Welcome back to The Moral Vision of Jesus Christ!
I've left you for a long time. I know. I feel guilty on a daily basis when I consider the fact that I haven't written here in so long. I would understand if you were mad.
I stopped writing because my father was very ill, and he happened to be the one-man-audience I was writing this study for. A little over a year ago we almost lost him, and his condition through 2020 was "touch-and-go" at best as we waited and prayed about his health. It was my related depression that caused me to stop writing. On December 3, my father passed away as my mother, my sister, and I held onto his weathered body.
It's weird, but I've realized of late that my father was the one-man-audience not only for this study, but for my intellect, and, in a way, for my every action. I never really cared what anyone else thought in this world, and I still don't, but my father's opinion sure was important to me. My father's mind and heart and soul sure were important to me...
In the wake of his death, I've become privy, to a greater degree, to my own mortality. When you watch the breath go out of the man that put you on this earth, it doesn't just "change" part of you. Or, that's not how it worked for me...
No, watching your father die doesn't change part of you. It annihilates part of you. If my ego was a planet in that moment, my father's death was an asteroid hitting it with the force of a trillion nuclear warheads. Planet Ego ain't even shaped the same anymore, folks, and I've been wandering around since that moment in a daze, wondering who I am...
I don't know who I'm going to write this study for now, but I woke up today feeling like I should start this project moving again.
You know what... disregard that sentiment. I know who I'm writing this for. Even still.
I love you, dad.
Here's what's next in our study.
Matthew 6:14 through 6:15
14 If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.
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It's possible I've been overcomplicating things here, as far as Jesus goes. Before we talk about today's reading, let's talk about my general approach in this study.
If you've been with me so far on this project, you know that we have advanced through the Gospel at perhaps the slowest possible rate. My intention has been to create such a detailed study of the Gospel that I cannot possibly be argued with when it comes to the life of Jesus Christ. The more nuance and detail, the better, right? That's why we've spent so much time exploring the ancient Greek, the First-Century historical context, the ancient Jewish context, and all this other minutiae.
As it turns out, though, the average American "Christian" is not interested in the least to know about the linguistics behind the Gospel. They are not interested to know about the First-Century historical context. They are not interested to know that Judaism was never a monolith, and that Jewish belief was as diverse in First-Century Palestine as Christian belief is today. They literally do not care about any of that.
This fact became really pronounced when I briefly joined an online "Bible-in-a-Year" study group last year. Only a few days in, the group basically told me that my questions and anecdotes about context and linguistics were unwelcome, and that I was reading the Bible wrong. I shouldn't study it like the ancient text that it is, they said.
I guess the American lack of interest in the nuance and detail of the Gospel should have been obvious to me...
Of course the average American "Christian" is not interested in using Jesus Christ as a moral guide, a philosophical leader, or a standard of behavior. The average American "Christian" literally doesn't know and doesn't care what Jesus said in his Sermon on the Mount. The average American "Christian" is only interested in using Jesus as a self-soothing salve, a balm to rub onto one's mind whenever one has doubt about oneself. Jesus is just "a god on their side," justifying their every action and desire, the same way Jupiter was a god on the side of the Romans, justifying everything they did.
To the American "Christian," modern American circumstance defines morality, not the Gospel. Jesus' words must either align with modern American conservativism, or be ignored altogether.
If Jesus says "do not kill," but modern American morality says "the death penalty is good," the American "Christian" will negate Jesus' ethic in defense of the modern American one.
If Jesus says "you cannot worship God and mammon," but modern American morality says "conspicuous consumption is a societal ideal," the American "Christian" will toss a strip of duct-tape over Christ's mouth and call their stock-broker.
If Jesus says "if you forgive others, God will forgive you," but modern American morality says "vengeance is ours," the American "Christian" will snap back at Jesus to "sit down and shut up" as they enact their retribution.
So now I guess I'm thinking that, since the modern American "Christian" isn't going to take interest in any of this nuance and detail anyway, maybe I would be better off jettisoning some of it. At the very least, this would make this writing more time-efficient for me.
If I forewent all the nuance for today's reading, then, what would our study look like?
I guess that, without all the supplemental research, we're just left with the words of the evangelist, and our own hearts to tell us if the words ring true or not...
Our reading today rings true to my heart.
It's so easy to understand. Just pure moral data. It rings true to my heart. How about you?
Forgiveness is an ideal. To bear a grudge is abhorrent. Jesus said so. And maybe that's saying enough, here.
I don't know what form this study is going to take going forward, but I promise that I'm not done here yet. If you want to talk about Jesus, I hope you'll reach out to me. Until next time, happy studies.
Love.
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To read what came prior to this, click here.
