The
Mission and Ministry of Jesus – [Courtesy
Dr. Jerald Dirks Doctor of Divinity]
The mission and ministry of Jesus, peace
be upon him)1, may be analyzed
in several different ways. One would be to examine the content of his message
to his listeners/followers. Another way
would be
to analyze the source and precedents
of Jesus' message. For example,
how often are the alleged words of Jesus actually a quotation or paraphrase of
earlier canonical, apocryphal, or pseudepigraphical scripture. A third way
would be to determine the scope of his mission, i.e. to what range of people
did Jesus deliver his message. In this brief chapter, the third approach has
been attempted.
The modern Christian churches, with their
theology primarily influenced by and based on the post-Jesus writings of Paul
and on the Pauline tradition, maintain that the message of Jesus was addressed
to the whole world, both to Jews and to gentiles. As such, Jesus is seen as a
universal messenger of Allah.2
In marked contrast, Islam reserves the concept of the universal messenger to
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and sees Jesus as being a prophet and
messenger whose prophetic mission and ministry were limited to the Jews alone.
(From the Islamic perspective, these Jews were Israelites who were backsliders
and deviators from the true religion of Allah, i.e. Islam, and who adopted a
specific, formalistic, and ritualistic code of conduct termed Judaism.3)
Behold!
the angels said: "0 Mary!
Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus...
And Allah will teach him the book and wisdom, the law and the gospel, and
(appoint him) a messenger to the children of Israel... "4
When (Jesus) the son of Mary is held up
as an example, behold thy people raise a clamor thereat (in ridicule)! And
they say, "Are our gods best, or he?
This they set forth to thee, only by way of disputation: yea, they are a
contentious people. He was no more than a servant: We granted Our favor to him,
and We made him an example to the children of Israel.5
As will be seen in what follows, the
preponderance of evidence from that part
of the Christian scriptures,
specifically attributed to the words of Jesus,
as opposed to those
of his alleged
disciples or to Paul (Saul of
Tarsus),
clearly refute the concept that
the mission and ministry of Jesus were
universal in nature. Rather, the alleged words of
Jesus in Christian, as opposed to Islamic, scripture delineate a mission
and ministry that are
defined by stringent, nationalistic and
ethnic boundaries. Jesus limits the mission field There are
several places within the
canonical gospels in
which Jesus allegedly
discusses his mission
field. Here, only those statements
in which Jesus restricts
his mission according
to national and
ethnic limitations are presented.
The clearest statements in this
regard are to be found in Matthew.
The first
example is the Matthean account of
Jesus commissioning his 12
disciples to go into the land of
Palestine, and to preach his message to the people there. This passage, quoted below, specifically refutes
the
Sunday
school interpretation of
a universal ministry
for Jesus and his disciples.
These twelve Jesus sent out with the
following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town
of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel...
"6
As can be judged from the above citation,
Jesus specifically instructed his disciples not to preach his gospel to the
gentiles, i.e. non-Jews, but restricted the teaching to "the lost
sheep of
the house of I s r a e l " .
Further, Jesus also
commanded the disciples
not to enter the towns of the Samaritans, i.e.,
individuals of mixed Assyrian and
Israelite descent, who practiced their own brand of Judaism, complete with their own version
of the Torah. With this restriction,
Jesus reportedly limited his mission, and that of his disciples, not only to "the lost
sheep of the house of I s r a e l "
, but also to jus t one segment of those "lost sheep", i.e., those,
whose ancestry was not
"polluted" with Assyrian
blood.
However , only
five chapters later,
Matthew offers an
even more dramatic
account of Jesus
limiting hi s mission and ministry
to " the lost sheep
of the house of I
s r a e l " . In this account ,
Jesus refuses to heal
an afflicted sufferer, only be cause the victim'
s mother is a Canaanite ,
i.e. a member of
the ethni c group of
people , who inhabited
Palestine before , and then a long side of, the
I s r a e l i t e s .
Jesus
left that place and went
away to the district of Tyre and
Sidon. Jus t then a Canaanite woman f rom tha t region c ame
out and started shouting, "Have me r cy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daught e r
is tormented by a demon." But
he did not
answe r her at all. And his disciples
came and urged him, saying, "Send he r away, for she
keeps shout ing after us."
He answered, "I was sent
only to the los t she ep of the
hous e of Israel."
But she carne and kne l t
be for e him, saying,
"Lord, help me." He answered, "It is not fair to take the chi ldr en' s food and
throw it to the dogs."
She said, "Yes, Lord, yet
even the dogs e a t the c rumbs
that fall from the i r ma s t e r ' s table."
Then Jesus answered her,
"Woman, great is your
faith! Le t it be done
for you as you wish." And he r
daughter was healed instantly,7
Onc e
aga in, the quot ed
pa s s age runs count e r
to the image
of the unive r s a l ministry,
whi ch is typi c a l ly
por t r ayed for young
Chr i s t i ans a t t ending
Sunday s chool . Howeve r , it is the
Sunday s chool l e s son, whi ch indoc t r ina t e s the
Chr i s t i an youth, and
whi ch l a t e r guide s
the Chr i s t i an adul t in hi
s unde r s t anding of the
Chr i s t i an s c r iptur e s ,
r ega rdl e s s of wha t thos
e s c r iptur e s may a
c tua l ly state. I f one
is t aught long
enough, of t en enough, and e a r ly
enough wha t some thing " r e a l ly" me ans ,
then tha t is wha t he or
she wi l l unde r s t and, even when the
a c tua l words convey some thing f a r di f f e r ent .
In the
above c a s e , the a
l l eged words of J e sus
convey some thing f a r di f f e
r ent than a unive r s a l ministry. Fur the rmor e , J e sus
r epor t edly r e f e r s to non-
J ews , i.e. thos e wi th de s c ent othe r
than tha t f rom the I s r a e l i t e t r ibe
of Judah", wi th the
me t aphor of be ing "dogs " . It is
only a f t e r the
ext r eme s t a t ement of f a
i th a t t r ibut ed to the gr i eving mothe r tha t
J e sus r epor t edly conde s c
ended and de igned to make a spe c i f i c except ion,
and to he a l the woman' s
daught e r . Howeve r , the
use of the me
t aphor of "dogs " allows
one to interpret a third passage from Matthew as being a restriction on
the mission and ministry of Jesus.
