Home    Starting all over again?   

Area 6 of questioning

The important emphasis on the church’s teachings ‘about’ Jesus compared with teachings ‘of’ Jesus.                                          

As a child and a young person I was presented by the church with a Jesus who was essentially different from every other human being. 

What have I been taught ‘about’ Jesus?   A short picture.

Jesus may have looked like a Jew, but he was a lot more than human.   He was a visitor from Heaven.    God sent him to Earth and he lived here for about 30 years before he went back to Heaven.  He will come again from there, to judge all human behaviour and separate ‘the sheep from the goats’.   He had supernatural powers, walking on water, controlling the weather, knowing the future, raising people from death.   He was perfect in every way; knowing everything, never sinning, always in control, knowing what to do and how to do it.  He knew God’s will and always obeyed it.  He had a miraculous birth.  He died like a human and he rose again from the dead and a little later ascended back to Heaven.   He died for my sin because that was what was necessary and required by God, enabling God to forgive sin.   His death brought about a cosmic change in the relationship between God and humanity, reconciling us both.    He is now and has been, since he ascended, at the right hand of God interceding before God for me and all humans, for God to forgive our sins and make our lives as good as possible.   He loves me and all humans and wants the best for all of us.  He gave me an example by which to live abundantly, how to be truly human.   He taught me, by word and example how to love others, how to strive for justice and how to practise mercy.    He sits on his throne in Heaven.  Jesus Christ is his name.    He always has been, is and always will be God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  

Most of this, not necessarily in those words, is the continuing teaching I receive from the church.  This teaching is what I hear in the two main creeds of the church, the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicaean Creed.   These creeds instruct me ‘about’ Jesus.   They give me no information about or any challenge contained in the teachings ‘of’ Jesus.    These creeds have the words, ‘I/We believe in Jesus Christ ….’ and they go on to speak ‘about’ Jesus.  I realise the creeds are statements, defining the orthodox Trinitarian faith, and as such are not meant to be guides for, or challenges about human behaviour.   However, they seem to make belief in doctrine, primary.  This is what a Christian is - one who believes these things.   If you don’t believe these things then you are probably not a Christian.   Most of this is what I hear in most liturgies and many sermons in church services.   It is consistent with most of the theology of the hymns I am requested to sing in church services.  

All this can be taken metaphorically and not literally.  If this is done the meanings can change considerably.  Over the years it has taken me a long time and a great deal of ‘clearing out’ to arrive at where I am today.   Parts of the church have encouraged me in this journey but the major thrust I have felt is that I should not question and certainly not reject what I have been taught.

So is it a case to ‘Start all over again’, concentrating very much on Jesus’ own teachings and not on the church’s teachings about him?  I think so. 

I can remember in my early church instruction, I was required to learn off-by-heart such verses as,

God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.   (John 3:16.)

Most of the verses I had to so learn were all ‘about’ 'Jesus, who he was and how he fitted into God’s ‘Plan of Salvation’; not that they were explained to me in that way.  However, this apparently is what was important; statements of belief about Jesus; not his own teachings.  This is what I remember.  I believe this experience has been similar for many other regular church-goers.

Most of that which I have been taught ‘about’ Jesus makes little sense to me now.  Most teachings are attached to the dualisms I reject and also to the supernatural, which I also reject.  So the church teachings I have received ‘about’ Jesus are by-and-large irrelevant to me whereas the teachings ‘of’ Jesus are so relevant because they have to do with my everyday living.  I deal with these later in some detail.

So what now for me?

My belief now ‘about’ Jesus is very different to what I have ‘cleared out’.

I now believe that Jesus was a Jewish, charismatic teacher/healer.  He is one of those shining human beings in history who has left a legacy of human thoughtfulness which inspires, and of human imagination which challenges those who take notice.    He lived on Earth about 2000 years ago for about 30 years and he was crucified as a middle-aged religious rebel who was perceived as a threat to Rome and the Jewish religious leaders of his day. I believe his birth and death were normally human.  I do not believe he rose physically from the dead.  I do not believe his death was a vicarious sacrifice for my sin but he died as he lived, living with deep human integrity faithfully, right to the end.    I dismiss all mention of Heaven and his Heaven citizenship.   I do not believe he had supernatural powers.  I do not believe he was perfect in every way; knowing everything, never sinning, controlling the weather and raising people from death.  I believe he had his inadequacies and that he made mistakes but I believe he was always in touch with the godly spirit within him and constantly and consistently cooperated, right throughout his life, with what he believed was his godly calling.  His life and teachings tell me about love.   He gave me an example by which to live abundantly; how to be truly human.  He taught me, by word and example how to love others, how to strive for justice and how to practise mercy and forgiveness.   His name is Jesus and the teachings ‘of’ this man are paramount for me.   He points me to ‘the Christ’, a human theological expression for God.  

A quick comparison between these two statements of my belief, the one from my past and the other from my present situation, highlights the drastic change that has come about by rejecting the two dualisms and supernatural activity.  Without these past basic fundamentals, the different emphases of Jesus' divinity and his humanity becomes crucial.

For me, much of the gospels paint Jesus as normal human being, which I find refreshing.  I know there are stories of calming the storm, walking on the water and raising people from the dead, which, unfortunately are well remembered by regular church-goers and non-church-goers alike, but there are very many stories associated with Jesus that show him behaving very much like an ordinary human being, tired, angry, needing help from others, getting cranky, grieving, etc., etc. 

Nevertheless the overall impression given to me by the church ‘about’ Jesus that stays with me, is that he is God but becomes a human being for a very short period of time.   Thankfully, scholars associated with Progressive Christianity have revitalised for me, the humanity of Jesus.   All the teachings and my opinions ‘about’ Jesus are not nearly as important to me, now, as the teachings ‘of’ Jesus.  However, continuing with my beliefs ‘about’ Jesus, I see him as the picture of continuous cooperation with and exposure of God Within.  

I am trying to echo what Robert Funk, a founder of the Jesus Seminar, states. 

We must begin by giving Jesus a demotion.  He asked for it, he deserves it, we owe him no less.  As the divine son of God, coeternal with the Father, pending cosmic judge seated at God’s right hand, he is insulted and isolated from his persona as a humble Galilean sage. ….  A demoted Jesus then becomes available as the real founder of the Christian movement.   With his new status, he will no longer be merely its mythical icon, embedded in the myth of the descending/ascending, dying/rising lord of pagan mystery cults, but of one substance with us all.  We might begin by turning the icon back into an iconoclast.[1]

On first reading, I was shocked, taken-a-back a bit.  A demotion!?  He can’t mean that!   However after more reflection I find this re-picturing of Jesus essential for me.

Funk’s comments led me to make a vital rediscovery of Jesus when recovering his humanity. For me, concentrating on Jesus’ humanity instead of his divinity is a fundamentally significant positive change of direction.   If Jesus is not God he must be less, so I have been told he must have a demotion.  However, not believing in supernatural, biblical theism and the dualisms which prompts this divinity emphasis, I do not find the word ‘demotion’ worrying.    I also now think of Jesus as an iconoclastic icon.    He is still an icon, but an iconoclastic icon.   For me, being a radical, a non-conformist, a rebel, does not prevent him being an icon. 

Without the dualism of the separated Heaven and Earth, I am released from the ‘coming and going’ Jesus.   I am released of all talk of God ‘sending’ God’s son.  If I discard biblical theism, its dualisms and its accompanying supernaturalism, I can then approach Jesus as a human messenger of peace and love on earth, peace and love which can be accomplished by human beings like Jesus, like you and me.   Jesus, for me, is a human person who points to a sort of life that is really worth living, a liver of love that makes a difference, a human teacher who calls it as it is and a person who is made of the same stuff as you and I.  He wept when his friend Lazarus died.  He loved children.   He needed his friends’ help when he faced desperate decisions, as in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He got frustrated and disheartened with his disciples and the general public on many occasions.  He could have well experienced fits of depression.  He didn’t flinch from arguments with his opponents.  He called them for everything!   He drove cattle and the money-changers from the temple with a whip!   Could he have, on some occasions, lost control?   Yes, of course he could.  I’m pleased at the possibility of him having mixed-up emotions as is stated in the Good News Bible.

Jesus was angry as he looked round at them, but at the same time he felt sorry for them, because they were so stubborn and wrong.   (Mark 3:5.)

Jesus was so human.   I too, often have these mixed-up emotions when looking at the behaviour of myself as well as that of others.  

I have been told in the past, that Jesus’ violent behaviour, when he drove the money-changers out of the temple, was not a loss of temper but a show of ‘righteous indignation’.  This comment was of course, seeking to downplay the humanness of the action and absolve Jesus of any wrong doing, wanting to uphold the comment in the book of Hebrews 4:15, “… because of his likeness to us, has been tested in every way only without sin..”  This had to be so because of biblical theism and the ‘unquestioning obedience’ to the Judaist sacrificial system.   Jesus had to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice.

I believe that we might think Jesus had more respect for the Judaist sacrificial system than he actually had.   Most times in the gospel stories when Jesus forgives sin, he does so without even asking for repentance.  Seldom does he suggest that the person being forgiven make an offering/sacrifice or comply with temple observances/regulations.  This, I believe, forms the basis of a very significant argument Jesus had with the religious leaders of his day.   He was by-passing the Temple and its sacrificial system.  Jesus rarely referred a person he healed, to the religious temple system of his day.  In the story in Mark 1, I believe this referral had more to do with the public recognition of their cleanliness, rather than Jesus’ own belief in the efficacy of the sacrificial system itself.  The gospel writer states,

…show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to the people…   (Mark 1:44.)

The story with this last phrase is repeated in the Matthew and Luke gospels.

The only other time in the gospel story of Jesus where he refers sick people, whom he healed, to the religious authorities, is recorded in Luke 17:10-19, when ten lepers come to him for help.   I believe this story is told to counter racist attitudes, in that the only one who comes back to thank Jesus is a Samaritan and is identified as such; a hated foreigner.

Was Jesus in fact disassociating himself from the sacrificial system?  In Matthew there is a close link made of the Temple with sacrifice.  When arguing with the Pharisees, Jesus says,

…  Or have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?  I tell you something greater than the temple is here.  And if you had known what this means ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice’, you would not have condemned the guiltless…  (Matthew 12:5-7.)

Blood sacrifice in the context of forgiveness of sin is anti-gospel for me and points to a punitive God, a God who is prisoner to a sacrificial system invented by humans.  This understanding of the Cross points me away from Jesus.  Even put into the context of biblical theism and its dualisms, the sacrificial system negates the unconditional love of God.  If Jesus could forgive sin on the spot, if you and I can, why can’t God?  Doesn’t God love as much as Jesus or as we do? -  to use traditional, biblical, religious categories of thinking.

Dealing further with the humanity of Jesus, I can imagine that he, in quiet private moments of reflection, may have thought that some of the names he called the Pharisees could have been a bit less damning and maybe he could have dealt a little less violently with the money-changers in the temple.  We are not told of course, but I can imagine that Jesus may have sometimes regretted what he did or said.  Was he a human being or not? 

Another citing of Jesus possibly losing control momentarily, could be the saying in Matthew and Luke when Jesus rebukes Peter.  Peter expresses concern about Jesus dying in Jerusalem and urges him not to go to that place and such a horrible death.    But Jesus will have none of it.

“Get behind me Satan!  You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.”  (Matthew 16:23.)

If Jesus had said this to me and I took it seriously, I may have thought that I should leave Jesus and not continue to be a hindrance to him.  This temptation, to change course and avoid confrontation and thus avoid his death, I can imagine, was a continuing struggle Jesus had during the whole of his ministry.  In the end he sweated blood over it.  This embodied the influence that ‘the Devil - Satan’ tried unsuccessfully, to have over Jesus.  He certainly did not need one of his closest disciples urge him to give in.  Did Jesus suddenly blurt out in frustration, in disbelief, in desperation, maybe even in fury?  Was he a human being or not?  Are we willing to give him that privilege? 

