Jesus as Holy Heretic – conclusion & benediction … (10/20/18)
In summation, while many Christians still use the words of Matthew 5:17-181 to justify their use of Old Testament scriptures to support many of their anti-Christian opinions2, this treatise has now confirmed without doubt that such a practice is not biblically valid. For, as the previous 126 pages have clearly & somewhat exhaustively shown, Jesus was in no way either a blind follower of the “Law and the prophets” or even an avid supporter thereof. Rather, as he definitively stated in the same aforementioned passage, he came to “fulfill” that Law – that is: to hone it to perfection; to make it whole and bring it to its fullest completion; to allow its adherents (Jews and non-Jews alike) to fully transcend the limitations of its popular religious regulations, and thereby enliven its deepest & most wondrous majesty in their everyday dealings with others instead.
“Many false prophets will arise and mislead many. And because of the increase in lawlessness, Love of many will grow cold. And yet the one who endures [in Love] to the end will be saved. And this is the Good News of the Kingdom that must be proclaimed throughout the world; as a true testimony to all the nations; that the end might then come … If you continue the emulate my Word, then you are truly my disciples, and you will know the Truth – and the Truth will set you free … Indeed, by this all men will know that you are my disciples: if you show Love towards one another … My Father is glorified solely by this: that you bear fruit and thereby become my disciples. As the Father as Loved me perfectly, so have I Loved you. Abide in this Love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in this Love … And this is my primary commandment: that you Love all others in the same manner as I have Loved you.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:11-14, John 8:31-32, John 13:35, & John 15:8-12)
“The Law was indeed given through Moses, and yet Grace & Truth
have come through Jesus Christ.” ~ unknown (John 1:17)
In essence, Jesus made his ministry about showing his listeners & followers that the Law was neither to be blindly followed nor abjectly replaced. Rather it was to be courageously transcended by “maxing it out” – by making life a mission not of obedience to religious authorities or revolting against the same, but of perfectly selfless Love instead; a Love that was always within his hearers’ power to actualize, and thus a Salvation that was ever within their grasp as well.3 This is why Jesus always stoutly stood up to his Pharisee critics & scribal challengers, this is why Jesus arranged to symbolically (and indeed quite brazenly) reflect the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9 by “triumphantly” entering Jerusalem during the Festival of Booths by riding on the back of a donkey, this is why Jesus intentionally (and quite melodramatically) overturned the money-changing tables in the Temple and freed all the animals imprisoned therein, this is why Jesus was boldly silent whenever challenged by Jewish & Roman authorities alike, this is why Jesus courageously simplified the Ten Commandments – making them simultaneously more potent and easier for the common folk to enliven (see Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:29-31, & especially Luke 10:27-28‘s “do this and you shall Live”), this is why Jesus told his challengers – with an obvious sense of sarcasm – to “give to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (see Matthew 22:20-21, Mark 12:17, & Luke 20:25) as well as why he (with just as much obvious insincerity) told a similar provocateur to collect his Temple tax from the mouth of a first-caught fish (and this, immediately after having openly proclaimed that “the children are free” from the same obligation – see Matthew 17:24-27). And this is also why Jesus warned his listeners that their own end is was nigh, and that all who chose to ignore his ministry’s message would suffer greatly during that inevitable demise (see Matthew 13:47-50, Matthew 24:6-22, Matthew 24:37-41, Matthew 25:31-444, Mark 8:34-38, Mark 13:7-20, Luke 9:23-26, Luke 17:22-35, Luke 21:9-28 , John 5:25-29, & John 12:25-26 et al).
Finally (and most importantly), this is why Jesus went out of his way to repeatedly remind his listeners that the “Spirit of Truth” (their source of true power and the foundation for their true Salvation) was always their own (see Matthew 11:25-27, Matthew 12:43-45, Matthew 13:36-43, Matthew 24:23-27, Luke 10:21-22, Luke 11:24-26, John 3:35, John 8:34-36, & John 10:14-15 et al) and that it ever resided within them (see Matthew 13:44-46, Luke 17:20-21, John 14:12-26, John 15:26, & John 16:7-14 et al); that now was always the best time to “remain [selflessly] awake” and thereby attain the same (see Matthew 24:28, Matthew 24:42-51, Matthew 25:13, Mark 13:32-36, Luke 12:35-46, Luke 17:37, Luke 21:34-36, & John 12:30-32 et al), and that all could do so fully & completely by simply enlivening his Way of selfless Love (see Matthew 7:21, Matthew 13:18-23, Matthew 16:24-27, Matthew 19:17-21, Mark 10:19-21, Luke 9:23, Luke 18:20-22, John 8:31-38, John 13:15-17, & John 17:13-24 et al).
