The Words of Jesus by Phyllis Tickle
Phyllis Tickle is he author of a number of books relating to Christianity. In this one, she starts off by the basic origin of the first gospels. The first gospels, canonical or not, began as “sayings of Jesus” writings. The order of his statements, who he said them to, and why, was added later by the apostles and disciples.
“Sayings” writings are more hard-hitting than ones that have been sayings and with lots of other stuff added. She adds that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are inconsistent and cannot be made consistent with each other. She also points out that there is no way to know what body language, inflection, and emotional were used by Jesus when he spoke, and those things add to understanding the message. Since he was human, he presents himself differently according to whom he was talking, when, and why.
She divides his sayings into five general types:
1. public preaching
2. private instructions
3. healing dialog (not many, maybe 21; used as instructions for teaching of health of more than just the body)
4. intimate conversations
5. post-Resurrection sayings
She also adds that Jesus had certain expressions he liked to use over and over (“Let those who have ears, hear,” and that He spoke most often of the “end times.”
I have no problem with any of that. It all makes a lot of sense and seems to be very logical.
She then goes on to point out that Jesus was a Jew. “..salvation is from the Jews.” (11.2) “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” (111.14) She adds:
“...His aggressive assertion of a singular, specific, and immutable plan that is Jewish by both edit and execution and that endures through, across, and over multiple cultures and eras.”
In other words, he was a Jew, following Jewish traditions, saying that he was sent to minister to the Jews. He was not a Christian. His message was not for those who later established Christianity. His essential message was for the Jews, and for them only, although non-Jews could show faith in God and be acknowledged for that.
She then brings up the term “actualness,” which, as far as I can figure out, deals with exactly what he said, but doesn't worry about when he said it, or to whom, or why. It's sort of stripping down the words of Jesus to just the words, alone.
Again, as far as I can see, this can lead to some rather uncomfortable things for people. For one thing, it shuts out all other religions, no matter when they were established.
“...all should honor the Son. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” In other words, if you are not a specific follower of Jesus, then you are just plain out of luck, which effectively eliminates all Hindus, all Muslims, all Native Americans, Shintos, Buddhists, Wiccans, pagans, and all religions of all time that did not center themselves on Jesus, even if he hadn't been born yet.
There are many religious conservatives who say that every single word of the Bible is literal truth and must be followed. I think they tend to overlook things like this: “...everyone who is angry with another shall be liable to judgment...whoever says, 'You fool! shall be liable to hellfire.” In other words, you can't get angry at anyone.
Then there's the statement that tripped up Jimmy Carter. “But I say to you that everyone who looks at another lustfully has already committed adultery in his or her heart.” If this is to be taken literally, then even people we end up marrying and have lusted after results in us sinning. There's also the biological imperative we are under, the “hard-wiring” in our brains that contributes a lot to our lusting after others, basically in order to perpetuate the species.
Again, for those who want to take everything literally (note; I'm pointing this out myself; the author is not noticing that these statements, interpreted as actual statements, can lead to some rather nasty consequences):
“So if your right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away. It is better to lose one part of yourself, better for you to enter life with one eye and maimed than with two eyes to have your whole body thrown into hell.” He adds other body parts to this message. Following the words exactly, if anyone has sinned using any specific body part, then that person should get rid of that body part.
“And in praying, do hot heap up empty repetitions as Gentiles do, because they think they will be heard for their many words.” This helps to point out something said earlier, than Jesus came for the Jews, not the Gentiles. The Gentiles were the “other.”
“...whoever divorces his wife, except for reasons of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. And whoever, having divorced his wife, marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.” Again, for those who want to consider that every word in the Bible must be taken literally, then divorce of any kind (other than sexual immorality) by anyone is null and void.
“I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.” In other words, Satan is an actual factual being.
There is a lot of emphasis on Jesus as the “Prince of Peace,” but this statement doesn't seem to be very peaceful:
“No, I have not come to bring peace, but rather a sword and division. From now in a household of five, three will be divided against two and two against three. They will be divided: father against son,, and song against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law; for one's fores will be those of one's own household.”
Essentially, the first part of the book reads like an academic thesis that tries to split hairs and establish new definitions. At times it approaches, if not actually achieves, being boring.
The second part of the book is a compilation of Jesus' statements, divided into the categories noted above, simply noting the saying but not noting that some of the sayings have very significant consequences if they are all true, correct, and are to be followed exactly.
The second part of the book, then, is essentially a listing of the statements of Jesus that loads of other books have, done without comment, the only difference from other books that do this being that the statements are arranged by certain categories.
Overall, this is a rather unsatisfactory and somewhat upsetting book.
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