Again, the words reported in this passage, quoted below, are attributed by Matthew to Jesus.
Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do
not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot
and tum and maul you.9
It may be noted that the above Matthean passage is corroborated by an almost identical one found in the 93rd saying recorded in the Gospel of
Thomas, discovered in 1945
among the Coptic
manuscripts at Nag Hammadi,
Egypt. This passage is quoted below:
(Jesus said,) "Do not give what is
holy to dogs, lest they throw them on the dung heap. Do not throw the pearls
(to)
swine, lest they. . .it (... )"10
The
presence of this saying in both
Matthew and Thomas, despite its absence from
Luke, clearly demonstrates
that this saying was
initially found in Q, a book of
alleged sayings of Jesus. This
book preceded even the gospel
of Mark,
Le., the earliest of the four
canonical gospels, and was probably in existence during the middle
pa r t of the first
century CEo Q had a probable origin within 20 years of Jesus' actual ministry and at least 20
years before Mark; though this book no
longer exists. Read together, the
three passages from Matthew and the one
f rom Thomas clearly demarcate and limit the mission field of
Jesus to "the lost sheep
of the house
of Israel". This is in total contrast
to the be l i e f of Christians
that the message of Jesus was universal. Further, each of these passages is
attributed to Jesus' ministry prior to his alleged crucifixion.11 This point
will be come increasingly
important in what follows, when apparently
contrary evidence surfaces from the Christian scriptures.
Contrary Evidence to the limited Ministry of Jesus
Notwithstanding the
convincing nature of the
above quoted statements from the early
gospel writers of
the Christian tradition,
it must be acknowledged that
there are verses within
the Christian scriptures where Jesus is alleged to
have confirmed a universal ministry. In
what follows, these passages are
presented, and their grave defects regarding authenticity
are illustrated.
The alleged behavior of Jesus
One
example, which is frequently c i t ed by Christians in support of
the socalled universality of the ministry of
Jesus, is the healing of the
slave of a Roman centurion in
Capernaum, a town at the northern
end of
the Se a
of
Galilee (Lake Tiberias). Be c aus e
this exampl e is so frequently cited, a single exception will be made to the usua l
format of restricting evidenc
e to the
alleged sayings of Jesus as
recorded in the Christian scripture. Thi
s
instance
appears both in
Luke and Matthew.
However, as the former pa s s age provides
the mos t revealing
details surrounding the
circumstances of this
healing, it is the Lukan
account, which is
reproduced
below.
After Jesus had finished all his sayings
in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave
whom he valued highly, and Who was i l
l and close to death. When he heard
about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to him, asking him to come and heal his
slave. When they came to Jesus, they appealed to him earnestly, saying, "He
is worthy of having you do this for him, for he loves our people, and it is he
who built our synagogue for us." And Jesus went with them, but when he was
not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, "Lord, do
not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;
therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my
servant be healed ... When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning
to the crowd that followed him, he said, "I tell you, not even in Israel
have I found such faith." When those who had been sent returned to the
house, they found the slave in good health. 12
Granted that Jesus healed the slave of a Roman centurion
(a minor
Roman a rmy officer in command of
a contingent of 100 Roman
soldiers), the specific t ext actually tends to conf i rm tha t the mission and ministry of Jesus were limited to "the lost sheep
of the house of Israel". In tha t regard, one mus t note the
highly unusual circumstances involved in this example of
healing. First, the Roman
centurion did not, himself, entreat Jesus to
he a l
the slave. Rather, the centurion
sent a delegation of Jewish elders to appeal
to Jesus. Second, these Jewish elders
were able to make a direct and convincing case for special
circumstances, stating that the centurion:
loved the Jewish people; and had actually
gone to the extremely unusual step of building a synagogue for the Jewish
people of Capernaum, no doubt the same synagogue in which Jesus occasionally
taught. Third, like the example of the Canaanite woman cited earlier, the Roman
centurion completely abases himself before Jesus, by saying, "I am not
worthy to have you come under my
roof'. Fourth, the faith of the
Roman centurion, like that of the Canaanite woman, was immense and impressive.
For the centurion, it was sufficient that Jesus merely say a word from a distance,
to heal the slave.
Given these highly unusual
considerations, it must be seen that the example cited is actually the
exception that proves the rule. Only in the most exceptional of circumstances,
e.g., that of the Canaanite woman
of Tyre and Sidon and the Roman
centurion of Capernaum, did Jesus reach out beyond "the lost sheep of the house of
Israel". However, even then, the outreach of Jesus was in the form
of a miraculous healing, not in the form of preaching the message with which he
had been entrusted. Nowhere do the Christian scriptures indicate that Jesus
taught or
preached to .either this Canaanite woman
or that Roman centurion. The example merely confirms that Jesus did, under very
exceptional circumstances, heal outside of the "the house of
Israel", but he still did not preach to other than "the lost sheep of
the house of Israel".
The
alleged Sayings of J e sus
The various books of the
New Testament record three alleged
sayings of Jesus, each of which appears to suggest an international or
universal ministry for Jesus and his followers. In what follows, after a brief presentation of the
purported setting to which the alleged saying is affixed, each of these three
passages is quoted verbatim, and the Biblical passage in question is critiqued.
THE FIRST EXAMPLE.
The first passage to be considered is
from the gospel according to Matthew.
The setting is in Galilee, which is in the
north of
Palestine. The time is some days after the alleged crucifixion and resurrection
of Jesus'13, as it
would have taken the eleven disciples'14 at least a few days to
walk from Jerusalem, where they supposedly were on Easter Sunday, to Galilee.
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee,
to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they sawhim, they worshiped
him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.
And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."15
On the face of it, the above passage
appears to be a pretty strong piece of evidence that Jesus was proclaiming a universal ministry. However, there are
grave and serious defects in the above passage. Let us examine these.
First and foremost, it must be noted that
Matthew portrays the above statement as being from the mouth of the
"risen" Jesus, not from the time of Jesus' "earthly
ministry". Within the New Testament scriptures, the use of the concept of the "risen" Jesus is often a code,
which indicates that the so-called "witness" has had a "vision".
In that regard, one need only consider the case of the "vision" pfPaul (Saul of Tarsus), as he journeyed from
Jerusalem to Damascus, in order to persecute the early followers of J e sus . 16 Clearly, a
"vision" cannot on its own authority claim the same sort of historical credence as a saying made by Jesus
during his earthy life and ministry. As such, some considerable
doubt regarding historical accuracy becomes immediately apparent.
