The Rodeo

Jesus: firebrands, arrows and death?

Among various theological commitments I have, one of them is a complete repudiation of the “Jesus was only joshin’ ya” school of exegesis. 
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Now, I know what you’re thinking, and you’re absolutely right. No one says Jesus, Paul, God, or whomever was joking. What we really do is give a high-minded philosophical explanation for why whatever Jesus was saying doesn’t really apply to us.
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So it’s really not so much that you think Jesus was joking. You just found a loophole.

- Fearsome Comrade, Jesus, The Great Kidder

 
I’m trying to take Jesus seriously even when it hurts. He claims to be the truth, so how can I assume that he doesn’t mean what he says*. If he says one thing, and I choose to do the opposite, I’m not treating him as the lord that I claim him to be.

RodeoClown: can’t accept a saviour who lies.

* That doesn’t mean every word is to be taken literally – common sense shows Jesus using hyperbole, allegory and imagery from time to time – but I’m trying to accept his words at face value rather than trying to twist whatever he says to fit my own desires.

They also introduce me to other people that way (and insist I do the same).

Captain Awesome: has great kids!