![]() Fear Him Who Has Power to Cast into Hell (Matthew 10:28 Luke 12:4-5) Instead of despairing for having flaws, Christians may enter into the peace of Christ by his effectual work (Phil. Still, Jesus raises the bar on righteousness earlier in this speech (5:20), and thus points his followers to the need for an atoning sacrifice which indeed makes us whole and endows us with the Holy Spirit who enables us to fulfill God’s law. So what could Jesus mean, if in other places Scripture asserts that humans fall short of perfection (Romans 3:10 Philippians 3:12 1 John 1:8)? The word translated “perfect” in Hebrew could also mean complete, or whole. Our culture is paradoxically obsessed with perfection, as is evidenced by the rise of near cult-like gym and fitness followings, while also eschewing perfection and condemning it as an expression of self-righteousness and hypocrisy. I believe this temptation is all too real for many families today. Nonetheless, it’s true-sometimes family ties can be so consuming that it leaves us with little time or resources in the way of working for his kingdom. This is obvious since in the Matthean account the author softens the effect by recording it as, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” (10:37) This interpretation comports well with Paul’s admonishment in 1 Timothy 5:8 that caring for the family is essential to being a Christian. If loving your neighbor must extend to include your enemies, how could it be that it is now restricted to exclude your family? Clearly this is an instance where Jesus is employing rhetorical hyperbole to drive home a point. You Must Hate Your Parents, Spouse, Siblings, and Children (Matthew 10:37 Luke 14:26) ![]() However, we should acknowledge that Jesus’ teaching here touches a sore spot for his church body. This isn’t to say that divorced and remarried persons should live with perpetual shame for past mistakes. Could it be that Jesus, even against the Jewish culture of his day (which permitted a certificate of divorce for the most trivial of reasons), actually leaves room for very few exceptions to this covenant commitment (see “Remarriage and Divorce in Biblical Perspective” by Craig Keener)? Perhaps the church needs to repent of its loosening the bonds of marriage. The western church has seemingly lost its right to speak to issues concerning sexuality since it has looked the other way when professing Christians divorce without biblical warrant. Whoever Divorces and Marries Another Commits Adultery (Matthew 5:27-32 Mark 10:11-12 Luke 16:18) WATCH: “Remembering the Humanity of Jesus” video by Jerome Van Kuiken 2. Either way, Jesus is heightening the urgency of his kingdom work and placing loyalty to his cause above cultural expressions of family loyalties. Others still suggest that the wording of the young man’s request means that the father was still living, and the son was asking for permission to fulfill his family duties until his father passed. It may be that Jesus was referring to this second, redundant ceremony. How could Jesus be so insensitive as to provoke a grief-stricken seeker to forego a proper burial for his parents? Some scholars have discovered a Jewish custom for having two ceremonies. Let the Dead Bury the Dead (Matthew 8:22 Luke 9:60) Notice also that this approach to hearing Jesus also challenges the all too popular and simplistic attempt to contrast a radical “historical Jesus” with the “domesticated Jesus” of the early church or the Apostle Paul. So which of Jesus’ teachings are especially difficult to swallow given our modern sensibilities? The following highlights seven of these sayings, and though this isn’t an attempt to explain away some of his radical ideas, their perplexity is softened somewhat when they are read contextually in their historical setting and with appropriate literary atunement. ![]() ![]() Indeed, his early followers sensed this challenge: “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. People often enthusiastically embrace some of his teachings while deploring other parts. Sometimes this is true even of the same party, at the same time. This was true for his original audience and continues to be so for his contemporary readers. A popular adage has regularly been applied to the person of Jesus- he comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. ![]()
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