Which Jesus is the right one?

[oldbadger]

Hello.
Now which Jesus is the real one!

There's one that tells that gathering riches and loving mammon are both very wrong, but some Christians reply by telling me that Jesus believes in profits and rewards for profitable servants. Which one is the right one?

There's the Jesus that orders people never to call others 'fool' but Christians sometimes accuse others of being 'brick-thick'. Which Jesus is the right one?

There's the Jesus that insists on peaceful behaviour and turning the other cheek when slapped. But some Christians insist that Jesus wanted his followers to sell their possessions and buy swords.

And......there are more examples, but you get it.
So which Jesus is the real one?

 

[rocala]

I think that I would like Jesus very much but some Christians I do have a problem with. They are not the same thing.

 

[oldbadger]

There's one Jesus that spent the afternoon of Palm Sunday teaching in the Temple. But there's another Jesus that spent Palm Sunday afternoon by sightseeing in the Temple. Which is the real one?

 

[oldbadger]

I think that I would like Jesus very much but some Christians I do have a problem with. They are not the same thing.

Absolutely!
I do wonder if Mr Trump makes the true personification of a Christian.

 

[rocala]

The Jesus who is a descendant of King David or the Jesus who is not a son of Joseph.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I know who the real Jesus would be for me, but for you I cannot answer. Either learn who Jesus was for yourself directly through his teachings, or buy into what "some Christians sometimes" tell you.

 

[rocala]

So which Jesus is the real one?

I am fairly certain that we will never know. This is not unique to Jesus or indeed religion in general. It seems that wherever their are teachings be they religious or political, and the teacher is dead, then people will interpret differently and for different reasons. The results will sometimes even be bloody.

Personally, I believe him to be an ordinary human and quite possibly enlightened. That is enough to get me hated in some quarters.

 

[oldbadger]

The Jesus who is a descendant of King David or the Jesus who is not a son of Joseph.

Which line do you believe is true, Matthew's or Luke's?

 

[ChristineM]

Having studded Roman history of the period i don't believe Jesus to be represented the majority of what is written in the bible.

 

[rocala]

Which line do you believe is true, Matthew's or Luke's?

I do not know if there is a good reason for picking one over the other. More importantly IMO is that a persons genealogy is of no spiritual relevance.

 

[oldbadger]

I do not know if there is a good reason for picking one over the other. More importantly IMO is that a persons genealogy is of no spiritual relevance.

Surely........only one can be correct?
If you're putting spirituality first then why would Jesus have to be related to David?

 

[rocala]

If you're putting spirituality first then why would Jesus have to be related to David?

Exactly.

 

[marriedmanoffaith]

Hello.
Now which Jesus is the real one!

There's one that tells that gathering riches and loving mammon are both very wrong, but some Christians reply by telling me that Jesus believes in profits and rewards for profitable servants. Which one is the right one?

There's the Jesus that orders people never to call others 'fool' but Christians sometimes accuse others of being 'brick-thick'. Which Jesus is the right one?

There's the Jesus that insists on peaceful behaviour and turning the other cheek when slapped. But some Christians insist that Jesus wanted his followers to sell their possessions and buy swords.

And......there are more examples, but you get it.
So which Jesus is the real one?

I understand your confusion and concern. It is a challenge to discern the authentic Jesus amidst the various interpretations and contradictions. I would say that the real Jesus is the one who embodies love, compassion, and mercy.

The Jesus who warns against the dangers of wealth and materialism is the same Jesus who values the poor and the marginalized. He is the one who teaches us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth.

The Jesus who cautions against judgmental language is the same Jesus who commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He is the one who shows us that our words have the power to build up or tear down.

The Jesus who preaches peace and nonviolence is the same Jesus who calls us to be peacemakers and to love our enemies. He is the one who shows us that true strength lies not in wielding swords, but in wielding love and forgiveness.