In closing then – and as a purely practical matter, if you consider yourself to be a traditional Christian (i.e. a follower of the biblical teachings espoused by the “apostle” Paul5) and someone who sincerely & non-hypocritically believes in adhering to the edicts of the Word of God as found in the Bible, then the contents of this tome have made it no longer possible for you to biblically justify a number of unjust (&/or a the very least uncaring) beliefs; among them in any way denigrating women as less-than-equally-first-class citizens, advocating for weapon ownership in the name of “self-defense,” in any way supporting acts of war (be they in the name of protection or patriotism or profit), justifying or in any way affirming the death penalty or any other similar form of “fair punishment” for violent crimes, propagating racism &/or homophobic bigotry, excusing the “prudent” (or even the “responsible”) accumulation of material wealth, and/or callously seeking to deny social services for &/or assistance to the poor &/or underprivileged. You may without question continue to harbor such beliefs, of course, and yet you most certainly cannot correctly claim that they are in any way Christian (seeing as how they are all in direct & obvious violation of The Way of Jesus Christ). For Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel (brilliantly provided by both his beautiful words and his bold deeds) encourage us all not to abandon the Law by seeking our own salvation, but rather to fulfill the Law – by wholeheartedly transcending the same.6
“I’ve never fully understood how Christianity could become so tried & tame & traditional, given its claimed founder’s life immersed amongst lepers, drunkards, prostitutes, and tax collectors. Even though he came from a common family, Jesus clearly had the spiritual clout & the mental fortitude required to have greatly prospered in the high-end religious scene of his day. And yet he dismissed and scoffed at and even openly rejected the same; choosing instead to boldly admonish the powerful while openly befriending all manner of people considered lowly or sinful or untouchable. Indeed, he spent the vast majority of his time with outcasts for whom life was not at all easy – and thereby, in the midst of those who were downtrodden & suffering, he became the embodiment of perfect Love.” ~ via Nadia Bolz-Weber
“The most simple yet potent of Truths is the fact that the Divine works from the inside out, while the world fails from the outside in. Indeed, the world creates slums while supposedly striving to remove people from them, all while the internal Christ removes the slums living within people – quite often by inspiring us to sacrifice for those living in the world’s slums. The world creates churches that claim to mold men by restructuring their environment. Christ, on the other heart, creates new men & women by encouraging them to caringly do the same … This is why the only church worth attending is the one living within you – the one composed of equal parts Love and Courage; the one comprised of a conscience set in bold motion.” ~ via Ezra Taft Benson & Abhijit Naskar
“Ultimately – at least for those who choose to follow his Way, the gifts of the Master are these: the overwhelming Joy that comes from true freedom, the profound Peace that comes from sincere acceptance, and the raucous inner Revelry that comes from a spiritual transformation that is real – all of which made solely possible by radically living the Bliss that was his perfect Love. The religion of Christianity begins with sin and dead-ends at the “salvation” of the cross. The Way of Christ, however, begins with that same sin but becomes a never-ending intimacy with the heavenly Father via endless acts of humble caring. For in truth, Jesus didn’t escape his fleshly death – just as none of us can hope for the same. No, instead Jesus conquered death by choosing to boldly walk The Way – and thereby truly & fully live in the time he had been given. The vast magnificence of this Truth is stunning in this & every moment – but only if we allow it to wash over us; and only if we then act accordingly thereafter. It is a Truth that means that Jesus was everything he claimed to be, and thus so much more than the Christian church allowed him to become.” ~ anonymous
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1 The text of which reads: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets, for I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even a single stroke of a single letter will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” … NOTE first & foremost that the Greek word commonly translated as “fulfill” (plerosai, Strong’s #4137) in verse 17 does not mean “to follow” or “to obey” or “to support”, but rather “to hone” or “to perfect” or “to make whole” or “to reform” and that the Greek word commonly translated as “accomplished” (genetai, Strong’s #1096) in verse 18 does not mean “obeyed” or “advocated” or “blindly followed”, but rather “to cause to become” or “to enliven” … NOTE as well that Luke 16:16-17 (“The Law and the prophets were in effect until John came, and since then the Good News of the Kingdom of God is proclaimed. Everyone tries to enter it by force, and yet it is easier for both heaven and earth to pass away than for even a single stroke of a single letter in the Law to fall”) is sometimes used for the same Old-Testament-excusing purpose, and yet it is crucial to realize three things related thereto: 01) the “Good News” Jesus mentions in verse 16 is his Good News – namely the glorious Truth that his “Kingdom of God” (mentioned in the same verse) is “already at hand” (i.e. viable in every present moment of every conscious life –see Matthew 10:7 & Luke 17:20-21) and that entrance into the same is granted to anyone who chooses to persist in selflessly caring for his or her neighbor (primarily the downtrodden in our communities &/or the enemies in our lives – see Matthew 24:12-14 via Matthew 25:35-40 & Luke 10:29-37), and 02) the Greek word translated as “fall” in verse 17 (and also commonly & incorrectly translated as “fail”) is pipto (Strong’s #4098) – a term that specifically relates to something “descending from a higher place to a lower one”, which was exactly how Jesus felt about what the Pharisees were doing to the potential majesties resting latent within the Law (see Luke 16:14-15 et al).
