Comments on: A Very Important Reminder, How You Read The Bible Affects How You Understand Jesus, Watch And Learn… http://www.scottkentjones.com/a-very-important-reminder-how-you-read-the-bible-affects-how-you-understand-jesus-watch-and-learn/06/2009/ Faith, Theology, Culture, Life Tue, 11 May 2010 15:32:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Geoff Kees Thompson http://www.scottkentjones.com/a-very-important-reminder-how-you-read-the-bible-affects-how-you-understand-jesus-watch-and-learn/06/2009/comment-page-1/#comment-781 Geoff Kees Thompson Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:05:04 +0000 http://www.scottkentjones.com/?p=147#comment-781 Amazing how one develops this notion of Christ being a conquering avenger who seeks to spread as worldly an influence as civil government domination. I see the complete opposite. The only Christ as Avenger scene that comes to mind for me in the Bible is Jesus' turning out of the merchants in the temple... the fact that it occurred in a temple and not in a city hall is instructive in and of itself. Even in Christ's death we see Pontius Pilate reluctant to kill Jesus for his accused "political disturbances." It's the Pharisees who use this accusation to ensnarl him into a death by secular hands. So poignant for us is that this is how Jesus' beneficent image is being handed over to death today... by zealots who, although their intentions are opposite, extend Jesus' image into secular government. Amazing how one develops this notion of Christ being a conquering avenger who seeks to spread as worldly an influence as civil government domination. I see the complete opposite. The only Christ as Avenger scene that comes to mind for me in the Bible is Jesus’ turning out of the merchants in the temple… the fact that it occurred in a temple and not in a city hall is instructive in and of itself.

Even in Christ’s death we see Pontius Pilate reluctant to kill Jesus for his accused “political disturbances.” It’s the Pharisees who use this accusation to ensnarl him into a death by secular hands. So poignant for us is that this is how Jesus’ beneficent image is being handed over to death today… by zealots who, although their intentions are opposite, extend Jesus’ image into secular government.

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