Gospel Piggybacking
by Major
Stephen Court
What is this?
The latest teenaged trend?
The next insidious heresy?
Neither! It
is, though, accidentally ‘current’, in that on the evening the
second draft of this short piece was completed, we watched the
latest episode of The Chosen (Season 3, Episode 5) and were
pleasantly surprised to see (spoiler alert!) the topic of our
article depicted on screen by Jesus and ‘the dozen’!
So, with that unique cultural cachet, read on…
This is a standard definition of the
Greek word ‘pistis’:
Definition: faith, faithfulness
Use: faith, belief, trust, confidence;
fidelity, faithfulness.
It is
conventionally translated ‘believe’.
[1]
In today’s parlance, to believe
something can mean much less than ‘fidelity’, ‘faithfulness’,
or ‘trust’. In
fact, here is the weakest standard definition of ‘believe’
today (Bing): “hold (something) as an opinion; think or
suppose.”
And too often, we
read ‘think’ or ‘suppose’ in the Bible when the word is
‘believe’. Flimsy.
And, yet, ‘believe’ denotes trust, fidelity, and
faithfulness. The
Biblical word is much more robust, more conviction[2]
than the mere ’opinion’ of today’s definition.
We’re wondering if
there might be a better rendering of the word for today’s
readers. This
might turn out, in some verses, to be a paraphrase.[3]
But in others, it may be a more
accurate ‘dynamic translation’.[4]
We thought we’d
give it a run, and have replaced ‘believe’ with ‘piggyback’[5]
in the four Gospels.
Why ‘piggyback’?
Well, when a kid piggybacks on you, s/he is completely
relying on you, for both personal well-being and ultimate
destination. That
is, if you slip and fall, s/he tumbles and crashes.
And, regardless of where s/he might intend to go, s/he
ends up where you end up.
Having a mere opinion about Jesus, or
supposing certain things about Jesus?
Flimsy. But
piggybacking on Jesus?
Well, you are putting your well-being on His shoulders.
And you will end up at His destination, heaven!
It seems like a 21st century dynamic equivalent of the
Biblical word ‘pistis’.
On top of that, we
want a distinction between intellectual assent that even
demons possess (James 2:19[6])
and life-giving trust.
Now, up front, we admit that they don’t
all work perfectly.
The best applications are when the object of the
sentence is Jesus.
We italicized these instances for your convenience.
And we’re underlining occurrences that otherwise read
clean.
----
Matthew 8:16
‘If anyone causes one of these little ones – those
who piggyback on Me – to stumble, it would be better for
them to have a large millstone hung round their neck and to be
drowned in the depths of the sea.
Matthew 21:22
If you piggyback, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.’
Matthew 21:25
John’s baptism –
where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human
origin?’ They discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we
say, “From heaven”, he will ask, “Then why didn’t
you piggyback on Him?”
Matthew
21:32
For John came to
you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did
not piggyback on him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not
repent and piggyback on him.
Matthew
24:23
At that time if
anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” or, “There he
is!” do not piggyback it.
Matthew
24:26
‘So if anyone
tells you, “There he is, out in the desert,” do not go out;
or, “Here he is, in the inner rooms,” do not piggyback it.
Matthew
27:42
‘He saved others,’
they said, ‘but He can’t save Himself! He’s the king of
Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we
will piggyback on Him.’
Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand; repent and piggyback on the gospel.”
Mark 5:36 But
Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to
the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer,
only piggyback.”
Mark 9:23 ‘“If you can”?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything
is possible for one who piggybacks.’
Mark 9: 24
Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do piggyback;
help me overcome my unbelief!’
Mark
9:42
‘If anyone causes one of these little ones – those
who piggyback on Me – to stumble, it would be better for
them if a large millstone were hung round their neck and they
were thrown into the sea.
Mark 11:23 ‘Truly
I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, “Go, throw
yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart
but piggybacks, it will be done for them.
Mark 11:31 They
discussed it among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From
heaven,” He will ask, “Then why didn’t you piggyback on him?”
Mark
13:21
At that time if
anyone says to you, “Look, here is the Messiah!” or, “Look,
there He is!” do not piggyback on it.
Mark
15:32
Let this Messiah,
this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we
may see and piggyback.’ Those crucified with Him also
heaped insults on Him.
Mark
16:13
These returned and
reported it to the rest; but they did not piggyback on them
either.
Mark
16:16 Whoever piggybacks and is baptised will be saved,
but whoever does not piggyback will be condemned.
Mark
16:17
And these signs
will accompany those who piggyback: in My name they will
drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
Luke
1:20
And now you will
be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens,
because you did not piggyback on my words, which will come
true at their appointed time.’
Luke
1:45
Blessed is she who
has piggybacked that the Lord would fulfil his promises to
her!’
Luke
8:12
Those along the
path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes
away the word from their hearts, so that they may
not piggyback and be saved.
Luke
8:13
Those on the rocky
ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they
hear it, but they have no root. They piggyback for a while,
but in the time of testing they fall away.
Luke
8:50
Hearing this,
Jesus said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid; just piggyback,
and she will be healed.’
