Monday, May 6, 2019

Have We Missed the Point?


 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.[1]
I understand that Jesus was speaking to his disciples way back in the first century. I also appreciate that times and circumstances have changed. However, I don’t believe that things have changed so much that followers of Jesus now, have a right to claim wealth as an associated gift of discipleship. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.[2] The difficulty of discipleship would have been severe in the early days of Christianity. In that time traditional Judaism and the fledgling Christian community would have been in constant conflict. One reason for that conflict was that Christians were looked at as renegade Jews. Understandably, families would have been torn apart. The traditional Jewish family’s cohesiveness would have been severed, as Jesus said, “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's foes will be members of one's own household.[3] To the Jewish leaders and their followers, Christianity was a breakaway sect of Judaism. Jesus’ statement regarding conflicting beliefs was not a threat, it was reality. Some Christians, kept their discipleship secret to avoid angering the rulers. Nicodemus was a member of the council, and under the cover of darkness sought out Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea was a secret disciple of Jesus, for the same reason.[4] As crowds of Jews mingled in Jerusalem at the time of a feast, many quietly discussed Jesus. Some thought of him as a charlatan, others said he was a good man. One thing all agreed, was not to speak of Him openly for fear of the Jewish leaders.[5] The parents of the blind man healed by Jesus, wouldn’t answer the Pharisees, because they were afraid of what they would do to them. Following the stoning of Stephen the Jews began a mega persecution against Christians.

Following Jesus’ statement that the rich have great difficulty getting into the kingdom. Peter said to him that he and the others had left everything to follow him. Jesus told him that anyone who lost their house, or family would receive a hundred times what he left in the present age, and in the future, eternal life.[6]  In a different place Jesus taught that if you give, you will receive more.[7] These statements are not promises of wealth, they are assurance for those who serve Jesus that what they do and what they forfeit will not go unnoticed, and that God recognizes service. It is incongruous to have wealth as a blessing for every disciple. Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.[8] The “prosperity gospel” is the antithesis of Jesus’ teaching. One time Jesus invited himself to spend time with a rich man. As a result Zacchaeus, the rich man, said he would give half of what he owned to the poor, and pay four times the amount he had defrauded anyone.[9] Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.[10] The problem is not being rich per se, but the attachment one has to wealth. Jesus taught that people shouldn’t focus on accumulating material wealth, but rather strive for spiritual wealth. He said also that “You cannot serve God and wealth.”[11] The hucksters preaching that you can have anything you want, or, that you deserve to be rich, are not preaching the gospel of Jesus. Theirs is a mixture of pop-psychology and hype. People can get the same results from reading “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, or one of the scores of books written on the subject of becoming wealthy. The prosperity preachers coat their gospel with snippets of scripture to make their preaching sound authentic. You will not find support for what they promise in scripture. What’s worse, is that it is very damaging to a person’s faith, when the promise of wealth doesn’t materialize. Those preachers will claim it is the person’s own fault for not having enough faith. Misguided people are hungry for what the prosperity preachers’ offer, and because it’s presented as a God-given right, it is all the more alluring. People need to keep their religion and search for wealth separate. Tony Robbins is a huge success, he offers people a way to have the wealth they really want. The promise of wealth is big business and has nothing to do with following Jesus. A wise man long ago said;
Two things I ask of you; do not deny them to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need, or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, "Who is the LORD?" or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God.[12]

A fact that people sometimes miss, is that following Jesus may not be the most comfortable choice. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me … for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” It seems that Jesus was warning his disciples. When reading this I think of a phrase in a song –I never promised you a rose garden. Jesus indicated that following him could be costly. “He summoned the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.’”[13] The wearing of a crucifix is not what he had in mind. Under Roman rule, people knew the horror of crucifixion and no amulet could ever meet its reality. Jesus encouraged people to know what they are getting into. Many preachers are so eager to gain converts they fail to warn individuals of the potential cost of discipleship. The fact that the righteous suffer was frustrating to the prophets of ancient Israel. Jeremiah complained, “…Why does the way of the guilty prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?[14] It obviously seems unfair if Christians are put down and pagan religions and atheists are favoured. Looking at what Jesus told his disciples Bonhoeffer wrote;
To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self denial can say is: "He leads the way, keep close to him.”[15]
The metaphors and parables Jesus used in his teaching show a very specific relationship to the first century. During the period in which Judaism waned and Christianity began to flourish, the Jews persecuted Christians. It was a difficult time for Jews and Christians; Jews anticipated that the Messiah would reestablish the physical Israel, Christians were preaching that the Messiah was none other than Jesus whom the Jews crucified. The animosity of Jews toward Christians became violent. Jesus taught, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”[16] Paul spoke of the Christian attitude to enemies, saying that if an enemy is in need of food or drink, give what is needed. That would be the correct action of a disciple who had denied himself. Paul wrote, “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.[17] That Paul said, was the attitude of Jesus. And that was the attitude disciples should have.

