There is a website that I go to called Seeds For Thought (www.seedsforthought.org) that is provocative and stimulating. Recently I read an article called "What Jesus Never Said." I wanted to share an excerpt from it that really hit home with me. Let me know what you think. Seriously....Let me know.
Here is the excerpt:
How does one effectively hold up a mirror to society so that we better understand who we are and what we really believe? We need the kind of mirror that can reach into the depth of our souls and shake up the complacent hodgepodge of conflicting values.
The following represents such a mirror. It presents the opposite of what the biblical record reports Jesus as saying. What we find is that this opposite describes pretty accurately what we really hold to be true, despite religious loyalties.
"It is the successful and socially accepted people that I have come for: I have no interest in the rest, and neither should you. Separate yourselves from them, and associate only with the hypocrites who pretend to be righteous. Learn what this means: I desire image, not purity, pretension, not authenticity, class distinction, not brotherhood: I come to call those who cannot possibly respond to me, for they have already justified their sins in their minds, and have no taste for being forgiven...."
Compare this passage with Matthew 9:12-13 below which is what Jesus really said.
"Jesus heard them and answered, "Healthy people don't need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and learn what the Scriptures mean when they say, `Instead of offering sacrifices to me, I want you to be merciful to others.' I didn't come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners."
Which one of these does your life represent. Could it be that the opposite of what Jesus really said is a more accurate depiction of what we really hold to be true? I think we all know the answer.
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