reply to post by bwinwright
Contrast these words, supposedly spoken by Jesus:
John 3: 16-18 (New International Version)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not
send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not
believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
to these words, supposedly spoken by Jesus:
Matthew 25: 31-46 (New International Version)
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered
before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and
the goats on his left.
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you
invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you
a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was
hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes
and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help
you?'
He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Jesus stated that he did not come to change the law, he came to fulfil the law. We are continually reminded in the old testament that the law of the
righteous was charity.
Why was Lot singled out as a righteous man and saved from the pyroclasmic fate of Sodom?
Lot not only invited a pair of complete strangers into his home, offering them food and shelter, but he performed the ultimate act of charity, sending
his own virgin daughters out to be raped by the angry crowd rather than allow harm to come to his guests.
Fathers then loved their daughters as they do now, and the purity of the womenfolk was of the highest importance to the family. But this story taught
there was one virtue even more important than the purity of one's dearest daughters, and that was charity, even charity to complete strangers.
The ancient Hebrews tithed, each giving a proportion of their food to feed the hungry. Farmers were forbidden from harvesting the grain left behind by
the initial harvest, that was to be left for the poor to glean for themselves.
So we see the teaching of Jesus in Matthew, that there will be only one consideration taken into account in separating the sheep from the goats, and
that is charity, - who took care of the poor.
In this passage there is no mention of beliefs, "goodness" or spirituality. You may be an atheist, a criminal, a prostitute, even a politician, and
still be welcomed into heaven if you truly cared for those in need and provided for them.
The two passages are contradictory, they cannot both be true.
One passage gives power to the head of the religion.
The other passage fulfils the ancient and ongoing Hebrew traditions of charity.
One must choose which truly quotes the words of Christ.