mercoledì 22 febbraio 2017

Turn the other cheek.

All preachers and most church attenders know and will point out to these verses

Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29


Where basically they state Jesus is teaching us not resist the persecution and the aggression of the wicked.

But the bible also tells us to preach the gospel all times, and according to Martin Luther, sometimes we should also use words.

There is one more thing the bible tells us and this is what the preachers tend to avoid mentioning:
-And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?" So they said, "Nothing." Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me: 'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end
."
in Luke 22:35 - 38-

The fact is those passages are on irreconcilable positions according to the preachers..., on the contrary, they state the same thing to me.  "Preach the gospel at all times" (and sometimes use the words too)

Now how is that working?

Some might argue that the sword is figurative, but I doubt so, I think is about a good Damascus steel sword we are talking about here.  The real deal.

I mean you had to sell a garment to buy it, not your socks, not the shirt, not the trousers, but the whole garment; overcoat included.
At the time that was some real money, Primark and Walmart were not selling yet single time use items for one dollar/pound/euro each, making a garment by hand from seeding, to harvesting to processing to making the fabric to tailoring and coloring... must of cost like a good car now days.  Sell your good car and buy a sword, that must of being a good sword.

Back to what we need to learn from all this:  preach the Gospel the way they shall never forget it, teach them a lesson they will remember for life.

In the first case, by turning the other cheek... in public (have you acknowledged in all cases this is preached it is not about things done in private, but in public?) to shun them for being abusive, to teach them such a harsh lesson of superiority, humbleness, might and strength that everybody around would remember that for ever; and the trespasser would not dare stick their heads out of their houses for shame unless they change in better and be re accepted by the community after a deep evidence of having learned their lesson once and for all.

O yes, the bible is meant to be read in it's literal and cultural context, anything else is out of place, which is the way they preach anyway, out of place.  Why so?  Simply so they can take advantage of you being humble and submissive to their abusive ways.

Following the juridical principle that the last law to be issued completes the previous ones, eliminates among the previous ones those that are in disagreement with the last one and takes over the legal issues as the only applicable law from that moment on, we must note that the "buy a sword" commandment arrived after the "turn the other cheek" on a chronological order.

And it is telling us that if in our appraisal of the situation, the "turn the other cheek" will have no positive effect, than pull out the sword and defend your rights, fight them to death, chain them and send them to jail, whatever, if they have a hard time behaving like they should, just kick their asses.

Of course there is another command coming latter in time, "love one another", but surprisingly that is not canceling the above two. 
What is that command doing is telling you not to be like those that you have to punish for being wicked, be it by shaming them publicly or if not efficient to do so, by fighting them with the sword or whatever you happen to have as weapon, legal documents, lawyers, courts, guns, as long as justice prevails.  Be a warrior and kick ass.

Be better.  As long as it works, and be stronger and more mean when needed, but without being wicked and evil yourself.

Bottom line, turn the other cheek it is only another weapon to publicly put to shame ad teach a hard lesson to the evil ones, use it when it works to kick their asses around, and if that would not do, remember that sword you bought and trained with?  Use it... with love.




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