[DAN:
Jesus begins his ministry by saying...]
“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,
to proclaim the year
of the Lord’s favor.”
[DAN:
Some have noted that “the year of the Lord's favor” is a
reference to the Jewish tradition of Jubilee and the Sabbath laws...
rules designed to return land to the poor and to ensure that the poor
and marginalized had real options to recover.
Soon after
Jesus begins his ministry, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law
begin responding to Jesus' ministry...]
The
Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to
their sect complained to his disciples,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax
collectors and sinners?”
Jesus answered them,
“It is not the healthy who need a
doctor, but the sick.
I have not come to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance.”
Jesus and disciples were
“harvesting” wheat from farmers' fields on the Sabbath...
The
Pharisees asked,
“Why are you doing what is
unlawful on the Sabbath?”
Jesus answered them,
“Have you never read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God,
and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for
priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.
The
Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
On another
Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was
there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the
teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus,
so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the
shriveled hand...
“Get up and
stand in front of everyone.”
So he got up and
stood there.
Then Jesus said to them,
“I
ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to
save life or to destroy it?”
He looked around at
them all, and then said to the man,
“Stretch
out your hand.”
He did so, and his hand was
completely restored.
But the Pharisees went out and
plotted how they might kill Jesus.
Looking at his
disciples, he said:
“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.
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.
“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.”
“But
to you who are listening I say:
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.”
[DAN: John
the Baptist was curious if Jesus was “the One...”]
At
that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil
spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to
John's messengers,
“Go
back and report to John what you have seen and heard:
The blind
receive sight,
the lame walk,
those who have leprosy are
cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and
the good news is proclaimed to the poor.
Blessed
is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
[DAN:
Jesus is speaking about the “proof” of his ministry and he talks
about some miraculous events... but his BIG wrap up is, “the good
news is proclaimed to the poor!”
Jesus, speaking of
the Pharisees...]
“To
what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are
they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and
calling out to each other:
“‘We played the pipe for you,
and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’
“For
John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you
say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her
children.”
“Whoever wants to
be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and
follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but
whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for
someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very
self?”
“Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son
of Man has no place to lay his head.”
[DAN: Jesus,
speaking of the Pharisees...]
“And
you experts in the law, woe to you,
because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and
you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.
“Woe
to you, because you build tombs for
the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. So you
testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the
prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his
wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom
they will kill and others they will persecute.’
Therefore
this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the
prophets that has been shed since
the beginning of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of
Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I
tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.
“Woe
to you experts in the law, because
you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not
entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
When
Jesus went outside,
the Pharisees and the teachers of
the law began to oppose him fiercely
and to besiege
him with questions, waiting to catch him in something he might say.
[DAN:
A rich man is planning on what to do with his great wealth...]
“Then
he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and
build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll
say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years.
Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said
to him,
‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded
from you.
Then who will get what you have prepared for
yourself?’
“This is
how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is
not rich toward God.”
Then
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Therefore
I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about
your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the
body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap,
they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more
valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single
hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do
you worry about the rest?
“Consider how the wild flowers
grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in
all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God
clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is
thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of
little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or
drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such
things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his
kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
“Do
not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give
you the kingdom. Sell
your possessions and give to the poor.
Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in
heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth
destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.”
“When
you give a luncheon or dinner, do
not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or
your rich neighbors;
if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But
when you give a banquet, invite
the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be
repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
“No
one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the
other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You
cannot serve both God and money.”
A
certain ruler asked Jesus,
“Good teacher, what must I do to
inherit eternal life?”
“Why
do you call me good? No one is good—except God alone. You know the
commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder,
you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your
father and mother.’”
“All
these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
When
Jesus heard this, he said to him,
“You
still lack one thing.
Sell
everything you have and give to the poor,
and
you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When
he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Jesus
looked at him and said,
“How
hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!
Indeed, 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.”
Again
his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to
them,
“I
have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do
you stone me?”
“We are not stoning you for
any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a
mere man, claim to be God.”
Jesus answered them,
“Is
it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’?
If
he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and
Scripture cannot be set aside -
what about the one whom the
Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do
you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
Do not believe me unless I
do the works of my Father.
[DAN
speaking: What WERE the works that Jesus was citing?
Preaching
the good news of the realm of God specifically to the poor and
marginalized...
and calling out the oppression of the rich and
powerful and the religious rulers]
But
if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works,
that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in
the Father.”
[DAN:
The parable of the sheep and the goats...]
“When
the Holy One comes in glory, and all the angels with him, they will
sit on their glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before
them, and they will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. They will put the sheep
on the right and the goats on the left.
“Then
the Ruler will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are
blessed by God; 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.’
