Jesus Exposed
They preach Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, unstained by sin. They also preach that the Bible is infallible, the perfect Word of God.
But what happens if we blow the dust off our Bibles and crack them open for ourselves? Not just any part of the Bible, but the Gospels themselves.
Please join me in turning to Luke Chapter 16 beginning with the first verse. Here we will find the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. I am not going to recount the entire thing to you. For that you will have to read it for yourself (which I encourage you to do). But here is a condensed version:
A man, fearing being fired, conspires against his employer to steal from him. Nowadays we would call him a thief. However when his employer (standing in for Jesus) finds out he commends him for being shrewd (the Catholic Bible uses the word "prudent"). Now please note that the employee is not being dishonest for some noble cause like feeding starving orphans or saving needy widows. He is only motivated by the need for personal gain. In fact it is specifically addressed how the man is too lazy to do manual labor.
Seems we have found a blemish in Jesus's otherwise perfect record.
However it would not be too hard to rationally come to the conclusion that Jesus was indeed perfect... it is just the Bible, and even the Gospels themselves that are imperfect. Many (most?) of Jesus's parables were recounted in Matthew, Mark and Luke. This particular one is found only in Luke. Perhaps the problem is not with Jesus but with the Gospel according to Luke.
So the next time you run into that Fire and Brimstone preacher you might ask him for his opinion about the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Watch for the reaction of your preacher. You might learn a lot about him as he starts to stutter and stammer. If he does not start to stutter and stammer you will have your answer about your preacher.
Anyone who, after reading Luke Chapter 16, insists on BOTH perfect Jesus and perfect Bible has a problem. Of course this could help to explain the actions of some Preachers. It is OK to be dishonest while in the service of Jesus. Jesus himself gave them permission. Go read Luke Chapter 16.
But what happens if we blow the dust off our Bibles and crack them open for ourselves? Not just any part of the Bible, but the Gospels themselves.
Please join me in turning to Luke Chapter 16 beginning with the first verse. Here we will find the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. I am not going to recount the entire thing to you. For that you will have to read it for yourself (which I encourage you to do). But here is a condensed version:
A man, fearing being fired, conspires against his employer to steal from him. Nowadays we would call him a thief. However when his employer (standing in for Jesus) finds out he commends him for being shrewd (the Catholic Bible uses the word "prudent"). Now please note that the employee is not being dishonest for some noble cause like feeding starving orphans or saving needy widows. He is only motivated by the need for personal gain. In fact it is specifically addressed how the man is too lazy to do manual labor.
Seems we have found a blemish in Jesus's otherwise perfect record.
However it would not be too hard to rationally come to the conclusion that Jesus was indeed perfect... it is just the Bible, and even the Gospels themselves that are imperfect. Many (most?) of Jesus's parables were recounted in Matthew, Mark and Luke. This particular one is found only in Luke. Perhaps the problem is not with Jesus but with the Gospel according to Luke.
So the next time you run into that Fire and Brimstone preacher you might ask him for his opinion about the Parable of the Shrewd Manager. Watch for the reaction of your preacher. You might learn a lot about him as he starts to stutter and stammer. If he does not start to stutter and stammer you will have your answer about your preacher.
Anyone who, after reading Luke Chapter 16, insists on BOTH perfect Jesus and perfect Bible has a problem. Of course this could help to explain the actions of some Preachers. It is OK to be dishonest while in the service of Jesus. Jesus himself gave them permission. Go read Luke Chapter 16.
posted by Little David at 9/13/2005 09:17:00 AM
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