Holy Items

With the changes in Presidents, the White House often changes the plates served at State dinners and for the President’s use. President James Monroe introduced this tradition in 1817 by buying a dinner set for thirty, manufactured by Dagoty-Honoré of Paris, for US$ 1,167.23. It had a Napoleonic eagle in the center that carried a red, white, and blue banner reading E Pluribus Unum (“Out of Many, One”), the national motto.

YHWH God had specially designed artifacts in the temple, like a golden lampstand, bowls for gathering blood and water, an altar, and a curtain with special designs that separated the holiest place from the holy place. These artifacts were considered “holy,” meaning set apart for his service alone, just as White House plates were set aside for the President’s use (Lev 21:23; 1 Chro 22:19; Dan 9:20).

Jesus left Nazareth because his people didn’t believe him and entered Capernaum. He taught in the synagogues as usual, but people were amazed at his teaching because “his words were authoritative” (Luke 4:31–32). The words weren’t wishy-washy, as if people could believe whatever they wanted. His actions, likewise, matched his words and were authoritative.

“While he was in a synagogue, a man with unholy and demonic spirit came and shouted in a loud voice: ‘Ah, what is between you and me, Jesus of Nazareth. Have you come to release us? I know who you are – the holy of God.’” (Luke 4:33–34)

Just as light stood in contrast to darkness or dirt to clean, an unholy spirit stood in contrast to the holy of God. Unlike the folks in Nazareth, that demonic spirit knew that this Jesus of Nazareth was God’s set-apart person who had the power to release (apollumi) him.

The verb apollumi has a range of meanings, from “release” to “destroy.” Jesus’s action of separating the demon spirit from that person showed a release than destruction. Both the man and the demon spirit were enslaved to each other. Seeing Jesus, both wanted freedom, and Jesus offered them both (Luke 4:35).

Fear took over the people when they saw Jesus’s power over an unclean spirit. They spread the news to all the neighboring towns about his powerful teaching and demonstration (Luke 3:36–37).

Scholars often equate “demonic” or “unclean” incidents in the New Testament to ancient people’s simple living. They say that ancient people misunderstood mental ill-health like schizophrenia or bipolar mood swings as demonic or unclean spirits. Perhaps that’s true. It may also be that we’ve misunderstood or misread “holy” and “unholy” as they are used in the Bible. Those words don’t necessarily mean “clean,” “evil,” and “without sin.” Holy meant to set apart for God and his work, whereas unholy meant to set apart for Satan and his work. Saul was said to have been taken over by an unclean spirit when he wanted to kill David, God’s anointed. In that sense, we, too, can be taken over by unholy thoughts that can lead to unholy actions – thoughts and actions not set apart for God. That was why perhaps Jesus said to Peter, “Get away from me, Satan,” because he was thinking as Satan would, not as God would.