Temporary End

After evaluating my actions of analyzing and bringing new perspectives in biblical interpretation daily, I decided that my methods have been ineffective at best and simply time wasting at worst. As such, I will no longer write an analysis of the bible every day, but I will start working on an analysis on basis of books, starting with the Gospel. With that method, I can start formulating a coherent and rational conclusion about the bible and thus connect it with the truth, and perhaps I can deduce the actual story of the bible. However, that would require me to write down the full formulation of the truth first, and unfortunately I will do that first in my mother tongue of Indonesian. So for English speaking audiences, your time will come, I hope you can wait. Until then, have a nice day and God bless you.

Friday, 10th of August 2018

John 12:24-26

Jesus said, «Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Those who love their life destroy it, and those who despise their life in this world keep it for everlasting life. Whoever wants to serve me, let him follow me and wherever I am, there shall my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him».

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage is a very short three verse passage, but may be one with one of the greatest implications for Jesus' odd mind. Here, Jesus tells that if the grain dies, it will produce fruit, if it doesn't it will stay seed. Anyone who love their life will lose it and those who hate it will keep it. They who serve Him must follow Him and wherever Jesus is, the servant will be there also. If they serve Him, God will honor the one who serves Jesus. Well then, let us start dissecting this passage, shall we?

It is fairly obvious that the seed refers to Jesus, if He dies, it'll be good, if He doesn't die, He'll be what He still is, but really what is the actual meaning of this? Jesus dies for other people, so why is it that He only spoke of Himself, that is the grain of wheat? As such, I will complete it for Him, the complete version would be this. If the grain of wheat does not die, then all other plants will die, but if the grain falls and dies, it will grow and multiply, providing much food for other plants. Is that not the meaning of Jesus' death? That is to surrender His eternal life for others? To let His body be divided and eaten?

While the core message of the "They who keep their life will lose it ..." is practically obvious, that is if we become attached to our material life and material pleasures we will actually lose it, but here Jesus uses very strong words. He in fact uses the word love and despise, very strong words indeed. As such, according to Jesus, if we cherish our life, we will lose it, but if we despise it and loathe it, we will keep it, is that not contradictory to each person? The person who wishes life will lose it, but the one who clearly wants death is given life instead. This is not just about if we are attached to our life, but this is about whether we love or hate our life, which is wholly different from attachment. One can love life without being attached to it, so do we have a solution for the hate problem? In my opinion, it most likely means that if we hate our material life, or we are dissatisfied with the current systemic oppression of the human mind, then we will gain a better life in the kingdom. On the other hand, if we love the systemic oppression of the human mind, we will only lose that life, and may find the resulting conflicts about the truth absolute hell, or feel that the new order of truth is hell and so on.

The third verse is just another phrase of Jesus' fantasies of grandeur, and calls people who listens to Him and does what He wishes to do, that is the upholding of the truth, to be His servants. And that He will be served, this seems to contradict His words in Matthew 20:28, that is "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many," Furthermore, calling them servants makes no sense as this would contradict Jesus' core relationship with the Father, which I have not written about at all, but I will when the time comes. Basically, Jesus is separated from the world, for He is the literal other half of the Father, and thus everything else that exists is part of the Father. So Jesus is saying that the Father is the servant? Well that makes no sense at all. But again, Jesus is in the end, still human, as such we must understand His limits. There is not much I can say else about His messages, as such that is all I can say for now, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Thursday, 9th of August 2018

Matthew 16:13-23

Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, «Who do people say the Son of Man is?». They said, «For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets». Jesus asked them, «But you, who do you say I am?». Peter answered, «You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God». Jesus replied, «It is well for you, Simon Barjona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven». Then He ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 

From that day Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that He must go to Jerusalem; He would suffer many things from the Jewish authorities, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. He would be killed and be raised on the third day. Then Peter took him aside and began to reproach him, «Never, Lord! No, this must never happen to you». But Jesus turned to him and said, «Get behind me, Satan! You would have me stumble. You are their king not as God does, but as people do».

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

For technical purposes, there will be no summary, only meaning. First of all, why is it important that Jesus asked the disciples about who they think He is? Because Jesus wishes to see their integrity as a human being, are they independent rational beings capable of making their own rational judgement or do they depend on others to tell them what to think or how to think? Peter managed to prove himself worthy, and we must follow that example, we must be independent and not do things because Jesus or people tell us to, but because it is the truth, the whole truth. 