Second, the reported
wording of Jesus' alleged command to his disciples is in the
literary form of a liturgical
baptismal formula, which indicates an origin in the nascent Christian
churches. With later editing and redacting of Matthew, this liturgical baptismal formula appears to have
been retrofitted into the mouth of the
"risen" Jesus. Thus, a form critical analysis (Formgeshichte) of the
purported saying leads to its attribution to early Christian churches, probably
at some point not earlier than the second century CEo That this baptismal formula dates to a time much
later than Jesus can be seen by the fact that the disciples continued to
baptize only in the name of Jesus, eschewing any mention of a socalled trinity
in their liturgical baptismal formula.
Peter said to them, "Repent, and be
baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be
forgiven;
and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit."17
Third,
text criticism indicates that the
above passage from Matthew has suffered
from various later interpolations. For
example, in his fourth century CE quoting
of the above passage, Eusebius18 has it as "baptizing them
in my name", instead of
"baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit" .19 Thus, as late as the fourth century CE, the
above passage from
Matthew was still undergoing editorial redaction
and interpolations by those within the Christian churches! This fact alone is
sufficient to render the historical value of
the Matthean passage totally
without merit.
Fourth, if Jesus actually gave the
disciples the command to carry the ministry to "all nations", the historical
record clearly indicates that they greatly
hesitated in obeying this command, and often flatly disobeyed it.
Such
disobedience and/or hesitance
in obeying the alleged
command of the "risen"
Jesus to take the message to "all nations" is quickly and easily verified
and corroborated by numerous New Testament passages, including
Acts 11:1-18, in which Peter was chastised by members of the early Jerusalem "church'20 for even eating with
gentile Christians. How could these
elders of the Jerusalem "church" have confronted Peter about his
eating with gentile Christians, i f
Jesus had actually given the command
to go out into "all
nations"? In addition, Galatians 2:1-9 documents the
difficulty Paul had in convincing
the early Jerusalem "church"
to allow him to take the gospel message
to the gentiles. How could Paul have had any such difficulty, if Jesus had
actually given a universal commission to his disciples? Remember, Paul was not and had never been
a disciple of
Jesus, and had never even met Jesus during Jesus' earthly life. Further,
Acts, which is basically a book of propaganda, allegedly reporting the history
of the early churches, but really proselytizing for the deviant Pauline
tradition in early Christianity, even goes to the extent to record that Jesus'
actual disciples explicitly rejected Paul as being a fellow disciple.
When he had come to Jerusalem, he
attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did
not believe that he was a disciple.21
As such,
Paul ' s argument for taking the gospel message
to the gentiles is not in any way the action of a disciple, and this
action of his met with frequent reproof from the original "church",
which was in Jerusalem.22
One additional example is worth quoting
verbatim.
Now those who were scattered because of the
persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus,
and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews.23
In regard to the purported commissioning
of the disciples to "(g)o therefore
and make disciples of all nations",
just this fourth defect is sufficient to indicate that "(i)t is
improbable that Jesus said this. . .
"24
Taken together, the four defects noted
above provide convincing proof that the words narrated in Matthew 28:18-20
cannot be said to be coming from Jesus, if any semblance of historical accuracy
is to be maintained. As noted by one Christian theologian and Biblical commentator:
"(t)hese verses probably reflect the early
church's interpretation more than
Jesus' actual words. . . "25
THE SECOND EXAMPLE. The second passage to
be considered is from the gospel of Luke.
The setting of this passage is Jerusalem, where Jesus allegedly
confronts many of his remaining 11 disciples, as well as a few other believers.
At this time, he reportedly instructs them in the real meaning, interpretation, or understanding of his earthly sayings and ministry.
The date of this meeting is assumed to have been on
Easter Sunday. With the above context and
background in mind, the relevant passage
from Luke is quoted here.
Then he opened their minds to understand
the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus is it written, that the Messiah
is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance
and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimedin his name to all nations,
beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses
of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so
stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on
high."26
Once again, there are grave defects in
the passage under considera. tion. Yet again, the defects undermine any claim
for the alleged historical accuracy of the passage. Four of these defects are
presented immediately below.
The first defect is that the words
attributed to Jesus in the above passage are attributed to the allegedly
"risen" Jesus. The alleged words and actions of the "risen"
Jesus are frequently to be understood as words heard and actions seen in a
"vision". The historical authenticity, credibility, and
reliability of such "vision" testimony
have to be approached with a healthy dose of skepticism.
The second flaw is that the actual
disciples of Jesus had great hesitations in approaching gentiles, and tended to
avoid proselytizing to those who were not of
"the house of Israel' 27 In that regard, it is worthwhile to note once again the
following passage from Acts, which
clearly states the position of the early "church" at Jerusalem,
whose "membership" included the original disciples of Jesus.
Now those who were scattered because of
the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus,
and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews.28
In addition to the above demerits, the
Lukan account is tied to a statement regarding the alleged crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus, which both the apocryphal and canonical
gospels suggest may never have happened.29 This raises
some additional concern about the historical veracity of the Lukan passage
under consideration.
The fourth defect is that the Lukan
narrative is not an absolute endorsement of
a universal ministry. Rather, i
f taken at face value, the Lukan account
is at most a conditional endorsement
of a universal ministry. Christians, who attempt to use this passage as
a commissioning to a universal ministry, too frequently overlook this
conditional nature of the statement in Luke.
However, the passage clearly states that: A) the ministry was to begin
in Jerusalem; B) the ministry was to stay centered in Jerusalem until Jesus had
sent "upon you what my Father promised" and until "you have been
clothed with power from on high"; and C) only after the conditions in
"B" were met, was the ministry to expand out from Jerusalem into
"all nations".
Quite simply, the mission and ministry
were to be restricted to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel", until such time
as: "what my Father has promised" has been fulfilled; and "you
have been clothed with power from on high". What had Allah promised to
send? What was this "power from on high"? Traditional Christian
interpretation has been that it was the descent of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost. I f that interpretation were accepted, then the
condition was met on Pentecost, just 50 days after the events described in the
above passage from Luke. However, there are good and sufficient
reasons to doubt that interpretation, and recorded statements made e l s ewhe r e in the New Testament scriptures dramatically refute
that interpretation.
