[I blame Kurt Belcher for this...]
Here's an interesting question for you: Would Jesus dismantle all theistic religion if He were given a chance?
I know it's a possibly a heretical thought, but I think it's worth exploring. His actions certainly bring the question to mind. His attack on the temple merchants resulted in sacrifice being eliminated. He also brought into question all of the death sentences of the Old Testament; His attitude regarding casting the first stone is noteworthy. A careful look at the parable of the Good Samaritan shows that those that considered themselves as "religious" sometimes took themselves too seriously and that created some level of hypocrisy. There was reason to worry about being religious rather than spiritual, and Jesus never had a problem pointing that out.
He also questioned having two sets of laws for his followers. In essence, rather than looking at the proscriptions of Leviticus and Deuteronomy as a law unto themselves, He suggested that his followers worry more about the laws of the land in which they found themselves. When He discusses tithing versus taxes, He also mentions that higher priority should be given to the law of the land than holy law. This especially irked the Pharisees as they were dependent on the Jews following their rule rather than that of Rome. Again, He saw having those two sets of rules creating more pride, as the rules created exclusivity rather than inclusivity. There was a greater advantage to being part of the local crowd rather than being apart from it.
Jesus constantly pointed out that anything that prevented a person from reaching God should be ignored. By that time some groups, such as the Pharisees, were more worried about appearing to be holy rather than actually being holy; the irony is that the laws meant to bring God's people closer to him were actually driving them further away. Because of this, and Jesus' status as an iconoclast, I think it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Jesus had not been slated for sacrifice...
Here's an interesting question for you: Would Jesus dismantle all theistic religion if He were given a chance?
I know it's a possibly a heretical thought, but I think it's worth exploring. His actions certainly bring the question to mind. His attack on the temple merchants resulted in sacrifice being eliminated. He also brought into question all of the death sentences of the Old Testament; His attitude regarding casting the first stone is noteworthy. A careful look at the parable of the Good Samaritan shows that those that considered themselves as "religious" sometimes took themselves too seriously and that created some level of hypocrisy. There was reason to worry about being religious rather than spiritual, and Jesus never had a problem pointing that out.
He also questioned having two sets of laws for his followers. In essence, rather than looking at the proscriptions of Leviticus and Deuteronomy as a law unto themselves, He suggested that his followers worry more about the laws of the land in which they found themselves. When He discusses tithing versus taxes, He also mentions that higher priority should be given to the law of the land than holy law. This especially irked the Pharisees as they were dependent on the Jews following their rule rather than that of Rome. Again, He saw having those two sets of rules creating more pride, as the rules created exclusivity rather than inclusivity. There was a greater advantage to being part of the local crowd rather than being apart from it.
Jesus constantly pointed out that anything that prevented a person from reaching God should be ignored. By that time some groups, such as the Pharisees, were more worried about appearing to be holy rather than actually being holy; the irony is that the laws meant to bring God's people closer to him were actually driving them further away. Because of this, and Jesus' status as an iconoclast, I think it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Jesus had not been slated for sacrifice...
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