2 Among them being: the denigration of women, the advocacy of gun ownership in the name of “self defense”, the furtherance of war in the name of patriotism &/or profit, the justification of the death penalty and other forms of “fair punishment”, the propagation of racism &/or homophobic bigotry, the “prudent” personal accumulation of material wealth, and the callous abandonment of social services for the poor &/or the underprivileged.
3… a la his claim that “the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact will do even greater works than these” in John 14:12, his statement “on that day you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me, and that I am in you” in John 14:20, and his promise that “if you ask anything of the Father in my name* He will give it to you” in John 16:23 – see also Matthew 7:7, Matthew 7:21, Matthew 17:19-21, Matthew 18:3-4, Matthew 18:19, Matthew 21:22, Mark 11:24, Luke 6:46-49, Luke 11:9, John 13:15-17, John 13:34-35, John 14:13, & John 15:7.
*NOTE that the verses that have Jesus uttering the phrase “in my name” would have been spoken by Jesus as “b’sheme”, which is Aramaic for “with my sound” or “in harmony with my way of being.” As such, in harmony with his other self-deprecating statements (see Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John 7:16, John 8:50-54, John 12:44 et al), here Jesus is not calling to be himself honored or worshiped, but is rather summoning his listeners to actively emulate his teachings. And this interpretation is in full alignment with the actual meaning of his actual name – with the Hebrew Yehoshua meaning “God is a saving guide”, with the Aramaic Yeshua meaning “he offers salvation” (see also Matthew 1:21), and with Matthew 1:22-23‘s Emmanuel meaning “God is with(in) us.” Note as well that Yeshua might also be a reflection of the past tense of the Hebrew word t’shuva, a word that means “to change completely” – a meaning fully in alignment with the Greek word translated as “repent” in the biblical texts (see Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:16 & Luke 5:32 et al); a word that meant not “to admit wrongdoing” but rather “to fully and actively alter one’s way of being.”
4 NOTE as well that the saved “sheep” in Matthew 25 refer to those on God’s “right hand” – i.e. those who have chosen to follow Jesus’ Way of humbly loving self-sacrifice, while the “goats” mentioned therein (notorious for their greedily ravenous appetites) are those sitting on God’s “left hand” – i.e. those who continue to succumb to temptations of materialistic accumulation and selfish hoardings of pleasure &/or comfort.
5While it is true that Paul told his followers that “Christ is the end of the Law” (Romans 10:4) and that worshiping Jesus Christ as the sole “Son of God” was the key to salvation (see Rome 10:8-9 & 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 et al), Jesus himself regularly & vehemently denounced both of these claims in the Gospels. Yes, it is true that Paul at times seems to lucidly reflect The Way of Christ in his letters (e.g. “Love is the fulfilling of the Law” ~ Romans 13:10), and yet even the most causal of glances at the two men’s two very different gospels (Paul’s cited above and Jesus’ specifically noted in Matthew 10:7 & Matthew 24:12-14) and two very different ministries (Paul’s encouraging others to bring personal salvation to themselves and Jesus’ empowering his listeners to give peace & joy to others) shows that Paul’s call to complete legal abandonment is fully at odds with the teachings of Christ. Intriguingly, Jesus says the same (albeit indirectly – see Matthew 7:15-20 & Mark 13:21-23 et al) and quite interestingly, even Paul himself agrees (“For if there was Glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of liberation abound in Glory! … Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only ‘in Christ’ is it set aside. To this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. ” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:9-15 – refer also to Hebrews 7:18-22 & Hebrews 8:6-13, though Hebrews was admittedly in all probability not written by Paul).
6 In addition to the massive amount of scriptural evidence for this claim already provided herein, NOTE how Jesus – during his infamous critique of the scribes & Pharisees – radically expands the practical penumbra of the Law in Matthew 13:13-26; transforming Exodus 21:22’s call to cease oppressing the weak into a summons to openly Love them, and morphing Deuteronomy 6:7’s call to merely know the Law into a summons to fully enliven the same. Indeed, NOTE as well how he directly recalls Leviticus 18:5 in Luke 10:28 – clearly exclaiming thereby that the Law was finally to be boldly embodied, not blindly followed or blandly forsaken.
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