THE THIRD EXAMPLE. The
third example, in whi ch it is a
l l eged that Jesus authorized a
universal mi s s ion and ministry,
is found in the book
of Acts. The
setting is the Mount
of Olives, whi ch
is e a s t of Jerusalem,
and jus t across the Kidron Valley from
the walls of Jerusalem.
The
t ime is 40 days after Ea s t e
r Sunday. "While staying with them,
he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait
there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what
you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . . .But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has
come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out
of their sight.30
The
first two defects in this pa s s age
have be en previously encount e r ed in analyzing the previous Ma
t the an and Lukan narratives. First,
the a l l eged commissioning to a
universal mission and ministry is
purpor t ed to be given by
the "risen" Jesus, not by
the earthly Jesus. As
previously noted, the "risen" J e sus is
frequently a me t aphor
for having r e c e ived a "vision", in which Jesus was allegedly s e en and heard. Second, the
early disciples of Jesus continually exercised great hesitation in preaching,
i f not actual refusal to
preach, the gospe l
message of Jesus to
othe r than those of "the house of Israel. "31
The third de f e c t in utilizing the above
passage f rom Ac t s to support a
universal ministry for Jesus is the
s ame as that previously not ed
as the fourth defect unde
rmining the Lukan
narrative, i.e. the commi s s ioning to a universal
ministry is conditional,
not absolute. Jesus
specifically orde r ed his disciples to wa i t in Jerusalem, i.e. to confine their ministry
to the "house of Israel", until "the promi s e of the
Father" had be en fulfilled.
Only
after Al l ah had fulfilled this
promise, whi ch is neve r
specifically identified in the
above passage, were the followers
of Jesus to
take the gospe l me s s age to "the ends of the earth".
Until Al l ah' s promi s e had be en fulfilled, the followers ofJesus
were to restrict their mission and ministry to Jerusalem, i.e. to "the
hous e of Israel". As was the case with the Lukan narrative
previously quoted, the traditional Christian interpretation of this
"promise of the Father" is that
it refers to the coming of the Holy Spirit. This traditional Christian
interpretation finds some superficial support in the above passage from Acts,
in that the conditional clause concerning the "promise of the Father"
is immediately followed by a discussion
of the Holy Spirit and a
prediction of the Pentecost (the day the disciples were supposedly filled with
the Holy Spirit, who allegedly descended on them), which reportedly followed 10
days later. However, as will be seen below, this interpretation of the
conditional nature of the universal commissioning represents a serious
distortion of the actual Biblical message.
The Conditional Commissioning: The
Advocate and the Holy Spirit It is an unfortunate fact that people of
understanding often restrict their thinking only to what they have been taught
to understand, rather than comprehending the real meaning of the words in front
of them. This is evident among Christians when one considers their
understanding of many key Biblical passages. They understand only what they
have been taught to understand in Sunday school, decade after decade, with additional
Sunday morning sermonsfurther setting limits on the subject.
In other words, their understanding of
the Bible is not so much based upon what
the Bible actually says, but upon what they have been taught that the Bible says. This is especially the case when
considering the Biblical portrayal of the Advocate, Holy Spirit, and Spirit of
Truth. The average Christian's understanding of the Holy Spirit is vague and
fuzzy, often consisting of no more than
a rote recital that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. However, the average Christian
is quite clear, because he/she has been indoctrinated and programmed by the
church to believe, that the Holy Spirit first entered the world of man at Pentecost, i.e., 50 days after Easter
Sunday. Given this understanding, it is easy to see how the average Christian
can maintain that the conditional clause in the alleged commissioning to a
universal ministry (as reported both in Luke
and in Acts) was fulfilled at Pentecost by the descent of the Holy Spirit. In support of that position, Christians often
refer to the reported words of Jesus, as recorded in a passage from the
gospel of John, consisting of only two verses, which
need to be understood in the context provided by the five verses that follow
them. The above referenced verses are given below for ready reckoning,
with the five additional verses being
placed in italics. This gives a
clear picture as to what is typically quoted and what is left out.
I have said these things to you while I
am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you
everything, and rern.(nd you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with
you;
my peace I give to you. I do not give to
you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let
them be afraid. You heard me say to you,
"I am going away, and I am coming to you." I f
you loved me, you would
rejoice that I am going to the Father,
because the Father is greater than
I. And now I have told you this
before it
occurs, so that when it does occur, you
may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world
is
coming. He has no power over me; but I do
as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the
Father. Rise, let us be on our way.32
Ina
second passage, i.e., John 16:7, it is definitively stated that the Advocate
cannot come into the world, until Jesus has left the world. This establishes a clear
temporal sequence in which Jesus
precedes the Advocate, and in which
the roles of Jesus and the
Advocate are not allowed to
overlap chronologically.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is
to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will
not
come to you; but i f ! go, I will send him to you.33
Did the Holy Spirit enter the world of
man only after the ascension of Jesus?
Was it necessary that Jesus should leave, in order that the Holy Spirit would
first come? Was Jesus speaking of the
Holy Spirit when he reportedly
uttered, according to the
Lukan narrative quoted
previously, "I am sending upon you what my
Father promised"? Was it the
Holy Spirit who would, according to the same Lukan narrative, clothe mankind "with power from on high?" Was the Holy Spirit
"the promise of the Father" noted in the quoted passage
from Acts? The
Biblically based answer to all
of the above questions is "no". The Bible
records numerous examples of the Holy Spirit working within the world of man
far before the reported ascension of Jesus.
More than one Biblical passage refers to
the Holy Spirit being present in the world during the time of King David, peace be upon him, during the
11th and 10th centuries BCE, and as being the source of David's inspiration
and revelation.34 Likewise, it was the Holy Spirit, who
reportedly was the source of revelation to Isaiah.
35
It was the Holy Spirit, who
allegedly enlightened the entire nation of
Israel prior to Isaiah's prophecies in Old Testament times." It was the Holy Spirit, who reportedly
imparted revelation to Simeon of
Jerusalem during the first centuries
BCE and CE.37 It was the Holy Spirit, who gave revelation
to John the Baptist, peace be upon him.
