And finally we come to the most important discrepancy of all – the not-so-well-known truth that, while Paul‘s theology primarily encouraged his followers to attain individual reward &/or personal benefit via faith, Jesus lived and proclaimed a ministry that fundamentally encouraged his adherents to actively sacrifice their own wealth & comfort & safety for the benefit of others …

*Paul said that “everyone who believes is set free” (Acts 13:39), and yet Jesus stated that “if you understand [my teachings on love & generosity] … blessed are you while you enliven them” (John 13:15-17) …

*Paul made it clear that for him salvation “depends on faith, in order that the promise might rest on grace” (Romans 4:16 – see also Romans 9:32, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Galatians 2:16, & Philippians 3:9), and yet Jesus focused solely on a Salvation that could only be activated by works of selfless Love (see Matthew 5:39-48, Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 25:35-40 et al), never by faithfully worshiping him – calmly explaining that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father” (Matthew 7:21) …

*Paul said whatever he had to say to “save” as many listeners as possible (a la 1 Corinthians 9:22‘s “I have become all things to all people, that I might save some”); tempting them unabashedly by dangling the spiritual benefits they would receive if they but believed as he did (see Romans 4:23-25, Romans 5:10, Romans 7:4, Romans 8:18, Romans 8:24-25, 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, 2 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 3:14, & Galatians 6:7-8). Jesus, on the other hand, professed a Gospel that was grounded in acts of humble selflessness (see Matthew 24:12-14); one that was built upon a foundation of willing self-sacrifice for others. Indeed, Jesus very first post-baptismal act in the Gospels is a self-sacrificial one, refusing Satan’s offer of immortality and absolute power (see Matthew 4:1-11 & Luke 4:1-13).

Indeed, thereafter Jesus’ teachings were consistently & liberally sprinkled with bold calls to humble self-sacrifice – telling his followers that “the merciful … will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7 – see also Luke 6:36 & Luke 10:29-37), and that they were to “turn the other cheek” when struck (Matthew 5:39), to “give to everyone who begs” (Matthew 5:42), to “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44), to “bless those who curse you” (Luke 6:28), and to “do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27). As far as Jesus was concerned, alms were to be donated anonymously (Matthew 6:2-4), prayers were to be offered secretly (Matthew 6:5-6), and fasting was to be done joyfully (Matthew 6:16-18). Stolen goods were not to be reclaimed (Luke 6:30), the injured were asked to forgive their transgressors “seventy times seven times”¹ (Matthew 18:21-22 – see also Luke 6:37, as well as Jesus’ parable of The Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32), and everyone was encouraged to give beyond personal limits of comfort or convenience (see The Widow’s Mite in Mark 12:41-44 & Luke 21:1-4, where the hero of Jesus’ tale is the woman who “out of her poverty gave all she had to live on”). Whenever a banquet was attended, his followers were inspired to “sit down at the lowest place” at the table (see Luke 14:7-11 – also Matthew 23:12‘s & Luke 14:11‘s “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted”) and whenever a banquet was given for others, all givers thereof were exhorted to “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind” instead of the pious or the privileged or the popular (see Luke 14:12-14 – also Matthew 25:35-40). Over & over & over again throughout his ministry Jesus rallied his listeners to be the “last” rather than the “first” (see Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Mark 9:35, Mark 10:31, & Luke 13:30) and “not to be served but to serve” (see Matthew 20:26-28, Mark 10:34-35, Luke 18:20-22, & Luke 22:25-27). Jesus told his listeners in no uncertain terms that they must “deny themselves, pick up your cross daily, and follow me” in order to be considered true adherents of his Way (see Luke 9:23-24 – also Matthew 10:28, Matthew 16:24-26, Mark 8:34, & Luke 14:27), and that “those who want to save their life will lose it, while those who give their life for the sake of my Gospel will find it” (Mark 8:35 – also Matthew 16:25, Luke 9:24, & John 12:25) … Even the parable of The Sower in the Gospel of Luke (the parable that forms the foundation for all Jesus’ other parables – see Mark 4:13) intimates a call to willing self-sacrifice with the words: “But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance” (via Luke 8:15 – especially potent when coupled with Luke 19:27-28‘s “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 also your neighbor as yourself … Do this, and you shall live”).

And yet Jesus was much more than a mere preacher of The Way of joyful self-sacrifice, for he actively embodied his beliefs about selfless Love just as consistently and just as powerfully as he spoke them (“Even though you might not believe me, believe [my] works” ~ John 10:38). When hordes of demanding strangers repeatedly pressed in upon him, Jesus exuded a heartfelt “compassion” for them (see Matthew 9:36, Matthew 14:14, Matthew 15:32, & Matthew 20:34 et al) and even summoned them to himself in times when he was surely annoyed or frustrated or depressed or even exhausted (“Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” ~ Matthew 11:28 – see also Mark 10:14, John 5:40, John 7:37, John 10:10, & John 15:11). Even though it made him ritually “unclean” in the eyes of his society’s strict religious conventions, he gently touched lepers (a la Matthew 8:3, Mark 1:40-42, Luke 5:12-13, Luke 14:1-4, & Luke 17:11-19 – and this, despite the law established by Leviticus 13 & Leviticus 5:3) and was openly kind to menstruating women who touched him without his permission (a la Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34, & Luke 8:43-48 – and this, despite the law established by Leviticus 15:25). Even though it was staunchly frowned upon by the masses, Jesus was kind to tax collectors and “sinners” (see Matthew 9:10, Mark 2:15-17, Luke 5:29-32, & Luke 15:1-2 – also John 8:1-11) and openly associated with Canaanites & Samaritans (see Matthew 15:22-28, Luke 17:15-16, & John 4:1-26). He gave up his relationships with friends and family members (see Matthew 10:37, Matthew 12:48-49, Mark 3:33-34, & Luke 8:20-21 – often being sternly scorned by the same as a result; see Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, & John 4:44) to travel the land as a meandering mendicant – an itinerant preacher who encouraged his followers to “give up all [their] possessions” (Luke 14:33 – see also Matthew 19:20-26, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:32-34, & Luke 16:13-15 et al), who had no money to his name (see Acts 2:44-45, Luke 8:1-3, John 12:6, & John 13:39), and who maintained no home of his own (see Matthew 8:20, Luke 4:43, & Luke 9:58). Indeed, even in his darkest hour he openly placed the will of God over his own desires (see Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, & Luke 22:42) and, most importantly of all, he purposefully arranged for his own crucifixion (see Matthew 16:21-23, Matthew 27:42, Mark 8:31-33, Mark 15:31, Luke 18:31-34, Luke 23:35, & John 10:17-18 et al) – by far the most powerful method possible to communicate his Way of willingly self-sacrificial Love.²

“I have set you an example,
that you might do for others
as I have done for you”
~ Jesus (John 13:15)

       “Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do … My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples … [and] by this everyone will know that you are my disciples: when you show Love for one another … And in fact this is my commandment: that you Love one another just as I have Loved you. And no one has greater Love than this: to lay down one’s life for [another] … In truth, if you understand these things, blessed are you while you enliven them.” ~ Jesus Christ (via John 14:12, John 15:8, John 13:35, John 15:12-13, & John 13:15-17)

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Filed under: Jesus & the Cult of Paul by Scaughdt