So it would appear that there are some brave volunteers who have ventured to my tainted facebook page to cast a vote on what section of the bible to go to next. Based on the results so far it would seem that this Matthew person is the most popular, so I decided to give the lad a shot. I started out looking for something in particular, but got lost in the whole number-colon-number business and somehow ended up here. But I can use this, I guess.
It basically tells the story of how Jesus Christ walks around performing his little magic tricks and basically everyone says..
Oh wow how did you do that?
And basically he says..
I’m the man.
And he takes his show from town to town like some sort of predate David Copperfield.
Anyhoo..
In the midst of all of this, he does deliver a speech that is mildly thought provoking. He gathers the crowd and tells them..
"Listen, and take this to heart. It's not what you swallow that pollutes your life, but what you vomit up." Matthew 15:10-11 (Message)
One of his entourage questions him, asking him to clarify a bit which he immediately gets chastised for. I don’t know why, I was thinking the exact same thing (quit talking in riddles Jesus speak your mind!).
He attempts to clarify by telling him that it doesn't matter what you eat or if you wash your hands it will all soon be defecated..
(Well, I’m not sure if I agree with that 100%. I had some pretty bad Chinese food once that I would consider polluted and let me tell you that story doesn't end very well at all)
..but what I think he is trying to say in his somewhat esoteric fashion is that words hurt. And they do. Whoever came up with the phrase “Sticks and stones..” clearly has never felt the full impact that words can have. Especially now, with the explosion of the social media where a single hurtful phrase can spread like wildfire. I read a pretty good post once by rach in her murrrmurings blog aptly entitled mark zuckerberg is the antichrist that exemplifies this fact pretty well. I think that sometimes we should take the time to consider how our words will affect someone before we dish them out. Or at least take the time to consider how we would feel if the situation were to be reversed.
I don’t play around with facebook too much, but I have so many other contaminates in my life that I am practically drowning in pollution. One of them was my family, which I had to sever from my life in its entirety like a malignant form of cancer. Like a band of cutthroat mercenaries they are always arguing, and fighting, and stealing from each other. I couldn’t even properly enjoy my New Year’s without thinking back to how on that very same day I was seared in the face with a lit cigar completely blindsided and unprovoked. Then had the nerve to tell me think of it as an “initiation”. Good riddens. I hope I never see any of them people again..ever. Oh wait, I’m supposed to forgive and love my family no matter what, right? Too bad, I’m fresh out. They are one of the main reasons why I have developed MAJOR trust issues. Why I wander the Earth in limbo like some soulless creature torn between life and death. And why I choose to do it alone.. but that is another story.
These are but a mere few of the demons that I battle on a daily basis..
What pollutes your life?
What pollutes my life you ask? Well, since you ask.....What pollutes my life is attitudes and opinions instilled in my brain by the people I loved and trusted the most. It has taken me all this time (and believe me, it's been a looong time) to finally realize that while these attitudes and opinions may have been their truth they are not necessarily my truth. Now, how the heck do I get them out my head? They've lived there so long.
ReplyDeleteSo now you are struggling through Matthew. Well, at least you won't find it as heavy slogging as Genesis.
Indeed, the people that we care about the most can have the most impact. A blessing and a curse.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. The people that we care about the most can often have the greatest influence on us. A blessing and a curse.
ReplyDeleteHi friend! Long time no talk...I see you haven't lost your sense of humor. And you've given me fifteen minutes of fame! I sure do feel special :] I'm sad I missed out on the poll that you gave...maybe you can move on to John next.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, if you don't mind a bit of rambling, I can explain the bit on unclean hands...
In that day, Pharisees were like the super religious guys. They cared a lot about traditions, and prided themselves on their knowledge of what we consider the Old Testament. And so when they saw that Jesus' disciples weren't going along with their old traditions, they got pissed about it. So in my version, it said Jesus responded by saying "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" Meaning these religious guys cared more about traditions and facades than what God commanded. That's why in my translation Jesus calls them "blind guides". They act like they know so much about God through flashy religious practices (I'm sure you've seen this type of behavior) and He condemns them for it. And he goes on with different things that a person can do to defile themselves, like theft, adultery, etc. Instead of focusing on these far more important matters, they get mad at Jesus for unclean hands.
All that to say that Jesus is telling his disciples that there are plenty of religious people that focus more on faith and appearance than what comes out of the mouth, for that shows what's in a person's heart. You'll find that Jesus goes up against the Pharisees a number of times.
Hope my ramblings help shed some light. Also, what pollutes my life? Negative self-perception, jealousy, anxiety, and false teaching.
Have a good one!
What pollutes my life?
ReplyDeleteUsually my own bad attitude...self-pity...getting too easily frustrated when things don't work out smoothly...impatience...
Those sorts of things. It can get a lot worse with more serious sins manifested in my actions, but it usually starts with a poor personal attitude toward a given situation.
God and I have a lot of talks about these issues (not audible talks in case you're wondering). I come to Him asking for His help in resolving a situation, and He usually says something like, "Okay, I understand you are frustrated. Now, let's talk about your attitude."
Interesting. You don't seem like the type to harbor a bad attitude. Well, I guess the first step is always recognition. That alone constitutes progress.
ReplyDeleteYes, you are very special. And yes, your fifteen minutes of fame is well deserved. Thank you for your explanation it does indeed shed plenty of light. To be candid, I have noticed a bit of self-deprecation wired into your personality. Especially about your appearance, which if you don't mind my saying, you are way waay too hard on yourself about. But at the same time I think it makes you very humble which is also a part of your charm. I don't know too much about the other stuff but I am sure that those are traits that we can all work on. But as far as I am concerned.. you're supes great.
ReplyDeleteYou're right! Through the power of Christ in my life, I am not all the type to harbor a bad attitude. He is faithful to show me when my attitude starts to decline, and He is faithful to give me a new attitude to replace the bad one.
ReplyDeleteIt is all to the credit if Christ, though. Apart from His work in my life, I would be a pretty negative self-absorbed individual.
Hey, I can't knock it. Whatever works.
ReplyDeleteI'd say the benefit of religion is that pollution in your life is such a smaller problem. I see people talking about other's perceptions of them having a negative effect. Jesus's big message is that as long as your mind is in the right place while you act, then it really doesn't matter what individuals think of you, even family. However, let everyone's perception of you affect you, as you are doing your best for other's benefit. This could be how religion pollutes lives I guess.
ReplyDeleteThe only pollution in my life is when I think I've failed to do my best and failed to help people. Which of course happens. Just learn your lesson and put your knowledge wholly into the next endeavor.
(Read the sermon on the mount. It's Jesus in a nutshell)
Idealistically that is what we look for, but in reality a little more difficult to practice. Unless someone is a complete robot, or deluding themselves, people will affect us in some way. We can't realistically expect that not to happen. Especially, when it comes to the people that we care about the most. But I still have a long way to go in this book and this sermon on the mountain sounds like a good approach.
ReplyDelete..and yes, we fail, sometimes. Everyone makes mistakes. That's why they put erasers on pencils ;)
No like, let everyone affect you. Care about everyone the most. It's the reverse of being a robot in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI got you. Like taking the weight of the world on your shoulders. Now that is a heavy burden to bear.
ReplyDelete