Perfection is the enemy of greatness. I learn nothing from perfection but greatness is my inspiration.  Perfection de-humanizes greatness.

I have taken the gospel readings as they are in front of me.   I do not have the skills or the historical and linguistic knowledge of the languages used and I do not have the knowledge of Greek, sufficient to argue this way or that, about the finer points of the text.  I think I am in the same situation of all other regular church-goers who are just trying to make relevant sense of the stories.  I continue on in this vein knowing full well that I may be open to correction in some instances.

Having shared something of what I believe and do not believe ‘about’ Jesus, I now wish to concentrate of what I have learnt from him; what I believe he teaches me.  I wish to concentrate on the teachings ‘of’ Jesus.

Rejecting what is written ‘about' Jesus is not the same for me as rejecting Jesus himself and his teachings.  I quote from a paper by Lorraine Parkinson given to a Common Dreams conference recently.

The teachings the church forgot – the teachings in the Sermon on the Mount about justice, compassion, inclusiveness, non-violence and forgiveness and so on, were not given to the world by Christ!   They are the vision of the God-soaked human being - the disturbing visionary teacher of the Law, called Jesus of Nazareth.  Added together, his teachings illustrate the ultimate ethic for life.  We call it love.   And that’s why many of us want to say that Love is God.   In that lies an unlimited height and depth of spirituality for an evolving Christianity. … We can only be grateful that along with the religion about Jesus Christ, the timeless teaching from Jesus of Nazareth has also been preserved.   We can only be grateful that when it has been remembered, it has shed light and hope and love in the world. …  It’s time to turn fully to the God of love revealed through the teachings of Jesus.[2]

Jesus is a vehicle giving passage to a message of love.  He is a vehicle that transports us to see what difference love can make.  Jesus is a set of wheels carrying us to a vision of love.   Yes - to a vision of God.    I believe my problem is that I have been taught by the church and directed by its liturgies to worship the vehicle.   Marcus Borg speaks of Jesus being, “the lens through which we can see God”, and he goes on to say that we have mistakenly come to worship the lens.   I think I am saying much the same thing.  So what do I learn looking through the lens?

Funk asks a few questions in his Epilogue in 'Honest to Jesus', 

What interests me about Jesus is not so much what Peter and Paul thought of him, or even what Jesus thought about himself, but the call to which he was responding.  To what divine manifesto did he succumb?  By what vision was he both captivated and liberated.[3]

 ….I am not primarily interested in affirmations about Jesus but in the truths that inspired and informed Jesus.[4] 

These of course, are the questions that arise for me. What are these truths that inspired Jesus?  What are the truths that informed him?  What was his vision?   The answers I believe are not all that self-evident.  Identifying what the teachings ‘of’ Jesus are, and separating them from the teachings of his early followers contained in the biblical gospels and the early traditions of the church, is a matter about which I need the guidance of scholarly historical and literary research.   I cannot take everything, all the sayings, all the injunctions, all the teachings and all the challenges as recorded in the gospels as being equally authentically those ‘of’ and ‘from’ Jesus.   They all need scrutiny. 

There is probably no more radical, critical scrutiny given to the sayings/teachings of Jesus in the gospels, than that given by the Jesus Seminar, a group in the 1980s & 1990s of about 200 biblical scholars, including many professors.  This Seminar was set up by Robert Funk and John Dominic Crossan with the aim of deciding the collective view of the Fellows of the Seminar, regarding the historical connectedness of the deeds and more particularly the sayings/teachings/words of Jesus of Nazareth, to him.  Even though the strategies, processes and membership of the Seminar have come under considerable serious criticism from other biblical scholars and theologians, I believe the Seminar’s work cannot be ignored.   In their published book, ‘The Five Gospels - What did Jesus actually say? - The search for the authentic words of Jesus’, the hundreds of sayings, and thus the teachings of Jesus as stated in the four biblical Gospels and the Gospel of Thomas, have been catalogued.  After deliberation the Fellows, by a system of voting, designated each saying with a colour.

Red designated “Jesus undoubtedly said this or something very like it.” or “That’s Jesus.”

Pink designated “Jesus probably said something like this.” or “Sure sounds like Jesus.”   

Grey designated “Jesus did not say this, but the ideas contained in it are close to his own.” or “Well. maybe.” 

Black designated “Jesus did not say this.  It represents the perspective or content of a later or different tradition.” or “There’s been some mistake.”[5]

Of their voting system on each saying, the Seminar states that,

 ..this.. seemed consonant with the methodological scepticism that was a working principle of the Seminar; when in sufficient doubt, leave it out.[6]

Of the approximately 1100 sayings listed in their book, some have only two or three words in them and form only part of a longer conversation, while other sayings are long monologues by Jesus, particularly from the middle or later chapters of John’s gospel.  Most of Jesus’ sayings in the gospels are given the notation of Black, particularly in John, with a comment such as,

“In this form, the saying is the creation of the fourth evangelist.”[7] 

“For the most part, the words in these two sections are a pure reflection of the evangelist’s theology.”[8]

“The speeches of Jesus in this narrative are all the creative work of the evangelist.”[9] 

“This way of thinking is completely alien to the Jesus of the synoptic aphorisms and parables.”[10]

“All of this reflects the special interests of the fourth evangelist.”[11] 

Other comments for other gospels given by the Fellows include,

“Such statements… were undoubtedly the creation of Matthew or his community.”[12] 

“Most Fellows were persuaded that the saying was a common proverb that the evangelist had adapted to the situation of the early Jesus movement.”[13]  

“…is therefore the creation of the Christian community.”[14] 

“The words ascribed to Jesus are best understood as creative elements provided by the storyteller.”[15] 

I contend that these reasons, for giving the Black notation, do not necessarily point to a contradiction with Jesus’ teachings, but they are a refutation that Jesus actually said them.   I think there is a difference.  Even though Jesus may not have said the sayings questioned, the content could still have been a reasonable extension or a valid and helpful interpretation of what he did teach.  

However, there are some comments, but not a large number, like,

“It could not have originated with Jesus.”[16] 

“Matthew, like many in Jesus audience, is misled.”[17]

“None of this stems, of course, from Jesus of Nazareth.”[18] 

 “…together they distort who Jesus was.”[19]

So, for me, this represents a continuum from ‘Yes definitely.  This is what Jesus taught’ to ‘No. This is contrary to what Jesus would have taught.’   I believe all this gives a degree of freedom to me to make my own judgements about what sayings of Jesus in the gospels are authentically from Jesus and what need to be questioned, maybe very seriously or even rejected.   I believe the Fellows of the Seminar sometimes give me unambiguous and definite directions as to what sayings are consistent and what are not, but this is not always the case.   Then I have to make my own assessment.  Somewhat dangerous but I have to do it.   I have my study behind me and the text in front of me and if I am going to make any response to Jesus, I must work with these, knowing full well that my assessments must also be open to change if I gain further and more substantial information.    Can I guard against my own prejudices, etc.?   I try very hard to.

What the Fellows have given to me, I believe, is freedom from my previously held certainties.  The work of the Seminar has released me from the attitude that, ‘It is in the gospel and it says that Jesus said it so it must be true and I must obey it and not question  it.’   Instead, I have been given permission to question.   

I will be using many of the Jesus Seminar’s conclusions/resolutions because I believe that if this group of scholars, of all people, come to the conclusion that something actually came from the lips of Jesus or at least the saying was consistent with what he taught, I have a solid basis, a firm recommendation for believing just that.  

However in my exercise when I look at what I think motivated Jesus’ teachings, I will go beyond the Seminar’s conclusions and take the risk that such a ‘later or different tradition’ is still connected to Jesus sufficiently, and so not discard it.  I use quotes from the gospels which the Seminar thinks are historically suspect, regarding their connection to Jesus himself.   I can live with that.  I exercise a bet-each-way because not all biblical scholars agree with everything the Seminar states anyway.

Available to every Bible reader and in a less academic study of Jesus’ sayings, some passages come quickly to mind.  The Good News Bible is helpful in this regard.  In it, John 8:1-11, the story of the woman caught in adultery, is printed with brackets around it.  (I find it interesting the story centres on the woman.  She is the sinner.  The man involved seems to be invisible.  I thought it took two to tango!)  These comments in  the Good News Bible could be somewhat confusing to those who do not study the biblical texts deeply and thus be unaware of situations regarding ancient documents.  However, it is stated of this passage at the bottom of the biblical page of the Good News Bible, that,

Many manuscripts and early translations do not have this passage; others have it after John 21:24; others have it after Luke 21:28 and one manuscript has it after John 7:36. 

Of this story and about the saying of Jesus within it, the Jesus Seminar Fellows state,

While the Fellows (of the Seminar) agreed that the words did not originate in their present form with Jesus, they nevertheless assigned the words and story to a special category of things they wish Jesus had said and done.[20]  

I find this a very interesting comment.   It is as though the Fellows are somewhat reluctant to be bound strictly by their historical research model.   What is at play here?  They “wish”?    I think the Fellows in this instance, as with others, might be pointing to what they think Funk asks about “the truths that inspired and informed Jesus.” and “the vision Jesus had.”   If the Fellows of the Seminar ‘wish’ that Jesus had said….., then I am confident that the saying/teaching is not contrary to what Jesus taught by his words and actions.   I am personally very pleased this story is included in all the Bible versions I possess. This passage is important to me.   

Another passage that comes to mind, is a saying of Jesus from the Cross in Luke 23:34, “Jesus said, ‘Forgive them Father! They don’t know what they are doing.”  The Good News Bible states in a note at the bottom of the page, ‘Some manuscripts do not have this saying of Jesus.’  The Jesus Seminar states that 

because it is not found in a number of important manuscripts and so probably does not belong in the original text of Luke[21]

they did not include it in their translation at all and thus make no comment about it.  Pity!  The Fellows of the Seminar could well have said that they “wish Jesus had said….”   Who knows?   I am personally very thankful this saying of Jesus is included in all the Bible versions I possess.  

I will be doing much the same thing when I quote events and/or sayings of Jesus which the Fellows may have resolved to be not directly linked with him, but about which, I ‘wish’ they had been.  In working this way, I realise I am using a different model of operation from that used by the Seminar, in that I believe the Seminar begins its deliberations with the premise that a saying should NOT be included in those directly attributed to Jesus unless evidence is produced to substantiate that it should be included. 

…consonant with the methodological scepticism that was a working principle of the Seminar: when in sufficient doubt, leave it out.[22]

Rather, I am working on the basis that if a saying or event is recorded in the gospels, then it is OK unless I think it is contrary to the core and general thrust of Jesus’ message.   I realise that’s taking a big and maybe a presumptuous, uneducated risk, nevertheless I proceed this way.    In this regard I intend to use John’s gospel because it is a text of the New Testament we use in church services and it is very familiar to regular church-goers.   I am not going to be restricted by the Fellows of the Seminar because of their 98% Black (There’s been some mistake.) designations for the sayings in this gospel.

..in the Gospel of John. The Fellows of the Seminar were unable to find a single saying they could with certainty trace back to the historical Jesus.[23]

So I need to identify what I am being faithful to when making decisions as to what I think belongs in the teachings of/from Jesus.  Being in the Gospels is extremely important to me, as is obvious from the constant references I make to them later, but it is not the only criterion for making such decisions. 

The limitation we experience is that if we wish to scrutinise the life and teachings of Jesus then the main source we have is the New Testament and particularly the gospels.  Unfortunately there are only passing references to him in the secular literature of his time, and most of the non-canonical gospels are there but are somewhat unknown to me.

Greg Jenks in his book, ‘Jesus Then and Jesus Now’ has commented on many non-biblical sources of information about the “Jesus then”, however these do not suggest a great number of actual sayings of Jesus over and above those in the biblical gospels. They are certainly not considered by ordinary church-goers.   Generally speaking they know nothing of any gospels other than the four in the New Testament we currently have.

