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| Jesus' teachings on Hell, part 6 |
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The crippled one-eyed, one-handed Christian?
(MKJV used unless otherwise indicated)
Mat 18:1 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?
Mat 18:2 And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst,
Mat 18:3 and said, Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 18:4 Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 18:5 And whoever shall receive one such little child in My name receives Me.
Mat 18:6 But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believes in Me, it would be better for him that an ass's millstone were hung around his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea.
Mat 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For it is necessary that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
Mat 18:8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to offend, cut them off and throw them from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mat 18:9 And if your eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.
Mat 18:10 Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father in Heaven.
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
This one of the verses most debated between traditionalists and Universalists and the focus goes onto argue whether everlasting fire/hell means forever or a limited duration.
I do not see it this way.
How does one’s hand, foot or eye cause you to offend or sin? If we are to take the fire as everlasting and hell as literal we should have many one-eyed, one footed and one handed Christians around don’t you think?
I guess not. Self mutilation is not a prerequisite to following Jesus.
If we examine the context of this teaching we see the focus is in answering this question.
Mat 18:1 At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?
Let us look at what happened in the preceding chapter:
We have the transfiguration on the mount and after Peter wanted to build tabernacles for Moses and Elijah and Jesus;
Mat 17:5 While he yet spoke, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold a voice out of the cloud which said, This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear Him.
We then have the story of the demon the disciples could not cast out whom Jesus healed:
Mat 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus apart, and said, Why could we not cast him out?
Mat 17:20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief. For truly I say to you, If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Move from here to there. And it shall move. And nothing shall be impossible to you.
Mat 17:21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.
Followed by:
Mat 17:24 And when they had come to Capernaum, those who received the didrachmas came to Peter and said, Does your master not pay the didrachmas?
Mat 17:25 He said, Yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? From their sons, or from strangers?
Mat 17:26 Peter said to Him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then truly the sons are free.
Mat 17:27 But lest we should offend them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. And when you have opened its mouth, you shall find a stater; take that, and give it to them for Me and you.
So we have the Transfiguration, the casting out of a demon they could not do and now the fish coin to pay the temple tax, three miracles and they still ask:
Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven?
Jesus then goes on to describe the conversion to be as little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven:
Mat 18:4 Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven.
Now Jesus was not saying a little child is greater in the kingdom of heaven, but He is showing that humility is a far greater benefit than knowledge.
Mat 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (NKJV)
Mat 18:6 But whoever shall offend one of these little ones who believes in Me, it would be better for him that an ass's millstone were hung around his neck, and he be sunk in the depth of the sea.
Mat 18:7 Woe to the world because of offenses! For it is necessary that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!
What were the religious of the day doing? Let us see in Matt 23:
Mat 23:2 saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
Mat 23:3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do. But do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.
Mat 23:4 For they bind heavy and hard-to-carry burdens and lay them on men's shoulders. But they will not move them with one of their fingers.
Mat 23:5 But they do all their works in order to be seen of men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.
So what was the offence? Religion and bondage.
Now we all know traditionally that the disciples were simple fisher folk or were they simple? I do not think so. A fisherman needs knowledge of his trade and some business acumen to survive using his trade, they may have been fishermen, simple by today’s standards but in those days they were ones in “food produce” just like farmers were. So let us get it out of our heads they were “dumb fishermen” they were businessmen. The chances are that they were very much involved with the religion of the day and were looking at the Pharisees for example.
Jumping ahead a few verses should give you a clue:
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
Mat 18:8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to offend, cut them off and throw them from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mat 18:9 And if your eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.
Now I have discussed that most of the hell teachings thus far was pointed at the Pharisees/religious fanatics and hell itself is Gehenna a rubbish dump outside Jerusalem where the garbage and bodies of the “unrighteous” dead were cremated. This burned continuously due to the supply of garbage and bodies.
Gehenna Today
I have covered the hand and the eye already in Jesus' teachings on Hell, part 2 of 15
Zec 11:15 And Jehovah said to me, Take to yourself yet the instruments of a foolish shepherd.
Zec 11:16 For lo, I will raise up a shepherd in the land who will not care for those going to ruin, nor will he seek the young, nor will heal that which is broken, nor will he feed that which stands. But he shall eat the flesh of the fat and tear off their hoofs.
Zec 11:17 Woe to the worthless shepherd who abandons the flock! The sword shall be on his arm and on his right eye; his arm shall be completely dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.
G1188 δεξιός dexios dex-ee-os'
From G1209; the right side or (feminine) hand (as that which usually takes): - right (hand, side).
The right here comes from the Greek word dexios and is used throughout the NT referring to the right-hand of the father and symbolizes authority.
