Although Jesus overflowed with love in his daily interactions with those who listened to him, he did not shy away from using harsh, sometimes even frightening, words to express truths.
An example of this is when He shows that the idea—which many held and still hold today—that "greater sinners" would also suffer greater misfortunes is entirely wrong:
At that time some people were there who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
(Luke 13:1-5 – ACF)
And Jesus answered and said to them:
Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way?
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others who lived in Jerusalem?
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.
PREJUDICE
The Jewish people at that time were already under a mentality, forged mainly by the Pharisees, that compliance with the Law of Moses and the tradition they themselves created would prevent any and all pain and punishment, as well as make God "indebted" to the person, obliging Him to grant them blessings based on merit.
Thus, it was common to see people who, upon encountering a blind person, a paralytic, or someone with any disability, even without knowing them or their past life, would simply say: "Praise be to the Righteous Judge.".
Through this, they thought they would be glorifying God for having "punishing a sinner" who, they believed, had done something serious to deserve the limitation he bore, and they would also be avoiding the possibility of similar punishment in the future, should they fall into the same sin.
It is helpful to understand what Jewish culture was like during Jesus' earthly life, in order to shed light on the feelings of people at that time regarding events considered "spiritual.".
There is another passage in the Gospels, this one in John, that shows the extent of Jewish prejudice:
As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
(John 9:1-3 – KJA)
And his disciples asked him:
“"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"”
Jesus answered them:
“"Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.".
It is noticeable that even Jesus' disciples harbored the idea of specific punishments for specific sins, even going so far as to say that the sin of the parents would bring a curse upon the children.
It is worth noting that, when asking if the sin was the blind man's own, they were not claiming to believe in reincarnation, as some proponents of this belief allege: at the time, it was believed that a person who had a physical disability from birth had committed some sin while still in their mother's womb, and the limitation of their body was the punishment given by God for that sin.
Jesus, however, shows the error of such ideas and their resulting prejudiced behaviors.
In speaking about those who died in the fall of the Tower of Siloam, as well as those whose blood was mixed with sacrifices to pagan gods (something considered the highest degree of blasphemy and profanation possible for a Jew), He states something unimaginable to many in His time and, although to a lesser degree, also to many today: there was no difference between those who suffered such things and the others.
And, in the case of the person born blind, there was nothing specific that he or his parents had done, but rather that there was a purpose to it.
In fact, no one is in a better or worse position before God.
Everyone — absolutely everyone! — in the world is under the captivity of sin, differing only in the sinful acts committed, but without this implying that anyone is more or less deserving of divine punishment.
All, without exception, are equally deserving of eternal damnation, for there is no saint before the Law of God.
Even today, just like the Jews of that time, there are those who, following the natural tendency of the human heart, believe that some very great misfortune is a direct result of a very serious sin, which, as Jesus himself stated, is a completely mistaken concept: everyone would deserve the same fate, a humiliating death and violation, and eternal damnation.
And in the case of the man born blind, there was no injustice on God's part either, since all are sinners from conception (see Psalm 51:5God owes nothing to humankind.
If the Creator so desired, He could condemn all of humanity to eternal punishment and would not be unjust in any way.
LAMENTATIONS
This brings us back to the Book of Lamentations of Jeremiah, written as an expression of the prophet's sorrow during the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem and the subsequent 70-year captivity to which Israel was subjected.
This punishment was a consequence of the people's repeated acts of apostasy and idolatry, which had been occurring since the time of the judges, about 700 years before the aforementioned fall of Jerusalem.
Aware of this, Jeremiah never once raises any complaint or accusation against God for the terrible event: on the contrary, he admits that all of this was less than Israel deserved, and that the final condemnation had only been avoided because of divine mercy.
The Lord's mercies are the reason we are not consumed, for his mercies never end;
(Lamentations 3:22-23 – ACF)
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
God remains faithful to what He promised (the salvation of those who believe in Christ), even when His own people, or one of His children, is not faithful to Him (see 2ⁿᵈ Timothy 2:13Not because the son deserves such loyalty, but because the Creator's mercy and faithfulness are far greater than the human mind can conceive.
Therefore, when something bad happens to a Christian, or to anyone, there is no point in complaining: nobody deserves better and, in fact, some deserve even worse!
And these things only don't happen because of divine mercy, which sent the Savior Jesus Christ to take upon himself the punishment that we all deserve.
This is the great proof of how much "the reason we are not consumed" is not in ourselves, but in God, in the person and work of the Savior.
Let us trust in Him in all circumstances, even if misfortunes (which we well deserve) may eventually befall us.
From the greatest of all misfortunes—eternal damnation—Jesus delivered us, and one day we will receive not what we deserve, but what Christ deserved, the Kingdom of Heaven… and this because He also received what He did not deserve: “the punishment that brings us peace” (see Isaiah 53:5).
And all this is due to divine mercy, which is the reason we are not consumed.
In the Bonds of Calvary
ORIGINAL TITLEThe reason why we are not consumed
I decided to make a reference, in the opening image, to the recent episode that occurred on November 10, 2023, when a city councilwoman from Arcoverde, in the interior of Pernambuco, stated that a certain woman (who was bothering her) had had a disabled son as punishment from God!, in the same misguided line as the disciples of Christ and mentioned in this article.
Politics resigned from office, But contrary to some supposed "evolution," we have seen humanity revealing itself to be in clear regression towards behavior worthy of the "days of Noah"... and this is just one more example. indication That the end times are rapidly unfolding, and before the Lord returns like a thief in the night, the prophesied reign of the Antichrist must be consolidated not only in Brazil, but throughout the world!
In the 2023 phase of "The Worst Gospel," I decided to use new formats in the hope of helping to increase the reach of content related to the Scriptures—stories, videos, shorter texts, guest authors…—and this publication, which I took the liberty of revising and illustrating, is part of that project.
Thank you for reading this far.
I still need all the help I can get: comments, shares, and reactions help spread this content, which was entirely produced with the intention of contributing to the edification of the Body of Christ in the world.
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