38
It was the Holy Spirit, who gave revelation
to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist . 39 It was
the Holy
Spirit, who gave revelation to Zechariah,
the father of John the Baptist40 It was the Holy Spirit,
who descended upon Mary, the mother of Jesus.41 It was the Holy
Spirit, who infused
Jesus with inspiration
and revelation.42
Clearly, the Holy Spirit was already at
work in the world of mankind, fulfilling
its role of giving revelation and inspiration, far before and many times before
the ascension of Jesus!
So how could it be the Holy Spirit upon
whom the disciples must wait before
undertaking a universal ministry?
The Holy Spirit was already present. In fact, Jesus, had already given the gift
of the Holy Spirit as a source of inspiration and revelation to the disciples
via the power given to him by Allah, prior to the ascension of Jesus.43 Perhaps the clearest Biblical
statements that the disciples had already received the Holy Spirit are to be
found in John and in Acts, with both passages quoted below.
When he had said this, he breathed on
them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit... "44
In the first book, Theophilus,I wrote
about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he
was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to
the apostles whom he had chos en. 45
Quite
obviously, the disciples could not be waiting for the gift of something
that they had already been given! (A brief digression is in order at this
point. In the above referenced and quoted verses of the
Bible, the consistent presentation
of the Holy Spirit is as the one who brings inspiration and revelation
from Allah to the chosen one of Allah,
whether that be David, Isaiah, the children of
Israel, Simeon of Jerusalem,
Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Mary, Jesus, or the disciples of Jesus. In that r ega rd; it is worth noting that the tradi
tional Islamic understanding of the term "Holy Spirit" is that it
refers to the angel Gabriel, who is the
intermediary between Allah and His prophets and messengers, the
one who conveys the revelation of Allah
to those men who declare that revelation to others.46)
As noted above, the Bible gives
numerous statements that the Holy Spirit was present and
operating in the world as a source
of inspiration and revelation far
before the ascension of
Jesus. Further, the disciples of Jesus had already received the gift of the Holy Spirit prior to the ascension
of Jesus. So, what was it, for which the disciples must wait, before expanding the ministry
of Jesus outside
the confines of
"the house of Israel"?
Luke 24:49 indicates that it was "what my father promised" and that which was promised
would result in Jesus' followers being
"clothed with power from on high". Ac t s 1:4 refers to the "promise of the Father" , and Acts 1:8 refers to the
receipt of "power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you". Both
passages refer to something coming,
which has been promised by Allah.
Clearly, that is not the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit was already
present and had already been received by the disciples. Both passages link that
promised "something" with the receipt of power, one of which links that power with something to do
with the Holy Spirit, i.e., with the receipt of
revelation.
Having arrived at this point in the
analysis, one needs now to tum to the passages previously quoted from John
14:25-31 and 16:7. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I
have said to you.. .if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but
if I go, I will send him to you.47
Since it has already been shown
that the Holy Spirit was already present and active in the world, i.e.
had already been sent by Allah, prior to
the time Jesus reportedly spoke the above quoted words, the only way the above
verses make conceptual sense is to interpret the "Advocate" and the
"Holy Spirit" are two different entities.
So, who is the "Advocate"? The clues to the identity of the Advocate are
presented in the passage of
John 14:25-31, in the verses originally italicized when quoted previously.
"And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does
occur, you may believe." This simply cannot be a reference to Pentecost.
Why would Jesus need to say this for the disciples to believe post Pentecost in
the Holy Spirit, when they had just reportedly been filled with the Holy Spirit
at Pentecost? The infusion of the Holy Spirit should be an event beyond the
recipient being in any doubt about it! The recipient of the Holy Spirit would
not need to reflect back on the words of Jesus in order to believe. The
reported words of Jesus cannot refer to the Holy Spirit, whom
the disciples have already
received, and in whom they already
believe. Therefore, the words must be applied to the Advocate. The followers
of Jesus may not readily believe the
Advocate, so Jesus specifically reports his coming, in order that when the
appearance of the Advocate "does occur, you may believe". Does the passage
from John provide any other clues as to the identity of
the Advocate? Yes, it does. "I will no longer talk much with you, for the
ruler of this world is coming." The
Advocate is a coming, temporal "ruler of this world".
To summarize, the "promise of the
Father" is the Advocate. The Advocate will be inspired by and receive
revelation from the Holy Spirit, and that revelation will clothe those who
accept it with "power from on high". Unfortunately, the followers of
Jesus may have trouble in recognizing the Advocate, and in believing in the
revelation received
by the Advocate. Therefore, Jesus must
warn his followers about the coming of this Advocate, who will also be
"the ruler of this world". While Muslim readers will probably be
quick to identify the only person who can possibly fit this identification, it
is now gently suggested to Christian readers that the only person after Jesus
who can even vaguely fit this identification is Prophet Muhammad. In that
regard, for the benefit of Christian readers, it may be noted that: the passage
in John 14 states that the Advocate is the one "whom the Father will send
in my name"; and the Qur'an (the revelation received by Muhammad) repeatedly
refers to Jesus and to the revelation sent to him.48
Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and
the revelationgiven to us, and to Abraham,
Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes, and that given to Moses and
Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: we make no
differencebetween one and another of them: and we bow to Allah (in Islam)"49
Those messengers We endowed with gifts,
some above others: to one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of
honor); to Jesus, the son of Mary, We gave clear (signs), and strengthened him
with the Holy Spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations
would not have fought among each other, after clear (signs) had come to them,
but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. I f
Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah
fulfilleth His plans 50
Given the above understanding, one can readily see that the revelation,
mission, and ministry of Jesus were to stay confined to "the house of
Israel", until the coming of Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Advocate, and his
undoubted international and universal ministry!
A Problem of Chronology
There is yet one other defect relating to
the assumption of the universal ministry of Jesus. Luke 24:50 indicates that the ascension of Jesus was on Easter Sunday, which would
indicate that Jesus was not present to have made the speeches recorded in Matthew
28:16-20 (the first example above) and Ac t s 1:7-8 (the third example above) both of
which were previously quoted verbatim. However, as the author of Luke is held to have also been the author of Acts, one is immediately struck by a major discrepancy
and inconsistency. In Luke, the ascension is said to have been on Easter
Sunday.51 However, in
Acts, the very same writer maintains that the ascension was 40 days after
Easter Sunday.52 Thus,
i f the Lukan narrative were
accepted, the passages from Matthew and from
Ac t s
must be considered baseless and faulty.
However, if the passages from Matthew and Ac t s were accepted, the Lukan narrative would have
to be rejected.
