Comments on: holiness http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/02/26/holiness/ digging deep, stretching up, reaching out Wed, 7 Jan 2009 09:01:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: Ari http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/02/26/holiness/comment-page-1/#comment-125 Ari Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:29:15 +0000 http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/02/26/holiness/#comment-125 really good points paul - all the way around :) really good points paul - all the way around :)

]]> By: Paul http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/02/26/holiness/comment-page-1/#comment-124 Paul Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:36:17 +0000 http://www.swingingfromthevine.com/2007/02/26/holiness/#comment-124 that is soooooo annoying Ari. And it always happens to the really good posts that have been beautifully crafted too :( I read something recently in McLaren's secret message of Jesus that i thought is very much about this - Brian references the sermon on the mount and quotes Jesus as saying that unless your rightousness exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees you won't get into heaven. Everyone knew that these guys prided themselves on being the righteous elite but Jesus then goes on to say, look these guys say don't kill but i say don't even get angry and if you have upset a brother or sister don't prioritse your religious acts prioritise making up. The pharisees say don't commit adultery but i say deal with the lust in your heart that leads to adultery etc... In other words the pharisees and scribes were focussing on managing the externals - don't do wrong things and ignoring the internals. Or as Jesus puts it if you follow the logic of the scribes/pharisees to avoid wrong doing you might as well start lopping off body parts to avoid the risk of sinning - after all better to loose a hand or an eye right than risk them causing you to sin - in my case i'll make it into heaven a headless eunuch but at least i won't have done wrong things... Jesus seems however to think that is missing the point and comes back to your point that it is not so much managing the externals but an inner transformation of the kingdom of God that shapes/confronts/changes our values, thoughts, motivations etc. that is soooooo annoying Ari. And it always happens to the really good posts that have been beautifully crafted too :(

I read something recently in McLaren’s secret message of Jesus that i thought is very much about this - Brian references the sermon on the mount and quotes Jesus as saying that unless your rightousness exceeds that of the scribes and the pharisees you won’t get into heaven. Everyone knew that these guys prided themselves on being the righteous elite but Jesus then goes on to say, look these guys say don’t kill but i say don’t even get angry and if you have upset a brother or sister don’t prioritse your religious acts prioritise making up. The pharisees say don’t commit adultery but i say deal with the lust in your heart that leads to adultery etc…

In other words the pharisees and scribes were focussing on managing the externals - don’t do wrong things and ignoring the internals. Or as Jesus puts it if you follow the logic of the scribes/pharisees to avoid wrong doing you might as well start lopping off body parts to avoid the risk of sinning - after all better to loose a hand or an eye right than risk them causing you to sin - in my case i’ll make it into heaven a headless eunuch but at least i won’t have done wrong things…

Jesus seems however to think that is missing the point and comes back to your point that it is not so much managing the externals but an inner transformation of the kingdom of God that shapes/confronts/changes our values, thoughts, motivations etc.

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