Hey all Great topic, questions and thoughts! Thanks all I just think one of Rob's points is worth expanding on a little he wrote:
# I reckon they 'got' bits of it and stuffed up other bits when you think about it, the bits that are going to bet the most attention are the bits they didn't get. There's less of a story when everyone agrees with Jesus. this applies to both biblical times and now. The bits that are going to interest us to study are the bits we don't understand or disagree with (find difficult). The hard bits are probably a small(er) percentage of his teaching that are outweighed in people's minds by the more obvious truths. Also think about our wider society today, I reckon most people would agree with most of what Jesus taught, this just doesn't make him the son of God to them. Where as for others the 'easy' parts of his teaching are significant enough to warrant giving him divine authority. James ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Stuart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 10:08 Subject: Dumb Question Yes Sue, that is another angle. I was referring to the people who struggle with Jesus message. You rightly point to the sacrifice that has to be made when we follow Jesus (though I note, from your email, that others make far more a sacrifice than me). I was aware of the quote (though I was thinking of the Mark version that we had read not too many weeks back). I guess it didn't complete the answer for me ... that is, how did they see that Jesus was offering eternal life in his words. I had another helpful reply which was about thinking the answer from others perspectives ... say from blind Bartimaeus' perspective. That is, it is not hard to see what he followed Jesus. We can see why the rich man DIDN'T follow Jesus. So maybe I am looking from the perspective of the rich man. The gospel is always (as I have heard quoted) good news for some and bad news for others. Thanks Tom >So here is my dumb question: If no one understood Jesus, and when they did >they realised they could not live the sort of life Jesus demanded, why did >anyone keep following him? >Seriously, why did they keep following him? John 6 67"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve. 68Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." A timely question, given that this is the week of 'International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church' [organised by World Evangelical Alliance et al]. 200 million Christians worldwide currently face persecution. 400 million face serious discrimination and restrictions. Why are Christians prepared to endure imprisonment, torture and death? Why would a woman flee her homeland, leaving husband and son behind, rather than renounce her faith? etc etc etc Sue Sue Bolton Sydney, Australia ------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------