The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is an enigma to me. The greater part of its content talks about people of faith who received blessings and did great things. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and a host of others, all benefited because of their faith. Then almost at the end of conversation we come across people who did not receive similar blessings;
Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented--of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised[18]
From God’s point of view there is no disparity, no paradox, no perplexity, or enigma, concerning any of the people in the conversation on faith. That’s comforting to me, but I have a strong inclination to belong to the first group who received blessings. Some of the faithful received wealth and abundance, others suffered inhumanely. In God’s eyes they were all people of faith, and people in his care. One attitude all people of faith shared was that they put God first and foremost in their lives. Which is of course what we all need to do.

As a young person the concept of Christendom seemed right to me; there were Christians and there were pagans. Concepts, intentionally or otherwise, taught in history or religious classes influenced young minds. I wonder what influence the concept of Christendom has had on Christianity. There are a number of definitions for the term Christendom. I will look at it from the view of Catholicism and Protestantism combined. The Roman Church recognized countries with dominant Catholic populations, and government policies based on Catholic precepts as Christendom. Protestants considered countries with Catholic and/or Protestant Christians as Christendom. Following a view similar to that I view Christendom as including all countries in which Christianity was favoured. No matter what the definition, Christendom no longer exists. The proliferation of Christian denominations, the acceptance of atheism, and the open-mindedness toward non-Christian religions, under secular governments has largely done away with any favouritism to Christianity. However, there still is a residue of expectation among Christians that Christianity deserves special attention. In the western world there remains the thought that governments act according to Christian principles, and laws are based on Judeo/Christian teaching. Humanists and Atheists are trying to do away with any Christian influence. We should not be surprised when a government fails to live up to Christian principles. Canada for instance is supposed to have a secular government, which I believe is best for Christians. However, the present government has violated the principles of a secularism by seeking to favour a non-Christian religion. The anti-Islamophobia law recommended by the government shows it is more interested in being seen politically correct than adhering to the rights and freedoms of Canadians. The Canadian Charter specifies no religion should be favoured, and no religion should be disadvantaged. The current prime minister ignored the constitution when saying, “The policy going forward is that every single Liberal MP will be expected to stand up for women’s rights to choose.”[19] His statement violates more than one articles of the Charter. This prime minister further violated the Charter of Rights in the proposed “Canada Summer Jobs attestation.” In my view, no belief system should be advantaged or disadvantaged by government. There will always be some demigod in power who feel his personal beliefs are superior, and therefore should be enforceable. The failures of government is not my reason for writing. My concern is more with Christians who expect the government to rule on their side of a question because it is “Christian”. The courts in Canada have thus far resisted any acceptance of Sharia law, but Islamists continue to press for its application to family issues. A secular government is not supposed to favour any religion. The USA enshrined separation of Church and State in its Constitution. Regarding favouring one religion over another, the argument has been made that their Constitution applies to various doctrines of Christianity, since at the time of writing other religions would not have been considered. Christians face resistance when wanting the government to rule against something on religious grounds. Individual Christians must act on their beliefs; expecting a secular government to support those beliefs is unwarranted. Christians must hold a government to its mandate, to not support any religious group. The government must base decisions on evidence, not on religious grounds. There is no record of any action by Jesus to gain support from a government, or even the Jewish Council. Believers are citizens of the kingdom of God. Christians must live their lives according to the teaching of Jesus. Christians have civil rights which they need to exercise. Governments must not meddle in religion. The Charter does not allow acceptance of Sharia law. The government must avoid violating the Charter of Rights by showing favouritism to Islam. So far the courts have said the Canadian Constitution covers concerns of Sharia law, and there is no reason to accept it. Christians should not look to, or expect, government to favour them above other religions. The concept of Christendom was a curse. It came from a time when Popes had more authority than kings. It primarily represented a religious body that was as much political as it was ecclesiastical. One of the main points of Christendom was its opposition to pagan religions, namely, Islam. It was a physical response to a physical threat of Islam.


