A culture of denial is behind the curtains of both our dilemmas and our valiant struggles, and the people tasked with ensuring transparency and accountability keep hoping for miracles instead of using their considerable intellect to work on respectable solutions.  It is good that people are amazed at the handles recommended but fogging up the screen of the common goal of participating in God’s kingdom and picking the wrong tools for the several problems  needs neither electoral or academic handles.

When the rabbi from Nazareth burst onto the scene in the third decade of his life he did not say “Money makes the world go round”; that would have made Solomon proud. He was not even a rabbi; they had no idea where he acquired his cutting edge grasp of the law and the nation’s destiny.  Money or law as the world turners are respectively economist and Israelite views.  No historical, economic or theological review can draw an ownership circle around either view or the practice that belongs.

An early sign that the core teachings of Judaism were not being reflected in civic life was the encounter between a young Yeshua and a later sign was Yeshua’s assault on temple corruption.

Young Yeshua interacts with temple officials

46) Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47) And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

Luke 2:46-47

John 2:14-16 shows Messiah taking ownership of the temple

14) And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15) And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; 16) and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

Check your teacher

What school, what grades?

The Jews then were astonished, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”

John 7:15

Judeo-Christian footwork leaves no question

It should not be surprising to discover that Israeli governments, though named after legal parties, are usually formed  through alliances between tiny religious factions, in violation of rabbinic wisdom.

It is no secret that a host of Christian (church and para church) leaders are woefully biased towards tradition and away from active public service and accurate interpretation of the matters at hand.  It matters little where one gets trained or educated, but it matters absolutely that one soberly does ones work conscientiously at ones level of competence.

People espousing political views, Jew or Gentile, as if those views have a heavenly stamp, and following the hype and spin of partisan politics, trying to make spiritual hay of civic grass,  are deemed to be on dangerous ground.  The experts in New Testament times – the priests and the scribes –  sold out their responsibilities to personal enrichment and fables.  Our experts – the pastors, divinity and theology teachers – can be expected to include some intelligent servants, people with questionable academic credentials, fullblown rascals, and  a few whose  priorities and practices have tenuous connections to the established facts of faith in God.

The secret and sacred vote

Even though one’s contribution to discussions and the public appearance of participation gives away what one supports or rejects the individual’s vote remains secret.  We discover that many debates are the seed bed of conflict and open hostility.  Political discussions are like religious debates: they take you to places you never thought you’d want to be.

Scholar and the student

Isaiah 29:11-13

11) The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” 12) Then the book will be given to the one who is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I cannot read.” 13) Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote…

Some people, having neglected to count the cost of their discipleship, find themselves at the shrimp level of the food chain, all the while publishing their resume as scholars, experts and teachers. It is easy to spot the shrimp: they read English haltingly, they major in practically all the cliches of popular Christianity and they use history and logic to add precision to their interpretation of the gospel.

How well do you take care of yourself?

COUNTING THE COST

28. For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29. Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30. saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Luke 14:28-30

They seem, in most cases, to have missed the lesson about Scripture having no vulnerability to individual opinions.   What we say about Scripture is of no consequence compared to our saying accurately what the Scriptures mean.  Apparently people are still excited about hearing what the Bible says even when the meaning is still a mystery.

It is pure ignorance that keeps a person believing that violation of the Law (Pentateuch and Sinai Covenant in particular and the whole Bible in general)

It was through a hungry, thirsty and dying man and an empty God that God addressed the world’s salvation.

If violation of law was what put Adam in debt we should expect Johm 3:16 to be interpreted as “… whoever keeps the law may not perish but have eternal life”.  We should also expect the access to be proclaimed as judgment, hardball, and conviction not grace,  mercy,  and peace.

Instead of grace and peace we have law and torment dressed up as sensible arguments such as this image (below).  Instead of following the example of Christ in putting the interests of others first people take up this so-called reasonable path of loving oneself first.

