Morality of Jesus
Some comments:
Many Christians believe that Jesus was and is a divine figure, they assume beforehand
that whatever he said must be vitally important, because to believe otherwise would be
to cast doubt on his divinity.
Jesus Worshippers have a strong tendency to read their own moral convictions into
the ethics of Jesus. Jesus is made to say what they think he should have said.
Example: some downplay Jesus' sayings about eternal torment - convinced Jesus
could not have taught such a doctrine - because to them it does not sound like Jesus.
Jesus' theme was otherworldly. He issues rules, backed by the brute sanctions of
heaven and hell, with the specific choice of sanction determined by how well one obeys,
rather than prescribe standards of behavior that will contribute to man's happiness and
well-being. He believed that the end was very near, within the time of his generation.
His ethics reflects this. (Examples: Mark 9:1; Luke 18:22; Sermon on the Mount)
Jesus scope was limited: to save the Jews, the 'elect', God's chosen people.
(Examples:Mark 4:10-12; 13:22, 27; John 6:37, 44, 65; 17:2,6; Matthew 10:5-6;
12:22-28)
Jesus moral precepts are not really unusual or original.
**Quote: "The sentiments attributed to Christ are ... already found in the Old
Testament....
They were familiar in the Jewish schools and to all the Pharisees long before the
time of Christ, as they were familiar in all the civilizations of the earth -
Egyptian, Babylonian, and Persian, Greek and Hindu."
(Matthew 7:12; Examples: compare Matthew 22:39 with Leviticus 19:18;
compare Matthew 5:21-22 with Leviticus 19:17;
Compare Matthew 5:27-28 with Exodus 29:17 and Proverbs 6:25-26)
Jesus is essentially portrayed as a divine figure and miracle worker, rather than an
original moralist.
Jesus issues proclamations backed by the threat of force - when he says 'believe'
he means 'obey' unquestioningly. To be morel, according to Jesus a person must
subordinate reason to faith. He must believe what he cannot understand.
This does not mean that not some of Jesus' ethical teachings are good and useful.
Example the Golden Rule (many religions have this rule) is like a fairness ethic,
even though it is issued as a command.
Generally, Jesus commands us to have faith in God and in himself as a messenger
from God - which means the sacrifice of reason. God will reward those who obey
and punish those who disobey.
A test: Ask yourself the following question about
each precept attributed to Jesus
in the NT: What does the precept attribute have to offer a confident, efficacious and
happy person?. In many cases it will be absolutely nothing.(Mark 2:17)
** Joseph McCabe, The Sources of the Morality of the Gospels (London: Watts and Co., 1914), p.209.
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