Conclusions
An in depth analysis of the relevant
Biblical passages has revealed that the traditional Christian interpretation of
the mission and ministry of Jesus is erroneous. Rather than having had a
ministry to both Jews and gentiles, Jesus' ministry was limited to "the
house of Israel". Further, Jesus appears to have given his disciples
explicit instructions that the ministry and revelation of Jesus and his
followers were to remain limited and
circumscribed until the
arrival of the
international and universal ministry
of Prophet Muhammad, i.e., the Advocate. In short, the actual
Biblical portrayal of the scope of the
ministry of Jesus is highly consistent with the traditional Islamic
interpretation found in the Qur'an.
Behold! the angels said: "0 Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings
of a word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus... And Allah will teach him
the book and wisdom, the law and the gospel, and (appoint him) a messenger to
the children of Israel... 53
Chapter 6. The Mission and Ministry
of Jesus
1. See the author ' s preface regarding the use of the phrase "peace be upon him". (Ref.
Use of the phrase "peace be upon him" to the names of the prophets of Allah in this article.)
2. See the author's preface regarding the use of the term "Allah". (Western Christians are used to the word "God", and typically find the word "Allah" somewhat mysterious and troubling. They do not understand that "Allah" is nothing more than the contraction of two Arabic words, which mean "the God", or by implication "the One God". As such, it is not surprising that Arab Christians commonly use the word "Allah" when speaking of the deity.)
Use of the phrase "peace be upon him" to the names of the prophets of Allah in this article.)
2. See the author's preface regarding the use of the term "Allah". (Western Christians are used to the word "God", and typically find the word "Allah" somewhat mysterious and troubling. They do not understand that "Allah" is nothing more than the contraction of two Arabic words, which mean "the God", or by implication "the One God". As such, it is not surprising that Arab Christians commonly use the word "Allah" when speaking of the deity.)
3. See the chapter entitled
"Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Origins and Relationships" for a fuller exposition of this concept.
4. Qur'an 3:45a, 48-49a.
5. Qur'an 43:57-59.
6. Matthew 10:5-6. Of
note, the parallel accounts of
this commissioning to be found in Mark
6:6b-13 and Luke 9:1-6
conveniently leave out the restrictions found in Matthew's narrative.
7. Matthew 15:21-28.
8. The descendants ofthe Israelite
tribe ofBenjamin are also typically
referred to as being Jews.
9. Matthew 7:6.
10. The Gospel ofThomas. In Robinson JM (1990). Page 136. An
alternative translation can be found in Guillaumont
A, Puech HC, Quispel G, Till W, 'Abd AI-Masih Y (1959).
11. As to the alleged crucifixion of Jesus, see the chapter entitled
"The Crucifixion: A Question ofIdentity".
12. Luk e
7:1-7,9-10. The Matthean parallel can be found in Matthew 8:5-13.
However, the account in Matthew fails to record
the special circumstances involved, whereby Jesus makes an exception to the usual limits
of his ministry.
13. See the chapter entitled "The
Crucifixion: A Question of Ident i
ty" for a discussion of the issues involved in the Biblical
presentation of the alleged crucifixion
of Jesus.
14. Presumably, the II disciples refer to
the 12 disciples minus Judas Iscariot.
15. Matthew 28:16-20.
16. Acts 9:1-9.
17. Acts 2:38.
18. Eusebius Parnphili was a 4th century CE bishop ofCaesarea.
He was the author of the monumental Ecclesiastical History,
Chronicle, and various apologies and commentaries. --- (1998c).
19. Davies IN (1929b). 239
20. The disciples and elders grouped
together in Jerusalem are traditionally referred to as the Jerusalem church. However, they were not a " chur ch"
. They
continued to congregate and pr ay at the Jewish
temple, and obviously maintained themselves as being part ofthe "hous e of I s r a e l " . They were not a new religion, i.e.
Christianity, but were instead among those Jews who had returned
to prope r submission to Allah. (See the chapter entitled "Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam: Origins and
Relationships".)
21. Acts 9:26.
22. Acts 15:1-5 ; 21:17-26; Galatians 2:1-9. Remember
that the book of Acts was written by the Pauline tradition and school, and
thus presents a ve ry biased report
of the conflict between Paul and the early " chur
ch" at Jerusalem. For example, Acts 21: 17-26 purports to show that the Jerusalem " chur
ch" backed Paul. However, the fact ofthe matter was, as recorded in tha t very
passage, that the elders ofthe Jerusalem " chur ch" made Paul undergo the temporary rites of being a Nazarite, indicating that he was made
to purify hims e l f and to pay penance for what he had be en doing.
23. Acts 11:19.
24. Fenton JC (1973). Page 453.
25. Hamilton W (1959). Page
109.
26. Luke
24:45-49.
27.
Acts 11:1-18; 15:1-5; 21:17-26; Galatians 2:1-9.
28.
Acts 11:19.
29. See the chapter entitled "The Crucifixion:
A Question of Identity" .
30. Acts 1:4-5,8-9.
31.
Acts 11: 1-19;
15:1-5; 21:17-26; Galatians 2:1-9.
32. John 14:25-31. The reader ofthis passage should note that the al1eged words
of Jesus specifically state that Jesus is subordinate
to " the Father", i.e, to
Allah. In short, this passage is also a direct refutation
of the concept of the trinity.
33. John 16:7.
34. Psalms 51:11; Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16; 4:25.
35. Acts 28:25.
36. Isaiah 63:10-11.
37. Luke 2:25-26.
38. Luke 1:15
39. Luke 1:41.
40. Luke 1:67.
41. Luke 1:35.
42. Matthew 1:20; 3: I I ; Mark
1:8; Luke 3:16,22;4:1: 10:21; John 1:33; Acts 10:38.
43. Mark 13: I I ; Luke 12:12; John 20:22; Acts 1:2.
44. John 20:22.
45. Acts 1:1-2.
46. For a fuller discussion ofthese issues, see the chapter entitled "A Concise Introduction to Islam: Articles of
Faith and Pillars of
Practice".
47. John
14:26; 16:7b.
48. Qur 'an 2:87,136,253; 3:45-59;
4:157-159,163,171-172; 5:17,46,72-75,78,I I 0- I I8; 6:85;
9:30-31; 19:19-35,88-93; 21:91;
23:50; 33:7; 42:13; 43:57-65;
57:27; 61:6,14.