The fact that we have four different gospels, each with their own agenda, and that in these gospels there seems to be quite divergent emphases both about Jesus’ mission and his teachings, makes it clear that there was not just one single memory or report about him.  What seems to be contradictory teachings of Jesus are occasionally recorded, and that lends weight to the idea that the text was not censored to such a great extent that only one unified, totally integrated story is presented.  The writers are not writing a factual history of sayings or events in Jesus’ life but are telling their story for a reason and telling it from the resources of the individual and collective memories of followers of Jesus as well as oral and a few written early traditions they had.   The writer of John’s gospel states the reason for writing, quite plainly.

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life in his name.   (John 20:30-31.)

This, I believe, announces for each of the gospel writers, their purpose for writing.

So, as Funk asks,

To what divine manifesto did he succumb?  By what vision was he both captivated and liberated? ….. What were the truths that inspired and informed Jesus?[24]

To begin with, I invest a lot in the Two Great Commandments that are recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke; in difference contexts, but in all three gospels.    We know that both Matthew and Luke used Mark very extensively but the fact that they both chose to use what was in Mark in this instance, says something.  In these cases the Fellows of the Seminar, by a large majority decision state for Mark 12:29-31,

 that the ideas in this exchange represent Jesus’ own views.[25]

 And for Matthew 22:37-40,

 There is certainly nothing in Jesus’ words that is inimical to what he says and does elsewhere in the tradition.[26]

The teachings of a famous contemporary teacher of Jesus, Rabbi Hillel, came into the Fellows considerations regarding where the saying originated.  For Luke, Jesus does not actually say the words so the Fellows make no comment.  John does not come into the picture at all.

Partly because of this positive but scholarly critical appraisal by the Fellows of the Seminar about these two commandments of Jesus, I am encouraged to give them much weight as being the basis and core to his actual teachings. If this radical group and, as some would say, “This biased group who are against Jesus”, decided that the sayings are those which, “Jesus did not say this, but the ideas contained in it are close to his own”, that is significant for me.

I do realise that these two commandments are open to a wide variation of interpretation but for me they form the basis of a good start in deciding what Jesus taught. 

And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him “Which commandment is the first of all?” Jesus answered, “The first is ‘Hear O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength’  The second is this ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31.)

Regarding the other and many teachings of Jesus I need to ask, “What else do I rely on as being, the truths that inspired and informed Jesus?”

From my lyrics,  No. 28:

Jesus – Teacher, Carer, Rebel

Tune   Battle Hymn

The Lord, a wondrous teacher, brought a challenge when he spoke;

His authority was welcomed by the poor and simple folk;

Yet, the truth he taught and lived was calculated to provoke.

His wisdom guides us on.

 Glory, glory, Hallelujah

His wisdom guides us on.

The Lord, as teacher, carer, rebel calls to everyone;

There are conflicts to engage and there is work that must be done.

For in him we have assurance that the victory will be won.

His triumph drives us on.

Glory, glory, Hallelujah.

His triumph drives us on.

I begin in a different place to many others, in that I commence outside biblical material.  I begin with the nearly universally held human virtues/attitudes that are stated by Gretta Vosper in her book, when she lists what a group of clergy and laypeople, using non-religious language,

what they considered to be of utmost importance in life, what they would not want to risk losing, what they hoped their great-great-grandchildren would still be living by.[27]

The list includes,

hope, peace, joy, innocence, delight, forgiveness, caring, love, respect, wisdom, honour, creativity, tranquillity, beauty, imagination, humour, awe, truth, purity, justice, courage, fun, compassion, challenge, knowledge, daring, artistry, wonder, strength, and trustworthiness.[28]

From my own perspective I wish to add some.

patience, acceptance, tolerance, freedom, humility, kindness, gentleness, integrity, generosity, non-violence, non-vengeance, equality and hospitality.  

These lists are the lists I work with but I have little doubt that you might add others and maybe delete some as being redundant, having been covered by others.   I believe that if these virtues/attitudes were embraced and practised by all humanity, we would be experiencing God’s Domain, the realisation of the vision Jesus had for the world, the truths that inspired and informed him.   As you read through the lists, I would not be surprised if you had an increasing feeling of optimism.

Together, they also help me to understand a little better what the first of Jesus’ two commandments might be about.   To be consistent and honest, I have always been bewildered with this first, loving God commandment.  I have never found a satisfactory answer to my questions, “How do I demonstrate this love for God?  Do I sing praises to God silently all the time?  Do I study the bible at every possible opportunity? Do I put a lot of time into church work?  Do I spend hours in prayer?  Do I concentrate more on my sinfulness and ask God’s forgiveness?  Do I keep telling God how much I love God?”  I just don’t know.   Having rejected the belief in an outside separate and distinct God, none of this makes sense to me anymore.   However, when contemplating the lists of virtues/attitudes, I think that if I concentrate on these in my daily living and try to live by them all the time, then I might be loving God.  But if I do this, most of my demonstration of loving God has to do with loving others, my neighbour.  This makes sense and fits very comfortably with my panentheistic beliefs.  If I am on the right track I think this may be why in Matthew’s 22:39, the words, ‘And a second is ‘like’ it’ are inserted.   I nearly think that the only way I can demonstrate to myself that I love God, is by loving others. 

Regarding the teachings ‘of’ Jesus, I am not asserting that something is made good because Jesus taught it.  I am asserting the teaching is good and it is good that Jesus taught it.   It’s not good ‘because’ Jesus said it.   It is good ‘that’ Jesus said it.   Jesus did not invent or discover these values/attitudes but, as I remember my Christian education, these were given top priority in his life and teachings.

Using these lists of virtues/attitudes I seek to make, for each, connections with Jesus in his story as presented in the four canonical gospels and occasionally the Gospel of Thomas.  I try to make a case for thinking that Jesus was motivated by the above lists; that these were the truths that informed, inspired and liberated him.  I make comment on each individual word.

There are quite a few; 43 in all.   Isn’t that interesting?   I did not deliberately organise it so, but I have been told that 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of the universe.  I have gone one better!   Surely that must be a sign that I am on the right track!

I look at each of these virtues/attitudes in turn as listed.  Some quotes from the gospels are used more than once because they are important to more than one of the virtues/attitudes in the above lists.   You may also be able to think of other, more suitable gospel quotes.  Go for it.  For some quotes, I have not given the Bible quotes in full so I hope you have your Bible handy if you wish to follow the full text.

As my mentor and confidant, Rev Alan Stuart, who also happens to be my elder brother, writes on the subject,

Sometimes it is difficult to decide which virtue is illustrated in a story.  One might see strength and courage, while another would see merely bravado.  Some might see compassion, others might label it simply consideration.  …  One person’s interpretation may well be rejected by another.  ...  There are some stories depicting much more than one virtue.  The woman taken in adultery John 8 shows courage, discernment, knowledge, compassion, forgiveness etc.

So I proceed somewhat tentatively, with each from the list from Gretta Vosper’s book and then my additions. 

1. Jesus and Hope.

In Matthew 5:3-11, we have the Beatitudes.  These speak to me of hope; hope, that the sorts of behaviour mentioned will bring about the stated results.  I do not believe these stated results are necessarily guaranteed, even though some speak of certitude.  I believe Jesus is teaching disciples to act in these ways because they are important and also in the hope that the said outcomes will eventuate.

I would say the same thing about Matthew 7:7-8, when Jesus is speaking about asking, looking and knocking.  These teachings are future oriented.  That is what hope is about, the future.  These teachings are again given with certainty but I believe Jesus is encouraging disciples to act in these particular ways, hopefully. I don’t think Jesus is saying that receiving automatically always follows asking.  This is what verse 8 seems to say.  But if we don’t ask, it will not be known what is being requested.  I don’t think Jesus means that finding always automatically follows seeking.   However, this is what verse 8 seems to say.  But if we don’t seek there will be no finding.  From the gospel of Thomas, Jesus says, in saying No. 2, “Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find.”  I think this is more realistic.

I can imagine that if some asylum seekers were confronted with these verses they might respond by saying, “We have being knocking on Australia’s door for years but the door remains shut.  What does Jesus mean?”  While that is a totally understandable position to take, with the continued knocking, the door maybe becoming just a tiny bit opened.  If they and many other sympathisers don’t keep knocking and knocking loudly, the government will not even think of opening the door.  No need to.

When these verses of Matthew in chapter 7 are taken with the next few, continuing to verse 11, then a context of asking, seeking and knocking is created and as such qualify them to an extent.    Even if we ask for good things, verse 11, life as it is, does not confirm that certitude is the case; that after asking, receiving always happens, that after seeking, finding always happens and that after knocking, every door is opened.  Not at all!  I believe these teachings are all future oriented and are speaking about hope.  

So for the beatitudes, they speak to me in this way: Be meek so that you might inherit the earth.  Do hunger and thirst after righteousness and hopefully you will be satisfied.  Be a peacemaker and you might be called a child of God. 

I think Jesus teaches the importance of living with hope, not passively but intentionally, helping to realise our hopes.   Hope is important.  Let it flourish.

2. Jesus and Peace.

This is a difficult one.

In Matthew 5:9 Jesus talks about peacemakers being called sons of God.   What a high commendation.   This is just what children of God are, or at least should be.  They are peacemakers.  In Mark 9:50 Jesus teaches us to “Live in peace with one another”.  

However, there are quite a few other passages that could be quoted, offering an opposite view of Jesus’ teachings, as in Matthew 10:34-36, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” and repeated in Luke 12:51-53, “Do you suppose that I have come to bring peace to the world?  No, not peace but division.”  Unfortunately such texts have been used as justification for war.  I personally, do not believe that was what Jesus had in mind.    It doesn’t fit with the main thrust of his message.    Jesus preached ‘enemy love’.      This was not the way of Rome.  It was the way of Jesus.  However, it can be said that when looking at lots of Jesus’ activities, they were anything but peaceful.  Often he did not act as a peaceful man.   He certainly did not have a peaceful death.

Peace and a peaceful approach is not always the most appropriate approach to issues of justice and Jesus was really on about justice.  There surely is a place for protest in an unjust world.     Where there is conflict, it is not necessary to resort to violence because there is a way to non-violently protest.  Many protests today are conducted in such a way.    Sometimes it is most appropriate to stand firmly against wrong.  Sometimes it may even be necessary to initiate conflict.   That need not include violence.  Matters can be resolved peacefully.  This, of course, is not always the case.   Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an ardent non-violent advocate, was executed for being involved in an assassination attempt on Hitler.    Such can be the way in an unjust world.

Many of Jesus’ teachings were so revolutionary, so confronting, so challenging of the status-quo that they could be said to engender anything but peace.   They kindled, even incited conflict.   At the end of the parable in Matthew 21:33-43, it is stated in verse 45, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was talking about them.  But when they tried to arrest him….”

Not every human encounter requires a peaceful reaction.     Where peace is appropriate to pursue, I believe Jesus teaches it.  I believe Jesus worked with the dilemma of peace and conflict and got the balance right.   The teaching of Paul is I believe a testimony to Jesus.  Romans 12:18 states, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”

I think Jesus teaches us to live in peace.  But not at any price!   Peace is important.  Let it flourish.

3. Jesus and Joy.

I cannot remember any specific teaching of Jesus exhorting us to be joyful, however he makes reference to joy in some of his parables.  The parables of the lost sheep in Luke 15:3-7, the lost coin in Luke 15:8-10 and the Two Sons in Luke 15:11-32 are prime examples.  Joy is not only appropriate but the prized result in these stories.   In Luke 6: 23, joy is often connected with Jesus’ promise of rewards in Heaven.  I'm not sure what to make of this.

I think Jesus teaches that it is important for us to generate joy and also to enjoy joy.   Joy is important.  Let it flourish. 

4. Jesus and Innocence.

Again I cannot remember Jesus teaching anything specifically about innocence.  However, I believe it is quite possible to link the idea of innocence to Jesus’ love of children and his comment in Matthew 18:3, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  I think Jesus could have been referring to the innocence of children, the trusting nature children. 

With another meaning of the word innocence, I think that to be innocent of wrong doing was central to his teachings.  He is even quoted as saying in Matthew 5:48, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Not much room for wrong doing!   Disciples must be innocent.