It's ironic that Peter would go on betray Jesus' trust by worrying on material concerns while ignoring the spiritual issues. This made Jesus quite angry and He chastised Peter, calling him Satan even. And then Jesus comments that Peter is thinking what the flesh is thinking, not what God is thinking. This reminds us that there is something greater than our mere desires. The question is, do we wish to accept that fact or will we stay in our fleshy comfort zones? That is all for today, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Wednesday, 8th of August 2018

Matthew 15:21-28

Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now a Canaanite woman came from those borders and began to cry out, «Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon». But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached him and said, «Send her away: see how she is shouting after us». Then Jesus said to her, «I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel». 

But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus and said, «Sir, help me!». Jesus answered, «It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to the little dogs». The woman replied, «It is true, sir, but even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table». Then Jesus said, «Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish». And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage may be the greatest proof of Jesus' humanity, racism. In summary, Jesus went away from the regions of Tyre and Sidon, then a Canaanite woman came and begged Jesus to heal her daughter, even calling Him the Son of David. Jesus ignored her, and His disciples asked Him to send her off, Jesus told the lady that He was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel. The woman kept kneeling and begged, thus Jesus chastised by saying that it is not right to take a bread from the children and throw it to dogs. The lady then answered that even the dogs eat crumbs of the bread. Jesus was astounded and remarked how great her faith was, thus her daughter was healed.

Is Jesus racist? Does Jesus favor Jews over other people or see Israel as the chosen nation and thus superior than all other nations? In fact, is Jesus a xenophobic racist nationalist? It seems that He was, at the time being. This is proven by Jesus comparing the gentiles to dogs, which are generally considered to be dirty animals at that time. So, does this tell us that Jesus is a false prophet? No, it merely shows that Jesus is in the end, still human. Furthermore, the message of the truth and His Jewish heritage got mixed up, and thus His attachment to Judaism led Him to speak of these racist statements. However, Jesus did change His beliefs when He saw the persistence of the woman, and thus healed her immediately.

What message can we pick from this passage, if at all? This passage tells us more about Jesus than His teachings, as such what it tells us is that we must always understand that Jesus is human, that suffers greatly at that. We use to see Jesus as the ultimate savior, the bread of life, as the Son of God. Yet, we forget and ignore the hidden sides of Christ, the suffering and broken sides of Jesus as a man. He was racist and arrogant as it seems, but it is only because the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Without a home, Jesus would of course try to find somewhere for a home, yet He finds no comfort in any place. Attachment over attachment makes it no better, until He decides to let everything go, and die in our sake. That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Tuesday, 7th of August 2018

Matthew 14:22-36

After the crowds have eaten their fill, Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while He sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, He went up the mountain by himself to pray. At nightfall, He was there alone. 

Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves for the wind was against it. At daybreak, Jesus came to them walking on the lake. When they saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once Jesus said to them, «Courage! Don't be afraid. It's me!». Peter answered, «Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water». Jesus said to him, «Come». And Peter got out of the boat, walking on the water to go to Jesus. But, in face of the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink. So he cried out, «Lord, save me!». Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, «Man of little faith, why did you doubt?». As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus saying, «Truly, you are the Son of God!». 

They came ashore at Gennesareth. The local people recognized Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought all the sick to him, begging him to let them touch just the fringe of his cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage seems long and complicated, though has a short and simple message, that is a message of faith. In a bare summary, Jesus ordered the disciples to go ahead of Him while He went to the mountains alone to pray. Meanwhile, the boat that the disciples used was far from land and the wind was getting strong and the boat rocked hard. Then, they saw Jesus walking on the water, terrified they yelled that it was a ghost they see. Jesus tried to calm the disciples and Peter replied challenging Jesus, that if it was truly Him, then command Peter to walk. So He did, and Peter too walked on the water. But then wind struck and he began to fear and sink, he begged Jesus to save him, and Jesus chastised him for his little faith. Eventually the wind dropped and the disciples bowed proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God when He got on the boat.

The whole message of this passage is simple, that is the power and significance of having faith. Faith here does not equate blind belief by indoctrination, but a strong commitment and dedication to what is true, objectively and rationally. Scientifically, what Jesus did and Peter did was possible, but it required a very strong faith and dedication towards the truth. Or an unwavering commitment towards the truth. If we truly believe that we are able to walk on water, that we would walk on water, but if we have any ounce of doubt, we would sink into the sea of despair and death. As such, we too must have strong faith and not doubt, especially when it is true. Of course, Jesus does not want us to be not skeptical and believe everything, but it is to have a backbone. If have truly found and deduced that what we believe is true, why must we doubt? If it is even agreed with by other people, why should we be uncertain? Today's passage is more about our integrity, will we stand against the strongest of storms, or will we fall by even the softest of winds? That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow. 

