Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris T
Jesus instructed his disciples at all times to act in a non-violent manner. He used sayings such as 'turn the other cheek' to show that far from taking revenge on someone who wrongs you, you should be quite prepared to allow them to wrong you again.
Jesus assures his disciples that anybody who treats them in such a way, and who goes to their death without having sought forgiveness from God for his deeds, will indeed face vengeance - but from God, not from any person.
A common device used by Jesus when teaching was the parable - a simple story in which familiar situations and character types are used in order to illustrate a greater point. The verse you quoted was from a parable, in fact it was from the end of a parable, where Jesus is teaching about the final punishment suffered by those who have never asked God's forgiveness. The character vowing to put someone to death represents God sitting on his throne of judgement. The actions of the character are not offered as a pattern for disciples to follow in their earthly life. For it to be taken as an instruction of how disciples are to behave, it would have to be taken out of its context to such an outrageous extent that I doubt even the most fervently deluded cult would try it.
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Chris, if it's a parable and God is omnipotent then why the specific reference to "bring hither"?
Surely God could just smite his vengance on them all at will, irrespective of their location (be that in this or the next world)?
It, and likeminded ideologies, have been taken outrageously out of context many times in history. It does not, however, excuse the instigator - irrespective of his / her intentions.