What
Did Jesus Really Say?
Delivered by
Robert Scull, November 27, 2005
At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, New Bern, NC
Jesus
of Nazareth
is the most controversial figure
who has ever lived on the planet.
1.5
Billion Muslims
say he was the sixteenth prophet,
the second most important one, and like other prophets who ascended into
heaven he did not die. They believe he was the next to the last messenger
of God chosen to show us the way to eternal life.
2
Billion Christians
say he was the Son of God
and that he did die, only to rise
again so that we too would be able to overcome death and like the
Muslims find eternal life.
Together
the Christians and Muslims make up over half
the world’s population.
All
3.5 Billion
believe he will come again on Judgment Day in which he will decide who enjoys eternal bliss or
eternal suffering. Both Christians and Muslims agree that his ultimate
purpose is to separate us into the ultimate winners and losers in the only
game that really matters – the game of eternal life.
Before
Jesus
lived, there where thousands of
different gods and goddesses worshipped throughout the Roman Empire
and all along its fringes. The pantheons
of the West at that time were just as complex as that of the polytheism we
see in India today, where they now say there are millions of gods and
goddesses who are worshipped daily. Some of these deities of the Roman
world were anthropomorphic
and some looked more like members of the animal kingdom. Some were more
abstract. Despite this division, devotees of the various religions of the
Roman Empire usually got along
quite well. Except for the God
of the Jews, none of these gods were exclusive. People generally worshipped multiple gods, just like
today the average American generally admires multiple celebrities.
There
were no great religious wars before Jesus.
The world was a violent place and people prayed to their gods and
goddesses before going into battle, but they did not fight each other over
what was the nature of god or what was the correct belief concerning the
unknown. They fought each other over more practical issues, such as who
was going to be in control of real estate or other coveted property. But
the Prince of Peace did not bring an end to warfare. Instead, he gave us
new things to fight about.
Was
Jesus throwing pearls to swine?
Following
the life of Jesus
there were many zealots who
gave away all their material possessions and joined religious communes
called monasteries. They refused to serve in the army and many of these
zealots were persecuted and
martyred for their cause. Through pacifism
and celibacy, two values that were the total antithesis of
everything that ancient Romans believed in, they undermined the Roman
Empire and gradually converted the entire population to this new
monotheistic evangelical religion, a religion based upon the traditional
values of a Jewish population
that the Romans had enslaved.
Try to imagine slave owners in the American South choosing to worship the
gods of the peoples they had enslaved. This never happened in American
history. Yet, despite the relationship of the powerful Romans over the
vanquished Jews, many Romans were converted to worship this Jewish
pacifist and celibate God Jesus. The values of pacifism and celibacy were
a threat to the stability
of the Roman Empire. For this reason, there were extensive efforts to
eliminate this religion through persecution and execution, but Christianity
prevailed and continued to grow as a movement for centuries.
Eventually,
during the reign of Constantine
the Roman Empire chose to embrace Christianity and encourage Christianity.
Constantine gave a 100% tax breaks
to Christian institutions and even allowed them to have their own separate
legal system. Half a century later, the emperor Theodosius went
further and outlawed all other religions and persecuted those who
continued to practice them.
Some
400 years after
Jesus lived, the Mediterranean world was no longer polytheistic. Virtually
everyone on both sides of the Mediterranean agreed that all the old gods
and goddesses were myths and that there was only one God, the God of the
Jewish carpenter Jesus. By this time all of the people in the urban
centers either believed or pretended to believe in Christianity. Only in
the most remote backwoods areas did non-believers continue to practice
their own religions. For this reason, the word pagan, which originally meant a “country bumpkin,” came to mean
someone who continued to believe and practice one of the old religions.
Over an extended period , the 10,000s of shrines and temples of the pagans
were gradually destroyed by the Christians or re-designed as Christians
into churches. All pagan institutions were eliminated. Great pagan art work and literature were destroyed. The Olympics
were terminated. The oracle of Delphi was shut down. The Academy
of Athens was shut down. The Museum
and Library of Alexandria were shut down and destroyed and the
extensive priesthoods of Egypt were laid off. Even the oak
groves of Western Europe, where some pagans practiced their Celtic
traditions, were cut down with axes in the same manner in which the
pillars of pagan temples were undermined and pulled down by oxen and
cranes and pulleys.