Monday, 6th of August 2018

Mark 9:2-10

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain. There his appearance was changed before their eyes. Even his clothes shone, becoming as white as no bleach of this world could make them. Elijah and Moses appeared to them; the two were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke and said to Jesus, «Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah». For he did not know what to say; they were overcome with awe.

But a cloud formed, covering them in a shadow, and from the cloud came this word, «This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him». And suddenly, as they looked around, they no longer saw anyone except Jesus with them. As they came down the mountain, He ordered them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man be risen from the dead.

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage describes an event usually known as the transfiguration of the Lord. Though I will focus more on the conversation between Jesus and the prophets. In summary, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to a high mountain, specifically Mount Tabor. Suddenly, Jesus' appearance changed into an divine looking being, shining light from His figure. Then, Elijah and Moses appeared, talking with Jesus, the trio of disciples were shocked and Peter asked if they should make three tents, two for the prophets and one for Jesus. At the same time, the prophets fade away, and God declared that Jesus is His beloved Son and that people must listen to Him. Jesus then ordered them to not tell anyone, until the resurrection.

What may be significant of this event? There is one very significant part of this event, that is Jesus' conversation with the prophets and the transition to God speaking. Now, the conversation wasn't recorded, but I am willing to bet and guess the contents of such conversation. The prophets were handing out their task to Jesus, and thus this marks the transition from traditionalist law to a law of truth. Jesus receives the responsibility, and thus the prophets and their laws are all annulled for it has been fulfilled, replaced with Jesus' new order of love and truth. This is evident by the prophets disappearing and God instructing the world to listen to Jesus, and not the prophets. And thus Jesus is appointed as the new and last prophet, as the messenger and savior of the world. 

What of the actual transfiguration? Is it scientifically possible or what significance does it hold? Scientifically, of course it is possible, as Jesus is effectively God, thus transcend general biological limitations. Meanwhile, the significance of it is generally simple, that is it shows Jesus' true nature as not a normal human being, that He is more than most of the world. What message can we take though? It is simple, Jesus' arrival marks the time where we should change our old attitudes of following tradition and hearsay, and start to think for ourselves. Jesus wishes for us to be rationally independent, and follow Him not because He told us to, but because of our own heart to follow Him and serve the world in His quest of salvation. Yet, we usually like to blind ourselves with mere songs and prayers, now are we ready to open our eyes? That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Sunday, 5th of August 2018

John 6:24-35

When people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, «Master, when did you come here?». Jesus answered, «Truly, I say to you, you look for me, not because you have seen through the signs, but because you ate bread and were satisfied. Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give it to you, for he is the one the Father has marked».

Then the Jews asked him, «What shall we do? What are the works that God wants us to do?». And Jesus answered them, «The work God wants is this: that you believe in the One whom God has sent». They then said, «Show us miraculous signs, that we may see and believe you. What sign do you perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert; as Scripture says: ‘They were given bread from heaven to eat’». Jesus then said to them, «Truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven. My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. The bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world». And they said to him, «Give us this bread always». Jesus said to them, «I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in me shall never be thirsty».

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage is a harsh reminder to us on believing Jesus. Do we truly believe Jesus down to His hidden sides, or do we only believe because of miracles? The passage opens with people trying to find Jesus but not finding Him. As such they went to Capernaum and found Jesus and His disciples on the other side. The Jews asked how Jesus got there, but Jesus answered harshly that they came not because they understood the signs, but only because they ate the multiplied bread and were satisfied. Jesus then reminded to work for eternal food, and not perishable food. The Jews asked again, what kind of work is willed by God.

Jesus answered that it is to believe in the One that is sent by God, i.e. Jesus Himself. The Jews seems to understand, and asked what kind of signs Jesus has performed, saying that their ancestors have ate the manna in the desert. Jesus then reminds them that it is not Moses who gave the food, but it is God who gave it from the heavens. Then Jesus said that the bread God gives is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the world. The Jews asked Jesus for that bread, only for Jesus to answer that He is the bread of life, whoever comes to Him shall never go hungry, and those who believe shall never be thirsty.