I think Jesus teaches us to strive after innocence.   Innocence is important.  Let it flourish.

5. Jesus and Delight.

Yet again, I cannot remember when Jesus actually taught something specific about delight.   I cannot find a reference to the word in the gospels.  However, delight can be linked with joy and happiness.  I find it interesting to see that the Good News Bible begins the beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-11 with, “Happy are those….”.  Maybe another translation could have been, “Delighted are those who…..”?  If so, there is certainly encouragement from Jesus to experience this emotion as a result of discipleship.

I can imagine that from Luke 15:6b, the one searching was delighted when he found the lost sheep; that in Luke 15:9, the woman was delighted when she found the lost coin; that in Luke 15:32, the father was absolutely delighted when his wayward son returned, and that in Matthew 13:45-46, the man searching for pearls was surprisingly delighted when he found his prize.   I could go on.

I think Jesus teaches us that delight can be an appropriate outcome of discipleship.   Delight is important.  Let if flourish.

6. Jesus and Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a major sign of discipleship and a major teaching from Jesus.   Matthew 18:21-22 states that disciples are to forgive “seventy times seven”, in other words, without limit.  Luke 23:34 tells of Jesus’ example, practising extreme total forgiveness from the Cross.  In Luke 15:20, the parable of the Two Sons has the theme of forgiveness, with the father embracing his wayward younger son when he returned. 

I know that love and forgiveness are very closely aligned to one-another and that one can generate the other.   However, I think that love is that which usually takes the initiative and forgiveness is often a result of this initiative.   I’m not sure that forgiveness necessarily gives rise to love but most surely, if accepted, it generates thankfulness and gratitude, particularly if it restores a broken relationship.

However, when Jesus in Luke 7:40-48, was invited by a Pharisee to a meal and was not accorded the required welcoming gestures, water to wash his feet, a kiss of welcome and anointing his head with oil, he told a parable about the creditor who had two debtors, in which one has a small debt while the other has a very large one. They were both forgiven and then Jesus asks who would love the creditor the more.  I personally think a more appropriate question would have been, “Who would be the more grateful? Who would be more thankful?”

Jesus’ teaches forgiveness is in the Lord’s Prayer, in Matthew 6:12. “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.”  I note that in this prayer, if Jesus actually taught it, that forgiveness is reciprocal, as in the parable of the wicked servant in Matthew 18:23-35.   It seems on the one hand that forgiveness is dependent on the person receiving the forgiveness, to forgive in the first place.   On the other hand Jesus hardly ever asks the person whom he forgives, whether or not they have forgiven others.   Funk states in his 12th thesis,

Jesus made forgiveness reciprocal.  Jesus tells the paralytic, the blind and, the adulteress that they are forgiven, without exacting penalties or promises from them.  Jesus forgives because his Father forgives and on the same terms: without penalty or promise.  The only requirement is reciprocity: one is forgiven to the extent that one forgives.  Thus, one can become the recipient of forgiveness only if one first becomes the agent of forgiveness.  By acknowledging that forgiveness is in the hands of the humans agents, Jesus precludes the possibility of vesting the matter in the hands of priests of clerics or even God.[29]

In a few of the parables of Jesus, I think Funk is correct but many times, gospel stories about Jesus forgiving, reciprocity doesn’t seem to come into the picture. In many cases he doesn’t say, “You now go and forgive others.”  A bit confusing.  My understanding of forgiveness is that, for it to be genuine, it has to be unconditional; like love.   As Funk says above, it flows without ‘exacting penalties or promises’ from the recipient.  I think reciprocity comes into the picture because if one does not forgive then, I believe, one has not understood forgiveness nor is really able to accept it. 

What a privileged place we hold when we can forgive and what a profound responsible privilege to do so.   I think Jesus teaches us that forgiveness is at the centre of discipleship. Forgiveness is important. Let it flourish.

7. Jesus and Caring.

Caring is another central feature of Jesus’ life and teaching.  Caring is one expression of love.   By example Jesus taught disciples that caring was central.   In Matthew 11:28, Jesus spoke of his care to all, giving rest to those who carry heavy loads, and in Matthew 20:29-34, to blind men who called to Jesus and whom the crowd in verse 31a, told to be quiet.   Jesus “stopped and called to them” in verse 32 and asks them “What do you want me to do for you?”  He cared!   I could go on.

Jesus teaches that to be caring is what his disciples do.  In Luke 10:36-37, one of the meanings drawn from the parable of the Good Samaritan, is caring for those who are in need. 

I think Jesus teaches us to be caring. It is essential in our discipleship.  Caring is important.  Let it flourish.

8. Jesus and Love.

Love really needs no comment from me.   It is obvious that this is what Jesus and his teachings are all about. He certainly felt this human emotion, when in Luke 13:34 he wanted to embrace Jerusalem, in John 11:33 where we are told that Jesus “was deeply moved in spirit and troubled”, and later in John11:35, where it is stated that “Jesus wept.” at the news of his friend, Lazarus’s death.   Many times grief is born of love.

Jesus’ two great commandments in Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31, Luke 10:25-28, about loving God and neighbour, make abundantly clear that love is the core of his teachings.  John’s gospel gives a well-known statement about Jesus’ teachings about love in John 15:12, “Love one another as I have loved you”.  Jesus shows forgiving love when he washes Judas’s feet because in John 13:2 and 13:11 we are told that Jesus  “knowing” that he was going to betray him,   In Matthew 5:43-44, and in Luke 6:27-31, there are teachings of Jesus about enemy love going as far as turning the other cheek when struck.  He teaches about being generous which is born of love, “and from him who takes away your cloak do not withhold you coat as well”.  In Luke 6:31, Jesus then finishes with a short version of the Golden Rule.  In Matthew 5:46-47, Jesus askes some piercing questions about love, for example, “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?  Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

In John 13:15 Jesus teaches in word and by example.  Jesus teaches us that love is the essential attribute of disciples and love is to motivate our actions and our interactions with others.  Love is important. Let it flourish.

9. Jesus and Respect.

Regarding respect, I don’t find this specially mentioned by Jesus in his teachings.  But Jesus respected most people with whom he came in contact. His relationships with scribes, Pharisees and religious leaders of his day, cause a question mark.  But his deeds showed and taught respect. 

Jesus gave respect to many who were not respected by his society.  Jesus gave respect to the unclean woman of Samaria by speaking to her, in John 4:7 saying “Give me a drink.”, and the disciples, being stuck in their culture and tradition, John 4:27, “marvelled”; in Matthew 8:1-3 Jesus gave respect to the sick, unclean and even lepers by touching them, which according to the law, made Jesus unclean as well, and in Luke 19:5 he gave respect to Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector, by asking to go to his house, thus demonstrating that he was a friend to him.

I think Jesus teaches us by his own behaviour, to respect all others.  Respect is important. Let it flourish.

10. Jesus and Wisdom.

In Matthew 7:29 and Mark 1:22, wisdom was certainly attributed to Jesus, “The crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority and not as the scribes.”,.    We are told in Luke 2:40 that Jesus “grew and became strong, filled with wisdom…” 

The parable, attributed to him in Matthew 25:1-13 is about ten maidens, five who were wise and five foolish, implying that preparedness is crucial and wise when taking hold of opportunities if and when they present themselves. 

When Jesus sends out his disciples on mission he tells them in Matthew 10:16 to be, “as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves.” probably pointing to ill-advised acceptance of first impressions.   Be discerning.  In Luke 21:8a, I think Jesus taught us that it is wise to be careful, not to be led astray by people’s claims.   From Thomas, part of saying No. 39, Jesus points in the same direction.  “As for you, be as sly as snakes and as simple as doves.”

I think Jesus taught us to pursue wisdom and to cultivate it.  Wisdom is important. Let it flourish.

11. Jesus and Honour.

Honour is given and received.  I love birthdays.  In our family, they are important.   We all get together, usually about 15 or 16 of us to celebrate them.  Birthdays give us a chance to pay honour, more than respect, to each member of the family just because they are a member of our family. 

There are honour boards in schools and sporting clubs to honour high achievers.  In Australia we have the Queen’s honour list every year.  We give honour to the generous donations that philanthropists give to universities for research.  One could go on.  I believe these affirmations are all important.   We might even learn a lot from team sports-people about affirming good achievements by a particular team member, paying them honour.

This is all good but Jesus, to an extent, turned honour on its head by honouring those who may not have deserved it; in Mark 12:44, Luke 21:1-4 where a widow who made an offering of only a mite to the temple, in Luke 19:9 where Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector is called by Jesus a Son of Abraham, and in Luke 13:10-17, particularly verse 16 when the woman, who was ‘bound by Satan’, is called by Jesus, a descendant of Abraham.  Being spoken of as a son or descendant of Abraham was the highest honour that could be given by a Jew.   Jesus words were accompanied with actions.   Honour to be real honour needs more than words. Matthew 15:7-8 is when Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scribes, using an Isaiah prophesy, saying, “This people honours me with their lips but their heart is far from me”.

I think Jesus teaches us to give honour.  Honour is important. Let it flourish.

12. Jesus and Creativity.

One of my daughters created an impressive bridesmaid’s dress, made out of plastic bags. I doubt whether anyone will be courageous enough to wear it at a wedding but that rather outlandish creation has no doubt given rise to many more practical creations.

I don’t think this word creativity appears anywhere in the Bible but that does not mean the concept is absent.  I think Jesus was incredibly creative, maybe not as a sculptor or a wood carver or even an artist, but very creative in the way he went about his ministry.   Fancy in Mark 14:22-25, using a normal everyday experience of ordinary people, like eating and drinking together, to create the most significant sacrament for the Christian church for the next 2000 years - the Eucharist.  Fancy, in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus giving 12 rather uneducated and unsophisticated men, many of them fishermen, the responsibility to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..”, helping to start the Christian movement.   In Acts 4:13, we have “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they wondered…..”  The “they” in the text were the priests, the captain of the temple, the Sadducees, the rulers, the elders and members of the high priestly family, and “they” wondered.

In Luke 13:10-17, we are told that in the synagogue Jesus was not afraid to argue with officials of the synagogue about what is permitted on the Sabbath, and at the end of this occasion it is stated in verse 17 that, “..all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.”.  I believe this shows how clever Jesus was, how creative he was, to take on his opponents in their own territory, the temple, when in Mark11:18 we are told that, “For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching”.

Jesus expects us to be creative in how we exercise our discipleship and how we are involved in the church’s mission, to find ways that are not the usual.  I think Jesus teaches us creativity by being creative himself.   Creativity is important. Let it flourish.

13. Jesus and Tranquillity.

I am not surprised this is in the Vosper list.  Given the pace of life today, I can image that many people have nearly lost this concept altogether.   Jesus certainly sought it at times of decision or at times when he needed a rest.  Tranquillity is often associated with solitude and Jesus needed this in time of prayer.  Matthew 15:23, Luke 6:12 are examples.   In Matthew 6:6 Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in private and not make a show of it. He sought peace, even tranquillity in the Garden of Gethsemane but I don’t think he found it.

I think Jesus taught by his behaviour that tranquillity is important when life is demanding.  In Luke 4:42 Jesus wanted solitude but it was denied him.  Tranquillity is important to regain inner strength.  Let it flourish.

14. Jesus and Beauty.

Jesus seemed to be far more interested in inner beauty than outward appearance. In Matthew 23:27, he criticises the scribes and Pharisees, “as whitewashed tombs which outwardly appear beautiful”, for their hypocrisy.   In Matthew 6:25 he criticised those who paid too much attention to outward appearance.   In Matthew 6:28b-29 he took notice of and appreciated simple beauty, comparing lilies favourably with “Solomon and all his glory”.

I find it a pity that we are not told that Jesus said more about beauty and how we can appreciate it in so many ways.  However I think Jesus teaches that beauty is more than skin deep.  Beauty is important. Let it flourish.

