The Church is also less offensive, rude and sarcastic than Gods men in the Bible were. And no Christian would ever be caught dead mocking the wicked, as Gods men in the Bible sometimes did. The Bible sometimes ministers through ridicule, humor, sarcasm and even mocking. For example, God mocked and defeated the Midianites by giving them a nightmare in which they were attacked by a loaf of bread (Jud. 7:13-14). Elijah, just prior to executing 450 prophets of Baal, mocked them as the Bible says, telling them to yell louder to their god so that Baal could hear their prayers since he was either on a trip, sleeping or in the restroom (Hebrew, private place, 1 Ki. 18:27; and 2 Ki. 6:8-20). And Jesus rebuked the multitudes for not responding in faith to John the Baptists message as He ridiculed them: What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? (Mat. 11:7). The especially harsh term hypocrite is used in the Gospels twenty-three times. Christ often insulted the scribes, Pharisees and lawyers. He even called the Pharisees blind guides (Mat. 23:16, 24) and sons of hell (Mat. 23:15). Jesus spoke unkind words unacceptable today. He said to Peter Get behind me, Satan (Mat. 16:23). He told the Pharisees You are of your father the devil (John 8:44), and made a whip and cleared thieves from the temple (Mat. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17; Luke 19:45-46; John 2:14-15). Gentiles (as symbols of the godless) and sodomites are called dogs in the Bible (Mat. 7:6; 15:26; Deut. 23:17-18; Ps. 22:16; 59:5-6; Phil. 3:2; Rev. 22:15). And Jesus was harsh (not only to the Pharisees, as some believers wrongly assume but) to all the unrepentant (see His use of hypocrite). Jesus instructs Christians to not cast your pearls before swine (Mat. 7:6). Yet the silly dilemma now is, Who could Christ possibly have meant by that, for we are too loving, tolerant, polite and respectful to refer to any human being by that mean-spirited term. More Here: https://facebook/notes/bob-enyart-live/nicer-than-god/10152041245643632
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 10:41:11 +0000