What do you know about the Bible Thomas Jefferson created? He titled his creation The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. According to Smithsonian Magazine, Jefferson in the fall and winter months of 1819 and 1820 used a razor to cut portions from seven different Bibles to create what is now commonly referred to as the Jefferson Bible. If you would like to read more about his creation, you can find it here through this link: Smithsonian Magazine.
My question is this, have we created our own cut and paste version of Jesus by selectively promoting certain texts above others? Have we repeated Jefferson’s practice in theory because subconsciously we are avoiding the tension that comes from trying to reconcile what appears to be conflicting texts in Scripture that pertain to Jesus’ teachings on offense, confrontation, and accountability?
This will be a series of blogs, inviting you into my own journey of asking questions. We will all do well to remember that our understanding of Scripture is not infallible. My definition of a modern day Pharisee is someone who makes no room for anyone else’s understanding of Scripture that differs from their own. We must accept that two sound hermeneutical processes can lead to irreconcilable interpretations; otherwise, we will drift toward modern day Pharisaical attitudes. Be suspicious of people who claim to always follow Scripture and then quickly render judgment of others whose actions contradict their own conclusions.
Here is a sample of some of the questions I hope to tackle in this blog series. Is Matthew 18 supposed to be the quintessential text on conflict resolution that many of us have been lead to believe? Did Jesus Himself practice Matthew 18 in the way we have been taught to understand this text? Did Jesus love His enemies as He compelled us to do in the Sermon of the Mount? Or rather, have we been taught a version of loving our enemies that has mislead us into a practice that Jesus Himself did not intend? Have we ever tried to reconcile what Jesus says in Matthew 5 regarding leaving our offering at the alter if we know someone is offiended with us with Matthew 15 where the disciples inform Jesus that the Pharisees were offended with Him? Is Jesus not practicing what He preached or have we misunderstood what Jesus was intending to say? What do we do with Galatians 2 where Paul recounts a story of him publicly confronting Peter, then writing about it, naming names? And of course we have to ask about Jesus bookending His public ministry with criminal behavior of disorderly conduct and the destruction of property in the temple courts. And finally, what do we do with all of Jesus’ repeated name calling, especially directed toward the religious leaders of His day, in public settings while they are present?
My motivation for asking these questions is not born out of an academic curiosity nor a need to build my Biblical textual muscle. I am deeply concerned that we are presenting to others a false Christ that is causing vulnerable people to suffer unnecessarily at the hands of abusive people because they fear that confronting that harm somehow violates the character of Christ. I am asking these questions because I fear that we are presenting a false Christ by subconsciously cutting and pasting our way selectively through the Gospels and the New Testament epistles in a Jeffersonian manner. If our version of Jesus leaves aggressors unchecked and those who enable them unchallenged, then have be misunderstood Jesus?
My promise is not to lead us through this blog series to firm conclusions. My hope is to begin to stir up an honest dialogue among trusted friends and colleagues to see where our understanding of Scripture can be sharpened and our practice matured.
Father, may our orthodoxy and our orthopraxy be a pure refection of Your truth. We want to mirror your heart in both our beliefs and in our practice.