Jesus is doubleplusungood
The text from today’s lectionary is quite long, but I want to throw in a bit of a context. Yesterday I got into an argument with an ethicist. He’s probably a better Christian than I am. But he has followed the secularization theory — that religion is going to fade, and we must accommodate to it. And as a result, he has become interested in the philosophy of identity and is sourcing his ideas as much from Foucault and Aristotle.
Now, he started talking about ghettoization, and I commented that the empiric data did not fit: being in an ethnic neighbourhood can be good for you. One of my colleagues emailed me asking if I was a heretic.
And as far as the high church of liberalism is concerned, the answer is yes. You see, I take these two passages seriously.
1“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
26“My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. 27Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. 28Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed. 29When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30But God raised him from the dead; 31and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses to the people. 32And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors 33he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’ 34As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, ‘I will give you the holy promises made to David.’ 35Therefore he has also said in another psalm, ‘You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.’ 36For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; 37but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. 38Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; 39by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you: 41‘Look, you scoffers! Be amazed and perish, for in your days I am doing a work, a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.’”
42As Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people urged them to speak about these things again the next sabbath.43When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
Jesus was saying the only way to salvation was through his death. There is no other. There is no tolerance of different paths, There are not multiple truths. We do not make our world up by reflecting on the society around us (that canard was part of that early form of the liberal high church, national socialism).
As far as the modern, progressive narrative and theology is concerned, Jesus and Paul are retrograde heretics that peddle the life eternal and keep people from concentrating on worshiping and working towards a collective heaven. They hate God. The only Jerusalem they look for is that of their political nirvana.
If they call Jesus a heretic, they will do the same to us. They are heading for perdition, and making that path compulsory. I don’t want to part of their club. Instead I will piss on their idols of smug righteousness and rainbow inclusiveness, and be counted, like my masters, as doubleplusungood, a heretic, a fundamentalist.