Eventually,
those who continued to practice
pagan traditions in their homes were threatened with execution.
Ultimately, those persons who refused to convert to Christianity were not
allowed to inherit property.
Although persecution had only served to strengthen Christianity, it worked
very well in eliminating other religious traditions. Together, all of
these processes combined led to the near total elimination of polytheism
pagan traditions in the Western World.
But
even this was not enough. The word
“orthodox” was used to refer to those Christians who came to
share the correct beliefs and the word “heretic”
came to mean those who claimed to be Christians, but misunderstood his
message. These heretics were considered to be more dangerous than the
pagans. They were burned at the stake.
Yet,
despite the fact no one has been more influential than Jesus in persuading
more people on the planet to believe there is only one God, in reality no
one has divided people more than he has. Over the past 2000 years
more persons have died arguing over the identity of Jesus and the meaning
of the scriptures than for any other theological cause. In an effort to
make Christianity catholic (which means universal) and orthodox (which
means correct), the Christian government of Constantinople persecuted the Monophysite Christians of Syria and Egypt, the Donatist
and Pelagian Christians of North Africa, the Montanist
Christians of Anatolia, the Nestorian
Christians, the Gnostic
Christians, the Dyophysite
Christians. In the cause of orothodoxy, the blood ran a foot deep in the
streets of Alexandria.
This
persecution literally paved the way for the success
of the Muslims, for Muhammad and his followers offered to protect
the heretics as “Peoples of the Book.” The Monohysite
Christians in Alexandria and Damascus opened the gates of their
cities to the Arabs as liberators from Byzantine persecution and within a
few generations the Mediterranean world was permanently divided between
Muslims in the old Christian centers of the Middle East and North Africa
and the and the Christians of Europe.
Still
later, the invention of the printing
press sparked a new round of heresies and millions more died in the
blood bath that we now call the Protestant
Reformation. In the Thirty Years War alone, estimates of deaths for
the cause of theological correctness are as high as 10 million.
So
who was this man Jesus who has had such an incredible impact on
history and what did he really have to say?
In
order to ask this question the most widely acknowledged sources are the
four Gospels, written by
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Before the invention of printing all books
were copied by hand and then re-copied, so we don’t know how old these
Gospels are. Religious scholars tend to think they were first written down
within a generation of Jesus’ death or ascension into heaven. These four
books were later compiled into the official Bible by a committee headed by
Eusebius of Caesarea in
AD325. This was nearly 300 years after Jesus lived. This committee was
appointed by the Council of Nicaea, the first international council of
Christian bishops. The Council of Nicaea was chaired by Emperor
Constantine, a man of questionable motivations. Nonetheless, a large
percentage of modern Christians see the Bible as an absolute source of
religious authority.
Millions
of people have devoted a lifetime to studying the words of Jesus as
recorded in these Gospels. They try to live by these words. In my opinion
they also cherry pick the phrases that they like best, but the teachings
of Jesus are not always consistent. And this may be one of the causes of
discord within the Monotheistic world. Some say Jesus was a Conservative
and some say he was a liberal. Still others say he was a Socialist.
In
alphabetical order, lets take a look at the record:
ADULTERY:
“Whoever
divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever
marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.” (LUKE:
16: 18)
But Jesus gets tougher than this:
“Who
have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit
adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at woman to lust for her has
already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (MATT: 5: 27-28)
Even Jimmie Carter has
admitted to this sin. Has not Jesus set up an impossible standard here?
Especially in our culture, where the young and nubile women in revealing
clothing are routinely displayed everywhere and used to sell virtually all
consumer products. Even women’s magazines are sold through the awesome
power of cleavage. Or are the fundamentalist Muslims correct in their
strict interpretation Muhammad’s advice that women dress modestly.
