Sermon on the Mount (Part 1)

A week or so ago, I decided to read the four Gospels beginning to end. This was at first intended as a first step into reading the whole of the Bible, tackling relevant groups as whole portions rather than the piecemeal jumping around I had done in the past, with the aim of reading the Scriptures in their proper context. My goal was to read the Gospels, and then move onto the Letters of Paul, and then perhaps read the Torah etc. Shortly into the Gospel of Matthew however, I realized I would be putting off this larger goal for a while in order to dig deeper into these incredible books. I have only just begun to realize how badly I have neglected the Gospels all my life.

I have read them of course, but like many Christians my reading was through the thick lens of my tradition. I was raised a fundamentalist and read the bible as a fundamentalist, making fundamentalist assumptions, with a fundamentalist exegesis and echoing in my head the various sermons and commentaries I had heard over my life. I was not reading, I was screening, looking for proof texts, hearing what I had been taught, not what the text was teaching.

What the text teaches is incredible, not least the Sermon on the Mount. In order to better understand this amazing text, I have written a personal analysis of the sermon, a commentary. I am by no means a scholar, or a pastor, and perhaps some of what I say may be a misinterpretation, oversimplification or even misunderstanding of the text, but I believe it is important as a Christian that I work to understand the hard, yet beautiful teachings this sermon contains. I will mark where I am confused or uncertain; I will be as honest as possible here. May God have mercy.

The Beatitudes

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

(Mat 5:1-2)

Here Christ is speaking to an assembled crowd of followers, with his disciples coming up to him, listening. I almost picture the closest disciples sitting as his feet. This is a teaching to the Disciples of Christ, not only them but us, the self-professed Christians. The teachings of Christ are of course relevant to all people, but this seems particularly addressed to followers.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

(Mat 5:3-12)

These blessings can be read as statements of fact, that God blesses those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness etc. I think these blessings can also be read as challenges. You want mercy? Be Merciful. You want to be called a son of God? Emulate the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, make peace in the world.

Another way these can be read as challenges is in enacting the blessing. We are the people of God called to do God’s work. As emulators of the Christ, perhaps we should also be blessing the poor in Spirit, those who mourn. Not only be Gentle (meek), but bless the Gentle. Not only say that the poor in spirit are blessed, but have an active part in enacting the blessing.

I am by no means saying that I know all this entails. I am not saying I live up to this challenge. But I am saying that I think it’s time many Christians start at least consider taking on the challenge, rather than just skimming through these sayings and thinking “oh gee, that’s nice” and moving on. I include myself in this complaint.

The comments regarding Persecution and Reviling stand out to me. Note the context of the statement. After speaking about meekness, mercy, righteousness and purity of heart, THEN he speaks about persecution. This does not apply to hatemongers, the self-righteous, the violent or the arrogant. When we are called out for being assholes, it is not persecution for Christ. When we are attacked for jingoist Nationalism, it is not persecution for Christ, when we are resisted for being cultural bullies (as we sadly often are), it is not persecution for Christ. It is only persecution for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, when we are persecuted for living out the life that Christ intends for us to live. We can’t act, and preach, and live contrary to the Gospel and then complain that we are persecuted for the Gospel.

Salt and Light

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

(Mat 5:13-16)

The Salt comment, in our context is just… weird. Be salty? One Study Bible I own, states that salt was used as a preservative, and the church could have a preservative effect on the world, combating sin and death etc. I don’t know how accurate this is, but it’s the only explanation I’ve heard that makes some sense.

The second Simile is clearer. Christians are called to be a light to the world. We are to shine the Light of the Gospel to those around us, not only through our preaching but through our lives. If the world sees a community of people who live by the standards Jesus gives us in this sermon, or at least strives to, this will cause the world around us to see Christ and respond, to His Greater Glory.

These two similes seem to be a why to the sermon’s what, a reason for the commands. We do these things to point to the Master, to pronounce his Gospel, the Salvation of the world.

The Law

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

(Mat 5:17-20)

This passage has caused some headaches. A basic Christian concept is that of freedom from the Letter of the Torah Law. It is also confusing in that later in this same Sermon Jesus modifies the Law (in this case making it stricter, dealing with the heart) and in Mark 7:17-23 Jesus proclaims foods clean through his teaching on that which comes out of the mouth.

It is possible that in the Law, he is speaking of the moral law underpinning the Torah. The Comment about iota and dot makes this questionable, but his speaking of “these commands” strengthens this idea. I have to admit ignorance here and move on.

