Pre-Rabbi Jesus

Jesus lived with his mother Mary and his adoptive father Joseph and he grew to be a good man.  He had a good reputation with everyone and he increased in wisdom.  Above all else, he desired that God’s will be accomplished.  He obeyed his parents and God’s command in everything he did.  And he studied God’s word to know what God’s will was. 

But Jesus also saw that God’s will was not being accomplished on earth.  He saw God’s people disobeying God in important areas.  And he saw that God had made many promises that were not yet fulfilled—God’s spirit had not yet descended upon his people to cause them to do His will; a righteous king had not been chosen to lead his people and to bring justice; God’s people still suffered in need.  God’s will was not accomplished.  And Jesus determined to do all he could to change that.

John the Baptist was a powerful man of God.  He lived in the wilderness at the Jordan River, eating wild honey and locusts.  He wore rough clothing and preached.  Perhaps at first he preached to the twigs and flowing river, but soon he had many people listening to him.  He told them to repent, for God’s promises were going to be fulfilled.  “God is going to quickly judge his people—get ready for it!  You are all doing wicked deeds—change your ways and God will forgive you!” 

Those who committed themselves to repent John brought to the Jordan river and led them across it.  He was reenacting the crossing of the Jordan and of the Red Sea long ago.  If they were going to repent, they needed to be swallowed by the destructive water and be made alive again by God.  In this way, God was making a new people, a new generation that would be obedient to him.

Jesus came to John in order to be led across the Jordan.  John saw Jesus and said, “You don’t need to be drenched by water.  You are already righteous.”  Jesus replied, “We must do it in order to accomplish God’s will.”  So John led Jesus across the Jordan and caused him to be drenched by water, as a repentant one of God’s new people. 

Just as Jesus was baptized, a revelation from the spirit world came upon him.  The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove, and filled Jesus.  And the voice of God came from heaven, saying to Jesus, “You are my son, whom I love, the king of my people.  I am pleased with you.”  No one heard this but Jesus and John and the powers of the spirit world.  They all knew that Jesus was selected by God to lead God’s new people.

Immediately after this, Jesus left the Jordan and the Spirit lead him into the wilderness.  While Jesus had water in the wilderness, there was no food, so Jesus fasted for forty days, relying on God for his needs.  After many days of waiting before God, Jesus became very hungry.  At this point, Satan visited Jesus, in order to test him and to get him to disobey God and so become disqualified from being God’s king.  Satan told Jesus, “If you’re hungry, why don’t you turn these stones into bread?  You’re the Son of God, the king of God’s people—surly you can do that if you want.  Why go hungry?  God certainly wouldn’t want you to be hungry, would he?”  Jesus was weak and could only respond with Scripture he had memorized.  He weakly but firmly replied, “Scripture says, ‘Man cannot live by bread alone but by every word which comes from God.’” 

Satan was determined to cause Jesus to disobey God, so he said, “So you are the king of God’s people. But who is going to acknowledge you?  Certainly no one will pay attention to you.  Let me help you.”  Satan transported Jesus to the very top of the temple in Jerusalem.  “Here you go.  If you throw yourself off of the temple, you won’t be hurt—aren’t you the Son of God?  The Scripture says, ‘He will command his angels to keep your foot from being harmed by a stone.’  So throw yourself down, the angels will assist you and all of Jerusalem will acknowledge you as having come from God.”   Jesus replied, weakly, “Scripture says, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’”

Satan was running out of ideas.  So he said to Jesus, “Here, let me show you something.”  And he showed Jesus all of the great nations of the world—the civilizations of India, China, the Aztecs, the Huns and powerful Rome. “Do you want to rule all of these powers?  Look, I’m in charge of them all.  They gave me their authority when they rebelled against God and God handed them over to Death.  Aren’t I in charge of death?  And when they worshipped their gods instead of just acknowledging their authority, they were placed under my judgement. Do you want to rule over them? Look, I can give them all to you.  They are all yours—just bow before me and I’ll give them to you.”  Jesus replied with strength, “Scripture says, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God alone and serve him only.’  Satan, get lost!”  And Satan left Jesus until a better time.  God, meanwhile, sent angels to feed Jesus after his ordeal.