15. Jesus and Imagination.

Have you ever been told, “Use your imagination?”  Sometimes this suggestion can be issued when logic and rational thinking do not produce helpful results.   I think using one’s imagination includes thinking outside the box, thinking that is not bound by factual information.   My wife does cryptic crossword puzzles.    The only way I can help, and it is very seldom, is to use my imagination! 

Dr. Walter Brueggemann often uses the term “faithful imagination” when speaking about the Bible, its contents and its authors.   When Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his inspiring homily, “I have a Dream”, to America, I believe he was driven partly by his hopeful imagination. 

I think the many parallels that Jesus drew between ordinary material things and those of the Kingdom of God were very imaginative.   He made connections that most of us would never think of.   He compared the Kingdom of Heaven with sowing a mustard seed, in Matthew 13:31-32; yeast, in Matthew 13:33; hidden treasure, in Matthew 13:44; fine pearls, in Matthew 13:45-46; fishermen throwing out their nets, in Matthew 13:47-50, and so on.  His numerous parables demonstrate his vivid creative imagination in the way he taught.   Many of his aphorisms were very imaginative.  In Matthew 5:13-16 he used salt, a city set on a hill, a lamp upon a stand as metaphors of discipleship.  Very imaginative.

Metaphorical thinking often requires exercising the imagination.  Jesus has not been reported as ever saying, “Use your imagination.”, however, I think imagination was part of his ‘modus operandi’.  He wanted his disciples to exercise their imagination. They had to, because his message was so far outside the normal traditional religious teaching of his day.  They had to think outside the pharisaic box.

I think that Jesus teaches, by his own example and by how he himself taught, that the use of human imagination is very significant for us as disciples.  Imagination is important. Let it flourish.

16. Jesus and Humour.

Humour is cultural.   A good example of this is the film, 'The Castle'.   It is an Australian classic and many of us Australians enjoy watching it again and again, each time bursting into laughter many times.   However, I have been told that many Americans see very little that is funny in it.  That is a comment, not about Americans and Australians, but about cultural nature of humour. 

Jewish, Hebrew humour is born out of its culture like all other forms of humour.  It has been suggested by some commentators that the mention in Matthew 10:30 that “hairs of your head are all numbered”, in Mark 10:23 of “a camel to go through the eye of a needle”, in Mark 10:30 of having “hundreds of houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands” as a reward (I have had said to me that having one sister, three brothers, one mother and one father is quite enough thank you very much!), are all examples of what could be regarded as humour in the gospels.

It seems that humour was not important to the authors of the story of Jesus in the gospels but I don’t think means that he had no sense of humour.   I do not see humour as significant in Jesus’ teachings.   But humour is important. Let it flourish.

17.  Jesus and Awe.

The Bible has numerous pointers to awe.   Even though the actual word is used rarely, the Psalms often speak of the feeling of awe.  Close to this feeling maybe in Matthew 6:26-30, when Jesus contemplates lilies of the field and the grass.   Maybe stretching it a bit!   The end phrases of the Lord’s Prayer also might point towards awe. 

With the explosion of scientific knowledge about the cosmos, the intricate workings of the micro universe and the complexity of the human species, as well as other research findings, awe is a universal feeling today. 

For me, awe is not one of the core emphases of Jesus’ teaching but I think, to an extent it is there.   Awe is important. Let it flourish.

18. Jesus and Truth.

Some, but very few people refuse to take an oath in court.   They sometimes refer to Matthew 5:33-37 about swearing oaths, saying that, as disciples of Jesus, they need take no oath because they will always tell the truth.  Telling the truth is a ‘given’ for followers of Jesus. 

John 1:14 asserts that the Word that became flesh was “full of grace and truth” and in John 1:17 that both “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”.    We are told by Jesus in John 8:32 that “the truth will make you free”.

One of the famous “I am” sayings in John 14:6a is “I am the way, the truth and the life”.   I think that being truth means that Jesus embodies the truth.  I think it would automatically follow that Jesus requires all his disciples to always tell the truth and live by it.

When Jesus was arguing with the Jews, whom Jesus accused of wanting to kill him, he speaks in John 8:44 of the devil who “has nothing to do with the truth” and “he is a liar and the father of lies”.    Jesus embodies the opposite, the truth.

By inference, Jesus teaches that the truth matters.  His is the way of truth.  Truth is important. Let it flourish.

19. Jesus and purity.

Purity in the time of Jesus, was spoken of mostly in terms of the purity laws, like in Matthew 15:1-2 which tells of washing hands before eating, etc.  This is not, I think, what purity in the list above is concerned with.  The purity listed, I presume, has to do with innocence, chastity and freedom from evil and guilt.  Matthew 5:8 speaks of “the pure in heart for they shall see God.”  Sometimes people narrow the meaning of purity down to matters of lust and sex. In Matthew 5:28 Jesus does talk about one who “looks at a woman lustfully” but I think he has a broader interest in purity than this.  Purity in relationships has to do with honesty, openness, respect and truth.  Purity of act and thought is the issue and it has to do with being clean, being free from anything that debases, defiles or contaminates.   The application of purity is far wider than sex and lust even though these are included.  In Mark 7:21-23 Jesus speaks about purity of thought when he lists the impurities which, coming from inside the heart of a person, defile the person – “..come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolhardiness. All these things come from within, and they defile a man”.   Purity does not entertain any of this.

Jesus makes little specific reference to purity in his teachings, but I believe it is clearly implied.   Purity is important. Let it flourish.

20. Jesus and Justice.

One of the serious continuing arguments Jesus has with the Pharisees is about justice.  Amongst many other quotes, Luke 11:42 has Jesus accuses them of neglecting justice.  By inference, this makes justice and the practise of it, a significant aspect of Jesus’ teachings. 

I often go back to the Old Testament prophets of Micah and Amos when thinking of the biblical injunctions to seek justice and I nearly forget that this was one of the main issues Jesus had with the religious and other leaders of his day.   One of Jesus’ significant arguments has with the Pharisees is about Sabbath keeping.  In Mark 3:4 he asks, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?”, and he criticises a ruler of the synagogue in Luke 13:15-16 for untying an ox or an ass and leading “it away to water it”, but not condoning a healing.  These arguments have to do with justice.  Jesus berates the lawyers of his day in Luke 11:46 for loading “man with burdens hard to bear.” , and in Luke 11:52 for not doing their job in prosecuting justice but taking “away the key of knowledge”. 

One of the tragedies of today is that it seems revenge and punishment is what people are really talking about when they say, “I want justice”.

Again Jesus is not recorded in the gospels as having given any direct specific teaching about justice but by his actions, his example, his conversations and arguments as well as by the main thrusts of his message and ministry, Jesus, I believe, teaches his disciples to act justly and to pursue justice at all times.

Biblical scholars I have read more recently, speak of ‘distributive’ justice and I think this is what Jesus was on about.   I don’t think he was on about ‘retributive’ justice.

I believe Jesus lived justly.  I believe he teaches and argues for justice.   Justice is important. Let it flourish.

21. Jesus and Courage.

Many times Jesus himself demonstrated courage in the face of personal threat and possible danger, in Matthew 8:28, confronting two demoniacs, “so fierce that no one could pass that way”’, in Mark10:33-34, confronting death in Jerusalem; in Luke 4:29-30, as a result of his courageous preaching all the people of the synagogue, “led him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill on which the city was built that they might throw him down headlong.”, the outcome being in Luke 3:31, “But passing through the midst of them, he went away.”  There are many other passages I could quote about the courage of Jesus.   There is dangerous conflict with the religious leaders of his day goes right through the Jesus story as presented in the gospels.  He courageously confronted his opponents.

Thomas, the disciple, possibly catches some of Jesus’ courage when he said to his fellow disciples about going to Jerusalem.  In John 11:16, he says, “Let us also go, that we may die with him”.

When commissioning his disciples for mission Jesus obviously implies that they would need courage. It states in Luke 10:3 that Jesus is sending them out “as lambs in the midst of wolves”.  It does take courage to stand up to the world and conventional wisdom and Jesus exhorts his disciples to have it and act with it. 

Jesus lived courageously and by word and example he teaches us that courage is necessary in the exercise of our discipleship. Courage is important. Let it flourish.

22. Jesus and Fun.

I think that Jesus and his disciples must have had many times of fun together.   People do not continue to belong to a group unless they have some fun and enjoyment with other members, and Jesus and his disciples were fairly much together for at least 1 year and maybe 3.   I’m sure fun was experienced by them all from time to time, maybe even at each other’s expense.  That’s what fun can be about sometimes.

However, in all the 89 chapters of the four gospels no mention is made of fun.  I cannot find any gospel evidence that Jesus was a funny man.  This does not worry me much.  And again this does not mean that Jesus and the gospel writers could not have enjoyed a good joke.

I have been told that the writers of the gospels were not interested in fun.  I realise this but fun, even if thought of as shallow, still has its important place.  Jesus and the disciples were on about very serious matters and fun didn’t really fit into the story.  I personally find this disappointing.  It does not make his teachings deficient but I think the Jesus story is the less without it.   

Even though I believe it is absent from the Jesus story, fun is important. Let it flourish.

23. Jesus and Compassion.

Like love, compassion is central to Jesus’ life, ministry and teaching.   Compassion seems to me to be a little more specific in its meaning than love.   For me, its emphasis is on action.   It certainly involves feelings and emotions when Jesus had compassion on the crowds in Matthew 9:36, with the crowds being “like sheep without a shepherd” and in Matthew 14:14, just when they followed him; in Mark 6:34, and again “like sheep without a shepherd”.  We are told in Luke 7:13 Jesus had feelings of compassion for a grieving mother, saying to her, “Do not weep”.   Jesus, in his parables, praises the action of people showing compassion to others.  In Luke 10:33, in the story of the Good Samaritan and in Luke 15:20 when a father welcomes home his wayward son are just a few examples.    Each time these human emotions/feelings led to immediate action.

Jesus does say “Love one another.” but it is not recorded that he said, “Be compassionate to one another.” but it is obvious that he teaches this. He teaches disciples in Luke 6:36, “Be merciful even as your Father is merciful”.   Mercy can be a product of compassion.

Like love, compassion is central to Jesus’ life, ministry and teachings.  Compassion is important. Let it flourish.

24. Jesus and Challenge.

Life has many challenges and they are different for each of us, however challenges are encountered by everyone most of their lives.  There are challenges in marriage, parenting, careers, doing homework, paying the home mortgage, staying on track, winning a race, etc.  For some, getting up each morning can be a real challenge.

Jesus just adds to all this.  No one can read the gospels without being confronted by the challenges Jesus gives.  Sometimes these challenges seem extreme.  Luke 9:57-62 pulls no punches, when Jesus says that “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head”, after which he deals with delaying tactics of would-be followers.   In Matthew 5:48 Jesus gives the ultimate challenge, “You, therefore be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.”   I’m not sure that this challenge is very helpful because I think it will only engender guilt.  How on earth can we be perfect?   We know that discipleship was never going to be easy, but being perfect?!  

Jesus faced challenges all through his life, sometimes from his closest followers, when Peter rebuked him and Jesus had to say in Mark 8:33, “Get behind me, Satan!”  Jesus’ three temptations related in Matthew 4:1-10 were also symbolic of the challenges he had to face all his life.    Probably the story which demonstrates his most serious challenge is his struggle in the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane, related in Luke 22:42, when he prayed, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done”, and then he sweated blood, Luke 22:44.  As he did throughout his life, he met his challenges with strength, courage and integrity.

Life is a challenge and I believe Jesus gives us more of the same.  He had plenty and he came through.  Challenge is important. Let it flourish.

25. Jesus and Knowledge.

Because of the 2000 years since the gospels were written, knowledge has now taken on different significance.   Research today, compared with years ago, flourishes and in so doing gives rise to more information, more knowledge.   Increases in information/knowledge is seen as essential today.   I don’t really think that knowledge is as important as wisdom.

