But one Jesus tells that riches cannot lead to your heaven......several times.
But many wealthy Christians can show that Jesus approves of usury, wealth etc.
It is true that this is mentioned. I don't think it is that direct, like "Rich people can't go to heaven!!", but rather that it is difficult. Obviously it is guessing, because as I said, it is not my impression that the wealth of people is particularly in focus in the bible.
My best guess. Especially since there are lots of rich people in the bible who are favoured by God, in fact, Job is considered extremely rich and is even richer in the end, yet God is very happy with him. Which wouldn't make sense if God didn't like rich people.
So the way I see it, this is probably Jesus's way of telling the poor (Which I assumed there would have been many of), that just because you are rich doesn't mean that God cares or believes that they are better in the eyes of God, or that God can somehow be bought.
I could imagine that if you lived at that time and you were told that there is this God, that values you just as much as the rich person next door, and that to him you are just as worthy of going to heaven, that it would be very appealing to the poor person. Also, it would maybe make the rich people think, that God would look better on them if they helped those in need now that they had the fortune of being rich.
I think it is Jesus being clever or what to say, he knows that he can't refuse the rich and he shouldn't, but also he can't make poor people lose hope.
Whether that is true or not, I have no clue, but that seems the most logical to me at least, given that the Bible doesn't talk badly about rich people.
You didn't read those constant warnings about riches and wealth?
Again, as I said, it is mentioned, but I don't think it is all that important, because you have others who are very rich, which isn't condemned for being so.
Obviously, if you have a lot of wealth, especially back then, you would probably have more power than a rich person today in comparison, because our law system is probably more humane and less corrupt. But you could probably misuse your power much easier back then and get away with it than you could today (maybe
). So I think it is more of a warning to rich people that they can't get away with everything, God is watching them as well. You have to remember that they didn't have a legal system like we do today.
Luke a Matthew copied from Mark, so Mark's condensed account is probably the original more accurate one.
But many Christians think Jesus supported fighting and esr, you know.
I agree, I very much get the impression that some of them copied and added a bit here and there. There are some fun examples that can be shown, which clearly are made up.
John 18:33-37
33 - So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
34 - Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?”
35 - Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?”
36 - Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
37 - Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Obviously, the writer would have no clue what Jesus was saying. And it's kind of funny that in John Jesus is talking like crazy. But if we compare that with Matthew:
Matthew 27:11-14
11 - Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.”
12 - But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
13 - Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14 - But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Here you get the impression that Jesus is not talking.
But many Christians think Jesus supported fighting and esr, you know.
Well, I wouldn't be surprised, there are lots of beliefs within Christianity. I don't know what ESR is?
Do you agree that the accounts can err in places?
Yes, I believe they make a lot of errors and I also think they intentionally wrote the stories to make them more exciting. I think they had a purpose. If Jesus only did boring things, it would have been difficult to get people excited about it, which I don't see as an issue, obviously if we knew with 100% certainty that they didn't then we would know what actually happened which would be great. But surely they added stuff etc. The question obviously is, whether the base story is true or not.
No.....the enemies of Jesus were the Temple Priesthood, the Levite controllers of all.
Unless I misunderstand you, the Pharisees and the scribes were part of the temple.
If you read (Won't link it all, you can look it up, but basically this is Jesus having a go at them):
Matthew 23:25-36
25 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 - You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness.
28 - So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 - “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,
30 - saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
31 - Thus you witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
32 - Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
33 - You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
34 - Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
35 - so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
36 - Truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Matthew 5:17-20
17 - “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 - For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 - Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 - For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Clearly, Jesus isn't happy about them.
Most Christians I know insist that Jesus did away with all the Mosaic laws, just keeping a few chosen ones.
Well, I would disagree. The verse I just linked I think Jesus makes it very clear that this is not the case.
17 - “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 - For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 - Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
The main argument, if I recall correctly is from the last part of John, where they say that Jesus "fulfills" the law. Which I don't agree with. But again, if you want to go further into this, I will spend time on it, but I can't remember exactly where it is, or if it is even in John, but I simply remember that I found the argument extremely weak.
I think Jesus saying "until heaven and earth pass away" is pretty self-evidence that the law shouldn't be changed, according to Jesus. My own somewhat weak theory is, that this relates to Revelation. Because that is the only place as far as I know that a new Earth is ever mentioned in the Bible.
Revelation 21:1-8
1 - Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
2 - And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 - And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
4 - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 - And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
6 - And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
7 - The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
8 - But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
But I have no clue if this is supported by anything (actual biblical scholars), that is just my thoughts.