Jesus: abandon your families

[_Buffalo]

Inconveniently for the pro-family LDS Church, Jesus was as anti-family as it gets. Is it because he had a bad relationship with his own family?

1On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.
3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."(John 2:1-5)

1After this Jesus went about in Galilee; he would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him.
2Now the Jews' feast of Tabernacles was at hand.
3So his brothers said to him, "Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples may see the works you are doing.
4For no man works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world."
5For even his brothers did not believe in him. (John 7:3-5)


46While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
48But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"
49And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matt. 12:46-50, Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21)

27As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!"
28But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Luke 11:27-28)

12And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; (Mark 13:12)

Jesus' anti-family teachings:

21Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
22But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead." (Matt. 8:21-22)



35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36and a man's foes will be those of his own household.
37He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; (Matt. 10:35-37; Luke 12:51-53)



29And every one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.
30But many that are first will be last, and the last first. (Matt. 19:29-30)



9And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. (Matt: 23:9)




26"If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)



Of course, Jesus expected the world to end within his own generation, so to him family and work obligations weren't so important. But his disdain for family seems to go deeper than mere doctrine. It seems like there was some trouble at home.



http://www.usbible.com/Jesus/jesus_family.htm

[_Buffalo]

I can't help but think if this had been about Joseph I'd have heard more from Why Me, Simon & Stem. I guess Jesus just isn't that important to your faith.

[_Hoops]

Once again you've explicated Biblical text perfectly. Well done.

[_Jason Bourne]

Once again you've explicated Biblical text perfectly. Well done.

He is really good at that isn't he!

What do you think Jesus meant by those statements.

[_Hoops]

Yes, Buffalo is quite good.

I have nothing to add. It's obvious to any rational, reasonable person that Buffalo's interpretation is exactly what Jesus meant.

[_Buffalo]

Yes, Buffalo is quite good.

I have nothing to add. It's obvious to any rational, reasonable person that Buffalo's interpretation is exactly what Jesus meant.

It's obvious to Christian apologists that Jesus only meant what he said when it conforms to current doctrinal positions.

[_Hoops]

It's obvious to Christian apologists that Jesus only meant what he said when it conforms to current doctrinal positions.

Of course.

[_Drifting]

Yes, Buffalo is quite good.

I have nothing to add. It's obvious to any rational, reasonable person that Buffalo's interpretation is exactly what Jesus meant.

It's obvious to Christian apologists that Jesus only meant what he said when it conforms to current doctrinal positions.

This may be splitting hairs but we don't know what Jesus said.
We only know what words other people put in Jesus' mouth.
In some cases this was second or even third hand by authors who remain to this day anonymous.

[_Hoops]

This may be splitting hairs but we don't know what Jesus said.
We only know what words other people put in Jesus' mouth.
In some cases this was second or even third hand by authors who remain to this day anonymous.

Also true. We have no idea what Jesus said, or that he even existed. Your evaluation of the reliability of the Bible is beyond reproach.

But Buffalo's point is equally compelling. Let's assume that we DO have Jesus words. It's obvious that doctrinal Christianity ignores His words to construct something to only appeal to its tithe-paying members.

[_Yoda]

I think that in order to really interpret the meaning of these passages, they need to be put back into context.

We also have to keep in mind that since the Bible has gone through many translations, phrasings have changed over time.

For example, when Jesus answered to his mother in the first segment regarding the wedding at Cana:

2Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples.
3When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
4And Jesus said to her, "O woman, what have you to do with me? My hour has not yet come."
5His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."(John 2:1-5)

"Oh, woman, what have you to do with me" means "Mother, what do you need me to do?"

This is evident because in verse 5, the mother not only shows no offense to his comment, but also further instructs the sevants to "do whatever Jesus tells them to do."