However, Jesus does speak of doing some investigation to gain knowledge about the costs of building a tower and in Luke 14:28-31 knowing the strength of an adversary.  Only then is it appropriate to plan what action might be taken.  From Thomas, saying No. 35, Jesus says, “One can’t enter a strong person’s house and take it by force without trying his hands.  Then one can loot his house”.   Gain knowledge and only then, act.

Jesus also condemns the unconscionable behaviour of lawyers who in Luke 11:52 “have taken away the key of knowledge’” and also have prevented others from gaining it, thus preventing justice being achieved.  Jesus links his condemnation of lawyers with the Pharisees’ serious neglect of justice.  Jesus also warns about being led astray by false prophets.   He says in Matthew 7:15-20 to “Beware of false prophets”.  Obtain knowledge of their activities/fruits.  “You will know them by their fruits”.  In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus requires us to use our common sense because in a part of the saying, No.45 Jesus says, “Grapes are not harvested from thorn trees, nor are figs gathered from thistles”.

Although knowledge does not seem to be a central theme of Jesus’ teachings, he certainly teaches disciples to seek it when appropriate.   Knowledge is important. Let it flourish.

26. Jesus and Daring. 

Acts of daring as such, are not specifically mentioned in the gospels but daring is constantly there in Jesus’ actions and his behaviour, especially when confronting his adversaries.    I have mentioned this when speaking of creativity.  His uncompromising message and the way he presented it, led him into daring activities very often.  He had his particular way of influencing people but I don’t think he was into ‘winning friends’. 

In the synagogue, Jesus was not afraid to argue with officials of the synagogue about what is permitted on the Sabbath.  Luke 13:10-17 shows how clever Jesus was, how creative he was, in taking on his opponents in their own territory.  As well as Jesus being clever, it surely demonstrates his daring.   By his example Jesus shows that taking a risk, even daring, is sometimes necessary in the exercise of discipleship, but it may have dire consequences sometimes.   It certainly did for him.

I think he may have been acting in a daring manner when he, in the Sermon on the Mount, said a number of times in Matthew 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44, “But I say unto you….”   Was he virtually declaring that the religious teachers of his day did not really understand the 10 Commandments?   How daring can a two-bit Rabbi be? 

One could even ask the question, “If a disciple does not act daringly on some occasions, can he/she really be a disciple?”  Depends, I suppose.

I think Jesus, by example, teaches that daring is important, that taking a risk is sometimes necessary in the practice of discipleship.  Daring is important. Let it flourish.

27. Jesus and Artistry.

Artistry does not seem to come onto the horizon in Jesus’ teachings.   He was on about things other than art and the practice of it in artistry.   He certainly appreciated beautiful creations.  He also demonstrated his artistry with words and images in his many aphorisms and parables.   But teaching about artistry, I think not. Not for me anyway.

However, artistry is important. Let it flourish.

28. Jesus and Wonder.

The word wonder is not used much in the gospels but the concept is surely there.  For me, one meaning of it is closely connected to awe.   When contemplating the mystery of life and the cosmos, wonder is a natural human reaction.  I have already mentioned Jesus’ comparison of the lilies to the glory of Solomon.

Wonder can also be associated with thinking, bewilderment and even curiosity.   In Luke 2:18 people wondered at the shepherds, when they told of the birth of Jesus.  In Luke 4:22 we are told that people wondered at the Jesus’ gracious words, when he spoke in the synagogue, “They said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” In Luke 24:41, the disciples wonder at their experience of Jesus in an appearance after the resurrection. Many quotes suggest that wondering has an element of disbelief, or at least bewilderment, in it.  Sometimes the challenge from Jesus is not to wonder but believe. 

Although maybe not greatly connected to the Jesus’ teachings, wonder is important. Let it flourish.

29. Jesus and Strength.

Is there gospel teaching about physical strength?  No; not for me, but maybe it is sometimes hinted at as being helpful.   Luke states in 1:80 and 2:40 that Jesus “grew and became strong” and in Luke 1:80 “strong in spirit”.  We can associate different things with strength.   In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asks his disciples to stay awake and pray with him and they don’t or can’t. In Matthew 26:41, Mark 13:48 Jesus says that “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”.  They apparently needed a bit more physical, emotional strength.   Physical strength came into play when Simon of Cyrene carried the Cross for Jesus, mentioned in Luke 23:26.  Apparently Jesus may have lacked the physical strength. 

In John 9:4, when Jesus says he must keep doing God’s work, strength of purpose is certainly the implication. This strength is constantly present in Jesus’ ministry.  Luke 9:51 indicates this strength of purpose, “made up his mind and set out on his way to Jerusalem”, as the Good News Bible states it, when Jesus quite predicably knew there would be trouble.   And again in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus displays his strength of purpose.  He says in Matthew 26:39, “Yet not what I want, but what you want”.  Numerous other quotes could be used to point to Jesus’ strength of purpose and this, very often, I believe, would have stretched his physical as well as emotional strength.

Part of Jesus’ mission was to give strength to the weak.  Mary’s song of praise in Luke 1:46-55 points to a similar song of praise in 1Samuel 2:1-10; Hannah’s song.  Reading these, at face value, it seems that God is doing a new thing, turning things upside-down.  1 Samuel 2:4-5, “The bows of the mighty are broken, and the feeble gird on strength’ and verse 8 ‘He raises the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honour.” as well as in Luke 2:51-53, “He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts”.   These resonate with me regarding the broad sweep of Jesus’ message and his teachings in that he sought to give strength to the weak and question the status and strength of the strong, and particularly how they exercised these. 

Strength/power is important and when disciples have it, Jesus teaches it must be exercised in loving service.  He makes this very clear in Matthew 20: 25-27, “but whoever would be great among you must be your servant”. 

In his life and ministry Jesus teaches by example as well as in plain teaching how strength is to be exercised by disciples. Strength used appropriately, is important. Let it flourish.

30. Jesus and Trustworthiness.

Trustworthiness in human relationships is related to reliability.   If I am reliable, to an extent I am trustworthy.   Trustworthiness obviously points also to the wider human virtue, of being able to be trusted, of being one in whom others can have confidence.   Jesus in Luke 16:10-12 when saying, “He who is faithful in very little is faithful also in much…” , opens up this issue by using the word “faithful”; In other words, ‘He who is faithful, who can be trusted even with little things, is trustworthy.’

A number of times in his gospel, John has Jesus using the words, ‘Truly, truly I say to you…’, or in the Good News Bible, “I am telling you the truth….”  In John 10:1 and 7, 13:16 and 38, etc. the gospel writer is saying to his readers, ‘Jesus really can be trusted.  He is trustworthy’.   Jesus claims to be so.  All his behaviour deems this to be the case.   There is no gospel account where Jesus can be shown to be deceitful, unfaithful or untrustworthy.  Even his adversaries do not accuse him of being so. They can’t.   Jesus again teaches by his example.  He could be trusted.   He was trustworthy.

In some of his parables Jesus refers to trustworthiness as being the sort of behaviour that brings rewards; as in Matthew 25:14-23, the parable of the talents.  A somewhat difficult parable for me and some others, but according to the master, the two of his servants had been trustworthy.

Nevertheless, trustworthiness was essential for Jesus and he teaches as much to his disciples. Trustworthiness is important. Let it flourish.

Now to my extra list.

31. Jesus and Patience.

In explaining the parable of the Sower, Jesus in Luke 8:15 teaches that the “good soil” represents those who hold the word and “bring forth fruit with patience”.  Sometimes good results take time.  Patience is required.

Jesus showed great patience with his disciples.  When reminding them about the feeding of the crowds, he asks them in Mark 8:14-21 why they don’t understand, particularly verse 21, “Do you not yet understand”.  This was after they had been with Jesus for some time.  Jesus persevered and I think exercised great patience with them.

When in his own home town, where he would have known people and maybe had friends, he was rejected.   He does not rail against them or treat rejection in like manner, with rejection of his own.  The text in Mark 6:6 just says “He was greatly surprised” and that was it!  He just went on to other village in Mark 6:6.  Patience?  I think so.  In Thomas, saying No.31 Jesus says, “No prophet is welcome on his own turf” and no further comment is made by him.

Jesus teaches patience both by his example and in his parables.  Patience is important. Let it flourish.

32. Jesus and Acceptance.

Acceptance is, I believe, probably the most demonstrated attitude by Jesus in his life and ministry.  In Luke 15:1-2, outcasts and sinners; in Luke 19:5, Zacchaeus, the hated tax collector; in Luke 7:37-38, a woman of the city, a sinful woman, in Mark 7:29-30 in the case of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter (indirectly called by Jesus a ‘dog’), in Matthew 8:10, a centurion, a master within the hated oppressive, cruel Roman regime, who had his faith strongly commended, “Truly I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”, in Luke 8:2-3, women who travelled with the disciple band, and who “provided for them out of their means”; in Luke 7:36, a Pharisee who invited Jesus for a meal, in John 3:1-2, Nicodemus, a Jewish leader.  All accepted.  I could go on.   In Luke 14:15-24, his parable of the Great feast and in his teaching immediately prior to telling the story in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus includes the poor, the maimed, the blind and the lame in the people who disciples are to invite to a party. In the parable, in Luke 14:21, the poor are again those are the specially invited guests.  All are accepted by Jesus.

In Jesus’ day, allowing someone to come into your house or inviting them in and especially having a meal with them, was a sure sign of acceptance, even friendship.  

In Luke 9:48, Jesus likens accepting, receiving, welcoming a child, to accepting, receiving, welcoming himself and the One who sent him. 

I must ask the question as to whether or not Jesus’ acceptance was universal. I certainly want to think so, however I need to ask the question, “Was his message to be given to the Jews only or to all nations?”   This is still a hotly debated question amongst biblical scholars.  There are several sayings of Jesus which point in the direction of excluding non-Jews.  In Matthew 10:5 we are told, “These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of Israel.”, and again, in Matthew15:24, when a Canaanite woman came to Jesus asking him to heal her daughter, he says “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” and yet again in Matthew 7:6 where Jesus says, “Do not give dogs what is holy and do not throw your pearls before swine…”  Dogs and pigs were both unclean animals and so these words were often used as derogatory terms for gentiles.   It needs to be said that Jesus healed the daughter of each foreign mother mentioned above.

Geza Vermes makes a strong case, when considering in detail many more gospel texts than those quoted above, for believing Jesus thought and acted accordingly, in preaching and teaching to Jews and only Jews.    He states:

“In short, the view that Jesus ministered only to the lost sheep of Israel and instructed his disciples to do the same is the historically correct alternative”.[30] 

However the Fellows of the Jesus Seminar think differently.  Two of the statements above, Matthew 10:5 and 15:24, are both given a Black designation.   In other words,

 Jesus did not say this.  It represents the perspective or content of a later or different tradition. 

The Fellows do not believe that these statements are in line with the general thrust of Jesus’ understanding of his mission.    Of Matthew 7:6, the Seminar gave a Grey designation.  In other words, “Well maybe.” In their book The Five Gospels, the Fellows, regarding this saying, state,

To most Fellows, the sayings in Matthew and Thomas seemed inimical to Jesus.  The immediately preceding context in Matthew calls for self-criticism rather than the slander of others.[31]

I believe this means that the Fellows do not think this is a statement by Jesus is about gentiles, as Vermes claims.   Vermes, in his analysis, looks also at texts like Matthew 28:29, the commission to the disciples to go into all the world, so he works diligently to avoid “cherry-picking” only the gospel texts that suit his case.

Taking a wider view, I agree with the Fellows of the Jesus Seminar who state in their book, The Five Gospels,

The fellows of the Seminar are overwhelmingly of the opinion, however, that a restricted mission was not characteristic of Jesus (He apparently had considerable contact with gentiles and went through foreign territory on occasion) but reflects the point of view of a Judaizing branch of the movement.[32]

This debate is certainly not new because Peter and Paul had very different views on the matter and it was the cause of great dissention in the early Jesus movement.

