Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, explained what his mission was...
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because God has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
God has sent me
to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free..."
And when John the Baptist asked Jesus if he was "the One," Jesus said...
"Go and tell John what you hear and see:
The blind receive their sight
and the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear,
and the dead are raised up,
and the poor have
good news preached to them."
And when he was teaching a lesson to a wealthy man who'd invited him to dinner, Jesus said...
"When you give a dinner or a banquet,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or rich neighbors,
lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.
BUT,
when you give a feast,
invite the poor, the sick, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed..."
When the rich young ruler asked what he needed to do in order to be saved, Jesus said...
"If you want to be perfect, go,
sell your possessions
and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow Me."
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When Jesus gave his most complete recorded sermon, the sermon on the mount/plain, Jesus taught...
and Jesus continued teaching...
"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.
If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.
Give to everyone who asks you, and
if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you."
And when Jesus taught his parable about who is in the Realm of God, Jesus said...
"Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me."
And then Jesus' parable addresses those who aren't in the God's Realm and their terrible fate...
"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in,
I needed clothes and you did not clothe me,
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."
Jesus' teachings, this week of Easter, where our current president just told us, in not so many words.
"Happy Easter, everyone... and by the way, we're NOT going to allow those DACA Dreamers to be welcomed after all! Nasty Mexicans and liberals are making me do this!"
What a way to remember the teachings and life of the one we celebrate on Easter.
And upon entering Jerusalem, following the praise and adoration of Palm Sunday, Jesus saw the vendors in the temple taking advantage of the poor in the temple (selling "approved" doves - the offering the poor gave - at a great profit, Jesus was outraged.
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a robbers’ den.”
...Because of his anger at those who were taking advantage of the poor (and others).
After this event, the Bible tells us...
"The chief priests and the scribes heard this,
and began seeking
how to destroy Him..."
And then, Easter.
Happy Easter, all. May we remember the teachings of the Easter God.
to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free..."
And when John the Baptist asked Jesus if he was "the One," Jesus said...
"Go and tell John what you hear and see:
The blind receive their sight
and the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear,
and the dead are raised up,
and the poor have
good news preached to them."
And when he was teaching a lesson to a wealthy man who'd invited him to dinner, Jesus said...
"When you give a dinner or a banquet,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or rich neighbors,
lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid.
BUT,
when you give a feast,
invite the poor, the sick, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed..."
When the rich young ruler asked what he needed to do in order to be saved, Jesus said...
"If you want to be perfect, go,
sell your possessions
and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow Me."
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When Jesus gave his most complete recorded sermon, the sermon on the mount/plain, Jesus taught...
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
for yours is the kingdom of God.
Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.
Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.
But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets."
for you have already received your comfort.
Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,
for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets."
and Jesus continued teaching...
"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also.
If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.
Give to everyone who asks you, and
if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you."
And when Jesus taught his parable about who is in the Realm of God, Jesus said...
"Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me."
And then Jesus' parable addresses those who aren't in the God's Realm and their terrible fate...
"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
I was a stranger and you did not invite me in,
I needed clothes and you did not clothe me,
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me."
Jesus' teachings, this week of Easter, where our current president just told us, in not so many words.
"Happy Easter, everyone... and by the way, we're NOT going to allow those DACA Dreamers to be welcomed after all! Nasty Mexicans and liberals are making me do this!"
What a way to remember the teachings and life of the one we celebrate on Easter.
And upon entering Jerusalem, following the praise and adoration of Palm Sunday, Jesus saw the vendors in the temple taking advantage of the poor in the temple (selling "approved" doves - the offering the poor gave - at a great profit, Jesus was outraged.
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a robbers’ den.”
...Because of his anger at those who were taking advantage of the poor (and others).
After this event, the Bible tells us...
"The chief priests and the scribes heard this,
and began seeking
how to destroy Him..."
And then, Easter.
Happy Easter, all. May we remember the teachings of the Easter God.
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