After Jesus gained his strength back, he began to visit synagogues in Galilee.  Every time he visited a synagogue, he was given an opportunity to tell news or to say something of significance.  Jesus stood in front of each synagogue and proclaimed, “God’s government is coming!  Get ready for God’ revolution.  Repent from your sins.  Obey God.  And be faithful to God’s victory that is coming soon.” 

From Luke 3-4, Matthew 3-4 and Mark 1

Blessing for the Giver

Agrapha 1: Acts 20:35—“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Although this is a passage of Jesus not found in the gospels, it is as famous as many of his other sayings, although most people do not know it is referenced to Jesus.  Scholastically, it is a doubtful saying: the writer of Acts is quoting Paul in one of his frequently rewritten lectures, and this lecture is quoting Jesus.  On the other hand, this saying fits Jesus’ other teachings about giving and humility.

What is important to know is that in the context of Jesus’ teachings, it doesn’t have the meaning we usually use it.  Let’s say it’s Christmas day and parents are both giving and receiving presents.  They take such joy in watching their children open the presents they have carefully selected and wrapped.  But when it comes to their presents—a tie, or perhaps a sculpture of one of their kid’s hands quickly produced at school—let’s just say there isn’t as much joy.  So they look at each other and knowingly say, “It is better to give than to receive.”

Yeah, that.  That’s not what Jesus meant.

We need to think about the reason why Jesus would say it is better to give.  Not because there is simply more joy in giving—although that can be true.  But rather because of the eschatological reversal.

Ecscatawhozawhat?

Jesus taught that whatever we gave to ourselves or from others on earth, we would receive the opposite from God on the final day.  This is why he said “Blessed are you who are poor”, because God would give them great wealth in the end.  “Those who humble themselves will be exalted” because God would grant the humble the opposite of humility in the kingdom.  And, on the converse, “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled” because God, on the final day, will reduce the great to nothing.

So Jesus is simply applying this principle to giving.  The one who gives no longer owns what they surrender.  And that act of giving humbles them.  And the humbled—the poor, the meek, the persecuted—will be granted great things by God on the final day.  Even so, the giver will BE the receiver—eventually.  And what they receive will be greater than what they give.

This is stated more explicitly by Jesus in other sayings: “ Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure-- pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your measure it will be measured to you in return." (Luk 6:38)  And also, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys.” (Luk 12:33).  In other words, whatever you give, you will obtain what you gave and more from the Lord.

This is in agreement with the book of Proverbs, which says, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.” (Proverbs 19:17) and with Psalms which says, “How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble. The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies. The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.” (Psalm 41:1-3)

The only caveat to all of this evidence of the giver’s blessing is that it must be to someone in need that we give.  Someone must be poor or in humble circumstances or in great need—if we give to them, then the Lord will give to us, in abundance, on the day we need it.

So give!  Give to the third world, give to the homeless, give to those who have nothing to give.  And God will not forget you, even if it is only a cup of cold water. 

Agrapha: The Jesus You Haven't Met

What is an “agrapha”?

Literally it means “unwritten”, but in context it means a saying of Jesus that wasn’t written in the four canonical gospels, but copied down elsewhere.  Some of them are copied in other early Christian documents, some in alternative gospels or "acts" which aren't found in the New Testament.  Many of them were written in gospels we no longer have complete copies of.  This is what used to be the case for the Gospel of Thomas, a sayings gospel, which for centuries only bits of the gospel was available.  But in the last century, a complete copy of this gospel was found and so it presented a fun argument for scholars.

If there are sayings that are given by the resurrected Jesus to Christian mystics or prophets (such as chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation), these are not included as agrapha.  Only sayings that are stated or implied to be given by Jesus while on earth are included.

Are agrapha from Jesus originally?