Whatever the truth, there are some texts that are difficult to retain when arguing for Jesus’ universal acceptance.  I would add however, that for me, Jesus’ universal acceptance does not totally depend on whether or not Jesus saw his personal and his disciples’ mission was to Jews only or to the whole world. It may have been a matter of pragmatic priorities.   Even if one’s mission is limited, that does not mean one’s acceptance has to be.

So with regards to acceptance, I believe Jesus teaches acceptance in word but more, by example. Acceptance is important. Let it flourish

Note.

I have not gone into this detail regarding many others of the gospel quotations I make.  I am not qualified to do so nor would it significantly assist my present endeavour as well as multiplying greatly the time and effort needed to bring this whole endeavour to completion.   I have done it with this question because I think it is a very important issue. 

For all the other quotes, I have taken them at face value as I read them in the gospels.   I realise this is rather dangerous but I think this is the situation that most regular church-goers are in.   They are not privy to the latest biblical scholarship and may not be that interested anyway.   I still believe that the very large majority of the quotes I make are most probably consistent with what Jesus and his early followers believed and taught.   I do realise there is a great deal of debate about the authenticity and the historical connection between Jesus and the gospel records about him, however, the complex of the historical Jesus and the reports, stories, memories and  interpretations of his message in the gospels are what we have and I am content to work with them. I am happy to move on, albeit not with 100% confidence.  Can one ever be 100% confident?   I can’t.

33. Jesus and Tolerance.

Tolerance, for me, seems to require an act of will; that it doesn’t come naturally to many people.  It could need a deliberate push.  The Macquarie Dictionary gives such meanings to tolerate as

to allow to be, permit, to bear without repugnance, put up with.[33]  

It does not seem to be much of a spontaneous loving action.  It often requires patience.  Yet I believe it is one of the qualities of love.

Although not specially mentioned in the gospels, I think Jesus sometimes had to be tolerant of his disciples.  In Mark 8:21 we may have a hint; “Do you not yet understand?”  

Many questions could be asked about his tolerance or lack thereof, with his enemies, the scribes and Pharisees.    Maybe there are situations when intolerance is appropriate.    Very tricky!

This is a case where I must exercise serious scrutiny on what Jesus said and did.    I have to be honest and say that some of the gospel stories and sayings/teachings of Jesus leave me confused as to what is appropriate in my discipleship.  Many of his accusations I find troublesome!   But then, “Who am I to judge?”   I still have to do a lot of ‘faithful questioning’, maybe even a bit of ‘faithful rejection’! 

For instance, we read that Jesus said to the Pharisees,“You brood of vipers, how can you speak good, when you are evil?”  (Matthew 12:33.)  and, But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in.   Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you transverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.   (Matthew 23:13-15.)

The vast majority of Matthew chapter 23 is full of this invective of Jesus against the scribes and Pharisees.

These are damning words, strong accusations against the religious leaders of his day, those who had given their lives to religion and its teachings, studying and proclaiming them.  If it is historically true that Jesus actually said these things, is it any wonder they wanted to get rid of him?  And is it any wonder that I have questions about this behaviour?  I mention a little later the Jesus Seminar’s summation of these sayings of Jesus, but nagging questions still remain for me.   And even if it is historically true that Jesus behaved this way, I do not believe it gives me the right to act in the same manner.

If I take these sayings at face value, does it give me permission to go to people who preach Prosperity Theology, i.e. if humans have faith in God, God will deliver security and prosperity - and call them sons of vipers, and only fit for hell?   How passionate can I be about my beliefs when I think others have got it all wrong and are teaching the antithesis of what I believe Jesus was pointing to, and doing this teaching from within the church?

Of the section from Matthew above, I would say that it is Matthew speaking to his audience in his particular historical situation about 60 -70 years after Jesus.  These words do not sit comfortably for me, with the total ministry, attitude and teachings of Jesus.   For me, being so vindictive doesn’t sit at all well with the rest of the Jesus story!  But for the regular church-goer, these gospel passages are still there to be read and maybe taken on board.    Quoting again from that radical group of Fellows of the Jesus Seminar, they ask,

Is the level of invective manifest in these condemnations characteristic of Jesus, or does it belong to a later period, when Jews were excommunicating Jewish Christians from synagogues and hostility was running high?[34]

 Their answer –

In the judgement of the majority of scholars in the Jesus Seminar, both the detailed knowledge of the Pharisees argument and the level of invective in many of the sayings recorded in Matthew 23:1-36 reflect the later historical context, not the public life of Jesus.   As a consequence, these sayings grouped in 23:15-2 were declared Black by a wide margin.[35]

If this is what such a radical group of scholars say, I can say, with all my personal, positive, prejudicial preconceptions in play, “Thank goodness”.  As you might predict, I really don’t like to think Jesus was like this!  I don’t think I have the right to say such things to the preachers of Prosperity Theology even though I think they are very wrong.   This is not the Jesus I see in the rest of the gospels’ picture of him.

I’m pleased there are available, helpful explanations about this sort of gospel stuff because there are more of these sorts of sayings of Jesus to contend with.   I am pleased that there are a great variety of scholarly commentaries on these issues so I have to exercise my ‘faithful questioning’ very carefully.   I suppose some may think I am easing myself out of a difficult situation.   Maybe this could be said of all my ‘faithful rejections’.  So to be consistent I need to say that even with some of the gospel records of what Jesus said and did, I make some, but very few ‘faithful rejections’.   After serious ‘faithful questioning’ I encourage others to do the same if they think it is necessary.

Jesus never actually says to us that we should tolerate one another.   He goes much further and says we are to love one another.   However, tolerance is important. Let it flourish.

34. Jesus and Freedom.

Jesus was on about freedom.  Luke has Jesus announcing his “call” early in his ministry.  In Luke 4:18 Jesus say “He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives… to set at liberty those who are oppressed”.   A major part of his ministry, without using the Jesus story in John’s gospel, seems to be directed to the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the outcasts, the unclean, the sinners and those who had little to no hope in life.  I understand his message to be one of freedom from exclusion, from oppression, from pain, from injustice, from misery from exploitation.   He taught by word and example that the power of leadership should be exercised in service.  It should be used to set people free, not enslave them.  In Matthew 20:28 Jesus teaches that “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise their authority over them.  It shall not be so among you;…”

I can never imagine Jesus owning a slave.   It was not uncommon nor frowned upon.  But it would have been contradictory to his message.  I am somewhat surprised there is no record of him speaking out against slavery, and vehemently.   He certainly spoke against many social boundaries, barriers and customs.   Why not slavery?

He spoke of truth giving rise to freedom.  In John 8:31-36 he links true freedom to knowing the truth by being his disciples.   Verse 36 states, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed”.

I believe Jesus teaches us to work for freedom for others by lovingly exercising what power and influence we have.   Freedom for all is important. Let it flourish.

35. Jesus and Humility.

The writer of Philippians states that Jesus humbled himself, Philippians 2:5-8.  I understand this is set in the dualism of the separation of God and humanity, Heaven and Earth, but humility is still the theme of this passage from the writer.

It could be said when reading sections of John’s gospel that Jesus did not suffer from humility at all, however there is, for me, a classic example of his humility is in that gospel in John 13:3, when “he knew the Father had given all things into his hands”, we are told in John 13:4-5 that he washes his disciples feet!.  Peter can’t cope; so we are told in John 13:6.  This, for me, was an act of true humility.

In Matthew 20:25-27 Jesus teaches that humility should be exercised in leadership and authority.  Sometimes Jesus states some possible results of not being humble and also of being humble, as in Luke 14:11.

Yet again, I think Jesus teaches humility by both word and example.  Humility is important. Let it flourish.

36. Jesus and Kindness.

1 Corinthians 13:4 states that being kind is a demonstration of love.   It involves benevolence, consideration and being helpful.   In Mark 5:24-34 Jesus was kind to the woman who wished to remain anonymous for fear of what might happen to her, so he said to her, “Go in peace.”  

He did not like the disciples preventing children coming to him.  In Matthew 19:13-14, Mark 10:13-14 he wanted to show them kindness.  In Matthew 14:15-16, 15:32 he showed consideration/kindness to the crowds. This sort of kind behaviour happened all through his ministry.

Jesus lived and teaches kindness.    Kindness is important. Let it flourish.

37. Jesus and Gentleness.

As a child I learned a rhyme that began, “Gentle Jesus meek and mild; Look upon a little child…..”.   Much of the gospel narratives paint Jesus as anything but.  However when the occasion arose, he demonstrated just how gentle he could be.   In Mark 10:16 he took children in his arms and blessed them.   It is my experience that children don’t allow adults to take them in their arms unless they perceive the adult to be kind, gentle and non-threatening. 

Jesus was also gentle with adults.  In Matthew 11:29, the gospel writer has Jesus saying that he is “gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest.”  In Matthew 20:20-22, Jesus could have reacted very differently when a mother came and asked for privileges for her sons.  In Luke 7:13, in the story of raising the widow’s son, Jesus says, “Don’t cry.”   I can imagine his tone of voice would have been very gentle, as also in John 20:16 when Jesus, after his resurrection, said to Mary, when she had been weeping, “Mary”.  In raising of Jairus’s daughter, I perceive Jesus demonstrated gentleness, in Luke 8:52, saying, “Do not weep.” and in verse 54 “taking her by the hand…”.   Jesus was a toucher.   Used appropriately, touching can be a sign of gentleness, even tenderness.

However, one might say that Jesus was not gentle with his opponents, chiefly the Pharisees, scribes and priests, lawyers and religious leader of his day.  He seemed to argue vehemently with them on many occasions.   He certainly did not back away.  Maybe being gentle is not always appropriate.

Jesus was gentle at appropriate times, particularly with the vulnerable.   Gentleness is important. Let it flourish.

38. Jesus and Integrity.

Although the word integrity is not used of Jesus, his life and actions demonstrates a human life full of it.  Jesus taught honesty, which is a mark of integrity, when in Luke 3:12-14 he spoke about collecting the correct amount of tax and not robbing to augment wages earned.   He resisted temptations by ‘the devil’, in Matthew 4: 4, 7 and 10, to be side-tracked from his mission and ministry, and by Peter in Matthew 16:21-23, when he felt it necessary to call his friend Peter, Satan.    Jesus lived and died doing his Father’s will, stated in Mark 14:33-36, "..not what I will but what thou wilt.”  He died as he lived, with integrity.   I think this is a positive aspect of Good Friday messages that is sometimes not highlighted.

Jesus teaches and he lived integrity right to the end.   Integrity is important. Let it flourish.

39. Jesus and Generosity.

Jesus taught his disciples to share generously in Luke 3:10-11, by giving a spare coat away and also food; in Luke 6:29b-30, by giving to those who beg and not to require back what has been taken from you; in Luke14:12-14, by giving to those who don’t or can’t repay.  He urged his disciples in Matthew 5:42, to be generous with money, by giving to those who beg and by not refusing anyone who would borrow; in Luke 6:34-35 by loving and doing good.   In Thomas saying No. 95 Jesus says, “If you have money, don’t lend it at interest. Rather give it to someone from whom you won’t get it back”.

Jesus teaches generosity.  Generosity is important. Let it flourish.

40. Jesus and Non-violence.

Jesus was non-violent; well almost always.   From Matthew 21:12-13, it could be suggested that he was violent when he drove the money-changers out of the temple; with good cause, mind you. 

I find it interesting that, as far as we are told in the text, Pilate did not try to round up Jesus’ followers.   One would have thought this would be necessary if Jesus, who had been around for at least a year, had been a violent revolutionary with followers willing to do his bidding, as he said.   This rounding-up strategy by Pilate is not reported.  One would have thought also that Pilate would have known about Jesus’ activities if they had been violent, but he says in Luke 23:22, “I have found no crime in his deserving death.”  It only stands to reason that under such an oppressive Roman occupation, the authorities would have had a strong security system to discover, investigate and prosecute any violent subversive activity.  Crucifixions were common.   In fact Jesus says to Pilate in John 18:36, that if he had been an earthly king, given to violence, his “servants would fight”.   Jesus was non-violent but he was still perceived as a threat.

