'I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers."' - Matthew 7:15-23
Rufus T Firefly
Shipmate
in Kerygmania
Over the past few months, bearing in mind all that has gone on in the USA where so many people in power are proudly proclaiming their Christian faith, I have been drawn again and again to the Sermon on the Mount and especially to Matthew 7:15-23
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”
When you consider all the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, especially the bits about loving your enemies and being peacemakers, I can't help wondering what the MAGA Christians make of all this. How do they reconcile their attitudes and actions with these words of Jesus?
I heard a story a little while ago about someone who had a friend who writes service material for conservative evangelical churches and who was warned not to include anything from the Sermon on the Mount as it was "too woke". I cannot confirm if this is true or not, so make of it what you will.
My question here (and this is why this is in Kerygmania) is "how are these passages being understood by people who proclaim their faith and yet eagerly pursue policies and actions that seem to be diametrically opposed to what Jesus was talking about?"
And don't forget Jesus's version of the Golden Rule: In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.”
When you consider all the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, especially the bits about loving your enemies and being peacemakers, I can't help wondering what the MAGA Christians make of all this. How do they reconcile their attitudes and actions with these words of Jesus?
I heard a story a little while ago about someone who had a friend who writes service material for conservative evangelical churches and who was warned not to include anything from the Sermon on the Mount as it was "too woke". I cannot confirm if this is true or not, so make of it what you will.
My question here (and this is why this is in Kerygmania) is "how are these passages being understood by people who proclaim their faith and yet eagerly pursue policies and actions that seem to be diametrically opposed to what Jesus was talking about?"
And don't forget Jesus's version of the Golden Rule: In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
I doubt if there's any really satisfactory answer, but it's up to the MAGA-types to come up with one...
My speculation (as one who does not identify as MAGA) would have to do with the idea of "who counts" as a recipient of one's Christian behaviour. It may narrow down to "someone who is a member in good standing of my particular congregation."
It may be a choice to focus on "brethren" (ugghhhh) and ignore the stranger. People holding that mindset may choose to be generous and kind to those who are inside, or very nearly adjacent, to the in-group.
I stopped reading Paul years ago. I think he did more harm than good. As I've told my brother: if you can't get the Jesus part right, I don't think Paul matters.
Agreed. I don't see how anything good can come from this OP as formulated. It is not really about the passage but rather an invitation to expand on how much we dislike the motivations of a bunch of other people. As such it does not belong in Kerygmania but rather in Hell. So re-start it there if you must, but I'll be closing this incarnation...
Hostly Fin Submerges