Paul wrote that believers should pray for peace. History suggests that, early Christianity expanded during persecution. I believe that Christianity suffered its greatest defeat under Constantine. First he proclaimed the Edict of Milan circa 313 CE. The Edict legalized Christianity and allowed for freedom of worship throughout the Roman Empire. Later he   convened the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea to ensure Church unity -325 CE. Constantine proclaimed the teaching of Arius false, and that it could further fragment the Empire. Arius distinguished God the Father (unbegotten), who is the only true God from Son of God (only-begotten), who is Lord/Master. That caused a schism between Trinitarians and non-Trinitarians. Also at the Council of Nicaea, Constantine endorsed the church authorities replacing the biblical Passover with Easter, a popular holiday rooted in ancient springtime fertility celebrations. Constantine kept his attachment to the sun god. The Roman Church adopted aspects of the sun-cult [Mithraism]. They held services on Sunday, they knelt towards the East and moved their nativity-feast to December 25, the birthday of the sun at the winter solstice. As well the bishops of the Roman Church were given the responsibility of electing bishops in all other congregations. Constantine envisioned a universal body of Christians –the Catholic Church. There is some debate as to which institution benefitted most from the alliance of the Empire and Christianity. In my mind it was the Empire. It was the founding of institutional Christianity, and the insertion of a hierarchical system between the individual and his/her God. It authorized the Roman Church’s persecution of Christians who wouldn’t accept its authority or doctrine. And sadly set the standard for Churches that would come later in history. Under Constantine Christian basilicas were built for worship. Constantine imposed his plan on an all too willing group of bishops, heralding the end to the fluid nature of Christianity. From that time to this, Constantine’s order of Christian practice has been accepted without question.

The teaching of Jesus is timeless. The rites and injunctions of the New Testament Scriptures, were to be observed by those to whom they were given. It is wrong to think that Judaism, or the adherence to the Law, stopped at the death of Jesus, or even on Pentecost. Early in his teaching, Jesus said that he hadn’t come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. He went on to say that until heaven and earth passed away, not one letter, not one stroke, would pass from the law until all was accomplished.[20] The law was in force up to the destruction of the temple. Running parallel to the covenant of law, was the proclamation of grace. The covenant given to Israel, and the covenant given to all people were concurrent systems up to the temple and Jerusalem destruction. Peter spoke to Jews in the temple court, accusing them of rejecting Jesus and condemning him to death. He told them to repent, and turn to God for forgiveness. Referencing prophetic promises, Peter told the people, that times of refreshing would come from the Lord. “…and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets.[21] Peter continued exhorting them, saying that they were the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to their ancestors.[22] He said, that all the prophets spoke of those days. He told them that they were the recipients of grace. Peter spoke about things the Jews knew, and events they expected. Most Jews at that time thought in terms of a material restoration of Israel. A few people however, held a spiritual view of God’s promises. Simeon, in a revelation was told he wouldn’t die until he’d seen the Messiah. He anticipated the consolation of Israel. He took the baby Jesus into his arms and praised God. He saw in Jesus the salvation of Israel. Also in the temple area there was a prophetess, Anna, who began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.[23] And there was Joseph of Arimathea a member of the council “…who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God.”[24]

In the west, most children sitting in Sunday school memorizing the statement, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted,” would never have imagined that persecution might actually occur. From the security of our homes we look at reports of people in China who are persecuted for being Christian. But, China is Far away. The primary audience of teaching of Jesus was those to whom he was speaking –the people at that time. The teaching of Jesus was very specific to the Jews. He referenced the Law of Moses, and current events. He mentions the Jewish council. He gave instructions related to their law. He spoke about religious practices of the Jews. That being said, the principles taught by Jesus apply to all people in every age. Christians living in the western world will not be persecuted to the same extent as people in China or those in other parts of the world. Even so, we need to keep in mind that Jesus never suggested that discipleship would ever be easy. Paul urged Christians to pray for kings, and all who in high positions, so that they would be able to live quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and dignity.[25] His injunction would apply to Jewish leaders and Roman governors. The Emperor around that time would have been Nero. If the government’s disdain for Christianity makes Christians uncomfortable, we can exercise our votes to change what we can. But really, other than voting, Christians must remember that Jesus warned his disciples, “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you.[26]



[1] Mat 5:10-12
[2] Mat 10:34 
[3] Mat 10:35, 36
[4] Joh 19:38
[5] Jon 7:13
[6] Mar 10:28-30
[7] Luke 6:38 
[8] Mat 10:25-26
[9] Luke 19:7
[10] Luke 19:9, 10 
[11] Mat 6:19-24
[12] Pro 30:7-9
[13] Mar 8:34 
[14] Jer 12:1 
[15] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
[16] Mat 5:44
[17] Php 2:4-8 
[18] Heb 11:35-39
[19] Lee Berthiaume, Ottawa Citizen, Updated: June 18, 2014
[20] Mat 5:17-19
[21] Act 3:19-21
[22] Act 3:25
[23] Luke 2:25-38
[24] Mar 15:43
[25] 1Ti 2:1, 2
[26] Joh 15:18

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