Jesus makes no use of the Exodus story in his ministry.  Not a mention of it.   I contend this was deliberate, because that story is just too violent.   Jesus avoided other Old Testament texts which speak of God’s violence.

In Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27 Jesus teaches disciples to have non-violent enemy love.

His way is the way of non-violence and he teaches his disciples that way.   Non-violence is important. Let it flourish.

41. Jesus and Non-vengeance.

In Matthew 5:38-41, Jesus teaches non-vengeance by turning the other cheek and when sued, give more than you are being sued for; in Luke 6:28, by praying for those who abuse you.   In Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus teaches disciples to forgive without limit, forgiveness that is born of an attitude of non-vengeance.

There is a lot of vengeful violent activity in the Old Testament but in Luke 9:54-55 Jesus turns his back on it by rebuking James and John when they want to pay the Samaritan village back for not welcoming Jesus, obviously referring to the violent activity sanctioned by God, in the days of Elijah (Some ancient manuscripts actually mention Elijah in this verse. It is in the text of the King James Bible.). Jesus will have none of it!

 Jesus teaches non-vengeful attitudes and activities.  Non-vengeance is important. Let it flourish.

42. Jesus and Equality.

Jesus was consistently on the side of the poor and the outcast, at least in the first three gospels.  He wanted these people to have their fair share and to be accepted. Luke 6:20, “Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”, needs good interpretation to be understood but I find nowhere in the New Testament where Jesus says, “Blessed are the rich”.  So much for those who preach Prosperity Theology.   In Luke 6:24 Jesus gives little future to the rich.   In Luke 16:13 Jesus states that a person cannot serve two masters and the Good News Bible states that one of these ‘other masters’ is money.   In Mark 10:17-23 in the story about the rich young man, Jesus talks about the difficulties that rich people face regarding discipleship, and in Matthew 19:24 he likens a rich man entering the kingdom of God to that of a camel going through the eye of a needle.  In all of these teachings, I think he is pointing to economic equality.

Important to Jesus, there is also equality of opportunity.   Even though he heals many unclean people in the temple, there is no account of him upbraiding them for being where they were, in the temple.   They should not have been there because they were unclean!  In Luke 18:9-14, the tax collector in the parable, probably should not have been in the temple either, even to pray.    This parable also speaks to me of Jesus looking into the hearts of people rather than taking notice of their status.   He was not into status.  In Luke 15:1 he attracted those who had none. In Luke 15:2 it states that those with status did not like it.  Equality was not on their radar!   Matthew 11:18 he was even numbered with those whom the elite looked down upon.   I can imagine Jesus may have smiled at this accusation by thinking, ‘Well it’s nice to be noticed anyway!’   

Jesus was a voice for those who had none, pointing to the need for an equality of advocacy.   In John  8:1-11 he spoke up for the woman caught in the act of adultery, (Notice that Jesus did not say that she was not guilty of the accused offence.); in Luke 6:41- 42, for those who are judged by others as sinful; in Luke 18:10-14, for the tax collector in the parable and more generally in v 14; in Luke 7:44-46, for the woman who anointed his feet, as well as in Mark 14:3-9, especially v6 with, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.”; in Luke 10:38-42, for Mary, when she was criticised by Martha, especially vs 41 and 42; and in Matthew 21:14-16, especially v16, and Mark 10:14, for children.   I could go on!

Equality in its many applications, is important to Jesus.  He urges it.  Equality is important. Let it flourish.

43. Jesus and Hospitality.

One cannot always be sure what the outcome of hospitality will be.   It may be wonderful, as in Luke 19:1-10, the case of Zacchaeus, when a change of heart occurs, and the encounter after the walk to Emmaus in Luke 24:28-32 when the disciples recognise Jesus. 

However, I remember when my wife and I gave hospitality for a night, some time ago, to some strangers, I requested that they not smoke inside and not leave the electric radiator on all night. It was a cold night so we showed them where extra blankets were, if they needed them.  The following morning they had left before we rose from sleep and to my dismay there was a stubbed cigarette but on the carpet next to the bed in which they had slept and there was a note saying that they had deliberately left the radiator on all night to keep warm.  The note also made nasty comments about our home.  Thankfully nothing was stolen.   Sometimes a challenge accompanies the exercise of hospitality.

The parable of the Great feast in Luke 14:15-24, when Jesus talks about hospitality, is both sad and joyful. Just prior to this in Luke 14:12-14, Jesus gave some of his teaching about hospitality.  In Thomas saying No. 64, Jesus says, “Go out into the streets and bring back whomever you find to have dinner.” In Luke 15:1-2, account is given that Jesus is always hospitable to sinners and outcasts, much to the displeasure of the Pharisees.   Mark 2:15-17 states that Jesus embraced the open table fellowship. 

Jesus practised hospitality, he teaches it and challenges disciples to practise it.  Hospitality is important. Let it flourish.

So what now for me?

I have tried to do justice to all 43 human virtues/attitudes, linking most of them to Jesus’ teachings, both by word and example. Some of these links have been somewhat superficial and too short.   On some occasions the links have also been somewhat tentative, but I have done the work with sincerity and I think, with quite a degree of validity.  I believe these values/attitudes are good and I have endeavoured to show that it is good that Jesus taught them. 

I have obviously given the 43 words my meanings.  Others may see it differently but I have tried to take care in my understandings.  Having gone through all these virtues/attitudes which I hope my great-great-grandchildren will live by, I suggest that Jesus lived and taught most of them by word and/or by example.   I believe, together these 43 virtues/attitudes gave to Jesus his vision of the world, the divine manifesto to which he succumbed.   They point me to God’s domain.  By teaching them, I believe Jesus points to that domain. 

I have approached this exercise with a regular church-goers’ situation in mind.   

Our life experiences are different, unique.  All our parenting or non-parenting and family experiences are different, unique.  Our career, employment or non-employment experiences are different, unique.   Our leisure or hobby experiences are different, unique.  We are all unique!  As such these 43 virtues/attitudes will have different, unique meanings or lack of meaning for each of us.   However, I believe they point the way to make this world a better place and I think this was basic to Jesus’ vision.  The well over 100 references to the gospels I make, are not used as ‘proof texts’ but as a means of linking the 43 virtues/attitudes, sensibly I think, to what motivated Jesus, his life and his teachings.

Together, I believe they can be summed up by Dr. Lorraine Parkinson in her paper already quoted;

Added together, his teachings illustrate the ultimate ethic for life.  We call it love.[36]

I need no biblical theism, dualism or Fall/Redemption theology to aspire to all of this.  Jesus is the One who I know a bit about and I connect with the teachings of this man, as being worth following because they mirror what is of human value and human worth.  I believe that all-together they form part of “the truths that inspired and informed Jesus”.  They lead to abundant living.  

Regarding the Two Great Commandments of Jesus - In loving a non-theistic God non-theistically, I chase after the godliness, the goodness of the lists of human virtues/attitudes above and in loving my neighbour as myself, I try to live by these same virtues/attitudes in my relationships.   As far as understanding ‘loving’ is concerned, I find 1 Corinthians chapter 13, as quoted previously, a very helpful beginning.   From the New English Bible,

Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offence.  Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat of another man’s sins, but delights in the truth.  There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance.

I could quite easily substitute the word ‘Jesus’ for the word ‘love’ and the passage would be great. Substituting the word ‘George’ for the word ‘love’ presents me with the real challenge of being a faithful disciple living by the teaching ‘of’ Jesus.

Taking the gospels’ story of Jesus, which obviously includes the resurrection appearance stories. and highlighting 'Love keeps no score of wrongs' from I Corinthians above, in none of these post-resurrection stories does Jesus criticise the disciples for their behaviour during his arrest, his trial and crucifixion, even though they all ran away and left him, even denying him.  It is as though that behaviour never happened.  Not a mention!    One might have thought that Jesus could have said something like, “Well I thought you lot could have done a bit better for me when I needed you most.”  But no.   Nothing.   In these stories I am taught that Jesus ‘keeps no score of wrongs’.

So, with all these teachings 'of' Jesus, I don’t believe I am throwing the baby out with the bath water even though a lot of the water has been discarded and the baby may look different. Could I suggest it may be because he has grown up?  Maybe a mature Jesus needs a  different response. 

For me, I have ‘faithfully replaced’ the supernatural theistic, dualistic side of the church’s teaching ‘about’ Jesus with the down to earth teachings ‘of’ a most remarkable, unforgettable, profoundly wise Jewish teacher from Nazareth.  And as Dr. Parkinson says a “God-soaked human being”.  As I have previously said:

He is the one who defines what a human life looks like when there is total cooperation with God Within.

I believe Jesus was a God-soaked teacher of alternative wisdom, one who continuously cooperated with and uncovered God Within, one who lived a love that made a difference and one who teaches me how to live abundantly. 

With all this considered, do I need to start all over again regarding my understanding of Jesus?   No, but I now have a very different basis on which to build my approach to him and his story.  I realise that this Jesus is somewhat different but I believe he does not need the biblically theistic, dualistic, supernatural royal robes he has been given by the church over the centuries and is still given today.  I believe he needs only a pair of thongs, a pair of torn jeans and a second hand shirt.  He is certainly worth trying to follow.   What a guy!

I reiterate, ‘Perfection is the enemy of greatness. I learn nothing from perfection but greatness is my inspiration.  Perfection de-humanizes greatness.’   I cannot accept that Jesus was perfect but I personally accept the gospels stories about him which point to him as being the greatest of human beings. 

Jesus did not invent human virtues.   I believe he gave a different sort of urgency to many of them, but few, I believe, originated with him.  “Love your enemies” may be an exception.  I believe he re-prioritised and expanded many human virtues in a very special way.    But they are not good because Jesus said them.   Jesus is good because he embraced them.   Jesus is authentic because he lived them.   His humanity is so important because it shows us that these virtues are not out of reach of other human beings, even me.

From my lyrics,  No. 29:

Jesus is Our Friendly Teacher

Tune   Converse/Erie

 Jesus is our friendly teacher,

 Giving guidance as we grow;

We are happy that we know him;

Though he lived so long ago;

When we listen to his stories,

Look at all his healing care,

We can see him loving others

With a love beyond compare.

Jesus is our daring teacher,

Leading in a dangerous way;

We are confident we know him,

Through the conflicts of his day;

He could often get quite angry

When the rulers were unjust;

He spoke up for all the needy;

He was one whom they could trust.

Jesus is our special teacher;

We will follow where he leads;

We are blest because we know him

Through his words and loving deeds;

As we think about his message,

How he lived and why he died,

We will try to love each other

With a heart that’s open wide.

[1] Funk, Honest to Jesus, 306.

[2] Lorraine Parkinson, from her paper given to the Common Creams Conference in February 2016.

[3] Funk, Honest to Jesus, 309.

[4] Ibid, 304.

[5] Ibid, 36-37.

[6] Funk & Hoover, The Five Gospels, 37

[7] Ibid, 416.

[8] Ibid, 422.

[9] Ibid, 439.

[10] Ibid, 444.

[11] Ibid, 459.

[12] Ibid, 204.

[13] Ibid, 214.

[14] Ibid, 234.

[15] Ibid, 259.

[16] Ibid, 172.

[17] Ibid, 219.

[18] Ibid, 247.

[19] Ibid, 255

[20] Ibid, 426.

[21] Ib id, 397

[22] Ibid, 37

[23] Ibid, 10

[24] Funk, Honest to Jesus, 309, 305,

[25] Funk & Hoover, The Five Gospels, 104.

[26] Ibid, 237.

[27] Vosper, With or Without God, 32.

[28] Ibid, 32.

[29] Funk, Honest to Jesus, 310.

[30] Vermes, The Authentic Gospel of Jesus, 380.

[31] Funk & Hoover, The Five Gospels,155

[32] Ibid, 168.

[33] Macquarie Dictionary, 2225,

[34] Funk & Hoover, The Five Gospels, 242

[35] Ibid, 242

[36] Lorraine Parkinson, from her paper given to the Common Dreams Conference in February 2016.