Investigating the Bible: The value of honesty
By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR
Honest words refresh the soul. President John F. Kennedy, after some public argument where he was harshly criticized by former president Harry Truman, said, “I guess Truman will apologize for calling me an SOB, and I will apologize for being one.” The Bible has much to say about being honest.
The apostle Peter had learned through painful life experiences the value of honesty. After the arrest of Jesus, Peter stood by a fire warming himself, some distance from where Jesus was being interrogated by the Romans. “…And a servant girl came up to him and said, ‘You also were with Jesus the Galilean.’ But he denied it before all, saying, ‘I do not know what you mean.’” (Matthew 26:69-70, English Standard Version used throughout.) He repeated this lie two more times before he left and wept for his cowardly dishonesty.
After the resurrection of Jesus, Peter forgiven and strengthened by God, proclaimed to a crowd the story of the resurrection of Jesus and the way to salvation. The Jewish leaders had Peter and John arrested and commanded them to stop preaching about Jesus. Peter was honest: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:19-20).
Stephen was one of the seven deacons in the first church. Jealous men lied about him and “…stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes… and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, ‘This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place’”. Stephen told the truth about the Jewish establishment: “‘You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” (Acts 7:51). The enraged the religious rulers dragged him outside the city and stoned him. As he was dying, Stephen “…called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord do not hold this sin against them.’”(Acts 7:59-60).
Peter quoted the book of Psalms in his epistle, “Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3:10-11).
Some say the story of young George Washington and the cherry tree is a myth. It was first recorded by a biographer of Washington, seven years after his death and could not be verified. Whether it happened or didn’t, it illustrates well his character. George Washington’s father had planted a valuable cherry tree imported from Europe in his orchard and cautioned everyone on the farm to never harm the tree.
The spring it blossomed and was near bearing fruit, the boy Washington received a shiny hatchet and went about the farm chopping whatever he saw. When he came to the precious cherry tree, only a few quick blows sliced completely through the tender trunk. Later, his father was shocked to see the killed cherry tree. He asked everyone who was responsible. When young George walked by, his father asked if he knew what had happened to the tree.
George reportedly replied with difficulty, “I cannot tell a lie, father. I did it with my hatchet.” The elder Washington, though very angry, ordered the lad into the house. Later he said to him, “I am sorry to have lost my cherry tree, but I am glad that you were brave enough to tell me the truth. I would rather have you truthful and brave than to have a whole orchard full of the finest cherry trees. Never forget that, my son.”
David Carlson Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) is a Polk County resident and graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).
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fiddler
Is Jesus fact or myth? cont.
Why did the Calpurnius Piso family, and their relatives, want to create a new religion, a new law, in the first place, and why did Arrius want to finish what the members of his family had started. [Hint: it’s political, based on power and control of the empire for Piso’s family.] If the New Testament was created because of the war in 70 CE, the motives and evidence for that remain within the NT.
Gaius Calpurnius Piso instigated a secret conspiracy to replace Emperor Nero with himself, which became known as the Pisonian Conspiracy. But Gaius needed the approval by the Praetorian Guard to accomplish his goals. Nero’s wife was a Jewish sympathizer, and Nero was against a new religion to replace Judaism out of respect for his wife. This raised the ire of Piso and thus the conspiracy plan was hatched.
The creation of a new religion (Christianity) was both a political and personal. It was a response that resulted from a long drawn out war that originated as a battle between Jewish sects—Pharisees, Scribes, Sadducees, Essenes, and Zealots—about the time when Harod the Great became king of Israel. The battle that caused the most concern for the aristocracy of Rome was Pharisees v. Sadducees.
The Pharisees battled the Sadducees over three main concerns:
1) basic human rights for all people;
2) an end to slavery;
3) a newhonest form of a democratic governmental system.
Commoners were in favor of the Pharisees. The Sadducees comprised the high priests, aristocratic families and merchants (oligarchs). [Does this sound like South in the mid-nineteenth century and today?] The Sadducees were losing control, so they asked Rome for help to restore their power and control of Judea. Rome was transitioning from a republic to an empire (dictatorship) at this time and there were wars in the provinces. So Rome installed Harod as King of Judea, and thus King of the Jews, and put the Sadducees back in power.
fiddler
Around 50CE, 8,000,000 Jews comprised about 10% of the Roman Empire, and 20% of the Jewish population lived in Judea. They were anti-slavery, and the Roman aristocracy lived by slave labor. The two ethics were so polarized that there was no middle ground for them to co-exist. Furthermore, they refused to acknowledge Romans as gods. The Roman aristocracy feared Judaism would become the main religion of the empire. Piso came up with a plan for a new “Jewish book” to replace the “Jewish holy books”.
Piso wrote Ur Marcus (the book of Mark), the first “Jewish book”, written around 60 CE (some scholars say 75 CE) and sent it to Seneca.
fiddler
This is Seneca’s response:
“I received the book of yours which you promised me. I opened it hastily with the idea of glancing over it at leisure; for I meant only to taste the volume. But by its own charm the book coaxed me into traversing it more at length. You may understand from this fact how eloquent it was; for it seemed to be written in the smooth style, and yet did not resemble your handiwork or mine, but at first sight might have been ascribed to Titus Livius or to Epicurus. Moreover, I was so impressed and carried along by its charm that I finished it without any postponement. The sunlight called to me, hunger warned, and clouds were lowering; but I absorbed the book from beginning to end. I was not merely pleased; I rejoiced. So full of wit and spirit it was! I should have added “force,” had the book contained moments of repose, or had it risen to energy only at intervals. But I found that there was no burst of force, but an even flow, a style that was vigorous and chaste. Nevertheless, I noticed from time to time your sweetness, and here and there that mildness of yours. Your style is lofty and noble; I want you to keep to this manner and this direction. Your subject also contributed something; for this reason you should choose productive topics, which will lay hold of the mind and arouse it. I shall discuss the book more fully after a second perusal; meantime, my judgment is somewhat unsettled, just as if I had heard it read aloud, and had not read it myself. You must allow me to examine it also. You need not be afraid; you shall hear the truth. Lucky fellow, to offer a man no opportunity to tell you lies at such long range! Unless perhaps, even now, when excuses for lying are taken away, custom serves as an excuse for our telling each other lies! Farewell.” (ref – Seneca, Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, Vol. I, Epistle XLVI, pp. 299-300)
Lying? Lies? This means the NT is a satire!