For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Matthew 5:18
BSB
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The smallest stroke
The jot stands for the yod, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, little more than a raised comma. The King James Version pairs it with tittle, the stroke of a pen: probably a tiny hook. Sometimes that is the only difference between two letters. The English phrase not one iota goes back to the Greek of this verse.
Jesus takes Scripture seriously down to the smallest stroke. Yet Christians don't keep every rule in the law, such as the food laws. And what does until everything is accomplished mean? Interpreters disagree. This verse remains a puzzle.
Question for today
Which passage in the Bible would I rather not read, and why?
Prayer
Father, your word still stands when I don't understand it. Give me patience with what I don't yet grasp. Amen.
My prayer
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