Just to make his point
Jesus offers some hands on learning here:
“He
who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (JOHN:
8: 7)
In the Christian version
of this story the victim facing public stoning is a woman. In the Muslim
version of this story the victim facing stoning is a man. In the end they
all drop their stones and go home, for not one of them has sinned
If the thought is a great
a sin as the action, one might ask, then why not. Isn’t Jesus actually
encouraging adultery here? After all, Jesus also offers forgiveness.
“Woman,
where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?… Neither do
I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (JOHN: 8: 7-11) concerning
the adulterer who was about to be stoned.
The
Gospels don’t tell us how long she lasted without sinning again.
ANXIETY/ORGANIZATIONAL
SKILLS:
“Therefore
I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about
the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is
more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap,
have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them. Of how much more
value are you than the birds? And which of you by worrying can add one
cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are
you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither
toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. If then God clothes the grass, which today is
in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He
clothe you. Oh you of little faith. And do not seek what you should eat or
what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the
nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these
things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added
to you. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure
to give you the kingdom.” (LUKE 12: 22-40)(MATT: 6: 25-26)
“Therefore
do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (MATT: 6: 34)
Is this good advice?
.
CELIBACY:
“All
cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given; For
there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there
are eunuchs, who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have
made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able
to accept it let him accept it.” (MATT: 19: 11-12)
“The
sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are
counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead,
neither marry not are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for
they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the
resurrection. But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the
dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not the God of the dead but of the
living, for all live to Him.’” (LUKE 20: 34-38)
CHARITY:
“Give
to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn
away.” (MATT: 5: 42)
“Give,
and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure
that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (LUKE: 6: 38)
CLASS
STRUCTURE:
“You
know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are
great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And
whoever desires to be first among you let him be your slave—just as the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many.” (MATT: 20: 25-28)
Any
volunteers?
CRIME
AND PUNISHMENT:
“But
I say to you who hear; love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To
him that strikes you on one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who
takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.” (LUKE: 6:
27-30)
“Judge
not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be
judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And
why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider
the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own
eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother’s eye.” (MATT: 7: 1-5)
Therefore be merciful, just as
your Father also is merciful. “Judge not and you shall not be judged.
Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be
forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down,
shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with
the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (LUKE:
6: 34-38)
DISTRIBUTION
OF WEALTH:
“Blessed
are the poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger
now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall
laugh.” (LUKE: 6: 20-21)
“If
you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and
you will have treasures in heaven and come follow Me.” (MATT: 19-21)
“You
still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ How hard is
it for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier
for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God.” (LUKE: 18: 21-25)(MARK: 10: 19-28) to
the man who had great wealth, and could not give it away.
+THREE
PARABLES
“For
the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the
laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went
out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace
and said to them, ‘You also go to the vineyard and whatever is right I
will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the
ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and
found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been
standing idle all day?’ and they said, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He
said to them, ‘You also go to the vineyard and whatever is right you
will receive.’ So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said
to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning
with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about
the eleventh hour, they received one denarius. But when the first came,
they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received one
denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the
landowner saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour and you paid
them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ But
he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did
you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way.
I wish to give to the last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me
to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am
good?’ so the last will be first and the first last. For many are
called, but few are chosen.” (MATT: 20: 1-16)
“A
certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom
and return. So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas,
and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ But his citizens hated
him and sent a delegation after him saying, ‘We will not have this man
to reign over us.” And so it was that when he returned, having received
the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the
money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had
gained by trading. Then came the first saying, ‘Master, your mina has
earned ten mina; And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because
you were faithful in very little, have authority over ten cities; And the
second came saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’
Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’ Then another
came, saying, ‘Maser, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a
handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You
collect what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’ And he
said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked
servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not
deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money
in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
And he said to those who stood by. ‘Take the mina from him, and give it
to him who has ten minas.’ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten
minas,’) For I say to you that to everyone who has will be given; and
from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
‘But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over
them, and slay them before me.’” (LUKE 19: 12-27)
“A
certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father,
‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided
to them his livelihood. And not many days after, the younger son gathered
all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possession
with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose severe famine
in that land, and he began to be in want. Then he went and joined himself
to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed
swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the
swine ate, and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself, he
said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to
spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and
will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,
and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your
hired servants.’ And he arose and came to his father. But when he was
still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and
fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I
have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to
be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out
the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and scandals
on his feet. And bring the fatted calf her and kill it, and let us eat and
be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found.’ And they began to be merry. Now his older son was in the field.
And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So
he called on of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he
said to him, ‘Your brother has come and because he has received him safe
and sound, you father has killed the fatted calf.’ But he was angry and
would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he
answered and said to his father. ‘Lo, these any years I have been
serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet
you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.
But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood
with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ And he said to him,
‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right
that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is
alive again, and was lost and is found.” (LUKE 15: 12-32)
FAMILY
VALUES:
Jesus
never married – no wife or children at the crucifixion.
“My
mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”
(LUKE: 8: 21)MARK 3: 33-35) on being told that his mother and brother had
arrived to see him.
“If
anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and
children, brother and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My
disciple.” (LUKE: 14: 26-35)
“Follow
me and let the dead bury the dead.” (MATT: 8: 21) in reference to a
disciples who said he would follow Jesus after he buried his father.
“Do
not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring
peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a
daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her
mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who
loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his
life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. He
who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent
Me.” (MATT: 10-34-42)(LUKE 12: 51-53)
“And
everyone who has left his houses or brothers and sisters or father or
mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a
hundredfold and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last
and the last first.” (MATT: 19: 28-30)(MARK: 10: 29-30)
FORGIVENESS:
“For
if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also
forgive you.” (MATT: 6: 14-15)
“I
do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (MAT: 18: 22)
when asked by Peter how many times he should forgive his brother who sins
against him.
How
does the death penalty jive with this? Forgiveness is a Liberal concept,
but how many of us Liberals are really capable of forgiving someone 70
times 7? For those of you who are mathematically challenged that is 490
times? In other words, you might as well not count.
In the following parable
Jesus explains how important God thinks forgiveness is:
“Therefore
the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts
with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts one was
brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able
to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children
and all hat he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell
down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me and I will pay
you all.” Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion,
released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and
found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he
laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying. ‘Have patience
with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but whet and threw
him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants
saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their
master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him,
said to him, ‘You wicked servant!' I forgave you all that debt because
you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow
servant, just as I had pity on you? And his master was angry, and
delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to
him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his
heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” (MATT: 18: 23-35)
Jesus says this more
concisely in the Lord’s Prayer when he says:
“And
forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
“And
forgive us our sins. For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to
us.” (LUKE 11: 2-3)
Jesus practices what he
preaches in the Gospels, for even when he is being crucified he says:
“Father
forgive them for they know not what they do.” (LUKE: 23: 34)
Thus, Jesus appears to be
saying that we are all sinners and transgressors and that the way to
salvation is through forgiveness. He has little patience with those who
wish to collect interest on debts and those who are overly concerned with
finances. For instance, the only time he becomes angry is when he throws
the moneychangers out of the Temple. At still another place he says:
“And
if you lend to those from who you hope to receive back, what credit is
that to you? For even sinners led to sinners to receive as much back. But
love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and
your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.”
(LUKE: 6: 34)
GOOD
DEEDS:
“The
first of all the commandments is: And you shall love the Lord our God with
all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is
this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other
commandment greater than these.” (MARK 12: 29-31)
“Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you.”.
HUMILITY:
Proud to be an American? Have you
written a resume lately?
“If
anyone desire to be first he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
(MARK: 9: 37)
“For
everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself
will be exalted.” (LUKE: 18: 10)
LOVE:
“You
shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with
all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as
yourself.” (LUKE: 10: 13) agreeing with a follower that these words sum
up the law.
“He who loves his life will
lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal
life.” (JOHN: 12: 25)
MARRIAGE:
“Because
of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the
beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ For this
reason ‘a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined with his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh,’ so then they are no longer
two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man
separate.” (MARK: 5-12) (MATT: 19: 4-6)
“Are
you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures not he
power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are
given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”
(MARK 12: 24-27) when asked about
the afterlife husband of a woman who married seven different brothers.
MATERIALISM:
“It
is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have
made it a den of thieves.” MATT: 21: 13) upon driving the moneychangers
out of the temple.
“Do
not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy
and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not
break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also (MATT: 6: 19-20)
“If
you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor and
you will have treasures in heaven and come follow Me.” (MATT: 19-21)
“Assuredly,
I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of
heaven. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (MATT:
19: 23-24)
”For
what will it profit a man if he gins the whole world and loses his own
soul? Or what will a man give in exchange of his soul? For whoever is
ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him
the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His
Father with the holy angels.” (MARK: 8: 35-38)
“But
woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to
you who are full, for you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you
shall mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for so
did their fathers to the false prophets.” (LUKE 6: 24-26)
PEACE
ACTIVISM:
“Blessed
are the peacemakers. For they shall be called the sons of God.” (MATT:
5: 9)
PRAYER:
“And
when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But
you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door,
pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees
in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain
repetitions as the heathens do. For they think that they will be heard for
their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your father knows the
things you have need of before you ask HIM.” (MATT: 6: 6-8)
“Two
men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax
collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I
thank You that I am not like other men— extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give
tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off,
would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but bet his breast saying,
‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to
his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself
will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (LUKE: 18:
10-14)
PROHIBITION:
“Can
you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with
them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from
them, then they will fast in those days. No one puts a piece from a new
garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece
that was taken out of the new does not match the old. And no one puts new
wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and
be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. But new wine must be put
into new wineskins and both are preserved. And no one having drunk old
wine, immediately desire new, fore he says, ‘The old is better.’ ”
(LUKE 5: 34-35) said in response to charges that his followers drank and
feasted while John the Baptist’s followers fasted.
“Woman,
what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come. Fill
the waterpots with water…. Draw some out now and take it to the master
of the feast.” (JOHN: 2: 4-8) when he changed water into wine during a
wedding feast.
PUBLIC
OATHS:
“But
I say to you do not swear at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for
it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head,
because you cannot make one hair white or black.” (MATT: 5: 34-36)
SELF-MUTILATION:
“If
your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for
it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for
you whole body to be cast into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin,
cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that
one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into
hell.” (MATT: 5: 29-30)
“If
your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It
is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having
two hands or two feet, to cast into the everlasting fire. If your eye
causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you
to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast
into hell fire” (MATT: 18: 8-9)
SEPARATION
OF CHURCH AND STATE:
“Why
do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money. Whose image and
inscription is this? Render therefore to Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (MATT: 22: 18-21)
“Why
do you test Me? Bring me a denarius that I may see it. Render to Caesar
the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”
(MARK: 12: 15-17)
SOCIALISM:
“There
was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared
sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full
of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs
which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked
his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels
to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in
torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off , and
Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have
mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham
said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good tings,
and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he is comforted and you are
tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf
fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can
those from there pass to us.’ Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore,
father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five
brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place
of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;
let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes
to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they
do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though
one rise from the dead.’” (LUKE 16: 19-31)
“Truly
I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these
out of their abundance have put in offerings to God, but she out of her
poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” (LUKE 21: 3-4)
TAXES:
“Why
do you test me, you hypocrites? Show me the tax money. Whose image and
inscription is this? Render therefore to Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (MATT: 22: 18-21)
“Why
do you test Me? Bring me a denarius that I may see it. Render to Caesar
the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s”
(MARK: 12: 15-17)
TRUTH:
“If
you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free…. You will be made free. Most
assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a
slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.
Therefore if the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (JOHN: 8:
31-32)
“I
am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me.” (JOHN 14: 6)
“You
say rightly that I am king. For this cause I was born and for this cause I
have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.
Everyone who is of truth hears my voice.” (JOHN: 18: 37)
UNDERSTANDING:
“Why
do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor
understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And
having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the
five loaves for five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you
take up? Also when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large
baskets full of fragments did you take up? How is it you do not
understand?” (MARK 8: 17-21)
WAR:
“But
I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to
those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and
persecute you.” (MATT: 5: 44)
“Put
your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the
sword.” (MATT: 26: 52)
“Put
your sword in the sheath. Should I not drink from the cup which my Father
has given Me. ” (JOHN: 18: 11)
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