Luke
20:5
They discussed it
among themselves and said, ‘If we say, “From heaven,” he will
ask, “Why didn’t you piggyback on him?”
Luke
22:67
‘If you are the
Messiah,’ they said, ‘tell us.’ Jesus answered, ‘If I tell
you, you will not piggyback on Me,
Luke
24:11
But they did
not piggyback on the women, because their words seemed to them
like nonsense.
Luke
24:25
He said to them,
‘How foolish you are, and how slow to piggyback on all that
the prophets have spoken!
Luke
24:41
And while they
still did not piggyback on it because of joy and amazement, he
asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’
John
1:7
He came as a
witness to testify concerning that light, so that through
him all might piggyback.
John
1:12
Yet to all who did
receive Him, to those who piggybacked on His name, He
gave the right to become children of God –
John
1:50
Jesus said, ‘You piggyback because
I told you I saw you under the fig-tree. You will see greater
things than that.’
John
2:11
What Jesus did
here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through
which He revealed His glory; and His disciples piggybacked
on Him.
John
2:22
After He was
raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said.
Then they piggybacked on the Scripture and the words that
Jesus had spoken.
John
2:23
Now while He was
in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the
signs He was performing and piggybacked on His name.
John
3:12
I have spoken to
you of earthly things and you do not piggyback; how
then will you piggyback if I speak of heavenly things?
John
3:15
Everyone who piggybacks may have eternal life.
John
3:18
Whoever piggybacks on Him is not condemned, but whoever does not piggyback stands
condemned already because they have not piggybacked on the
name of God’s one and only Son.
John
3:36
Whoever piggybacks on the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see
life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
John
4:21
‘Woman,’ Jesus
replied, ‘piggyback on Me, a time is coming when you
will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in
Jerusalem.
John
4:39
Many
of the Samaritans from that town piggybacked on Him
because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I’ve
ever done.’
John
4:41
And because of His
words many more became piggybackers.
John
4:42
They said to the
woman, ‘We no longer piggyback just because of what you
said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that
this man really is the Saviour of the world.’
John
4:48
‘Unless you people
see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will
never piggyback.’
John
4:53
Then the father
realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said
to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole
household piggybacked.
John
5:24
‘Very truly I tell
you, whoever hears My word and piggybacks Him who sent Me has
eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from
death to life.
John
5:38
…Nor does His word
dwell in you, for you do not piggyback on the One He sent.
John
5:44
How can you piggyback since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?
John
5:46
If you piggybacked
on Moses, you would piggyback on Me, for he wrote about
Me.
John
5:47
But since you do
not piggyback on what he wrote, how are you going to piggyback
on what I say?’
John
6:29
Jesus answered,
‘The work of God is this: to piggyback on the One He has
sent.’
John
6:30
So they asked Him,
‘What sign then will You give that we may see it
and piggyback on You? What will You do?
John
6:35
Then Jesus
declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will
never go hungry, and whoever piggybacks on Me will never be
thirsty.’
John
6:36
But as I told you,
you have seen Me and still you do not piggyback.
John
6:40
For My Father’s
will is that everyone who looks to the Son and piggybacks
on Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up
at the last day.’
John
6:47
Very truly I tell
you, the one who piggybacks has eternal life.
John
6:64
‘Yet there are
some of you who do not piggyback.’ For Jesus had known
from the beginning which of them did not piggyback and who
would betray Him.
John
6:69
‘We have come
to piggyback and to know that you are the Holy One of
God.’
John
7:5
For even his
own brothers did not piggyback on Him.
John
7:31
Still, many in
the crowd piggybacked on Him. They said, ‘When the Messiah
comes, will He perform more signs than this man?’
John
7:38
Whoever piggybacks on Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow
from within them.’
John
7:39
By this He meant
the Spirit, whom those who piggybacked on Him were later to
receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given,
since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John
7:48
‘Have any of the
rulers or of the Pharisees piggybacked on Him?’
John
8:24
I told you that
you would die in your sins; if you do not piggyback that I am
He, you will indeed die in your sins.’
John
8:30
Even as He spoke, many piggybacked on Him.
John 8:31
To the Jews who had piggybacked on Him, Jesus said, ‘If
you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples.
John
8:45
Yet because I tell
the truth, you do not piggyback on Me!
John
8:46
Can any of you
prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why
don’t you piggyback on Me?
John
9:18
They still did
not piggyback that he had been blind and had received his
sight until they sent for the man’s parents.
John
9:35
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He
found him, He said, ‘Do you piggyback in the Son of Man?’
John
9:36
‘Who is He, sir?’
the man asked. ‘Tell me so that I may piggyback on Him.’
John
9:38
Then the man said,
‘Lord, I piggyback,’ and he worshipped Him.
John
10:25
Jesus answered, ‘I
did tell you, but you do not piggyback. The works I do
in My Father’s name testify about Me,
John
10:37
Do not piggyback on Me unless I do the works of
My Father.
John
10:38
But if I do them,
even though you do not piggyback on Me, piggyback
on the works, that you may know and understand that the Father
is in Me, and I in the Father.’
John
10:42
And in that place
many piggybacked on Jesus.
