Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Luke 14 and self loathing

Here's the context of Luke 14.

Jesus went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, and they watched him. A man had "dropsy". Jesus asked the Pharisees if they would heal him on the Sabbath. They said nothing.

He healed the man, and then asked the Pharisees if there was any of them who would not pull their ox or ass out of the ditch on the Sabbath, at which they didn't answer.

Jesus then told a parable about pecking order and humility which ended with, Luke 14:11,
"For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."


Jesus then tells the Pharisees that when they make supper, not to call their friends, brethren, kinsmen or rich neighbors, but rather to feed the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind, and that you'll get payola for this when you are judged by 'god'.

(In conjunction with the 'humility' parable previous to this advice,it implies that you'll get a better pecking order "seat" in heaven if you help the unfortunate).


Jesus then told a metaphorical story about a "man" making a feast and told his servants to invite people, but they all made excuses, so "the man" told his servants to go out and find the poor and feed them. Jesus then goes on to say directly to the Pharisees...(Luke 14:26-27) "If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple."

He then goes on to discuss how someone considering constructing something wouldn't do it without first figuring out what his expenses would be, and then says...

(Luke 14:33) "So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."

Is this not the correct context of Luke 14?

Did Jesus say Luke 14:26, or not?

Is Jesus not advocating poverty and disenfranchisement in this "world" for all his followers?

Jesus in Luke 14:26 says that Jesus' followers should "hate" his father, mother, wife, children, brothers and sisters, and his own life also. The Greek word used is "miseo", which is Strong's Concordance number G3404, and means to hate, pursue with hatred, or to detest.
http://tinyurl.com/658v3r

Is this not in context with Luke 14?

Do you, as a "follower of Christ", hate the members of your family and "your own life also"?
If not, then Jesus suggests that you "CANNOT" be a disciple of Christ.


(Note how this argument nullifies the typical "your taking things out of context" claim, and the "translation error" claim, and 14:27 obliterates the "it's a parable, not literal" claim, leaving only the "you can't understand simple English unless you're possessed by the holy ghost" claim, which is obviously preposterous).

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