Last episode we talked about Jesus entering the synagogue and attending to the man with the deformed hand. Today we tell the rest of the story which is to shine a light on how Jesus seems to always be painted into the corner by his religious leaders and somehow someway uses their lack of vulnerability to turn the situation on its head. Pay close attention to why Jesus always has the upper hand in these conversations. And notice how Jesus responds to their lack of vulnerability. Lastly can you sense Jesus’ defiance at his handling a situation that could be put off till later if only to annoy and push back against the religious leaders of his tribe. In this story we get a good sense of how those who fight rightly for truth and goodness are treated by their religious systems and their tribes when the do-gooders are pointing to institutional unhealthiness and a lack of vulnerability.
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I just found your podcast from mormon discussions a day or 2 ago and am finding it very interesting. Thank you.
I have a question for podcast 16. Jesus gets angry b/c the pharisees don’t want to move to the next level of spirituality. But in the long podcast about the different levels of faith you say that you can’t push someone into the next level and that in fact most of the world won’t get beyond the ‘faithfulness’ (level 3, i think) level. And that at the higher levels you can perceive what someone’s point of view might be and how he got there. So shouldn’t Jesus just have compassion at their lower level instead of getting upset? I get the sadness, defiance and frustration but don’t get the anger. That’s like getting mad at a 9 yr old for not understanding abstract thinking, knowing that he isn’t at that level yet.
Is it just that they didn’t even care enough to try to understand Jesus point of view?
Thank You Karin for listening,
If Jesus is how we define him (as a perfect half god being) then perhaps. That said, two things must be considered. One is that Jesus is more human than we have defined him. The other consideration is that what if one in a later stage both wants to be patient with those in earlier stages but also perceives that less mature framing hurting others. What is the obligation of the more developed person when they see harm and trauma being inflicted?