Of note is the comment about surpassing the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. These people were obsessed with the letter of the Law, but not the spirit thereof, twisting it hypocritically.

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

(Mat 5:21-26)

Following from his discussion of the Law, Jesus begins to discuss several laws and placing the problem in the human heart, rather than the acts themselves. This first teaching is on hatred. The Torah condemns murder, the taking of a human life. Christ says we need to be concerned about the root cause of murder, hatred. Hatred is unacceptable for us. We are called to shine the Light of Perfect Love in the world, not to further the hatred and rancor that has infected the human race so deeply already.

Christ’s teachings on peace and love often get thrown around in a feel good context. But many people don’t realize just how far we are to go with this love. Although this teaching in particular speaks of loving our “brothers”, elsewhere in the Gospels Jesus commands us to love others, including our enemies, and those who persecute us. We are commanded not only to love our brothers, but those who hate us, who put us to the sword, those who burn down our churches and slay our leaders, those who crush us because they can.

What if we were known as the people who love? What if we were known for praying for our enemies, not in a condescending judgmental manner, but in earnest compassion for them? What if we were known not as the people who scream about who God hates, but rather those who love as God loves? What if we sacrificed ourselves for tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners? What if we stopped rattling our sabers, and beat them into plowshares?

I feel when Jesus here speaks of leaving our gift at the altar and reconciling with our brother, he is echoing the Prophet Isaiah. Reconciliation, forgiveness and grace seems to be part and parcel of an acceptable relationship with God. We are ordered to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Adultery and Lust

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

(Mat 5:27-30)

Something must be said about Lust. Many interpret “lust” to mean something along the lines of sexual attraction, sexual response. I don’t think this is a wise or logical way to read this text. After all, God made us sexual creatures, desiring sexual contact not only for procreation but for intimacy, affection and bonding. God made sex, and like all things God made, it is good. We are wired to desire sex, and responding naturally to stimulus cannot be a sin by any sort of logic.

The Greek word used here for “lust” is ἐπιθυμέω, which according to Strong’s (I am not a Greek scholar, so I trust others here), has a meaning of “to set the heart upon” to “long after”, related to covetousness. This seems to support my argument that lust is more than sexual attraction. It seems to lust is to fixate upon something (or in this case someone), to obsess.

It seems it is this obsession, this fixation, this covetousness that leads to adultery. Is a man tempted to commit adultery because he sees a beautiful woman walking down the street? Or is he tempted to commit adultery when he fills his mind with a woman not his wife? It is the secret temptations that are allowed to fester and grow and dominate the mind that are the danger here, not the fleeting glance of a machine built to procreate, but rather the focused gaze of the covetous heart, who wills to take what is not his to have.

Verses 29 and 30 speak of us throwing away that which causes us to sin. I don’t know if this is a general statement or connected to the teaching on adultery, but I would argue that either way it works generally. That which causes me to stumble, which enables my weaknesses, which feeds my sinful heart needs to be cut off and destroyed for the sake of servitude to Christ and his Kingdom.

“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

(Mat 5:31-32)

Marriage is sacred to Christians. Unlike the culture around us we cannot treat marriage as a stronger form of dating, we cannot throw people away when we don’t like them. If we take the plunge, we make a solemn commitment. Serial Marriage is unfortunately common in our society, including those within the Church.

“Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

(Mat 5:33-37)

If we swear, we are in essence saying “I really mean what I’m saying” meaning there are other times when we don’t mean what we are saying, meaning we are not trustworthy. We are called to be a truthful people, truthful to the point that every word from our mouths is as solemn and powerful as a vow. We are the people of Truth, so we must love the Truth, and honor it in our telling. If we will lie for personal gain, for emotional comfort, and for relational ease, then how can the world trust us not to lie for Christ?

We are often considered a dishonest and hypocritical people. If our yesses were yesses and our noes, noes, how many more would be willing to hear our message? How much more would our testimony be heard rather than thrown off as the lies of an untrustworthy and unreliable people?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.

(Mat 5:38-42)

Retaliation is something we crave, we are not allowed it. If we are slapped across the cheek, we do not fight back, we take the shame and the insult, and instead do good. If someone steals our jackets, we give them our shirts.

Give to those who beg and need to borrow. How many Christians whine about beggars and make excuses not to help those in need? “They’ll spend it on booze”, “it really won’t help” etc. We are not given such luxuries.

