Talk:Moral teachings of Jesus

This article sucks

1. Do not worry about tomorrow
How does this quote support asceticism? It argues for the opposite of that. All it says is that you should not worry about tomorrow but instead you should be more concerned about today's problems. A more verbose analysis from Wikipedia: there are two interpretations of this verse: an optimistic and a pessimistic one. The optimistic view is that this verse is a rephrasing of the ancient idea of carpe diem, live each day to its fullest because one never knows what will happen tomorrow. The more pessimistic view is that the evil of each individual day is so great and so overbearing that it is hard enough to get through one day, much less worry about those coming. While the previous verse is optimistic that in the long run the Kingdom of Heaven will be proclaimed and all will be well, in the short run the future is little more than misery. The word here translated as evil (kakia), can mean that, but more likely it simply means trouble or difficulty, rather than the evil of Satan.
2. Put religion above your family
Fine, I'll concede that the first part sounds troublesome. But when it comes to the second part again where does it say that he asked the disciples to disavow their mothers. It says that every one that follows the will of god is his brother/sister/mother. Wikipedia: It is said that Christ says this not to deny that he really had a mother nor because He were ashamed of His mother and brothers, but because this messenger was interrupting Him with too great boldness, and interrupting His preaching, which was more concerned with his Father, than upon His affection for His mother. Even though only brothers of Christ are mentioned as inquiring after Him, he points out that anyone can become a brother or sister of Him spiritually by doing his will.
3. People do evil because they are evil
Nowhere does it say that the good/bad traits are inherited. Just that such traits do exist in the mind of said person.
4. Turn the other cheek, love your enemy
This is a red herring. This article should be concerned with the moral teachings not the survival teaching.
5. Do as I say, not as I do
Matthew gives more context to this particular encounter. This Canaanite woman is begging Jesus to free her demon-possessed daughter, while the disciples beg Jesus to send her away (Matthew 15:23). Once Jesus has the disciples' attention, He tells the woman, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). The stage is set to demonstrate the faith and wisdom of a Gentile woman.

She responds by kneeling before Him. She is a Gentile from a nation that treats Jews poorly. She likely knows how little respect Jewish religious leaders have for Gentile women (John 4:9). She is educated enough to understand and respond to Jesus' riddles. But right now she humbles herself before the Jewish Messiah (Matthew 15:22) and says, "Lord, help me" (Matthew 15:25).

The woman understands Jesus' metaphor. The "children" are the Jews (Deuteronomy 14:1) and "bread" is God's provision in whatever form it may take. She is the "dog," and although He uses a diminutive form of the word that means household pet—rather than an insulting remark—it's still not very flattering. Despite the cultural baggage behind the Jewish tradition of calling Gentiles "dogs" and Jesus' seeming dismissal, the woman catches something that the disciples will take years to understand: Jesus the Messiah came for the Jews first but not only (Acts 1:8; Romans 1:16–17). She takes the chance that if Jesus has plans to reach the Gentiles later, He can make an exception and save her daughter now.

Some scholars have a different view. Instead of great theological significance, the interaction may have more to do with the household setting. The term "dog" is diminutive, meaning the household pets that get the scraps the children drop. The children are the disciples who need rest and nourishment (bread). The woman is disturbing their peace, and it is Jesus' priority to make sure His disciples get what they need before yet another person steals His attention. It's possible the woman recognizes the metaphor in the setting—she as household puppy who is distracting the Master from the children—and not as a racial slur.

And Jesus may be reluctant because if He heals her daughter there's no telling who she will tell. He might once again become swarmed by mob (Mark 4:1; 5:21; 6:34), this time Gentiles in search of magic.

More likely, He isn't reluctant at all. He just wants the situation to be clear: that He also came for Gentiles, that she is clever and able to understand His teaching, and that the disciples have hardened their hearts to what Jesus is trying to teach them (Mark 8:17) and think too much of themselves and their position with Jesus (Mark 10:13–16). https://www.bibleref.com/Mark/7/Mark-7-27.html
6. Conspicuous by their absence
Slavery and Christianity is controversial. I won't be able to address the entire issue in a single paragraph. So, I'll provide a few links for more context. I should also mention that eved was a general term which was applied to slaves, servants, and assistants. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_views_on_slavery https://time.com/5171819/christianity-slavery-book-excerpt/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_slavery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_abolitionism https://www.shortform.com/blog/jesus-and-slavery-the-case-for-christ/ Herr Doktor Enter into the rabbit hole 10:40, 28 June 2022 (UTC)