This is quite the interesting passage here. In the first part, what Jesus means is that the Jews only believed in Jesus because He performed miracles, miracles that benefited them none the less, not because the Jews truly believes in the signs. What are the signs? Signs here refer to the actual teachings and sayings of Christ, and the general trend of society, which basically proves Jesus' words of warning. They do not believe Jesus because of the truth, they believe Jesus merely because Jesus can perform miraculous acts. Jesus harshly reminds them not to just work for perishable food, but for eternal food, that is the truth and the kingdom.

The Jews asked Jesus what work is to be done, and Jesus answers that they must believe in Him. Of course, this does not mean to acknowledge Jesus as king or as God, but to acknowledge His words, that is the truth and work towards it. Even then, the Jews question Jesus to give them signs, which shows that they only believe in Jesus in the surface, materially, if Jesus were not to perform signs, they would not believe. They used the example of the manna to compare Jesus with Moses, and thought that Moses was the one who made the manna fall, but Jesus reminds that it is God who gave it, and not Moses. 

Then, Jesus tells the Jews that the bread of life is not manna, but it is the One who comes from heaven and gives life to the earth, the Jews asked for Jesus to always give that bread, and finally Jesus proclaimed that He is the bread of life. Why is it that Jesus describes Himself as one that gives life to the earth? This is because as He dies, He gives up His eternal life for everyone else, thus allowing them to have a second chance to fix their lives and not die eternally. And why is it that if we come to Jesus, we will never be hungry or thirsty? Of course this is a metaphor, but the point is Jesus bears the truth, and the truth is more valuable than anything else, that it shall satisfy us for all time. 

One may wonder, is the manna miracle historical? That is, did it actually happen and is not just a Jewish fabrication? If it isn't, why did Jesus mention it? Again, Jesus is only human, and He is limited by human limits, and He lives in a Jewish community and is taught Jewish thoughts. As such, it is only sensible to think that Jesus would mix up Jewish teachings with the truth, thus this happens. On the other hand, is it actually possible that bread can come from the sky, scientifically speaking? Yes, but with a lack of historical evidence, it is unlikely. 

Now, what can we learn from this passage from ourselves? There is one thing that we can learn, that we should believe Jesus truly and understand Him truly. You see, many of so called Christians now only believe Jesus by name, by songs, by scriptures, as such they only believe Him for the materialist wonders He has. They do not go deeper and try to understand or get to know Jesus personally. They go to Jesus not for eternal truth, but only for temporary pleasures and satisfaction. This is what must be avoided, when we believe in Jesus, do not go for the Gospel or the Church, but ask ourselves, who is Jesus in our life and why does it matter? We must not worship Him, but understand Him. However, when we truly understand Him, and follow Him we must sacrifice many things, are we ready and willing to do so? That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Saturday, 4th of August 2018

Matthew 14:1-12

On one occasion the news about Jesus reached King Herod. And he said to his servants, «This man is John the Baptist. John has risen from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him».

Herod had, in fact, ordered that John be arrested, bound in chains and put in prison be-cause of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. For John had said to him, «It is not right for you to have her as wife». Herod wanted to kill him but he did not dare, because he feared the people who regarded John as a prophet.

On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of the guests; she so delighted Herod that he promised under oath to give her anything she asked. The girl, following the advice of her mother, said, «Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a dish». The king was very displeased, but because he had made this promise under oath in the presence of the guests, he ordered it to be given her. So he had John beheaded in prison and his head brought on a dish and given to the girl. The girl then took it to her mother. Then John's disciples came to take his body and bury it. And they went to bring the news to Jesus.

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage is a sad and tragic passage describing the fate of he who proclaimed for the preparation of the road towards God, of he who came before Christ and prepared the path for Him, that is John the baptist. The passage opens with Herod claiming that Jesus is in fact John who had risen, which is why He is powerful. It then cuts back to a flashback where John was killed. John was arrested by Herod because John had chastised Herod for taking the wife of his brother Phillip. Herod was outraged and wished to kill him, but feared the crowds who believed in John. However, on Herod's birthday, his wife's daughter danced and Herod was very pleased. Herod then said that he will give her anything she wants, and by the advice of her mother, the girl asked for John's head on a dish. Herod was greatly disturbed, but the deed was done. John was beheaded and his head served on a dish. His disciples buried the body and delivered the news to Jesus.

