ArchivedThe Quran - Is pre-ordained sin mans responsibility?Alexei, I hope some of this discussion is helpful and well here is my answer to your third question Jesus was sent to the entire world, but He worked first with the jews. Why? well, let me try to answer that in two ways. Firstly, I have said in a previous post that God ordained that He would bring blessing to the world through the nation of Israel and in particular, His Messiah would come from amongst the jews, and specifically from the House of David. I guess the simplest way to explain this is to use the spread of Islam as an example. According to Islamic tradition and history, the word of God came first to Muhammed and then he took it to his family who took it around the world. So for Jesus to say He was first coming to the house of Israel is not that strange, when viewed from that perspective Secondly, as Alpha said, Jesus did actually heal the Canaanite womans' daughter. Yes it was to test her faith and he healed her daughter in response to her faith (Matthew 15:21-28), but please read the discussion that Jesus had had previous to this episode with his disciples, about what is clean and unclean and ask yourself if there wasn't also another message here for the disciples. The Disciples had just gone to Jesus and told Him that the pharisees, the religious leaders, were offended by the things he was telling them. Jesus then talks about things being clean and unclean. The Jews of course, believed any one who was not a jew was unclean, and immediately this episode of the Canaanite woman takes place. Please note that in the beginning Jesus didn't say a word to the woman. He let her speak. It was the disciples who came and urged him to send her away. Why? because she was unclean in their eyes. Yes, this situation was for her, and notice Jesus's reaction to her "you have great faith" infact, in but I also believe it was very much to teach the disciples a very important lesson, about their own misunderstandings of their own teachings, traditions and belief systems. An important confrontation for them when they needed to see that God's promise of a messiah was not just for the Jews, but for the so called "unclean" nations as well. the answer to your question re the passage in Mark 4 is I believe in the passage itself Alexei. If you read furthur down in thepassage, in verses 13-20 and again from verse 21-33. At this point in his life, Jesus was not explaining His mission to the wider world. he was working with 12 men who would be empowered to take His message to the world. For three years, he walked, talked, ate and drank with them, sharing His entire life with them, teaching them of God as he did so. They asked Him to show them the Father, and jesus asked them "haven't I been with you long enough that you don't know that I and the father am one? The father is in me and I am in the Father?" and so many other verses where Jesus points out his relationship with God. His whole purpose was to work with His Disciples at this point in his life. Mark 4:33 clearly states that "he did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when He was alone with His Disciples, He explained everything to them." this whole passage speaks of the word of God being like a seed that falls on good soil, or rocky soil or amongst weeds. Parables were the way that ancients told important truths.. like story telling (which by the way is the way Muhammed told of his revelations to his friends) Jesus said, that only to some would the full revelation of His word be given. The parables Jesus spoke, were fully explained to them and Jesus promised in John 14-16 that the Holy Spirit would bring back to their memories everything He had told them and in the power of the Holy Spirit they would then go and make His word known to the nations. The book of Acts is the testimony of this happening and the response of the world "Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man credited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did amongst you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him on the cross, But God raised him from the dead, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Acts 2 (entire chapter). Alexei, Jesus did explain some parables, eg the parable of the Good Samaritan to the people. Others He chose to keep to explanations for the disciples only. This was not strange to the people, but all he spoke, was supported by the signs and wonders that followed him. Peace to you. I'm off to bed now. More tomorrow. Carol |
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