The real Jesus is not a contradictory figure, but a complex one. He is a God who cannot be reduced to simplistic or convenient interpretations. He is a mystery that we are called to contemplate, to pray with, and to live out in our daily lives.

 

[rocala]

Surely........only one can be correct?

Or neither. We can look at this from various angles. If the traditional story is true then Joseph's family tree is irrelevant.
If Jesus is not the son of God that does not prove that Joseph is his father. In fact at least one scholar has suggested that Joseph is a complete fiction. It might have been John Shelby-Spong, but I am not sure. But again the genealogies are of no use.

 

[oldbadger]

I understand your confusion and concern. It is a challenge to discern the authentic Jesus amidst the various interpretations and contradictions. I would say that the real Jesus is the one who embodies love, compassion, and mercy.

The Jesus who warns against the dangers of wealth and materialism is the same Jesus who values the poor and the marginalized. He is the one who teaches us to store up treasures in heaven, not on earth.

The Jesus who cautions against judgmental language is the same Jesus who commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He is the one who shows us that our words have the power to build up or tear down.

The Jesus who preaches peace and nonviolence is the same Jesus who calls us to be peacemakers and to love our enemies. He is the one who shows us that true strength lies not in wielding swords, but in wielding love and forgiveness.

The real Jesus is not a contradictory figure, but a complex one. He is a God who cannot be reduced to simplistic or convenient interpretations. He is a mystery that we are called to contemplate, to pray with, and to live out in our daily lives.

Thank you for your post. I do think that Jesus is the most likely one and his followers are most valuable within any community and not just their own.

So the question begs, who was the threatening, grasping, sword wielding and violent man of the same name?

 

[Kathryn]

Hello.
Now which Jesus is the real one!

There's one that tells that gathering riches and loving mammon are both very wrong, but some Christians reply by telling me that Jesus believes in profits and rewards for profitable servants. Which one is the right one?

There's the Jesus that orders people never to call others 'fool' but Christians sometimes accuse others of being 'brick-thick'. Which Jesus is the right one?

There's the Jesus that insists on peaceful behaviour and turning the other cheek when slapped. But some Christians insist that Jesus wanted his followers to sell their possessions and buy swords.

And......there are more examples, but you get it.
So which Jesus is the real one?

I've got a crazy idea - why don't you spend this weekend reading the New Testament - all but Revelations, starting with Matthew. Heck just read the Gospels for a start - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Then you can come back and tell US which Jesus is the real one!

 

[oldbadger]

Or neither. We can look at this from various angles. If the traditional story is true then Joseph's family tree is irrelevant.
If Jesus is not the son of God that does not prove that Joseph is his father. In fact at least one scholar has suggested that Joseph is a complete fiction. It might have been John Shelby-Spong, but I am not sure. But again the genealogies are of no use.

Just so...... A step father's bloodline means little.
I don't think that Jesus was the special son of God, rather than all Jews felt they were the children of their God.
The very first verse of the gospel or Mark was edited to include 'the Son of God' because most early manuscripts did not include that title. Subsequent gospels were more influenced by churches, I think.

 

[ChristineM]

So the question begs, who was the threatening, grasping, sword wielding and violent man of the same name?

That would be the jesus i consider more likely given the history of roman occupation

 

[oldbadger]

I've got a crazy idea - why don't you spend this weekend reading the New Testament - all but Revelations, starting with Matthew. Heck just read the Gospels for a start - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Then you can come back and tell US which Jesus is the real one!

You didn't understand. I'm asking people to decide which Jesus in those gospels is the real one.
If all the descriptions apply then I rather think he would have been a person of split character.

So which do you choose? The caring loving gentle man who rejected riches, or the threatening warlike one who rewarded capital investment?

Or should I guess?

 

[oldbadger]

That would be the jesus i consider more likely given the history of roman occupation

Or maybe both existed?
The Northern Jews didn't live under Roman occupation, apart from when they journeyed south.

I think both existed and got mixed up, hence the story of Jesus Barabbas.