THE HARD SAYINGS OF JESUS
CHAPTERS 1-20
As a Christian and a bible student there is on greater subject than Jesus. No other person has effected history more than Jesus; some say he was a prophet, some say he was a great teacher, and others just think he was crazy. But, to those of us who know him to be the Son of God it is very important to understand his teachings.
Throughout Jesus ministry on earth he made a number of statements that went misunderstood both then and now. However it is important as followers of Christ to understand the teachings of his ministry. The author of this book starts off with one of Jesus’ toughest sayings. The saying is found in John 6:53 were he says that, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” To an orthodox Jew this comes off as pure heresy. The Law of Moses forbids cannibalism and drinking blood. However the writer explains this statement as a gradual revelation of who He was. The writer, F.F. Bruce started with the feeding of the 5,000 on (pg 21) and the walking on the water, then in a teaching in the synagogue about manna (Exodus 16:13-36 or Numbers11: 4-9). The story of the woman at the well, also pointed to the fact that Jesus was the Bread of Life and the Living water.
Another saying of Jesus that proved his power and authority on earth to forgive sins found in Mark 2:10, “The Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” This saying of Jesus occurred before the healing of the paralytic. He was lowered in to the house were Jesus was at by his four friends. The reason the author gave for this being a hard saying is that only a spokesmen of God could say that god has forgiven their sins and they did not see Jesus as such authority.
I have noticed in Jesus ministry that he was often more strict than the Law; for example in Matthew chapter five Jesus makes a series of statements that start with, “For you have heard it was said ______ but I say______.” Jesus addresses the subjects of murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, and retaliation or vengeance. It is in these dialogs that it is painfully obvious that the Sadducees did not understand the law.
S: Well, as followers of Jesus we should fulfill the Jewish law; we should even take it as far and fulfill it better than the Pharisees and scribes. In my opinion, the Gospel of Matthew does not tell to abandon the Jewish law; it in fact, says the opposite. Jesus fulfills this Law and prophecy!
For someone so well known, Jesus is someone the historical world knows little about. Around this religious figure revolves a strange phenomena. Most people could probably tell you something Jesus stood for, or the gist of something he said, just off the top of their head. But someone who has spent years studying Jesus within a historical context, would probably have a hard time pinpointing anything Jesus really said. Scholars have been interested, and even obsessed with the historical Jesus for centuries, and two of the most well known Jesus scholars of today are Dale C. Allison and John Dominic Crossan. Yet how they go about examining the historical Jesus is completely different.
A writer’s vision and thought can be extracted from the words that they use in their stories. The evangelists in the Bible are no different. They are writing about events from memory; many of them were stories that were passed on generation to generation. Thus, their personal thoughts begin to make an entry into the way that they write their gospel and the words that they use. The evangelist had the final say as to how he would portray Jesus in his story. This was especially true in Mark’s gospel. Being the first one to recount the ministry of Jesus, he was not influenced by other well known accounts. Thus, the understanding that Mark has is seen through the approach that he took to write his gospel, which include both Jesus’ character traits as well as the meaning behind his ministry. When studying the way that Mark wrote the gospel, it can be seen how he perceives Jesus.
John 17 v9, Christ prays for his people, they are the ones he atones for. Justice has been done in that sense.
The book, The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions, by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright is a conversation of sorts between, “The Leading Liberal and Conservative Jesus Scholars” as they “Present the Heart of the Historical Jesus Debate.” In the introduction, the scholars note that the inspiration and writing of the book grew out of friendship. The book is evidence of the public and private conversations between these scholars and friends, sharing in Christian faith and practice as they work through these complex issues in hopes of understanding each other better. Both, “…acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as Lord, and [we] regard the no-holds-barred study of his actual history as a vital part of what we mean by that” (viii).
...requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them. “ (Romans 2:14-16)
In the New Testament the right of the State to put criminals to death seems to be taken for granted. Jesus himself refrains from using violence. He rebukes his disciples for wishing to call down fire from heaven to punish the Samaritans for their lack of hospitality (Luke 9:55). Later he admonishes Peter to put his sword in the scabbard rather than resist arrest (Matthew 26:52). At no point, however, does Jesus deny that the State has authority to exact capital punishment. In his debates with the Pharisees, Jesus cites with approval the apparently harsh commandment, "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die" (Matthew 15:4; Mark 7:10, referring to Exodus 2l:17; cf. Leviticus 20:9). When Pilate calls attention to his authority to crucify him, Jesus points out that Pilate's power comes to him from above-that is to say, from God (John 19:11).
The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.
Luther states “the law is spiritual. If the law were for the body, it could be satisfied with works. Because it is spiritual, however, no one can satisfy it- unless all that you do is done from the bottom of the heart” (Luther 77). What Luther really means by this is that law can only be fulfilled where there is a spiritual heart and where that spirit is absent from the heart then there is sin and dissatisfaction with the law. A law is achieved by doing works which God decides if we are performing these tasks with the will of God from the heart. However, one will be punished by God for performing deeds when there is no heart because God is not satisfied by individuals who only do good works when others are watching or to get something in return. (Luther 76). Laws are meant to keep the sinful attributes of individuals under control through the fear of punishment. The law shows anyone that compares their life to Christ’s life who was without sin that he or she is sinful. God gave us law not because he is harsh but to help society maintain order and is also a guide so that we can know what good works will please God. The book of laws are found in the Old Testament which teaches what individuals can and cannot do. The Old Testament is comprised of the demanding of good, stories of how laws can be maintained or broken, and promising the forgiveness of sin (Luther 98). The apostles use the
“And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke and gave it to His disciples and said, "Take you and eat, this is my Body." And taking the chalice He gave thanks and gave it to them saying, "Drink you all of this. For this is my Blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for many unto remission of
Forgiveness (Luke 6:37): " Do not judge others, and God will not judge you; do not condemn others, and God will not condemn you; forgive others and God will forgive you." The passage teaches us that we should forgive others and we will be forgiven. We should treat others, as we want to be treated. Jesus never judged or condemned others no matter what they did to him.
O’Day, Gail R. (1995). “The Gospel of John.” 491-865. In The New Interpreter’s Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes. Vol. 9. Nashville: Abingdon Press.
...merciful, for they will be shown mercy" and "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God" (Holy Bible, Matthew 5:3-11). These scriptures say a lot to us reinstating what Matthew has written in how we should live our lives and follow the laws stated by Jesus in The Greatest Commandment so that we can obtain our peace of heart and give our love, ourselves selflessly to God. For when Jesus answered this question, the religious leaders and the Pharisees knew that he had answered well. After this question was answered Jesus also asked and answered a question about his son ship to God and from then on his answers showed his wisdom and those that questioned him never dared to ask Jesus any more questions. They knew that he was the son of the Lord. All knew and understood that these two Greatest Commandments were to be the law and the prophecies to live by.
The gospels explain Jesus’ life and death including His identity but also his activities, works, leadership and his suffering. Jesus is seen as a manifestation of God’s relationship with humans. An important fact about Jesus is the humility and modesty associated with his birth, upbringing and death. The fact that such a person ...
...u eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you” (John 6:53 NLT), must have been very shocking for them to hear. In this passage John was really just trying to illustrate that Jesus sustains His believers spiritually, just as water and food sustain it physically. “It is His flesh and blood that gives everlasting life to those that chose to receive salvation. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11 NIV). The expression of eating His flesh has been commonly used as a way of saying to put your faith in Christ. No doctrine or practice should ever be contemplated as being Biblical unless it has been summed up and indeed truly includes all what the Scriptures have said about it.