2004-6-17 19:30:00
To the Pharisees in his day Jesus said:
"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." Matt 23:24
What did he mean by this?
In those days a concern of the Pharisees was that they sometimes swallowed a gnat as they drank their tea. To prevent this they placed a fine screen over their cup as they drank. This insured that they would not swallow any gnats.
Then Jesus comes along and uses this practice to illustrate their absurdity with doctrine. If you read all of Matthew 23 you will see that he is saying something like this:
You strain the gnat of doctrine by making sure tithing is paid accurately to the penny and the Sabbath is obeyed to the hundredth footstep. You are very precise in the minutia of doctrine, but when it comes to the big picture you are like people who have a camel's ass sitting in your cup and cannot see it.
In this vein he says:
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Matt 23:23
Debating this point of whether we are at .25 or .5 or have increased times 125 or whatever is like straining the gnat. There are much weightier matters to discuss that will help the group understand principles.
As I have said many times one principle is worth a thousand facts. The point of evolution that humanity is at is a fact whether it be .25, .5 or 2.0. To argue over such a fact when we could be discovering a principle which is worth a thousand facts is like straining a gnat while swallowing a camel.
Whether you like it or not we are moving on. In doing so I hope you will contribute something positive rather than merely seeking to disprove what I say. I assure you that not everything I teach is in error and needs correction. On this list there are plenty of opportunities to light a candle.
No one has to spend all their time cursing the darkness.
You are invited to join in and add your intelligence in a positive way.
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first then seek to win. Sun Tzu
Copyright 2004 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved