We are now at Mark chapter twelve. Jesus is speaking to the religious authorities in the temple. He tells a parable about a man who planted a vineyard, rented it out, and then went away on a journey. This man obviously represents god. The tenants represent the Israelites. When harvest time comes, the man sends servants to collect some of the produce. (It was common for tenant farmers to have to give a percentage of their crop to the landowner, just as the Israelites had been commanded to tithe.) As we have seen in other parts of the bible the servants represent the prophets of yahweh. The servants in the parable were treated very badly by the farmers, even killed like John the Baptist. Eventually, the landowner sent his beloved son (aka Jesus), thinking they would respect him. Of course they did not, they killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
Remember, Mark was written at least a couple of decades after the death of Jesus. So, the author already knows what has happened, if in fact Jesus did exist. Mark also very well could be putting words in Jesus's mouth as a literary tool, foreshadowing what was to come in the story. This book is written very much like a work of fiction. We go from one tall tale to the next, with very little sense of time.
Next Mark has Jesus saying that the owner of the metaphoric vineyard will come back, kill the tenants, and give the vineyard to others. If this is a literary foreshadowing of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, then this book was written after 70 CE. I assume it would be a retroactive prophecy, because I do not accept the existence of true foreknowledge. Then Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-24 to the religious authorities. It says "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone (or cornerstone)." It appears that Jesus believes the passage is referring to himself being rejected but becoming foundational in some way.
The religious leaders assumed Jesus's parable referred to them. The text says they wanted to have him arrested but were afraid of the crowd. Later (How much later?), they sent some Pharisees and Herodians to try to trap Jesus into saying something which would condemn himself. They asked him if they should pay taxes to Caesar. If he said no, they could sic the Romans on him. If he said yes, the Jewish people might take offense and he would lose his following. Jesus was too clever for them. He asked them to give him a Roman coin and tell him whose picture was on it. They said Caesar's. Jesus then replied, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to god what is god's."
Next, came the Sadducees, who did not believe in a resurrection of the dead. They were justified in that non-belief, in my opinion, considering the Hebrew scriptures say next to nothing about resurrection. We know Jesus must believe in a resurrection. He has said the son of man will rise again after he is killed. The Sadducees reminded Jesus of the Old Testament teaching that if a woman became a widow and had no children, her husband's brother must marry her and produce an heir for his dead brother. They then tell a story of a widow who ended up marrying seven consecutive brothers without producing an heir for any of them. Then the woman died. The question asked of Jesus was, "At the resurrection, whose wife will she be?"
Jesus told them they were in error because they did not know the scriptures. "When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven." However, this concept is not even found in the canon of Old testament scriptures. A similar idea can be found in 1 Corinthians 15, leading to the possibility that Mark wrote his book after Paul had spread this teaching about resurrected bodies.
A very interesting note: My study bible ignores the fact that the idea of the woman with seven husbands most likely came from the book of Tobit.
Showing posts with label parables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parables. Show all posts
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Mark part seven
We are at Mark 4:17. Jesus has just told the disciples that he will explain parables to them but not to outsiders. He then proceeds to chastise them for not understanding the parable of the sower. The farmer is the person "sowing" the word of god. The different types of soil are the different types of people who hear the message. Their receptiveness and retention of the word determines whether or not they become "fruitful." Being fruitful is open to interpretation here. Perhaps it just means producing more people willing to sow the word, kind of like multi-level marketing.
Next, without any context or explanation, Jesus tells the disciples, " Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or bed? Instead don't you put it on a stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open." I am not going to talk about how the other gospels interpret this. We are reading Mark as if it is a stand alone book, which it must have been when it was written. In Mark, there seems to be very little to take away unless you assume that "lamp" refers to the word of god, as in Old Testament poetry. If what is hidden is meant to be disclosed, why doesn't Jesus disclose the meaning of the parables to everyone?
Next, again without context or explanation, Jesus says, ..."with the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." What are we measuring? What do we have or not have? Your guess is as good as mine. It could be money/generosity. It could be faith. It could be something else. Whatever it is, it seems patently unfair to give someone who has abundance of something more, while depriving the person who has less.
In verses 26-29, Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of god. Again, a man scatters seed. Whatever the man does during the other parts of his life, the seed grows, in spite if his level of understanding of the growth process. It reaches maturity and is harvested. Jesus does not explain this parable. Presumably the seed is still the word of god. What is the harvest?
The next passage is another parable about the kingdom of god. This time it is like a mustard seed, "the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet....it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." This author was obviously not a gardener, or he was not talking about the plant we know as mustard today. That plant in never any larger than a small shrub. My study bible says the point is that the kingdom of god appeared to start out insignificantly but will grow to magnificent proportions. If it is like the mustard plant mentioned, it won't even exist. The chapter ends by saying Jesus continued to speak in parables and to explain them to his disciples when he was alone with them.
"That day when evening came," (what day was that?) Jesus and his disciples got in a boat on the lake. There were other boats as well. There came a bad storm with waves crashing over the boat. Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke him up. Jesus told the storm to sit down and shut up. Jesus berated his disciples for the perfectly natural fear that they experienced, accusing them of having no faith. The disciples were terrified by Jesus's power over the elements. I'm guessing that most people instinctively know that gods are not usually available in times of natural peril. Even those that have faith can still be killed by drowning while they pray. Not many people are keen on dying.
Next, without any context or explanation, Jesus tells the disciples, " Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or bed? Instead don't you put it on a stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open." I am not going to talk about how the other gospels interpret this. We are reading Mark as if it is a stand alone book, which it must have been when it was written. In Mark, there seems to be very little to take away unless you assume that "lamp" refers to the word of god, as in Old Testament poetry. If what is hidden is meant to be disclosed, why doesn't Jesus disclose the meaning of the parables to everyone?
Next, again without context or explanation, Jesus says, ..."with the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." What are we measuring? What do we have or not have? Your guess is as good as mine. It could be money/generosity. It could be faith. It could be something else. Whatever it is, it seems patently unfair to give someone who has abundance of something more, while depriving the person who has less.
In verses 26-29, Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of god. Again, a man scatters seed. Whatever the man does during the other parts of his life, the seed grows, in spite if his level of understanding of the growth process. It reaches maturity and is harvested. Jesus does not explain this parable. Presumably the seed is still the word of god. What is the harvest?
The next passage is another parable about the kingdom of god. This time it is like a mustard seed, "the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet....it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." This author was obviously not a gardener, or he was not talking about the plant we know as mustard today. That plant in never any larger than a small shrub. My study bible says the point is that the kingdom of god appeared to start out insignificantly but will grow to magnificent proportions. If it is like the mustard plant mentioned, it won't even exist. The chapter ends by saying Jesus continued to speak in parables and to explain them to his disciples when he was alone with them.
"That day when evening came," (what day was that?) Jesus and his disciples got in a boat on the lake. There were other boats as well. There came a bad storm with waves crashing over the boat. Jesus was asleep. The disciples woke him up. Jesus told the storm to sit down and shut up. Jesus berated his disciples for the perfectly natural fear that they experienced, accusing them of having no faith. The disciples were terrified by Jesus's power over the elements. I'm guessing that most people instinctively know that gods are not usually available in times of natural peril. Even those that have faith can still be killed by drowning while they pray. Not many people are keen on dying.
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Heaven part nine
We are still in Matthew. Matthew 22:1-14 is another parable about the kingdom of heaven. There is a king (god) who prepared a wedding banquet for his son (Jesus?). He sent out servants (prophets) to tell those who had been invited (Jews?) to come. They refused to come and treated the kings servants horribly. The king was furious. He destroyed the city (Jerusalem?) and decided to invite anyone who would come. However, he threw out the people who weren't properly attired in wedding clothes (Baptized?). Even though the king invited everyone, not everyone was chosen to remain at the banquet (heaven?). This was merely for not wearing the proper attire, not for poor behavior.
Matthew 22:30 tells us that "at the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven." Presumably, angels are sexless? Verse 23:22 says, "he who swears by heaven swears by god's throne and by the one who sits on it." Verse 24:36 tells us that not even the angels in heaven know when the end of the age is.
Matthew 25 gives us two more parables about the kingdom of heaven. One is about being ready for the coming of the bridegroom (Jesus?). Another is about giving the master (god) a good return for his investment in you. In Matthew 26:64, Jesus tells the disciples that in the future they will see "the son of man" (Jesus?) sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven. In 28:2, an angel of the lord came down from heaven and rolled the stone away from Jesus's tomb.
Let's move on to Mark, which repeats a lot we've already covered. The spirit comes from heaven in the shape of a dove at Jesus's baptism. Jesus looks up to heaven while praying. The Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven, but there is no snarky answer this time. The kingdom of heaven belongs to child like people. In the afterlife, people will be like the angels in heaven. Not even the angels in heaven know the time of the end of the age. The disciples will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven. Last, Jesus was taken up into heaven, Mark 16:19, which is an addition. There are very few parables about the kingdom of heaven in Mark.
Next is Luke. There are many of the same uses of heaven as in Matthew and Mark, so I will only cover new ones. In Luke 2:15, angels go to heaven after speaking to shepherds about Jesus's birth. In 6:23, Jesus tells the disciples their reward in heaven will be great if they are mistreated. In 9:54, James and John offer to call fire down from heaven onto a Samaritan town for Jesus. (This is another thing I don't remember reading before.) In 10:20, Jesus tells the disciples not to rejoice because spirits submit to them, but to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. In 15:7, Jesus says there will be more rejoicing in heaven over the sinner who repents than over the 99 who do not need to repent. It pays to be bad so you can reap the benefits of repentance.
In Luke chapter 15 is the story of the prodigal son who is said to have sinned against heaven. Though how you can sin against the sky is a mystery to me. In 21:10, we learn that the end times will include great signs from heaven. In 21:26 one of the signs is the heavenly bodies will be shaken. In 22:43, an angel from heaven appeared to Jesus while he was praying, to give him strength. In 24:51, Jesus was taken up into heaven.
There certainly are a lot of angels in the New Testament. That's enough for today. Next time.
Matthew 22:30 tells us that "at the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven." Presumably, angels are sexless? Verse 23:22 says, "he who swears by heaven swears by god's throne and by the one who sits on it." Verse 24:36 tells us that not even the angels in heaven know when the end of the age is.
Matthew 25 gives us two more parables about the kingdom of heaven. One is about being ready for the coming of the bridegroom (Jesus?). Another is about giving the master (god) a good return for his investment in you. In Matthew 26:64, Jesus tells the disciples that in the future they will see "the son of man" (Jesus?) sitting at the right hand of the mighty one and coming on the clouds of heaven. In 28:2, an angel of the lord came down from heaven and rolled the stone away from Jesus's tomb.
Let's move on to Mark, which repeats a lot we've already covered. The spirit comes from heaven in the shape of a dove at Jesus's baptism. Jesus looks up to heaven while praying. The Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven, but there is no snarky answer this time. The kingdom of heaven belongs to child like people. In the afterlife, people will be like the angels in heaven. Not even the angels in heaven know the time of the end of the age. The disciples will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven. Last, Jesus was taken up into heaven, Mark 16:19, which is an addition. There are very few parables about the kingdom of heaven in Mark.
Next is Luke. There are many of the same uses of heaven as in Matthew and Mark, so I will only cover new ones. In Luke 2:15, angels go to heaven after speaking to shepherds about Jesus's birth. In 6:23, Jesus tells the disciples their reward in heaven will be great if they are mistreated. In 9:54, James and John offer to call fire down from heaven onto a Samaritan town for Jesus. (This is another thing I don't remember reading before.) In 10:20, Jesus tells the disciples not to rejoice because spirits submit to them, but to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. In 15:7, Jesus says there will be more rejoicing in heaven over the sinner who repents than over the 99 who do not need to repent. It pays to be bad so you can reap the benefits of repentance.
In Luke chapter 15 is the story of the prodigal son who is said to have sinned against heaven. Though how you can sin against the sky is a mystery to me. In 21:10, we learn that the end times will include great signs from heaven. In 21:26 one of the signs is the heavenly bodies will be shaken. In 22:43, an angel from heaven appeared to Jesus while he was praying, to give him strength. In 24:51, Jesus was taken up into heaven.
There certainly are a lot of angels in the New Testament. That's enough for today. Next time.
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Heaven part eight
Continuing on with heaven in the New Testament:
In Matthew 18:18, Jesus tells all the disciples the same exact thing he told Peter in 16:19, that whatever he bound on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever he loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. But what does the binding and loosing mean? Your guess is as good as mine. However it does show that binding and loosing is not specific to Peter.
Verses18:23-35 are another parable about the kingdom of heaven. (In the churches I've attended, parables were called earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.) This time the kingdom of heaven is like a king (obviously representing god) who wanted the servants (Jews, or everybody?) in debt to him to pay up. One man owed him a ton of money, so the king ordered that his whole family and all his possessions be sold. The servant begged for time to pay the debt. The king cancelled the debt. That servant went out and had another servant thrown in prison for owing him money that he couldn't pay. The king heard about it and scolded the servant for not showing the same mercy that was shown to him. The king had the servant thrown in jail and tortured (representing hell?)until he could pay back the original debt. "This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
There is so much wrong with this parable. First, we don't owe an invisible god in the sky any huge debt that we need to be forgiven of. Next, we do not need to fear what that god will do to us if we do not repay that nonexistent debt. Also, people have plenty of other reasons to forgive without threats of torture if they don't. Last, should we forgive everyone everything? Really? Or is it limited to debts owed? Certainly we should not be like Ebenezer Scrooge, but must we completely wipe out all debts when petitioned?
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus repeats that the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like children. In 19:21, Jesus tells a young man to sell his possessions and give to the poor to get treasure in heaven. What does one do with treasure in heaven? Verses 19:23-24 tells us it is incredibly hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Heaven is to be made up of the poor?)
Matthew 20:1-16 is another parable. It says the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner (god again) who hired men (representing people, just males?) to work in his vineyard one day. He hired different people at different times of the day but at the end of the day they all received the same pay (representing their heavenly reward). The men who worked longer hours grumbled at the fact that the people hired later got the same pay. The landowner then claims the right to pay everyone exactly what he wants, it's his money to begin with. Should they be envious because he is generous? In the kingdom of heaven, the last will be first and the first will be last, whatever that means. One interpretation might be that the gentiles who were Yahweh fearers for much less time than the Jews would receive the same heavenly reward, and the Jews shouldn't grumble about it. There is so much ambiguous language in the bible, so many deepities, so much word salad. You could make it mean whatever you want.
More to come.
In Matthew 18:18, Jesus tells all the disciples the same exact thing he told Peter in 16:19, that whatever he bound on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever he loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. But what does the binding and loosing mean? Your guess is as good as mine. However it does show that binding and loosing is not specific to Peter.
Verses18:23-35 are another parable about the kingdom of heaven. (In the churches I've attended, parables were called earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.) This time the kingdom of heaven is like a king (obviously representing god) who wanted the servants (Jews, or everybody?) in debt to him to pay up. One man owed him a ton of money, so the king ordered that his whole family and all his possessions be sold. The servant begged for time to pay the debt. The king cancelled the debt. That servant went out and had another servant thrown in prison for owing him money that he couldn't pay. The king heard about it and scolded the servant for not showing the same mercy that was shown to him. The king had the servant thrown in jail and tortured (representing hell?)until he could pay back the original debt. "This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
There is so much wrong with this parable. First, we don't owe an invisible god in the sky any huge debt that we need to be forgiven of. Next, we do not need to fear what that god will do to us if we do not repay that nonexistent debt. Also, people have plenty of other reasons to forgive without threats of torture if they don't. Last, should we forgive everyone everything? Really? Or is it limited to debts owed? Certainly we should not be like Ebenezer Scrooge, but must we completely wipe out all debts when petitioned?
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus repeats that the kingdom of heaven belongs to people who are like children. In 19:21, Jesus tells a young man to sell his possessions and give to the poor to get treasure in heaven. What does one do with treasure in heaven? Verses 19:23-24 tells us it is incredibly hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Heaven is to be made up of the poor?)
Matthew 20:1-16 is another parable. It says the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner (god again) who hired men (representing people, just males?) to work in his vineyard one day. He hired different people at different times of the day but at the end of the day they all received the same pay (representing their heavenly reward). The men who worked longer hours grumbled at the fact that the people hired later got the same pay. The landowner then claims the right to pay everyone exactly what he wants, it's his money to begin with. Should they be envious because he is generous? In the kingdom of heaven, the last will be first and the first will be last, whatever that means. One interpretation might be that the gentiles who were Yahweh fearers for much less time than the Jews would receive the same heavenly reward, and the Jews shouldn't grumble about it. There is so much ambiguous language in the bible, so many deepities, so much word salad. You could make it mean whatever you want.
More to come.
Friday, November 2, 2018
Heaven part seven.
We continue on trying to learn about heaven in the New Testament. I'm skipping passages that repeat what we've already covered. When we get to Matthew 11:11, we see that Jesus says he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the baptist. "From the days of John the baptist, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it." Whatever that means.
In Matthew 11:23 of some translations, Jesus tells Capernaeum it will not be exalted unto heaven but will brought down to Hades or Hell. Can a whole city go to hell? My NIV study bible says "lifted up to the skies" instead of exalted unto heaven and "go down to the depths" instead of brought down to Hades. The Greek words are actually the ones for heaven and hades.
In Matthew 13:11, Jesus tells his disciples that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to them but not to other people. Jesus deliberately speaks to the people in parables to fulfill a prophecy in Isaiah that talks about people not understanding. The parables are about the kingdom (of heaven). "When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart." Seems kind of a dirty low down trick on Jesus's part.
In 13:24, Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of heaven being like a man who sowed good seed in his field. Weeds planted by the enemy also grew there. They were left till harvest, then pulled up and burned. Presumably the man is god, the good plants are the good people, the weeds are the bad people. Guess who the enemy is.
In chapter 13, Jesus tells more parables about the kingdom of heaven. It is like a mustard seed that starts out tiny and grows to be the largest of garden plants, like a tree. (Except no mustard grows like that at all) The kingdom is like a a treasure hidden in a field that many are willing to sell everything to get. The kingdom is also like a net that catches all kinds of fish. The good will be kept and the bad thrown away. Jesus also says that "every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of the house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." The implication seems to be that there are new teachings to add to the old.
In Matthew 16:1, the Pharisees and Sadducees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. Jesus proceeds to tell them about signs in the sky for fair or foul weather. What we do not see in English is that the word sky here is the the same root word of heaven. This must be a kind of joke or play on words.
In 16:19, Jesus tells Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This passage has been disputed by Christians the world over for more than a thousand years. I will not attempt to interpret it.
In 18:1 The disciples came to Jesus and asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus replies, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greater in the kingdom of heaven." This is also a disputed passage. No one seems to be able to agree what it means to be like a little child. Jesus continues in 18:10 to say that the disciples are not to look down on children because "their angels in heaven always see the face of my father in heaven." This is very interesting. I've never heard this talked about before. It would appear that children have angels, does everyone?
More to come.
In Matthew 11:23 of some translations, Jesus tells Capernaeum it will not be exalted unto heaven but will brought down to Hades or Hell. Can a whole city go to hell? My NIV study bible says "lifted up to the skies" instead of exalted unto heaven and "go down to the depths" instead of brought down to Hades. The Greek words are actually the ones for heaven and hades.
In Matthew 13:11, Jesus tells his disciples that the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given to them but not to other people. Jesus deliberately speaks to the people in parables to fulfill a prophecy in Isaiah that talks about people not understanding. The parables are about the kingdom (of heaven). "When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart." Seems kind of a dirty low down trick on Jesus's part.
In 13:24, Jesus tells a parable about the kingdom of heaven being like a man who sowed good seed in his field. Weeds planted by the enemy also grew there. They were left till harvest, then pulled up and burned. Presumably the man is god, the good plants are the good people, the weeds are the bad people. Guess who the enemy is.
In chapter 13, Jesus tells more parables about the kingdom of heaven. It is like a mustard seed that starts out tiny and grows to be the largest of garden plants, like a tree. (Except no mustard grows like that at all) The kingdom is like a a treasure hidden in a field that many are willing to sell everything to get. The kingdom is also like a net that catches all kinds of fish. The good will be kept and the bad thrown away. Jesus also says that "every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of the house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." The implication seems to be that there are new teachings to add to the old.
In Matthew 16:1, the Pharisees and Sadducees ask Jesus for a sign from heaven. Jesus proceeds to tell them about signs in the sky for fair or foul weather. What we do not see in English is that the word sky here is the the same root word of heaven. This must be a kind of joke or play on words.
In 16:19, Jesus tells Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This passage has been disputed by Christians the world over for more than a thousand years. I will not attempt to interpret it.
In 18:1 The disciples came to Jesus and asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven. Jesus replies, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greater in the kingdom of heaven." This is also a disputed passage. No one seems to be able to agree what it means to be like a little child. Jesus continues in 18:10 to say that the disciples are not to look down on children because "their angels in heaven always see the face of my father in heaven." This is very interesting. I've never heard this talked about before. It would appear that children have angels, does everyone?
More to come.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Sermon on the mount, part ten
The next section of Matthew's version of the sermon is 7:15-21. There Matthew tells the disciples to watch out for false prophets. Then he gives multiple metaphors that boil down to "By their fruit you will recognize them." That's not very specific is it? Jesus does not explain how to tell the the difference between bad fruit and good fruit. However, since this passage was written decades after Jesus's death, and there were probably already a few versions of Christianity put out by other prophets, I'm guessing the author has something in mind. This sentiment is also found in Luke's version of the sermon, 6:43-45
Verses 21-23 tell us not everyone will get into the kingdom of heaven, even some of those who prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles in Jesus's name. Then who will, pray tell. Verses 24-27 tell us that it is everyone who hears these words of Jesus (in the sermon) and puts them into practice. That person will be like the wise man who built his house upon a rock. Do you know the song? The wise man is also found in Luke's version, 6:46-49
That is the end of Matthew's version of the sermon on the mount. So what are the concrete, specific things that Jesus said in Matthew's version of the sermon that could actually be put into practice?
*Rejoice when being persecuted because of Jesus. Verse 5:12
*Be more righteous than the pharisees, by....
Not insulting your brother
Reconciling differences before making offerings
Settle matters quickly with those who are suing you
Do not lust after women
Do not divorce except for marital unfaithfulness
Do not swear oaths (make cross your heart hope to die promises, oops we skipped that)
Turn the other cheek
Do not resist an evil person
Give to anyone who asks
Love your enemies
Pray for those who persecute you
Be perfect (whoa!)
Give in secret
Pray in private
Keep your prayers short and to the point
Do not advertise your fasting
Do not store up treasures on earth
Do not worry about food, drink, or clothing
Do not worry about tomorrow
Do not judge
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
The people who do these things are the ones Jesus was talking about. They are the ones who will get into that kingdom of heaven by the small gate and the narrow road. They are building their houses on rock, not sand. How many Christians do you know that do ALL these things? Forget all, how many do you know that are perfect? How many do you think will get into the kingdom of heaven?
How many of those things are actually of practical use for day to day living, if there is no god? Maybe six. The most practical, of course, is do unto others as you would have others do unto you, or the so called golden rule. But Jesus wasn't the only person in history to give us a version of that principle.
Verses 21-23 tell us not everyone will get into the kingdom of heaven, even some of those who prophesy, drive out demons, and perform miracles in Jesus's name. Then who will, pray tell. Verses 24-27 tell us that it is everyone who hears these words of Jesus (in the sermon) and puts them into practice. That person will be like the wise man who built his house upon a rock. Do you know the song? The wise man is also found in Luke's version, 6:46-49
That is the end of Matthew's version of the sermon on the mount. So what are the concrete, specific things that Jesus said in Matthew's version of the sermon that could actually be put into practice?
*Rejoice when being persecuted because of Jesus. Verse 5:12
*Be more righteous than the pharisees, by....
Not insulting your brother
Reconciling differences before making offerings
Settle matters quickly with those who are suing you
Do not lust after women
Do not divorce except for marital unfaithfulness
Do not swear oaths (make cross your heart hope to die promises, oops we skipped that)
Turn the other cheek
Do not resist an evil person
Give to anyone who asks
Love your enemies
Pray for those who persecute you
Be perfect (whoa!)
Give in secret
Pray in private
Keep your prayers short and to the point
Do not advertise your fasting
Do not store up treasures on earth
Do not worry about food, drink, or clothing
Do not worry about tomorrow
Do not judge
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
The people who do these things are the ones Jesus was talking about. They are the ones who will get into that kingdom of heaven by the small gate and the narrow road. They are building their houses on rock, not sand. How many Christians do you know that do ALL these things? Forget all, how many do you know that are perfect? How many do you think will get into the kingdom of heaven?
How many of those things are actually of practical use for day to day living, if there is no god? Maybe six. The most practical, of course, is do unto others as you would have others do unto you, or the so called golden rule. But Jesus wasn't the only person in history to give us a version of that principle.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
The sermon on the mount, part three
Many people don't realize it, but the so called sermon on the mount, or Luke's sermon on the plain, contains more than just the so called beatitudes. Jesus is not done sermonizing. We will continue to compare the sermons in Matthew and Luke.
*Matthew 5:13 calls the disciples (or the jews?) the "salt of the earth." But if salt loses its saltiness, it isn't good for anything and needs to be thrown out and trampled by men.
*Luke does not say this in his comparable sermon. However, he does say something very similar much later, in Luke 14:34-35. There, it is in the context of the cost of being disciple of Jesus. The author says, "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil, nor the manure pile; it is thrown out."
*Mark 9:50 also says something very similar in a very different context. After talking about it being better to remove body parts than to be cast into hell where the fire is not quenched, the author says, "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other."
Can salt lose its saltiness? Well, yes and no. Answer in link. Does this metaphor make any sense in its various contexts? To me, it seems to make the most sense in the Matthew context. The other two instances seem very random and disconnected to the context. Also, salt has never been good for soil. Does Luke not know that? What does it mean to be salted with fire? I think Mark was mixing his metaphors. The only other mention of salt in the New Testament is Colossians 4:6 where Paul says, "Let your speech be gracious and seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." This actually makes sense, because salt is a flavor enhancer. Matthew's salty verse seems to be referring to that as well.
*Next in the sermon as recorded in Matthew 5:14-16 is a continuation of Matthew's theme of the disciples being an enhancement to the world. He tells them they are the "light of the world." They need to let their light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house."
*Luke 8:16 has a similar verse, but it is not in the comparable sermon. It comes after the parable of the sower and says, "No one lights a lamp and hides it under a jar, or puts its under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." we can see that the reason for the lamp is very different in Luke's passage. The concept of divine hiddenness is given by Jesus earlier in the chapter, when he tells the disciples secrets of the kingdom are given to them, but he talks about the kingdom to everyone else in parables to keep them in the dark, so to speak. "Though seeing, they may not see; though hearing they may not understand." That doesn't seem quite sporting of Jesus.
More to come.
*Matthew 5:13 calls the disciples (or the jews?) the "salt of the earth." But if salt loses its saltiness, it isn't good for anything and needs to be thrown out and trampled by men.
*Luke does not say this in his comparable sermon. However, he does say something very similar much later, in Luke 14:34-35. There, it is in the context of the cost of being disciple of Jesus. The author says, "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil, nor the manure pile; it is thrown out."
*Mark 9:50 also says something very similar in a very different context. After talking about it being better to remove body parts than to be cast into hell where the fire is not quenched, the author says, "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with each other."
Can salt lose its saltiness? Well, yes and no. Answer in link. Does this metaphor make any sense in its various contexts? To me, it seems to make the most sense in the Matthew context. The other two instances seem very random and disconnected to the context. Also, salt has never been good for soil. Does Luke not know that? What does it mean to be salted with fire? I think Mark was mixing his metaphors. The only other mention of salt in the New Testament is Colossians 4:6 where Paul says, "Let your speech be gracious and seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." This actually makes sense, because salt is a flavor enhancer. Matthew's salty verse seems to be referring to that as well.
*Next in the sermon as recorded in Matthew 5:14-16 is a continuation of Matthew's theme of the disciples being an enhancement to the world. He tells them they are the "light of the world." They need to let their light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven. "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house."
*Luke 8:16 has a similar verse, but it is not in the comparable sermon. It comes after the parable of the sower and says, "No one lights a lamp and hides it under a jar, or puts its under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open." we can see that the reason for the lamp is very different in Luke's passage. The concept of divine hiddenness is given by Jesus earlier in the chapter, when he tells the disciples secrets of the kingdom are given to them, but he talks about the kingdom to everyone else in parables to keep them in the dark, so to speak. "Though seeing, they may not see; though hearing they may not understand." That doesn't seem quite sporting of Jesus.
More to come.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Jesus Burning part 5, wrap up.
We continue on in Luke. In chapter 16, we come to the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor beggar who was never helped by the rich man. They both died. The rich man went to hell hades) and was in torment. Lazarus went to a place far way, but not so far that the rich man couldn't see him with "Father Abraham." (You remember Abraham, the lying, deadbeat father of Ishmael who was willing to kill his son Isaac.) The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus with water to cool his tongue because he was in agony in the fire. This looks to me like the only time in the bible that hades, not gehenna, is said to be the fiery tormenting place. Plus, they went there right after death, which leaves out the gathering of souls and final judgement.
Abraham tells the rich man that he just got what he deserved, a kind of divine karma. Plus, Lazarus couldn't deliver water if he wanted to. An uncrossable chasm has been fixed between the two realms. However, they seem to be able to see each other. Lovely.
In chapter 19, we have a version of the parable of the talents that we saw in Matthew 25. This time the money the master (god figure) doled out is in minas. A talent was 60 minas. The master/king in this story is not quite as wealthy as the last one. Anyway, again, one servant did not invest the money he was given and increase it for the master. The money was taken away from that servant and given to a servant who had made interest on his minas. The king then says, "To everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me." Remember that this king is supposed to be a representation of god. This parable is supposed to represent divine judgement.
There are a few more vague references to judgement in the book of Luke, but nothing obvious. Next we look at John. I could find no obvious references to a final judgement/condemnation, until I reached chapter 12. Verse 48 says,"There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him in the last day." There are no specifics about how what condemnation entails.
The next reference is in chapter 15. There Jesus calls himself the true vine. Unproductive branches, those that don't remain in the vine, are pruned off and cast into the fire and burned, an obvious reference to divine punishment. Believe it or not, that seems to be it. We are at the end of our study of damnation and hell. There may be a few more scattered references, but I'm tired of this topic.
What have we learned? It appears that the modern generic version of the christian hell is a muddled mash up of all the elements we have found scattered throughout the bible. If I were to try to create a sythesis with as few internal contradictions as possible, I would say that after death, everyone goes to hades/sheol, which is underground. In hades, there may be separate places for good people and bad people separated by a chasm. The bad people are those who did not help the poor and needy, those who did not follow jesus's teachings, and those who were unproductive for god. They may or may not be thrown into a pit (which may be tartarus/abaddon) or a fire in hades. The good people may or may not get to be with Abraham. Some stories seem to imply that the dead are still possessors of physical bodies that feel pain or pleasure. Some people get to be resurrected early. They have priveledges. At the last judgement, everyone still in hades comes out to get their eternal reward or punishment. Everyone is judged according to what they have done. The sinners, unbelievers, Satan, and hades, are all thrown into a lake of fire (of unknown location), the second death, which may or may not be Gehenna. They may or may not be tortured forever. If the parables acurately represent god, he will have no qualms at meting out the consequences of his divine wrath. Jesus and the saved may or may not watch the punishment of the damned. Is this what you believe? Why?
Abraham tells the rich man that he just got what he deserved, a kind of divine karma. Plus, Lazarus couldn't deliver water if he wanted to. An uncrossable chasm has been fixed between the two realms. However, they seem to be able to see each other. Lovely.
In chapter 19, we have a version of the parable of the talents that we saw in Matthew 25. This time the money the master (god figure) doled out is in minas. A talent was 60 minas. The master/king in this story is not quite as wealthy as the last one. Anyway, again, one servant did not invest the money he was given and increase it for the master. The money was taken away from that servant and given to a servant who had made interest on his minas. The king then says, "To everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill them in front of me." Remember that this king is supposed to be a representation of god. This parable is supposed to represent divine judgement.
There are a few more vague references to judgement in the book of Luke, but nothing obvious. Next we look at John. I could find no obvious references to a final judgement/condemnation, until I reached chapter 12. Verse 48 says,"There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him in the last day." There are no specifics about how what condemnation entails.
The next reference is in chapter 15. There Jesus calls himself the true vine. Unproductive branches, those that don't remain in the vine, are pruned off and cast into the fire and burned, an obvious reference to divine punishment. Believe it or not, that seems to be it. We are at the end of our study of damnation and hell. There may be a few more scattered references, but I'm tired of this topic.
What have we learned? It appears that the modern generic version of the christian hell is a muddled mash up of all the elements we have found scattered throughout the bible. If I were to try to create a sythesis with as few internal contradictions as possible, I would say that after death, everyone goes to hades/sheol, which is underground. In hades, there may be separate places for good people and bad people separated by a chasm. The bad people are those who did not help the poor and needy, those who did not follow jesus's teachings, and those who were unproductive for god. They may or may not be thrown into a pit (which may be tartarus/abaddon) or a fire in hades. The good people may or may not get to be with Abraham. Some stories seem to imply that the dead are still possessors of physical bodies that feel pain or pleasure. Some people get to be resurrected early. They have priveledges. At the last judgement, everyone still in hades comes out to get their eternal reward or punishment. Everyone is judged according to what they have done. The sinners, unbelievers, Satan, and hades, are all thrown into a lake of fire (of unknown location), the second death, which may or may not be Gehenna. They may or may not be tortured forever. If the parables acurately represent god, he will have no qualms at meting out the consequences of his divine wrath. Jesus and the saved may or may not watch the punishment of the damned. Is this what you believe? Why?
Friday, February 2, 2018
Jesus burning part 4
Now let's look at Jesus's words of damnation in Luke, that we haven't visited before.
As I go through the book, at first I see very little outright condemnation and descriptive punishments, eternal or otherwise. I do see some warnings to "be on your guard", "woe unto" various groups of people, and suggestions that things won't be so good for some people. Then we get to 12:5, which says, " But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him who after killing the body, has power to throw you into hell (gehenna). Yes, I tell you fear him." I find it interesting that this one verse could be left out of the passage and it would make more sense. The surrounding context of the passage is an encouragement to Not fear. It's not even clear who we are expected to fear in verse 5. If it is god, then this passage also contradicts those who say god does not throw people in hell.
In Luke 12, We find a repeat of the Matthew 24 parable in which a servant abuses other servants while the master is away. Here, when the master returns and cuts the bad servant into pieces, he assigns him a place with the unbelievers, not with the hypocrites as in Matthew. This passage continues on to say that the servant who knows his master's will and doesn't do it "will be beaten with many blows." However, the servant that doesn't know the master's wishes and does some things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows."
Wow. First of all, it is wrong for the servant to beat other servants, but not wrong for the master to beat a servant? Who is the hypocrite? Actually, I'm being too hard on the master here. It's all about property rights and who is allowed to beat who. The law of Moses allows masters to beat their slaves, but a slave clearly has no right to beat other slaves whom he doesn't own. What a minute, you say, this passage calls the person a "servant" not a slave. The word in Greek translated as the English word servant in this passage is doulos. It appears to have one meaning in greek, slave, or a person who is owned by another person and who has no personal property rights himself. That it was translated as servant, giving modern audiences the impression that this person was employed for pay, is thoroughly dishonest and misleading on the part of the translators.
Second, after this parable, the author clearly implies that there are gradients of punishments that will be meted out when Jesus returns. It also implies that doing wrong when you are ignorant of what is wrong is not as bad as wrongs committed with full knowledge. I would mostly agree. It also seems like the author of Luke is trying to soften the blow of this parable. The punishment gets downgraded from getting cut in pieces, to merely being beaten, which is objectively better for one's health.
In chapter 13, Jesus is asked, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" Good question. Jesus answers by telling them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house (god) gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading. 'Sir, open the door for us.'.....He will reply, 'I don't know you.....Away from me you evildoers!' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of god, but you yourselves thrown out. This is the only case of simultaneous weeping and gnashing of teeth outside of Matthew.
More to come.
As I go through the book, at first I see very little outright condemnation and descriptive punishments, eternal or otherwise. I do see some warnings to "be on your guard", "woe unto" various groups of people, and suggestions that things won't be so good for some people. Then we get to 12:5, which says, " But I will show you whom you should fear: fear him who after killing the body, has power to throw you into hell (gehenna). Yes, I tell you fear him." I find it interesting that this one verse could be left out of the passage and it would make more sense. The surrounding context of the passage is an encouragement to Not fear. It's not even clear who we are expected to fear in verse 5. If it is god, then this passage also contradicts those who say god does not throw people in hell.
In Luke 12, We find a repeat of the Matthew 24 parable in which a servant abuses other servants while the master is away. Here, when the master returns and cuts the bad servant into pieces, he assigns him a place with the unbelievers, not with the hypocrites as in Matthew. This passage continues on to say that the servant who knows his master's will and doesn't do it "will be beaten with many blows." However, the servant that doesn't know the master's wishes and does some things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows."
Wow. First of all, it is wrong for the servant to beat other servants, but not wrong for the master to beat a servant? Who is the hypocrite? Actually, I'm being too hard on the master here. It's all about property rights and who is allowed to beat who. The law of Moses allows masters to beat their slaves, but a slave clearly has no right to beat other slaves whom he doesn't own. What a minute, you say, this passage calls the person a "servant" not a slave. The word in Greek translated as the English word servant in this passage is doulos. It appears to have one meaning in greek, slave, or a person who is owned by another person and who has no personal property rights himself. That it was translated as servant, giving modern audiences the impression that this person was employed for pay, is thoroughly dishonest and misleading on the part of the translators.
Second, after this parable, the author clearly implies that there are gradients of punishments that will be meted out when Jesus returns. It also implies that doing wrong when you are ignorant of what is wrong is not as bad as wrongs committed with full knowledge. I would mostly agree. It also seems like the author of Luke is trying to soften the blow of this parable. The punishment gets downgraded from getting cut in pieces, to merely being beaten, which is objectively better for one's health.
In chapter 13, Jesus is asked, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" Good question. Jesus answers by telling them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house (god) gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading. 'Sir, open the door for us.'.....He will reply, 'I don't know you.....Away from me you evildoers!' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of god, but you yourselves thrown out. This is the only case of simultaneous weeping and gnashing of teeth outside of Matthew.
More to come.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Jesus Burning part 3
We continue with Jesus's words that reference a severe afterlife punishment.
In Matthew 25, we come to the parable of the "talents." A talent was a coin, not a special ability an individual has. In this parable, a master (symbolic of god) left his money in the care of his servants while he went out of town. Everyone invested the money and made more, except for one servant who was afraid of losing money and being punished for it. When the master got back, he called that servant wicked and said, "Take the talent from him and give it to the one that has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have , even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Wow. Sounds a bit like prosperity gospel, doesn't it. Can't you see some preacher guilting someone into "investing in the work of the lord" or facing damnation? Then, what will happen to the money will be the lining of the preachers pockets. This parable is told slightly differently in Luke 19, with a king instead of a master. It end with the king (symbolic of god) saying "those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them....bring them here and kill them in front of me."
In the same chapter, we see the parable of the sheep and the goats. At the end times a king (representing Jesus/god) separates people into sheep on the right and goats on the left. The sheep were generous and benevolent to the poor, the sick, and imprisoned. The goats were not. The goats were told "depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Also "they will go away to eternal punishment." This sounds suspiciously like Matthew has read Revelation. Plus, don't many atheists, and people of other beliefs, practice generosity and compassion? Does that mean they would get to heaven before christians who don't practice those things? This parable is not told elsewhere.
That finishes Matthew, the author of weeping and gnashing of teeth. For some reason, I used to think it was weeping and "wailing" and gnashing of teeth. Now let's look at passages in Mark that we have not covered before.
Mark 3:29 says " Whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will never be forgiven, he is guilty of an eternal sin." I think the holy spirit is a fraud.
Other than telling the disciples to cut off body parts to keep from going to hell (gehenna), the only remaining verse of condemnation is 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." There is no outer darkness, and no weeping and gnashing of teeth mentioned in the whole book.
Next time we look at Luke.
In Matthew 25, we come to the parable of the "talents." A talent was a coin, not a special ability an individual has. In this parable, a master (symbolic of god) left his money in the care of his servants while he went out of town. Everyone invested the money and made more, except for one servant who was afraid of losing money and being punished for it. When the master got back, he called that servant wicked and said, "Take the talent from him and give it to the one that has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have , even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Wow. Sounds a bit like prosperity gospel, doesn't it. Can't you see some preacher guilting someone into "investing in the work of the lord" or facing damnation? Then, what will happen to the money will be the lining of the preachers pockets. This parable is told slightly differently in Luke 19, with a king instead of a master. It end with the king (symbolic of god) saying "those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them....bring them here and kill them in front of me."
In the same chapter, we see the parable of the sheep and the goats. At the end times a king (representing Jesus/god) separates people into sheep on the right and goats on the left. The sheep were generous and benevolent to the poor, the sick, and imprisoned. The goats were not. The goats were told "depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." Also "they will go away to eternal punishment." This sounds suspiciously like Matthew has read Revelation. Plus, don't many atheists, and people of other beliefs, practice generosity and compassion? Does that mean they would get to heaven before christians who don't practice those things? This parable is not told elsewhere.
That finishes Matthew, the author of weeping and gnashing of teeth. For some reason, I used to think it was weeping and "wailing" and gnashing of teeth. Now let's look at passages in Mark that we have not covered before.
Mark 3:29 says " Whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit will never be forgiven, he is guilty of an eternal sin." I think the holy spirit is a fraud.
Other than telling the disciples to cut off body parts to keep from going to hell (gehenna), the only remaining verse of condemnation is 16:16, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned." There is no outer darkness, and no weeping and gnashing of teeth mentioned in the whole book.
Next time we look at Luke.
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Jesus Burning part 2
We come to Matthew 13, where Jesus is speaking to his discples in parables and explaining what they mean. Jesus tells a parable about a field that was sown with wheat but grew some weeds along with the wheat. At the time of the harvest, the weeds are pulled and tied into bundles to be burned. He explains this in verses 40-42. "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The son of man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
In verses 47-50, Jesus tells his disciples "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into a lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be in the end of the age. the angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
These two parables seem pretty clear. The first part is the metaphor told in a parable, the second is the reality behind the metaphor. In both parables, the angels are throwing bad people into a fiery furnace. After the weed parable, Jesus himself sends out the angels. It's kind of amusing that my study bible says these parables show it's not the job of the servants of the kingdom to do the separating of good from bad, it's the owner's job. In other words, Jesus gets to decide who burns, not people.These parables are not found in the other gospels.
In Matthew 18, we find the parable of the unmerciful servant. A servant was forgiven of his debt to the master but did not extend forgiveness to his fellow servant. Jesus ends the story by saying, "In his anger his master turned him over to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart." The penalty for not forgiving a debt is torture. This parable is not found elsewhere.
In Matthew 22, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet. The people who were originally invited to the banquet refused to come and killed the king's servants. The king destroyed them then had his servants invite people from the streets, good and bad. When the king came in to the banquet, he saw someone who was not wearing wedding clothes, so he had him bound and thrown out "into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." A pattern is developing. (This parable is also found in Luke 14, in a different setting and without casting anyone into outer darkness.)
In Matthew 24, Jesus tells an end times parable about a servant who abused the other servants while the master was away. He ends the parable by saying, " The master of the servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Hmm. This parable is not found elsewhere. (Correction: this parable is also found in Luke 12:42-48)
More to come.
In verses 47-50, Jesus tells his disciples "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into a lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets but threw the bad away. This is how it will be in the end of the age. the angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
These two parables seem pretty clear. The first part is the metaphor told in a parable, the second is the reality behind the metaphor. In both parables, the angels are throwing bad people into a fiery furnace. After the weed parable, Jesus himself sends out the angels. It's kind of amusing that my study bible says these parables show it's not the job of the servants of the kingdom to do the separating of good from bad, it's the owner's job. In other words, Jesus gets to decide who burns, not people.These parables are not found in the other gospels.
In Matthew 18, we find the parable of the unmerciful servant. A servant was forgiven of his debt to the master but did not extend forgiveness to his fellow servant. Jesus ends the story by saying, "In his anger his master turned him over to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart." The penalty for not forgiving a debt is torture. This parable is not found elsewhere.
In Matthew 22, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding banquet. The people who were originally invited to the banquet refused to come and killed the king's servants. The king destroyed them then had his servants invite people from the streets, good and bad. When the king came in to the banquet, he saw someone who was not wearing wedding clothes, so he had him bound and thrown out "into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." A pattern is developing. (This parable is also found in Luke 14, in a different setting and without casting anyone into outer darkness.)
In Matthew 24, Jesus tells an end times parable about a servant who abused the other servants while the master was away. He ends the parable by saying, " The master of the servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Hmm. This parable is not found elsewhere. (Correction: this parable is also found in Luke 12:42-48)
More to come.
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