“”You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(Mat 5:43-48)

Persecution here does not mean what many comfortable westerners think it means. Its not about mockery, it’s not about “taking prayer out of schools”. The Persecution Jesus is predicting for his followers involves death, dismemberment, terrorism.

And we are told to love the people with their swords at our necks. We are to pray for them, do good to them. Christians, myself included have mocked and attacked those around us who do not share our values and our views. If we are called to do good to those who seek our lives, the hatred we show to our neighbors is inexcusable.

Christian Love

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(Mat 5:43-48)

 

When I say that I believe Christians are called to love everyone, I often get the response that such a thing is impossible. Even my closest and best friend has questioned this idea, indicating that it is not possible to love people you don’t know. I have been brushed off as an idealist at best and a manipulative liar at worst. I think the root of the problem is, these people don’t know what I mean by love.

Notice that Christ uses Love as a verb, a command. Love here is something that we do. Much of the world seems to believe that love is an emotional state, or some kind of feeling we have. While it is true that we use love to describe a feeling of affection in our language, but I don’t believe this is what Jesus is talking about here.

I cannot change how I feel about a person. I have affection for some people, indifference to others, and anger and distaste for others. However, as a Christian, I believe I am called to show the same Grace and Mercy, Love, to all of them. I cannot do good to one and evil to another, I must do good to all. I cannot do harm to a person who has done me harm. I cannot withhold aid because someone has withheld aid from me. I must be a person who sacrifices for all people.

Of course I am not perfected. I am not without sin, I have not done these things as I ought. But when I say that I love everyone, I mean to say that it is my goal, my purpose, to make this so. If my master can lay down his life for me, who curses him with every new day, then I have no excuse for not forgiving my neighbor.

The Resurrection of Christ

It is the Easter Season, I thought it would be appropriate to share this.

I have heard a couple of these arguments elsewhere, especially the testimony of the women, and the martyerdom of the Apostles. However, Wright brings up several points that I had not considered before, and are arguably even more convincing. I found his discussion of Jewish vs. Christian Resurrection particularly interesting.

 

 

The Spectacle of Faith

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

(Mat 6:1-6)

 

I’ve done it. You probably have too. We wear our faith on sleeves, not in the intent to honor our message, our Master, and our hope, but in pride. I remember throughout Middle School/Jr. High, I would carry around my Leather-bound King James, make a show of reading it between classes, make a show in informing my teacher that evolution never happened and generally be an all around Pharisee.

Of course I’m not saying that there is no place for public acts of faith. The Church coming together to pray, speaking up against injustice and hate and sin. Expressing Love to our neighbors and those in needs. These can all be fine things, and give glory to God. The problem is, we need to keep our pride in check when we act out our faith in public. We need to ask ourselves “am I doing this in order to obey my master and further the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, or am I doing this to show everyone how Christian I am and to stroke my own ego?”

HE IS RISEN!

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(Mat 28:1-20)

 

When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back–it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]

(Mar 16:1-20)

 

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.

(Luk 24:1-53)

 

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”–and that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

(Joh 20:1-31, 21:1-25 )

Homosexuality, Homophobia, and Christianity

Christianity is often criticized for the suffering of homosexuals, particularly youths, due to the religion’s teachings on sexuality which traditionally consider homosexuality to be contrary to the will of God and hence sinful. In fact, this post is inspired by the frustrated writings of a social worker towards Christians on a web forum I visit because of the suffering and self-harm he witnesses in many of the kids he works with. I consider this to be due to a misconception about the root of homophobia, and the problems it causes.

First however, I would like to quickly address the issue of the sinfulness/acceptability of homosexuality that no conversation on the subject can go without. I personally am agnostic as to whether or not homosexuality is sinful. It is no doubt true that the majority of Christians do believe homosexual sex to be contrary to the will of God and a result of the fall, but this is not universal. Many Christians question the traditional interpretations of the writings of Paul, pointing to the fact that the popular “clobber passages” in his letters are usually either tied to idolatry (and hence related to pagan ritualistic sex worship), or using Greek words it appears he coined himself (one of which translates literally to “man of many beds”). As I said I am agnostic on the topic as I find compelling arguments from both sides. I have simply determined to follow my master’s command to love my neighbor and be done with it.

With that out of the way, lets discuss the issue at hand. Many on the outside see the Bible as some sort of unending homophobic screed. The fact of the matter is, the passages that supposedly address the issue are but a handful, easily a fraction of one percent of the Bible. Much more time is spent condemning Greed, hatred, injustice towards the oppressed, heterosexual adultery, etc. Christians don’t tend to get as riled up against these things as we do against homosexuality for some reason.