This is a tricky question.  Many scholars deny the accuracy of Jesus' statements even in the gospels.  Almost all agrapha, we suppose, were written down at least 70 or more years after his death, which makes their accuracy suspect, at best.  However, since many of the agrapha could be dated even earlier than the earliest canonical gospels (like John D. Crossan dates the Gospel of Thomas), then they might be considered just as or more accurate than the canonical gospels. 

For our purposes, we will be looking at the agrapha as important sayings of Jesus that aren't usually discussed and yet need to be taken into account.  I don't honestly think that any scholar can truly assess the accuracy of any of the sayings of Jesus.  There isn't any reliable supporting evidence for their accuracy or inaccuracy.  So let's just look at them and make some comments and see what we got. 

So I will be offering the occasional post on an agrapha with my own thoughts.  I am not a scholar of agrapha, so don't take my thoughts as authoritative.  But think about them yourself and make your own assessment. 

Jesus on the Bad Guys

Jesus taught,
The ancient Scriptures taught eye for eye and tooth for tooth.  Th ey said that if an evil person attacks you, justice is getting back at them.  Many people today have taken this to mean to rebel against authorities who attack you.


But I'm telling you, don't rebel against evil authorities.  In fact, give them exactly what they want.  If a judge sentences you unjustly with 30 days, recommend that he make it 90.


If a debt collector clears out your account, send him a check for more.


If a cop rips up your tent and sleeping bag, give him your shoes as well. 


If they insist on taxes you can't afford, give them more.


In doing this, they will incur the wrath of God who demands justice for every oppression.  Give your revenge to God, who is the greatest advocate of the oppressed, and the final court of appeal. 


The ancient Scriptures also taught, "Love your neighbor, but hate your enemy."  They advocated care for those like you and war for those who oppose you.


But I say to love your enemies-- to do good to those who do evil to you.


Pray that those who oppose you will be benefited. 
Give food and presents to those who hate you
Help and listen to those who irritate you
Restore those who tore you down
Work on establishing peace to those who warred against you


This is what God the Father did with us all-- fed, restored and brought peace to us whether we were God's supporters or His enemies.  Although we often opposed God with our actions, He acted in good faith, helping us on every side.  So if we are to truly be God's children, we need to be like God. 


Look, anyone can love those who love them.  Even gangsters do good to those who do good to them.  Even  the most evil cultist is friendly with those in his own group.  Why do you expect some reward from God for doing what everyone does? 


Instead, let your love be mature, like your Father's is: love everyone without exception.

SKV of Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus' Wisdom from the Desert Fathers

Translation from Thomas Merton's The Wisdom of the Desert:

An elder said: Do not judge a fornicator if you are chaste, for if you do, you too are violating the law as much as he is.  For He who said 'thou shalt not fornicate' also said, 'thou shalt not judge.'

Malice will never drive out malice.  But if someone does evil to you, you should do good to him, so that by your good work you may destroy his malice.


An elder was asked: What does it mean, this word we read in the Bible, that the way is straight and narrow?  And the elder replied: This is the straight and narrow way: that a man should do violence to his judgments and cut off, for the love of God, the desires of his own will.  This is what was written of the Apostles: Behold we have left all things and have followed Thee.

One of the elders said, It is not because evil thoughts come to us that we are condemned, but only because we make use of evil thoughts we suffer shipwreck, but it can also happen that because of them we are crowned.

A certain brother came to Abbot Poemen and said, What ought I to do, Father?  I am in great sadness.  The elder said to him: Never despise anybody, never condemn anybody, never speak evil of anyone and the Lord will give you peace.

A brother came and stayed with a certain solitary and when he was leaving he said: Forgive me, Father, for I have  broken in upon your Rule.  But the hermit replied, saying: My Rule is to receive you with hospitality and to let you go in peace.

Abbot Pastor said: A man must breathe humility and the fear of God just as ceaselessly as he inhales and exhales the air.

One of the elders was asked what was humility and he said: If you forgive a brother who has injured you before he himself asked pardon.