49. Qur'an 2:136.
50. Qur'an 2:253.
51. Luke 24:50.
52. Acts 1:3.
53. Qur'an 3:45a, 48-49a.
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In John 11:48 it's a Pharisees Jewish plot to kill Jesus son of Mary they are talking about all the Jewish community just like Matthew 28:19 and 24:14
John 11:50 refers THE whole Jewish nation! 11:51 also refers targeted THAT nation. Jews considered themselves children of God so all THOSE who were scattered john 11:52 around nearby villages
Mark 7:27 Jesus son of Mary pbuh told her the rule she was not part of his mission but on special request with her intelligent reply of left over he solved her issue.
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"But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." [Matthew 15:24]
"And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." [Luke 19:9-10]
Jesus (pbuh) said, "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray." [Matthew 18:11-13 KJV only]
A well documented fact that the 12 Tribes of Judah were spread amongst other nations so that is why Jesus teachings and guidence for them specifically required long wide spread journeys otherwise the gospel would not reach them.
'Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else to the nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." [Mark 1:38]
'But he (Jesus) said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." [Luke 4:43]
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:", But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. [Matthew 10:5-7]
Jesus said, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is of the Jews." [John 4:22]
Jesus said, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them." [John 17:19-20]
"He (Jesus) came unto his own, and his own received him not." [John 1:11]
IN THE QUR'AN WE READ ABOUT JESUS TRUE MISSION TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL:
"And Allah will teach him (Jesus) the book, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel, and (appoint him) an apostle to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe; (I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me." [Qur'an 3:48-3:50]
LET'S EXAMINE THE PROPHESY OF ISAIAH REGARDING THE PROPHET WHO WILL BE SENT TO THE GENTILES THAT PAUL CLEVERLY ATTEMPTED TO TAKE CREDIT FOR BY APPOINTING HIMSELF THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES:
Paul rejected Jesus' command of NOT preaching to the Gentiles. Jesus' Gospel and message was restricted only for the Children of Israel. Paul openly preached among the Gentiles a totally different gospel and religion altogether, but then again he wasn't one of Jesus' disciples anyways. The one who was to come for the Gentiles is mentioned in Isaiah 42 of the Bible. Who clearly is an Arab according to the description of his ancestor, "Kedar" and not a Jew Pharisee like Paul who then attempts to deceive many by assuming the role of the respected prophet to come as prophesied in the text.
Paul said, "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:" [Romans 11:13]
THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) WAS THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES NOT PAUL THE LIAR:
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." [Isaiah 42:1-7 KJV]
John 4:42 is not what Jesus son of Mary pbuh himself said rather it was some people who Wrongly thought that he was saviour of the world which he is Infact NOT.
Regarding 1 john 2:2 it was the work was written to counter docetism, which is the belief that Jesus did not come "in the flesh", but only as a spirit. So 1st epistle's basic objective was wrong because we all know Jesus son of Mary was in flesh was in the womb of Mary pbuh with all blood and urine in the sack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_of_John
WE ALL KNOW THAT JESUS (PBUH) WAS ONLY SENT TO THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL (JEWS) AND NOT TO THE GENTILES SO THIS PROPHESY IS NOT ABOUT HIM.
"I am the LORD; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. `Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth'. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the inlands." [Isaiah 42:7-12]
In the Bible there is only one personality called Kedar. He was the grandson of prophet Abraham (pbuh), through his son Ishmael (Gen.25:13). Kedar's descendants had settled in Paran (Syno-Arabian dessert). In the Rabbinic literature Arabia is called the "Land of Kedar". Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a descendant of Kedar.
"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah." [Genesis 25:13-15]
Allah did reveal in the Land of Kedar, through prophet Muhammad (pbuh) a direct descendant of Kedar, a "New Song" (Recitation) - The Qur'an. This happens to be the only Scripture to be revealed in the language of the Kedarites. The verses of the Qur'an are recited like a poem. Nearly 1.2 billion Muslims, residing all over the world, recite this "new song" and Glorify Allah, in their daily prayers, five times in a day. The initial Revelation came to prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a cave of Mount Hira near the city of Mecca. There are several mountains near Mecca. During the annual Islamic Pilgrimage called "Hajj", Muslims from all over the world, assemble in Mecca and shout Glory to the Lord from the top of Mount Arafat. The pilgrims continuously give Glory to Allah on their ways, to and from Mecca.
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One may be confused to learn that Jesus said “I was sent ONLY
the lost sheep of the house of Israel” Matthew 15:24RSV. Yet Jesus' Gospel is
now undestood to be for all of mankind since Jesus also said: "Go
therefore and make disciples of all nations" Matthew 28:19. But is that
what Jesus really meant!!
SHOCKINGLY the same verse in the original Greek
gospel included the Greek word "τὰ -THE” before the word “nations” as seen HERE. The use of the word “THE”
makes these nations specifically targeted as opposed to a general usage,
meaning specifically the Twelve tribes of Israel. Yet the word "THE"
remains absent in all Bibles, so that the Bible reader will understand making
disciples is generally for all nations.
AMAZINGLY, the Bible translators repeated the same error in all
verses that says “all THE nation” as in Matthew 24:14RSV “and this gospel of
the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all
nations". see the proofHERE
Before the Gospels' earthly revelation through Jesus Christ, God
told Mary that “He will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 RSV”. It
is very obvious that his people in this verse are the Children of Israel . Note
that God did not say ALL people.
In fact when Jesus uses the phrase “the world” he means the
world he was send to, which is the Children of Israel. why, becouse he said
"For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to
the world."John 6:33.NIV. We all know the bread here is the revelation of
Jesus, for he made it very clear that his revelation was indeed for the
children of Israel only. For he said: "It is not right to take the
children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Matthew 15:26.
Yet on his last days on earth, Jesus instructed his disciples
that they “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Matthew 10:6 RSV. Did
Jesus change his mind by speaking to non -Israelites peoples like the
Samaritans?.
The Mystery of Jesus & The Samaritan People ?
In the gospel of John 4:5-40 Jesus came to encounter the
Samaritans and stay with them for 2 days ONLY, which is not enough to teach them
the gospel that existed at Jesus' time, for the Gospel of John says " But
there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be
written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would
be written"21:25 . What was Jesus doing with the Samaritans for 2 days?