Lets look at some negative connotations of right-hand
Psa 26:9 Do not take away my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men
Psa 26:10 in whose hands is a plot, and their right hand is full of a bribe.
Psa 137:4 How shall we sing Jehovah's song in a foreign land?
Psa 137:5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget.
Psa 137:6 If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I do not prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.
Psa 144:7 Send Your hand from above; rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of a foreigner's sons;
Psa 144:8 because their mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of lies.
Psa 144:11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of foreigners' sons, because their mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood;
lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood
a) deception (what deceives or disappoints or betrays one) b) deceit, fraud, wrong 1) fraudulently, wrongfully (as adverb) c) falsehood (injurious in testimony) 1) testify falsehood, false oath, swear falsely d) falsity (of false or self-deceived prophets) e) lie, falsehood (in general) 1) false tongue f) in vain
Looking at the positives of right hand:
Psa 80:15 and the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, and the Son that You make strong for Yourself.
Psa 89:13 You have a mighty arm; Your hand is strong, and Your right hand is high.
Psa 108:6 so that Your beloved may be delivered; save with Your right hand, and answer me.
Psa 118:16 The right hand of Jehovah is lifted up; the right hand of Jehovah does mighty things.
The Eye
Pro 17:24 Wisdom is before him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
Jer 5:21 Now hear this, O foolish people and without heart; who have eyes and see not; who have ears and hear not;
Eph 1:18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Isa 29:18 And in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of their gloom and darkness.
Act 26:18 in order to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the authority of Satan to God, so that they may receive remission of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
We see therefore the eye symbolizes knowledge. What knowledge did the common folk have at that time? They had the twisted doctrines of the Scribes and Pharisees.
Although this account talks of cutting off the hand and foot and eye and indicates that it is better to enter into life maimed, than with two, I also see this confirmed in this verse:
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Jas 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (KJV)
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jas 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Jas 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jas 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (KJV)
The foot
Isa 52:5 Now therefore, what have I here, says Jehovah, that My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule make them howl, says Jehovah; and without ceasing My name is blasphemed every day.
Isa 52:6 Therefore My people shall know My name; So it shall be in that day, for I am He who speaks; behold, it is I.
Isa 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace heard; who brings good news, making salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns!
Isa 52:8 The voice of Your watchmen shall lift up! They lift up the voice together; they sing aloud. For they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah shall bring again Zion.
Nah 1:15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of Him who brings good news, making it heard, Peace! O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, fulfill your vows; for the wicked shall pass through you no more; he is completely cut off.
Jesus ends off this teaching with:
Mat 18:10 Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I say to you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father in Heaven.
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
So you see, the focus is anyway not on hell but on putting away those things which serve no useful purpose.
This teaching is no different to the ones already discussed and again, religion is what Jesus is teaching against showing that Grace and Law cannot be mixed, and double mindedness serves no purpose and will end up being burned up in the Gehenna rubbish dump.
Jesus brought the Good News, the Pharisees had other ideas and it was not possible to follow Jesus while still trying to live up to the Law as the Pharisees espoused. The salvation and reconciliation though Jesus is of the Father’s doing and not of our so called righteous works, it is a gift and we can only receive it when it is offered.
Joh 6:44 "No one is able to come to Me unless the Father having sent Me draws [or, drags] him, and _I_ will raise him up in the last day. (CEV)
Joh 6:44 You're not in charge here. The Father who sent me is in charge. He draws people to me--that's the only way you'll ever come. Only then do I do my work, putting people together, setting them on their feet, ready for the End. (Message)
Eph 2:8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.
Eph 2:9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. (CEV)
Eph 2:8 Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish!
Eph 2:9 We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing! (Message)
We are taught that when we say the sinner’s prayer we are born-again and hence we are saved. Now I do not dispute this can happen, but this is not what salvation is about. Salvation was taken care of by the cross and we now, who are “saved” in the traditional sense, merely have had our spiritual eyes and ears opened to that fact and have already entered or should have entered into the Kingdom of God/Heaven.
The whole purpose of Jesus’ ministry was to bring reconciliation to the Father through relationship, via Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
This verse precedes the parable of the 100 sheep. Now if it had said:
Mat 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save those which were lost.
It may refer to people but it refers to THAT WHICH WAS LOST. What was lost? Relationship.
Relationship had been replaced by religion and by blood sacrifice, things God did not desire. God was always trying to regain the relationship He had with Adam, yet the Adam in us, even today, seeks religion, a creed, a set of rules, a Statement of Faith, a god-in-a-box theology while all then time, He is still knocking on our hearts door saying, “Adam, where are you?”
Blessings |
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