John
11:15
‘And for your sake
I am glad I was not there, so that you may piggyback.
But let us go to him.’
John
11:25
Jesus said to her,
‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who piggybacks
on Me will live.
John
11:26
Whoever lives by piggybacking on Me will never die. Do you piggyback this?’
John
11:27
‘Yes, Lord,’ she
replied, ‘I piggyback that You are the Messiah, the Son of
God, who is to come into the world.’
John
11:40
Then Jesus said,
‘Did I not tell you that if you piggyback, you will see the
glory of God?’
John
11:42
I knew that You
always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people
standing here, that they may piggyback that you sent Me.’
John
11:45
Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and
had seen what Jesus did, piggybacked on Him.
John
11:48
If we let Him go
on like this, everyone will piggyback on Him, and then
the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our
nation.
John
12:36
‘Piggyback in the
light while you have the light, so that you may become
children of light.’ When He had finished speaking, Jesus left
and hid Himself from them.
John
12:37
Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their
presence, they still would not piggyback on Him.
John
12:38
This was to fulfil
the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‘Lord, who has piggybacked our
message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’
John
12:39
For this reason
they could not piggyback, because, as Isaiah says
elsewhere…
John
12:42
Yet at the same
time many even among the leaders piggybacked on Him.
But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge
their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;
John
12:44
Then Jesus cried
out, ‘Whoever piggybacks on Me does not piggyback on Me
only, but in the One who sent Me.
John
12:46
I have come into
the world as a light, so that no one who piggybacks on Me
should stay in darkness.
John
13:19
‘I am telling you
now before it happens, so that when it does happen you
will piggyback that I am who I am.
John
14:1
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You piggyback on
God ; piggyback also on Me.
John
14:10
Don’t
you piggyback that I am in the Father, and that the Father is
in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on My own
authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, who is
doing His work.
John
14:11
Piggyback on Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; or at
least piggyback on the evidence of the works themselves.
John
14:12
Very truly I tell
you, whoever piggybacks on Me will do the works I have been
doing, and they will do even greater things than these,
because I am going to the Father.
John
14:29
I have told you
now before it happens, so that when it does happen you
will piggyback.
John
16:9
… About sin,
because people do not piggyback on Me.
John
16:27
No, the Father
Himself loves you because you have loved Me and
have piggybacked that I came from God.
John
16:30
Now we can see
that you know all things and that you do not even need to have
anyone ask you questions. This makes us piggyback that you
came from God.’
John
16:31
‘Do you now piggyback?’ Jesus replied.
John
17:8
For I gave them
the words You gave Me and they accepted them. They knew with
certainty that I came from You, and they piggybacked that You
sent Me.
John
17:20
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those
who will piggyback on Me through their message,
John
17:21
That all of them
may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May
they also be in Us so that the world may piggyback that You
have sent Me.
John
19:35
The man who saw it
has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that
he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also
may piggyback.
John
20:8
Finally the other
disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside.
He saw and piggybacked.
John
20:25
So the other
disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to
them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my
finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side,
I will not piggyback.’
John
20:27
Then He said to
Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your
hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and piggyback.’
John
20:29
Then Jesus told
him, ‘Because you have seen Me, you have piggybacked;
blessed are those who have not seen and yet have piggybacked.’
John
20:31
But these are
written that you may piggyback that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his
name.
John
21:23
Because of this,
the rumour spread among the piggybackers that this disciple
would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; He
only said, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what
is that to you?’
----
Takeaways?
Probably a book’s worth.
But for now?
Might it be time to retire ‘believe’
from evangelistic vocabularies?
Let’s not line up
beside demons in merely believing facts about Jesus.
Let’s not settle with persuading others to suppose
similarly to us about divine truths or align on doctrinal
opinions.[7]
Besides, ‘Believe’ can be dusty
and boring.
‘Piggybacking’?
Risky! Often
breath-taking!
Let’s experience the supernatural invigoration of piggybacking
on Jesus and inviting everyone else to piggyback on Jesus.
God help us.
[1]
This link has ALL the New Testament occurrences of the
word -
http://biblehub.com/greek/4100.htm
http://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/pisteuo.html
This is a fuller definition:
1.
to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to
credit, place confidence in
a.
of the thing believed
1.
to credit, have confidence
b.
in a moral or religious reference
1.
used in the NT of the conviction and
trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner
and higher prerogative and law of soul
2.
to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either
in obtaining or in doing something
[2]
See previous footnote to observe that ‘conviction’ is
included in the definition.
[3]
Bing definition: “A
rewording of something written or spoken by someone
else.”
[4]
Bing definition: “Modern English translations of the
Bible follow one of two philosophies of translation:
"essentially literal" or "dynamic equivalence."
Briefly stated, the theory of dynamic equivalence in
Bible translation emphasizes the reaction of the
reader to the translated text, rather than the
translation of the words and phrases themselves.”
[5]
Bing definition: (noun) “a
ride on someone's back and shoulders”;
(verb) “mount
on or attach to”.
[6]
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the
demons believe that – and shudder. James 2:19 (NIV)
[7]
Suppose’ and ‘opinion’ from the definition back on the
first page.
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