“Then the
righteous will answer, ‘Holy One, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see
you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The
Ruler will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of
the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for
me.’
“Then the Ruler will say to those on the left,
‘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.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in
prison, and did not help you?’
“The Ruler will reply,
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of
these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to
eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
[DAN
speaking: Nearing the end, now...
In the context of ALL that
/\ consistent teaching,
the warnings against wealth and power,
the
teachings to align with the poor, marginalized and “least of
these,”
the constant
harsh rebukes and mocking of the religious leaders, the rich and
powerful...
in THAT context and immediately after this parable
about the sheep and the goats...
The Pharisees met...]
When
Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his
disciples,
“As
you know, the Passover is two days away –
and the Son of Man
will be handed over to be crucified.”
Then
the chief priests and the elders of the people
assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
and
they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.
“But not during the festival,” they said, “or
there may be a riot among the people.”
16 comments:
Of course, the text is largely from the Bible, largely from Luke, with a few parts of the plot being covered by Matthew and John. I offered a few clarifying remarks using my name to introduce them. And I made the language more gender-inclusive.
“They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
God is still scarred. Still just like us. Having suffered: vulnerable, compassionate. We can be just like god.
We rise, too, now scarred again, from very old wounds and new ones. We rise from deaths both fresh and ancient. We rise from hate and leave behind injustice and violent power.
We can be angry or glad, joyful or sad. Being deeply anxious has no place in christian faith. Confidence in the one who became like us takes away fear and calls us to be bold and brazen, funky in our love for the world.
Easter plots continue...
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/07/politics/geoff-duncan-voter-fraud-cnntv/index.htmlc
I can't remember you ever doing an Easter post about Easter.
? I precisely did an Easter post about Easter this week... or at least the plot leading up to Easter... which is, of course, part of the Easter story.
And, looking through my blog posts, it appears of the 16 years I've had a blog, there have been approximately 11 Easter posts.
https://throughthesewoods.blogspot.com/search?q=easter
Can you say the same?
It appears you've done precisely THREE posts that mention Easter in some way.
https://marshallart.blogspot.com/search?q=easter
Is that a hill you want to die on (ironically enough!)?
I can say mine were actually about Easter, not some sad socialist message unrelated to the true point of the day. So, while I haven't gone through every post of yours to review your Easter posts, as I have to find all those criticisms of Obama which don't exist, those that come to mind were clearly NOT about Easter. They were, as I said, something not about the point of the day. Perhaps I'll take a trip down memory lane and try to find one that is. This one here is not.
Marshal complains that I don't do Easter posts "about Easter."
I point out that I've done 11 Easter posts (I've actually found at least 14 posts from me about Easter) to his three (really, just two), just factually speaking.
Marshal appears to want to complain that my Easter posts are not "about Easter" TO HIS LIKING.
Easter is a day we remember the life, the teachings, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus and my posts have often focused on Jesus life and teachings and the reasons leading up to his crucifixion that came about from a plot by the religious and powerful who didn't like Jesus' message.
I THINK what's happening here is that Marshal wants to divorce Jesus' teaching and life from the Easter story.
But that would make it a pretty sad and empty story. Seems to me.
Oh, and for what it's worth, my Easter posts have included phrases that MAYBE get approval from Marshal like
"Practice resurrection"
and
"Life is stronger than death"
and
"Christ is risen!"
and
"Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."
and
"Christ is risen! Risen in our hearts. Risen in our communities. Risen from the Holy Ground bursting forth in life for us all."
and
"For death is swallowed up of life,
And Christ is risen today!"
...and well, of course, lots of words and teachings from Jesus, the risen one.
Marshal, on the other hand, has one post that just says "He is risen" and a second post that includes a description of your church's easter service and concludes with...
"So Pastor Pete spoke about, not flowers and clean water, but the Resurrection. He didn't really get too much into why it is important, but he didn't speak about some nonsense regarding politics in Roman occupied Jerusalem of the first century. No. He spoke about Easter. He spoke about the Resurrection and how it is an essential of our faith."
So, even though I've mentioned the resurrection of Jesus more times than Marshal, even though I've said things like "he is risen" more than Marshal, apparently, because I ALSO spoke about the message of Jesus leading up to the plot to kill him, because I ALSO cited poems and spoke figuratively of new life, clean waters, flowers bursting forth from the ground... apparently none of that is "eastery" enough.
Interestingly, this brutal legalism and graceless-ness is exactly part of the Pharisaical/power plot that led to Jesus' crucifixion. Be wary of enacting your own Easter story, Marshal, that you don't cast yourself in the role of the villain.
And maybe THAT is part of the reason why remembering Jesus' words and the events leading up to his crucifixion are vital.
In other words, maybe saying the simplistic "He is risen" doesn't get us very far.
Lord have mercy.