Why are American politicians trying to defend something that does not exist? The evidence of criminal intent and low character is overwhelming. The support for bigotry, the exposure of vulnerable people (especially children) to violence was enough for Yahweh to trash Jerusalem and the temple. Why are intelligent and conscientious people lining up behind the agenda of a white nationalist, a neo-Nazi, a misogynist, neo-confederate, and a host of overnight believers? There is little value attached to character that appreciates truth in the model of Christ of Nazareth vs scribes, elders, and priests

The brattish behaviour of the party hijacked by the gloating bigot in the White House leaves no abomination untested. They – in the person of Gaetz, Collins, Jordan – are having a feast, mutilating the truth and erecting flimsy walls to hide the stupour that covers the nation just like their sages and pastors have been doing for centuries.

Baloney is a word used by the counsel for the president’s party, Steve Castor at the impeachment hearing of December 9. The soundbyte that potus45 has admirable character traits is a dried leaf. This juncture of American history ranks with Isaiah’s observation of Israel-Judah on two occasions.

Worse than farm animals

Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD has spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel does not know, my people does not consider.

Isaiah 1:2-3

Filth replaces fidelity

In that day shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the residue of his people, And for a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate. But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.

Isaiah 28:5-8

Check your school but learn by all means

It is October 2020 and the gloating bigot in the White House has fallen victim to the plague that he wished would kill off the vulnerable. The expression “Oy oy oy” (polite Hebrew for “holy *ing s%#@”) leaps off my lips.   In my dialect we say “i i i”.   “Alas” and “Oh” are mild and the simple “woe” may mean a rebuke or a tumultuous and merciless military attack.  Woes and pestilences are no laughing matter and we must learn to do more than wish bad things did not come near our homes.  Woe in the year 2020 has one face: the deadly covid-19.   When a head of state plays down the virus’ potential and record, tells everyone who cares to listen to him that his nation has turned the corner, or that the warm summer will eradicate the threat,  it is the response that is woeful and infamous, not the virus.

Predictions are “nutn changes” and “sacrifice means less”.

Hands on the rail all the way and thanks taps at the top says a man is in great shape.

Frantic attempts are in motion (a) to obscure the trail of the infector-in-chief (b) to change the antiviral defensive practices in the White House (c) make asinine rhetoric by Republican leaders, the rally mobs disappear and (d) to blame the minders of the president for failing to protect him.  Oy, oy, oy!

I do believe that people do not want to be near a walking infection silo or be lead by one, and it is obvious that people are dying to maintain the cover story about bad practices in the People’s Republic of China and to have a two-left feet economy survive at all costs.

His mouth opens and out comes tumbling the signals to the vile and violent.  It is a bad enough idea to propose that one man should die – executed by the state- in order to save the nation from destruction, but it is not helpful to give the impression that any such utterance is the result of orthodox doctrine.   If by virtue of his office one does utter things that are utterly reliable  we should not lose sight of the record of massive loss of life at the hands of both domestic and foreign actors. Since we have seen the value of a single life listed as both animal cheap and God expensive it makes little sense for a leader to have any qualms about quashing the voice of protest which typically amounts to a few dozens or not more than a couple hundred.

  Protest is what protestants do.  Should not the followers of Moses and George Washington expect to find revolutionary trails in the leader’s guidance?

Speaking evil of anyone is devilish except where the evil is accurate but you will not find me standing up, saluting, nodding my head, when the high priest or the head of state is a charlatan megalomaniac, such as potus45 and any of his featherweight children

Provoke us not name you

Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?”

Acts 23:3

The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike [Paul] on the mouth. Acts 23:2. God will strike the leader who plays strongman by urging violence on Black people, peaceful protesters and homeless Palestinians, and makes deals with xenophobic and misogynist Islamic states. That is not leadership: it is scavenging in support of insurance for sycophants.

Chew on Yeshua’s words. You’ll stay healthy forever.

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:54

Statistically: none of the witnesses we see regularly on television and hear on our radios had a word to say in support of potus45 and his neo-Nazi law and order regime until John Hagee (in the last week). Times must be desperate.

Do I have have to say anything more?