What can we learn from this tragic passage? If there is anything we can learn here, it's John's fate. How is it that John, a man who is supposed to be glorified for preparing for Christ, receives an undesirable end? That is a head on the platter, killed in a prison, what can be more disgraceful than such fate? This reminds us, that being a follower of Christ and a servant of the truth will not bring us wealth, fame, or power, it will only bring us the opposite. We will be rejected, we will suffer, we will sacrifice, but it is all to see how far we will go to get the most valuable thing in the world. Jesus has demonstrated this, by dying in every way possible so we get just one more chance, John has demonstrated this, letting his head be served on a dish to make way for Jesus. Now, are we prepared and willing to face suffering as well in the struggle for the truth? That is all I have to say for today, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Friday, 3rd of August 2018

Matthew 13:54-58

Jesus went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, «Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Isn't He the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother and aren't James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers? Aren't all his sisters living here? How did he get all this?». And so they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, «The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family». And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage is a repeat passage, but it is a significant passage, and I believe repeating it is not harmful. However, as usual I will merely add my thoughts here. Here, Jesus is shown to be rejected, by His own neighbors, His own kin, His own blood. How does one feel when they are rejected by those closest to them? We don't realize this everyday, but Jesus' believers are people far from home, people Jesus met in the streets, in the lakes, in various cities, but not His hometown. Instead, His folk mocked Him and rejected Him, this of course affected Jesus deeply. This event may be part of the reason why Jesus said that "the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." What can we analyze though in a logical perspective?

Why is it that His own kin would reject Him. It may be because of jealousy, or disappointment, how so? These people had known Jesus since He was young, as such they had formed hard rooted societal expectations of what Jesus should be. And when Jesus defies those expectations, it is understandable to say that they would be disappointed in Jesus. And of course, seeing that their own blood became so much greater than themselves certainly rubbed them the wrong way. They become jealous as they feel, "How can a mere son of a carpenter be what He is now? When we stay in the lower classes?" It is ironic that Jesus will eventually take the place as the suffering and oppressed to elevate His kin's status and free them from eternal death. As such, the rejection was caused by social stigma, disappointment, and jealousy. 

It wasn't mentioned in this passage, but in the Mark version, it was described how Jesus was astounded and shocked that He was rejected. Did Jesus not foresaw this? The answer is simple. Jesus in the end is still limited as a human. Furthermore, Jesus is under pressure of saving humanity, He would of course expect people to believe Him, especially His closest ones. He trusts them as He has known them the most, yet His trust is betrayed by His own people, His own blood, His own family. Eventually, Jesus did speak out, claiming that prophets are rejected only in their own peoples and in their homes. 

It is also interesting to note that due to the lack of faith, Jesus was unable to perform many miracles, this implies that there is a connection between lack of faith and miracles, is that so? Miracles do not happen because Jesus acted upon the sickly people, it is the sickly people that had faith in Christ, and thus their faith allowed Jesus to help them heal. This is why Jesus always said to the sick people that it is their faith that saved them, because the miracle happen as a result of the sick truly being open towards healing. On the other hand, the people in Jesus' hometown had no faith in Him, thus this made it impossible for Jesus to perform miracles, as the people does not desire it to happen. As such, if you will something hard enough, it will happen, as such, be careful with your wishes.

What can we learn for ourselves from this passage though? If there is one thing we can learn is to be accepting of the situation and to never give up. Jesus throughout His life has been misunderstood, rejected, and attacked, yet He keeps going with His mission. Even if His mentality begins to succumb, He still smiles for the children, and He still comforts the crying women of Jerusalem. It is this behavior of Christ that we must strive to follow. That is to persist and keep moving, even in deep rejection or denial by others. Thus, are we able to follow Jesus in His footsteps, and be unwavering in our struggle? That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Thursday, 2nd of August 2018

Matthew 13:47-53

Jesus said to his disciples, «Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a big fishing net let down into the sea, in which every kind of fish has been caught. When the net is full, it is dragged ashore. Then they sit down and gather the good fish in buckets, but throw the worthless ones away. That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just and throw them into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth». Jesus asked, «Have you understood all these things?». «Yes», they answered. So He said to them, «You will see that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple of the Kingdom is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old». When Jesus had finished these parables, He left the place.

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage seems oddly familiar with the weeds parable, and I did explain the problems with that parable. As such, I will do the same with this one, and probably only repeat what I said previously, so here we go. This time, Jesus compares the kingdom with a big fishing net that is thrown to the sea and gathered many fishes. Good fish is kept, and bad fish is thrown away. Jesus went far enough to explain it, that the good fish are good people, whole the bad fish are bad people. This of course, erases any possibility of it simply being the removal of the bad characteristics and the retaining of the good characteristics. Jesus also ends with an odd cultural centered comment on teachers of law, more on that later.

If there is one thing that Jesus seems neurotic about, it's the day of judgement and His ideal kingdom of God. His ideal kingdom is a kingdom of perfectly good people, and that the bad people are just pests to be thrown off to hell. The problem is, this contradicts with His mission, that is to die so we don't need to die, and really by Jesus' logic, the kingdom will be empty, because in my opinion, there is no one that is truly fit for the kingdom. So again, why does Jesus keep saying that the sinful will be banished to hell? Even when He keeps telling us to forgive others and to love others, to even forgive our enemies and pray for those who persecuted us!

It would be good if Jesus is only mixing things up, as what He says is partly true, as sin warrants death, naturally, even without the condemnation of Jesus. As such, judgement happens every single moment of our life. When we commit sin, we become less free and when we commit virtues, we become more free, that's how it goes. Of course, it is logical that Jesus simply didn't say that He will in the end go to hell Himself so no one else does, but why would He do that? Why would He withheld information and act like it will happen, after all He spoke of the end days very often. 

Jesus' statement on the end days are a mixture of two things, natural judgement and the final revolution. It is true that people are always judged naturally for their actions, and it is true that someday, Christ will return to enact the final war, the final conflict, and the final revolution to end all wars, conflicts, and bring peace to the world. However, those two events are separate, one describes a constant process that is a natural consequence while the other one is an eschatological concept that will inevitable happen, and can only be delayed but not cancelled or prevented. So, what is going on here?

Jesus mixing it up is odd, as it implies that He does not want to save people and only wishes to have it the easy way. Yet we all know that Jesus dies in the end and now is the sole inhabitant of hell. So, do we have a psychological argument for this phenomena? Well, yes we do, you see, Jesus had suffered from the early days of His life, as having the burden of knowledge is not easy, let alone knowledge of your death. As such, it is only natural that as a human, Jesus will have doubts along the way, and this doubt was planted deep in His mind, and thus we have the odd mixture of judgement and end days. Eventually, all of His doubts are resolved in Gethsemane, with God comforting Him one last time before death. In the end, Jesus is only human, like us, but He is an astounding Human, that we shall strive to follow. That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.

Wednesday, 1st of August 2018

Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to the crowds, «The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. The one who finds it buries it again; and so happy is he, that he goes and sells everything he has, in order to buy that field.

»Again the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who is looking for fine pearls. Once he has found a pearl of exceptional quality, he goes away, sells everything he has and buys it».

Source: http://evangeli.net/gospel/

Analysis

Today's passage, while short, as in only three verses, has an important message on the nature of the kingdom. While the meaning seems quite straightforward, I will try to add my personal interpretations. The passage are two short parables, which compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure or a pearl, and the ones who found it sold off everything to obtain it. In literal sense, this is idiotic, but we're here to examine this in a metaphorical sense, not a literal sense. The most straightforward interpretation is that the kingdom is the most valuable thing one can obtain, and in fact is worth more than everything else in the world. However we must ask deeper, why is it so valuable?

The answer can be found within the definition of the kingdom of heaven, which is a condition where the divine and absolute truth rules and is in supremacy, thus creating eternal peace and justice where love is the law. This is clearly the most valuable thing in the world, as it will give mankind everything that they need, and is the source of eternal life and happiness. Tell me, what can be more valuable than eternal life, peace, love, justice, and happiness? However, remember what the trader and the digger did? They sold off everything, to get what they wanted, and unfortunately, this applies to us as well, how so?

I believe the meaning of selling everything is quite straightforward, if it isn't, then I shall tell you. It means that in order to obtain what we wish, we must sacrifice everything that we have and everything that we are. Just as Jesus once said, they who wish to keep their life shall lose it, but those who lose it by the truth shall regain it. This is because in our current oppressive world, society is governed by a system that completely contradicts the truth, and generally will attempt at anything to destroy the truth. As such, we can only expect suffering and sacrifice at first when we attempt to find the truth. However, the most important thing is, are we ready to suffer and sacrifice to reach the truth? That is all I have to say, have a nice day and see you tomorrow.