Jesus first encounters a Samaritan woman who said to him "I
know that Christ is coming, when he comes, he will show us all things" One
would ask what are the things Jesus will show them ? She answered "He told
me all that I ever did." In reality John chapter (4) is saying that Jesus
was proving to the Samaritans that he is The Christ by only telling them all
the things they ever did , and that is the reason they said " we know that
this is indeed the Savior of the world (Children of Israel)", notice they
did not say "our savior".
Why would Jesus take the time to prove to them who he is?
Jesus tought his disciples that: "For he that is not
against us is for us. Mark 9:40". In other words Jesus was establishing
the foundation for his movement to have as less enemies as possible, for he
told his follower that they "will lay hands on you and persecute you. They
will deliver you to synagogues and prisons.. Luke 21:12. When it came to
teaching the Gospel Jesus did say: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter
any town of the Samaritans . But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Matthew 10:6 RSV.
Shockingly the Bible says "God is not a man, that he should
lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Numbers 23:19. And Jesus
did say: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
Matthew 15:24. Did Jesus change his mind or some misquote him for their own
purposes?
Jesus' Gospel becoming a divine revelation to all mankind is
clearly revealed by the era in which the New Testament was composed. That era
was famous for the lack of professional scribes and institutional documentation
until the Roman Empire adapted christianity where Pauls letters became the
major source of the New Testament theology.
Yet in our modern time questions remain:
1.
Did the desire of the apostle Paul's early believers help to
bridge the gap between his teaching and that of Jesus' gospel. As a result was
the bible deliberately falsely translated for all these centuries?
2.
Should one accept Jesus' words OR the Bible translation errors
along the Bible scribes?.
3.
Paul claims that Jesus sent him to the gentiles (Non-Jews),
however Paul never met Jesus in the flesh. Yet Paul said "I received it by
revelation from Jesus Christ. Galatians 1:11". How ture is Pauls claim?
the astonishing answer in the next in depth study of apostle Paul in the new
testament.(The Shocking Truth of Christianty's Founder?)
By World Religion Researcher: Tark El Nimir
In John 11:48 it's a Pharisees Jewish plot to kill Jesus son of Mary they are talking about all the Jewish community just like Matthew 28:19 and 24:14
John 11:50 refers THE whole Jewish nation! 11:51 also refers targeted THAT nation. Jews considered themselves children of God so all THOSE who were scattered john 11:52 around nearby villages
Mark 7:27 Jesus son of Mary pbuh told her the rule she was not part of his mission but on special request with her intelligent reply of left over he solved her issue.
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"But he (Jesus) answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." [Matthew 15:24]
"And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." [Luke 19:9-10]
Jesus (pbuh) said, "For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray." [Matthew 18:11-13 KJV only]
A well documented fact that the 12 Tribes of Judah were spread amongst other nations so that is why Jesus teachings and guidence for them specifically required long wide spread journeys otherwise the gospel would not reach them.
'Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else to the nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." [Mark 1:38]
'But he (Jesus) said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent." [Luke 4:43]
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:", But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. [Matthew 10:5-7]
Jesus said, "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is of the Jews." [John 4:22]
Jesus said, "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them." [John 17:19-20]
"He (Jesus) came unto his own, and his own received him not." [John 1:11]
IN THE QUR'AN WE READ ABOUT JESUS TRUE MISSION TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL:
"And Allah will teach him (Jesus) the book, wisdom, the Torah, and the Gospel, and (appoint him) an apostle to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe; (I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me." [Qur'an 3:48-3:50]
LET'S EXAMINE THE PROPHESY OF ISAIAH REGARDING THE PROPHET WHO WILL BE SENT TO THE GENTILES THAT PAUL CLEVERLY ATTEMPTED TO TAKE CREDIT FOR BY APPOINTING HIMSELF THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES:
Paul rejected Jesus' command of NOT preaching to the Gentiles. Jesus' Gospel and message was restricted only for the Children of Israel. Paul openly preached among the Gentiles a totally different gospel and religion altogether, but then again he wasn't one of Jesus' disciples anyways. The one who was to come for the Gentiles is mentioned in Isaiah 42 of the Bible. Who clearly is an Arab according to the description of his ancestor, "Kedar" and not a Jew Pharisee like Paul who then attempts to deceive many by assuming the role of the respected prophet to come as prophesied in the text.
Paul said, "For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:" [Romans 11:13]
THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) WAS THE APOSTLE OF THE GENTILES NOT PAUL THE LIAR:
"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." [Isaiah 42:1-7 KJV]
John 4:42 is not what Jesus son of Mary pbuh himself said rather it was some people who Wrongly thought that he was saviour of the world which he is Infact NOT.
Regarding 1 john 2:2 it was the work was written to counter docetism, which is the belief that Jesus did not come "in the flesh", but only as a spirit. So 1st epistle's basic objective was wrong because we all know Jesus son of Mary was in flesh was in the womb of Mary pbuh with all blood and urine in the sack https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Epistle_of_John
WE ALL KNOW THAT JESUS (PBUH) WAS ONLY SENT TO THE LOST SHEEP OF ISRAEL (JEWS) AND NOT TO THE GENTILES SO THIS PROPHESY IS NOT ABOUT HIM.
"I am the LORD; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. `Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth'. Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the inlands." [Isaiah 42:7-12]
In the Bible there is only one personality called Kedar. He was the grandson of prophet Abraham (pbuh), through his son Ishmael (Gen.25:13). Kedar's descendants had settled in Paran (Syno-Arabian dessert). In the Rabbinic literature Arabia is called the "Land of Kedar". Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a descendant of Kedar.
"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham: And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam, And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa, Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah." [Genesis 25:13-15]
Allah did reveal in the Land of Kedar, through prophet Muhammad (pbuh) a direct descendant of Kedar, a "New Song" (Recitation) - The Qur'an. This happens to be the only Scripture to be revealed in the language of the Kedarites. The verses of the Qur'an are recited like a poem. Nearly 1.2 billion Muslims, residing all over the world, recite this "new song" and Glorify Allah, in their daily prayers, five times in a day. The initial Revelation came to prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a cave of Mount Hira near the city of Mecca. There are several mountains near Mecca. During the annual Islamic Pilgrimage called "Hajj", Muslims from all over the world, assemble in Mecca and shout Glory to the Lord from the top of Mount Arafat. The pilgrims continuously give Glory to Allah on their ways, to and from Mecca.
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