A brother asked one of the elders: What is humility?  The elder answered him: To do good to those who do evil to you.  The brother asked: Supposing a man cannot go that far, what should he do?  The elder replied: Let him get away from them and keep his mouth shut.

Women by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery: but I say to you, that every one that looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

For Fullmetal Alchemist fans

Adherence to Jesus allows no free rein to desire unless it be accompanied by love.

To follow Jesus means self-renunciation and absolute adherence to him and therefore a will contaminated by lust can never be allowed to do what it likes… Instead of trusting to the unseen we prefer the tangible fruits of desire, and so we fall from the path of discipleship and lose touch with Jesus.  Lust is impure because it is unbelief, and therefore it is to be shunned.  No sacrifice is too great if it enables us to conquer a lust which cuts us off from Jeus.  Both eye and hand are less than Christ, and when they are used as the instruments of lust and hinder the whole body from the purity of discipleship, they must be sacrificed for the sake of him.  The gains of lust are trivial compared with the loss it brings—you forfeit your body eternally for the momentary pleasure of eye or hand.  When you have made your eye the instrument of impurity, you cannot see God with it.

 Surely, at this point we must make up our minds once and for all whether Jesus means his precepts to be taken literally or only figuratively, for here it is a matter of life or death... If we decided to not take it literally, we should be evading the seriousness of the commandment, and if on the other hand we decided we decided it was to be taken literally, we should at once reveal the absurdity of the Christian position, and thereby invalidate the commandment. 

Jesus does not impose intolerable restrictions on the disciples, he does not forbid them to look at anything, but bids them to look at Him.  If they do that he knows that their gaze will always be pure, even when they look upon a woman.  So far from imposing on them an intolerable yoke of legalism, he succours them with the grace of the gospel. 

For Ang Lee fans

Taking the Supernatural Out of Jesus

Many say that we can follow the morality of Jesus, but avoid the supernatural overlay that has been placed “over top of the pure gospel” of that moral message.  I appreciate these concerns and the heart that is behind such a belief.  They recognize that Jesus’ extreme teaching of love is a high and noble standard, even for those who cannot abide a “foolish” belief in resurrection or supernatural healing.

However, Jesus cannot be divided in such a way.  With almost all of his moral positions, Jesus also gives reason for such extreme good actions and they are all based on supernaturalism.

• Jesus says that surrender one’s own possessions to the poor is based on the idea that such a one would receive greater goods in God’s future kingdom. (Luke 12:33-34)
• Jesus says that loving one’s enemy is a good act because imitating the God who gives food even to the ungrateful is a proper goal of life. (Luke 6:35)
• Jesus says that we forgive others because otherwise God would not forgive us of our sins. (Matthew 18: 21ff).
• Jesus says that we should not look at the opposite sex with lust, for to do so would send us into hell, and likewise insulting another, and so displaying hate toward them. (Matthew 5:21-32)

Thus, Jesus bases his morality on the final judgement and the resurrection. 

Frankly, to have such an extreme morality makes no sense in a strictly material world.  Loving all, even those who do us harm, makes no sense if this world is all there is.  After all, those who do us harm should learn that harm-doing is unacceptable, and the best way to do that is to harm them for their harm-doing.  That is basic human morality.  That is what makes sense in a limited universe.  But Jesus’ high level of morality only makes sense if there is a second chance on life for those who live that high morality.  Only if this life is not all there is could there be enough time for all to be made right. 

On the other hand, Jesus recognizes that such a high level of morality is necessary for this world to be made right.  Only if some live to never punish another, but to help all those in need—even those who do not deserve it— can the world be a place of justice.  Only if we forgive the unforgiveable can we be forgiven for our unforgiveable actions.   Only if we give to those who have nothing to give back will our needs be met when we have nothing to give.   For us all to survive, at least some must live the outlandish morality of Jesus.  But none of us will do it unless we believe in an outlandish justice, beyond life’s limitations.

Thus, faith is the basis of living.