
To be used only if there is a 23
Pentecost Sunday - Otherwise skip to 27 Pentecost.
First Posted October 18, 2008.
Matthew 18:1-20 Humility and Forgiveness;
Jesus’ disciples asked him who is greatest in God’s heavenly kingdom,
and Jesus called a child to him and said that unless his disciples
become like the child they would never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus said that whoever receives a child in Jesus’ name receives Jesus,
but whoever causes a little one, who believes in Jesus, to sin would be
better off to thrown into the ocean with a great millstone tied to his
neck and drowned.
Jesus warned that those who cause temptation will be punished.
Temptation cannot be avoided in this world, but those who cause
temptation will come to disaster. If a part of our bodies caused us to
sin, we would be better off cutting off that part and casting it from
us. It would be better to enter eternal life maimed, lame or blind,
than to be cast into the eternal fires of hell completely whole.
Jesus warns us not to despise “little ones,” who believe in Jesus
because they have God’s favor in heaven. If a person has a hundred
sheep and one goes astray, won’t he leave the others and seek the one
which is lost? If he finds it he will rejoice more than over the
ninety-nine which didn’t go astray. It is not God’s will that any of
the least of people should perish.
Jesus taught his disciples how do deal with Church discipline. If a
member sins against a brother or sister member, the one who is wronged
should go to his brother and tell him his sin. If the fellow member
heeds the complaint the brotherhood is restored. If the sinner does not
listen, the victim should take one or two other members with him so
that everything which is said can be attested to by the witnesses. If
the sinner refuses to listen to the delegation, the victim should tell
the matter to the whole congregation. If the sinner refuses to heed
even the church, he is to be regarded as a Gentile and a tax collector.
We should restrain in the Church what we do not want to tolerate in
eternity, and allow and promote what we do want in heaven. If two
believers are in agreement about anything on earth, God the Father in
heaven will do it for them. Wherever two or three believers are
gathered in Jesus’ name, Jesus will be present among them.
In order to enter God’s eternal kingdom in heaven, one must become innocent and
trusting like a small child. We cannot return to child-like innocence
and trust except through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Only
the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John
1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John
14:15-16), can cleanse us from all unrighteousness and restore us to
child-like innocence.
In the kingdom of God worldly values are turned upside down. God the
Father and Jesus Christ are the greatest. None can compare to them. But
their concern is for the least. The Lord loves those who are humble;
not those who think they’re great. We must learn to share the Lord’s
concern for the least among us.
Physical death is not final. Jesus’ miracles of resurrection, and his
own resurrection demonstrate that there is existence beyond physical
death (consider Hebrews 2:14-15). The definition of sin is disobedience
of God’s Word. All of us have sinned and fall short of God’s
righteousness (doing what is good, right and true, according to God’s
Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is (eternal)
death (Romans 6:23). Avoiding eternal destruction is worth any physical
sacrifice.
The Lord takes more delight in one individual who is eternally saved
than any number of souls who were never lost. But the truth is that we
are all eternally lost, and no one can save us apart from faith
(obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s only provision for the
forgiveness of our sin and salvation from eternal destruction (Acts
4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
Jesus came to establish a New Covenant between God and his people, of
salvation by grace (unmerited favor; a free gift), to be received by
faith (obedient trust) in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Church is the
“New Israel,” the “New People of God,” the “New Jerusalem.” Jesus
trained his disciples to carry on his ministry of forgiveness and
salvation through the Church by the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
The Church is to be a disciple-making organization. Believers are to be
“discipled” by “born-again (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples of Jesus Christ
until they have been “born-again” and then they are to go into the
world and make other “born-again” disciples (“students,” Matthew
28:19-20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8).
Sadly, in too many instances the (nominal) Church has failed to make
disciples. They have failed to teach spiritual “rebirth” and to
encourage members to seek the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit by
obedient trust in Jesus Christ.
The (nominal) Church has failed to require discipleship and obedient
trust in Jesus Christ. It has failed to restrain sins among its members
which are blatant abominations in God’s judgment, like homosexuality*
(and lesbianism) and co-habitation (John 4:16-18). Jesus taught his
disciples, including Paul (1 Corinthians 5:1-5), to excommunicate
congregation members who defied church discipline.
In too many instances the presence of Jesus, through his Holy Spirit,
has departed from nominally “Christian” congregations, and no one has
noticed.
Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and
obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you
first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus
Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew
28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1
John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*homosexuality: See 1 Timothy 1:10; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Romans 1:24-27;
from two Greek words meaning “men bedding (or conceiving) with men”
(Strong’s #730 & 2845; see Strong’s #733); i.e., “sodomites,” after
the city of Sodom, destroyed by God for its homosexual practice
(Genesis 19:4-5 (24-25); men who have unnatural sexual relations with
men (and, by extension, women who have unnatural sexual relations with
women). The KJV translates as: “men defiling themselves with men.”