Originally Posted by ncjohn
I find it very interesting the way some will find certain quotes, taken out of context, to support things that are totally contrary to the message Jesus spoke. Whe our Protestant brothers and sisters do such thing we call it “prooftexting”, but when we do it…
By his very actions of “dining with sinners and tax collectors”, Jesus showed how he felt sinners need to be treated. “Only the sick need a physician.” Unfortunately we seem to have a whole bunch of people who don’t see themselves as sick–a la the Pharisee and Tax Collector parable–but are more than willing to judge sickness on others and decide who is “worthy enough” to come to the table. The pure and simple fact is that there is not a single one of us who is worthy beyond God calling us worthy
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Very true, except for the fact that your statement infers that we are all equally unworthy & that just isn’t true. Someone who prays daily for help in avoiding sin, who goes to confession often,.after a REAL examiniation of conscience, someone who gives credence to the teachings of the Church & obeys them is more worthy than someone who has had an abortion & is unrepentant, someone who speaks out in favor of abortion, someone whose vote makes abortion more available to more people, is LESS worthy. To say otherwise, is to claim that Padre Pio & Teddy Kennedy have an equality in their unworthiness. They do not.
Then there is the whole overturning the tables of the moneychangers story, which is being used here to justify “tough love.” Balderdash! It is quite clear that people just don’t get why Jesus did this. It was purely and simply because there was a group of the “righteous” putting obstacles in the way of people who desired to seek God. Essentially “charging” people for access like a tollbooth. THAT is what Jesus would not tolerate.
(And here I’ve always thought that these “righteous” tax collectors were looked down upon by everyone…that Christ drove them from the temple because they were defiling the house of God?)
If people really desire to seek God, this “compassion equals tolerance” that you seem to support, won’t help anyone find Him. Jesus’ words to the adulterous woman, “Neither do I condemn you” (Jn. 8:11),
are filled with forgiveness, not tolerance. No where in Scripture does Christ call a sin trivial, nor does He call it “a point of view”, etc., etc. t. The woman caught in adultery knew her own sin, and He knew that she did, whereas the would-be stone-throwers weren’t reflecting upon theirs. So Jesus had to deal with them first. But after He forgave the woman, notice that Jesus did not say, “Go, follow your feelings, celebrate diversity, and try not to hurt anyone.” **He said, “Go, and sin no more.”
To the paralytic, He added a further warning: “Sin no more, lest something worse befall you”**Compassion does not equal tolerance, especially where sin is concerned. If compassion, like genuine love, is not rooted in truth, it is at best misguided emotion, and at worst a refusal to enlighten a soul in danger of damnation.
Quite likely it would be these priests who think they can send people away from God until the pass the worthiness test whom Jesus would be chasing out of the temple. The righteous ones thinking they get to decide which of God’s people get to come to Him. I have no doubt they would be among those criticizing Jesus for eating with the sinners.
Hmmmm, I could say something unkind about you choosing which of the sins needs to be condemned & punished, for this is what you are doing in the paragraph above. It seems you feel contempt for those who commit the sin (& it is a sin) of “holier that thousism” & feel what is called compassion for those who commit the sin of abortion. This attitude is strange to say the least.
And btw… compassion does not equal tolerance. Christ NEVER tolerated sin. “Be compassionate as my Father is compassionate” is all too often twisted into something that is tantamount to offering people a license to sin. “Compassion,” in modern parlance, means something like universal tolerance with a dose of sentimentality, which turns a blind eye to evil.
There are different ways to express compassion, based on the need of those to whom we show mercy. To show compassion to the hungry is to give them food; to show compassion to the homeless and unemployed is to help them find housing and work. If you wish to be compassionate to the sick or elderly, comfort and assist them.
But if you want to be like Jesus in showing compassion to sinners, invite them to repent.