Christ calls us to live in the Resurrection for more than just one day. Let no one grieve in poverty, the universal kingdom has been revealed. But Marshal wants to limit the Resurrection erasure of poverty to just two meals a year.
"Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!
Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!
Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!
If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.
To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!
First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!
Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!
Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.
Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.
Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.
Isaiah foretold this when he said,
"You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below."
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.
Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.
O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?
Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!
Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!
(The Easter sermon of John Chrysostom circa 400 AD)
Once again you appeal to numbers as if numbers has any significance with respect to my observation. Sadly, it does not.
To clarify, it's meaningless that I don't do a post about Easter every year. It's meaningless that you do, or attempt to or in some way, at least superficially say something with some connection to the day. None of this matters to my observation that you have a consistent lack of attention to the day itself and what makes this, the most iconic and most important day of the Christian calendar significant. I reiterate: what you choose to post is nothing that couldn't be posted on any other day of the year and have the same level or degree of importance.
But this is Easter on which we're focusing. I simply can't understand why there is so little posted on the significance of the day...what it means...why it matters to the world and mankind. Easter isn't about "Christ's teachings"...again, something which can be presented on any other day of the year. That is, why choose Easter to do so, when Easter has such import over and above "Blessed are the peacemakers", or some nonsense about Jesus being a revolutionary fighting the Roman oppressors or whatever the hell socialist nonsense you seem to favor? If this is the day you "remember Christ's teachings", what the hell are you doing the rest of the year?
Even more curious is your response to such questions...as if the query is somehow impertinent or out of bounds. Given what you post, it in fact quite reasonable. "It's an Easter post. When do get around to the 'Easter' part?"
Marshal... "But this is Easter on which we're focusing. I simply can't understand why there is so little posted on the significance of the day...what it means..."
What does Easter mean?
I suspect, FOR YOU, it means something akin to the Penal Substitutionary Atonement theory advanced by some theologians centuries after Jesus' death.
I do not believe in that human theory as I think it is fundamentally unbiblical and diametrically opposed to the Gospel as taught by Jesus.
So, if you're asking why I don't speak more often on Easter about a theory I don't believe in, but that you prefer... why would I?
Does it surprise you that I don't promote your preferred human theory about Easter's "meaning..."?
Marshal... " Given what you post, it in fact quite reasonable. "It's an Easter post. When do get around to the 'Easter' part?"
Jesus' DIRECT AND CLEAR TEACHINGS which so annoyed the religious zealots back then and today ARE the "Easter" part.
The Good News that JESUS SAID HE CAME TO PREACH was good news to the poor, release for the captives, healing for the sick... an Open Table to which all the marginalized are specifically invited.
THAT SPECIFIC literal good news that Jesus taught was also in direct opposition to the policies of the powerful, rich and religious, so they gave him a torturous capital death punishment on Good Friday.
And Jesus overcame darkness with light, overcame death with life on the third day. That is Easter.
Jesus came preaching a way of grace and inclusion for all and the rich and powerful and their useful idiots - then and today, still - hated him for it. So, for the sake of the nation, that Jesus had to die.
It's directly the gospel/easter story that I talk about most years.
Unlike you, who hardly ever mentions Easter and, unless I'm mistaken... have you EVER spent any significant time on your blog talking about Jesus' actual words and teachings??
Hmmmm...
Hmmm...
Looked into it. Marshal rarely speaks of Jesus' actual words and teachings and when he has, it's mostly been to disagree with my taking Jesus' actual words seriously and him (Marshal) explaining why Jesus didn't mean for those words to be taken literally.
So, Marshal criticizes me for not speaking of his preferred human theory on atonement as it relates to Easter, when Marshal himself has rarely spoken of it and not only that, but while I've quoted Jesus often and extensively and defended a fairly literal reading of Jesus' actual words, Marshal rarely has.
https://marshallart.blogspot.com/search?q=jesus
Why is that not surprising?
Also Marshal... "Easter isn't about "Christ's teachings"...again, something which can be presented on any other day of the year. That is, why choose Easter to do so, when Easter has such import over and above "Blessed are the peacemakers"...
Easter is not about Jesus' teachings. Easter is not about Jesus' teachings?!
Wow. Just, wow.
And, as I have shown, I talk about Jesus words a great deal year round.
But if he's your Lord and if Easter "has such import..." why do you not speak to Jesus' words or Easter yourself more often?
And again, Wow. Not about Jesus' teachings.
Wow.
Thanks for your honesty, but... wow.
"I suspect, FOR YOU, it means something akin to the Penal Substitutionary Atonement theory advanced by some theologians centuries after Jesus' death."
"Penal Substitutionary Atonement" is simply a name or label describing the teachings of Scripture, a teaching Jesus Himself taught us: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” -Mark 10:45 Thus, it is neither mere "human theory" nor is it "fundamentally unbiblical and diametrically opposed to the" teachings and ministry of Christ.
"So, if you're asking why I don't speak more often on Easter about a theory I don't believe in..."
I clearly wasn't.
"Jesus' DIRECT AND CLEAR TEACHINGS which so annoyed the religious zealots back then and today ARE the "Easter" part."
No. No, that's just a forced connection you're making between the what you believe was the "Good News"...which you haven't really explained...and the significance of the day we call "Easter Sunday". Without PSA "theory", Christ's death and resurrection was no more than something that just happened, having no real significance to the entirety of the Bible story and the Christian faith than His having breakfast.
"Jesus came preaching a way of grace and inclusion for all and the rich and powerful and their useful idiots - then and today, still - hated him for it. So, for the sake of the nation, that Jesus had to die."
What???
"Unlike you, who hardly ever mentions Easter and, unless I'm mistaken... have you EVER spent any significant time on your blog talking about Jesus' actual words and teachings??"
"Looked into it. Marshal rarely speaks of Jesus' actual words and teachings...snip...Marshal rarely has."
I might be mistaken, but aren't we each at liberty to choose for ourselves what topics, issues or subjects we will discuss on our own personal blogs? Now, I know your troll likes to dictate on what others must focus their attention, but I didn't think you also saw it within your authority.
In the meantime, my comments don't reflect that arrogance, but merely ask when you're going to get to the "Easter part" on a post ostensibly about Easter. I mean, why reference Easter at all, either in the title of the post or any other way, when what you're writing isn't related to the day or its significance in the least...or at best in the most superficial, almost accidental way? Look, dude, it's your blog and you can do what you like with it. I'm just asking about a common, pretty much annual trait about your "Easter" posts. It stands out so starkly.
"Why is that not surprising?"
Why would or should it be?
"Easter is not about Jesus' teachings. Easter is not about Jesus' teachings?!"
Well, insofar that it is the manifestation of His teaching about why He came (Mark 10:45) you can say it is. But that's not the teachings to which you ever refer. As you said, you reject that teaching as even being one of them. But, for example, Easter isn't about the Sermon on the Mount, or any one point He made at the time (except as I said where it might be manifested during the events of Easter). That sermon can be preached anytime throughout the year and have the same benefit.
"And, as I have shown, I talk about Jesus words a great deal year round."
Sadly, not very well...as if you understand them at all...and too often not accurately with regard to what they mean.
"But if he's your Lord and if Easter "has such import..." why do you not speak to Jesus' words or Easter yourself more often?"
As I asked above, aren't we each at liberty to choose for ourselves what topics, issues or subjects we will discuss on our own personal blogs? A more direct answer would reflect the fact I don't presume to be the ideal person for the task, though I wouldn't insist that's required for presented my personal opinions. But OK. I'll work on one just for you.
"And again, Wow. Not about Jesus' teachings."
When the shock and vapors subside and your pearls are sufficiently clutched, perhaps you can explain how Easter is about Christ's teachings. I'd be more than interested to read it.
Another question that may not seem obvious to Marshal, but should be.
The very last verse I cited in this Easter plot story was, immediately following Jesus' teaching about the sheep and the goats and failing to do for "the least of these..."
Then
the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled
in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and
they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.
“But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
The questions that this passage (in light of ALL the other passages I cited) are...
1. WHY were the chief priests/plotters afraid of a riot?
Of course, we know the answer to that. Jesus was extremely popular amongst "the common people," the laborers, the poor, the marginalized.
2. Then, WHY was Jesus so popular amongst the common people?
3. Was it reasonably because he had preached a "good news" that god hates sin but god will forgive some sinners who repent correctly - the ones that god chose to allow to see the light - but that god could only do this by a blood sacrifice, and that sacrifice was to be Jesus? Is it reasonable, given Jesus' actual teachings, that this is why he was popular with the common people?
4. OR, was it more reasonably because of what he actually preached - good news for the poor, healing for the sick, his rebukes of the rich and powerful and a gospel of welcome especially/specifically for the least of these?
Reasonable questions, these. With I think clear answers.
Marshal responded in a now deleted comment that simply Stated the my questions are not questions. of course, the reality is, they are questions and reasonable questions. Questions that we see Marshal unable to answer.
Ah! So you again delete my comments because they present the truth that exposes your bad theology. You have yet to prove your contention that when Christ speaks of bringing Good News to the poor, or when He says, "Blessed are the poor", He is speaking of the materially poor. Producing verses where He's actually speaking of the materially poor does not prove your contention about these two instances. What's more, your questions in your comment on April 14, 2021 at 7:32 AM have no relevance to the issue, either.
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