To me, this indicates the issue of homophobia is simply not biblically inspired. If the “God hates fags” style of protestors treated other sins the way many treat homosexuality, homosexuality would rarely if ever get mentioned, because it’s barely addressed. They would be ranting and raving and foaming at the mouth not about “sodomy” but about racism, hatred, injustice, warmongering etc. But they’re not, they’re ranting about homosexuality. To me, this quite clearly indicates the problem is with individuals and with a twisted focus on one particular issue than it is with the historic faith and the Bible.

I believe the root of homophobia is not in the Bible, but I admit I don’t know where it really is. I can say however, that as Christians we should be disinfecting ourselves of it. Wash it away like all hatred. I am not saying that Christians should or should not consider homosexuality as sinful, I’m saying we should remember that all men are sinners (ourselves included) and that this particular sin (if it is sin) is but one of many many many ways we have fallen. The bible seems more concerned with Love, Compassion, Justice and Grace than it is with homosexuality; I think we should follow its example.

Above all, our Master Teaches “Love your neighbor” not “Love your heterosexual neighbor”. He says to give our coat to those who ask, not to heterosexuals who ask. He says what we do to the least of these we do to him, not what we do to the least of heterosexuals we do to him.

Faith in Action

The Christian faith when at its best is not an attempt to escape from the world. It is a common critique of the faith, especially by new atheists and antitheists, that Christians are neglectful of the earth and its inhabitants because we are heaven obsessed. After all if we are going to go live in heaven with God for eternity, and our lives (collectively as in all of humanity) are as drops in the ocean, why bother trying to make the world a better place?

Sadly, the critics have solid examples of this kind of thinking in speech and action, because many modern Christians actually do think, speak and act this way. However, I firmly believe that the criticism should fall not on Christianity as a whole, past present and future, but rather on a particular ideology and view of the world propagated by some Christians.

After all, didn’t Jesus tell us to pray that God’s will be done on earth as in Heaven? Doesn’t the book of Genesis call God’s creation Good? Doesn’t the whole Bible speak of the resurrection of the dead, rather than souls floating around in heaven? Doesn’t Revelation Speak of a New Heavens and a New Earth? Don’t the Prophets speak of God ruling the Earth?

If the whole of eternity consists solely of spirits inhabiting heaven and hell, with the world we live in as a sort of waiting room (as some have said), why so much emphasis on God’s Reign on Earth? If Christians take Jesus seriously, especially the Sermon on the mount, we have to care about people and the world they live in, we can’t just worry about the afterlife to the exclusion of this one.

Resurrection (of a less serious sort)

I’m reviving this blog. It initially died due to the difficulties I had balancing my education and my writing hobby, but I’m near the end of my degree at the moment and due to bad scheduling I am forced to go part time from here on out. This leaves me more time to write.

I haven’t posted in almost a year, and I find that embarrassing. I thought about erasing all my old posts and starting afresh, but then I realized I might have some ideas I want to go back to and revisit, so they stay alongside the large gap as an embarrassing reminder to myself to continue evolving and keep going.

I have a post almost complete which will be up tonight or tomorrow. I have a larger project I’m working on in the background, but I’ve decided to keep these projects in the background, while still writing shorter posts so that I don’t choke on the big topics and not post for a year again.

God Bless. Also, sorry for the bad latin title. I’m keeping that too, badly translated titles are sort of a thing with me. Long story.

 

My hypocrisy is the greatest

I hate hypocrisy. I hate it with a passion i cannot express. But I fear that this condemns me before the Father, as I rant and rave against what I perceive to be others’ hypocrisies, but shy away when the light shines on my own failures.

Lord have Mercy, Christ have Mercy, Lord have Mercy.

An update

This is not yet another abandoned blog. I am indeed currently working on a new post, but i’ve run into some difficulties, regarding both the post and my personal life.

First of all, i’ve been more swamped in both personal and school related responsibilities. The School term is a bit more demanding than I expected, and i’ve been relatively stressed.

Secondly, regarding my proposed topic; my writing on previous post has seemed rushed and not my best, and I want to progress forward not only on the blog, but this very important issue (to me) in a much more skilled and well thought out manner.

So for my few readers (yes, i have received comments from people who aren’t my friends :D) I am alive, I have not abandoned this project, and a post is on its way.

Sorry for the delay so far.