From: MM24681@UAFSYSB.BITNET (Michael Million)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Subject: Comments on the Apostles and Jesus' Teachings
Date: 9 Oct 92 14:26:40 GMT
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU


 Dan... and Everyone:
    Thanks Dan for responding to my post.  I have no argument about your
 statements regarding the "essentials of the Gospel;"  I am sure the
 apostles or their subsequent translators wrote as you drew example.
 However, I do have question about the assumption you make that the
 apostles' gospel truely reflects their original instructions from Jesus.
 I am not convinced that the apostles, with all of their good inten-
 tions, presented the teachings of Jesus without flaw.  Moreover, their
 version has been re-written and edited numerous times since their lives
 on earth ended.  In general, one has to admit that the true revelation
 Jesus offered us in his _life_ has been absorbed and effected by two
 millenia of human interpretation.  I doubt not that Jesus lived a life
 of true revelation; I do doubt that it has been passed along unaffected
 by the subsequent socialization of his revelations. Humans tend to have
 their own agenda in all matters.  In order to make the teachings of
 Jesus more acceptable to the diversity of human groups alive then and
 since, the apostles as well as the church leaders involved in the later
 transciptions made conceptual compromises.  And we must consider their
 emotional states. The Jewish leaders in the last days of Christ demand-
 ed his death. Christ would not claim to be 'the Messiah' of OT prophesy
 (he said the kingdom of heaven was for ALL mankind). He was, therefore,
 a threat and they made sure he was put to death.  The apostles, with no
 writings permitted by Jesus during his life, were pressed to compose a
 set of proclamations, teachings and beliefs which would ably 'compete'
 for the souls of those in the many religions of the time.  They also
 could very well have had a slightly vengeful cast to their evangelism.
 Impressing upon others the hellish consequences of not taking their
 Master's teachings to heart might be how the *guilt* aspect crept into
 their spreading of Christ's message.  They had lived with Christ and
 knew without doubt that he was who he said he was; they knew he had
 healed and performed miracles and *most of all* he returned to talk
 with them _after_ his physical death. To see the resurrected Jesus and
 talk with him *then* about the kingdom had tremendous effect on the
 hearts and minds of the excited apostles.
   But they were human and Jesus was always so humble about his life and
 mission that they were constantly urging him to perform some 'miracle'
 so that the citizenry would instantly realize that indeed here was the
 Godman. But Jesus well understood that those who needed miracles before
 they would believe were not the steadfast sons and daughters (yet)
 ready for the kingdom. We must believe _without_ the empirical evidence
 that even today so many still demand; faith is the key to survival.  So
 after Jesus' death, they broke across the land and spread their mes-
 ages, these human apostles did.  The humility of their master confused
 them.  Assertion of ego and lack of insight into the concepts of divine
 love and the Fatherhood of God were two of the very understandable
 human failings in which the apostles participated.
    But most of all...  After Jesus' last appearance to his apostles and
 followers in his spiritually resurrected form, he ascended to the
 Father.  Very soon thereafter the Spirit of Truth poured out.  After
 receiving this spirit blessing the believers in Christ, especially the
 apostles went forth and proclaimed a gospel *about* Jesus instead of
 the gospel *of* Jesus.  That is, they told their audiences to believe
 in Christ for they had seen him resurrected; believe in his resurrec-
 tion and you can have your 'resurrection' ...your salvation.  They told
 their audience that he died on the cross for their sins and they should
 come forth and believe and accept Christ.  This message worked better
 than any previous message the apostles had attempted to convey.  This
 message _about_ Christ supplanted his message.  It was an honest mis-
 take; but their error has been amplified and convoluted through the
 centuries.  Many honest hearts have turned away from this message
 of the implications of a _sacrificial_ salvation and sinner's guilt. It
 is time to refresh the original teachings of Christ so that they will
 be acceptable, as Jesus intended, to the hearts of all.
    Thank you for responding to my post.  I do feel we have a debt to
 Jesus to refresh his teachings.  Many people turn from Christ when they
 hear 'religious' persons tell them their life is meaningless and they
 are doomed to hell if they don't believe.  Christ would never behave in
 such a manner.  People turn from Christ when we tell them that they
 have to read and believe the Bible or they will go to hell for eternity.
 Christ NEVER told anyone any such thing.  Proclamations by humans with
 vested interests have to a large degree rendered Jesus unapproachable -
 via traditional socialized religion - by millions of our fellow humans
 because the messages most teach about him are not honestly *universal.*
                                  a brother in Christ,    Michael
 PS:  I was very glad to hear the word 'epistomology' come up on this
 list. I have to respond to other questions about 'sin,' the meaning/
 significance of Jesus' death on the cross and the implications in his
 teachings about the real nature of ascension/survival.  But for today
 I suspect I have used up my allotted 'air time.'
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