Sunday, August 27, 2023
Sunday Reflection: What Jesus really said
Christianity is a little strange these days.
Supposedly, it is a faith centered on what Jesus taught. Yet so many seem to define their faith through things that Jesus never addressed in his teachings. Some progressive Christians root their faith, for example, on environmental issues, while some conservatives largely define their Christianity on abortion and attacks on LGBT people-- none of which involve issues Christ talked about.
Meanwhile, what Jesus actually taught about is pretty much ignored. Here is one, which some will find troubling:
"Give to everyone who asks of you." Luke 6:30.
That's pretty straightforward, isn't it? There are no limits or conditions or exceptions. If someone asks, give.
Yet almost none of us do that (including me, sometimes). We talk ourselves out of it when a person on the street asks us for money-- perhaps we convince ourselves that the person will use it for drugs. But that is directly contradictory to what Jesus taught.
To put it another way, "common sense" tells us one thing and Jesus another. Who do we listen to? And if you ignore this and instead live out your faith based on things you extrapolate from the Old Testament or the Epistles... what is your faith?
