Ben Wilson

Quote, and as you go preach saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely have you received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor brass in your purses.

nor script for your journey neither two coats neither shoes nor yet staves okay so in other words you need to go preach and you need to perform miracles i'm expecting you to perform miracles and you can't take anything with you no money no extra coat no tent nothing and he warns them behold i send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves be therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves but beware of men for they will deliver you up to the councils and they will scourge you in their synagogues

nor script for your journey neither two coats neither shoes nor yet staves okay so in other words you need to go preach and you need to perform miracles i'm expecting you to perform miracles and you can't take anything with you no money no extra coat no tent nothing and he warns them behold i send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves be therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves but beware of men for they will deliver you up to the councils and they will scourge you in their synagogues

and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for testimony against them and Gentiles.

and ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for testimony against them and Gentiles.

Okay, so not only do I want you to go teach and perform miracles, not only do I want you to do it totally impoverished, take nothing with you, but by the way, I am telling you right now, you're going to be persecuted, you're going to be prosecuted as criminals for doing so, and you're literally going to be tortured.

Okay, so not only do I want you to go teach and perform miracles, not only do I want you to do it totally impoverished, take nothing with you, but by the way, I am telling you right now, you're going to be persecuted, you're going to be prosecuted as criminals for doing so, and you're literally going to be tortured.

Okay, so yes, he is offering his disciples a very cool and interesting way of life, but he is also really pushing them. In another passage of scripture, a man comes to him and asks, good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, if that will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto him, which ones? Jesus said, thou shalt not do murder.

Okay, so yes, he is offering his disciples a very cool and interesting way of life, but he is also really pushing them. In another passage of scripture, a man comes to him and asks, good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, if that will enter into life, keep the commandments. He said unto him, which ones? Jesus said, thou shalt not do murder.

Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and mother. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Okay. So he's basically just going through the scriptures, you know, 10 commandments type stuff. And so the young man says to him, well, I've done all this. He says, quote, all these things have I kept for my youth. What lack I yet?

Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and mother. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Okay. So he's basically just going through the scriptures, you know, 10 commandments type stuff. And so the young man says to him, well, I've done all this. He says, quote, all these things have I kept for my youth. What lack I yet?

And then Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor. And thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions. Okay, so Jesus has this demand that you must be willing to sacrifice everything to be his follower.

And then Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor. And thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions. Okay, so Jesus has this demand that you must be willing to sacrifice everything to be his follower.

I think this is most memorably expressed in the following passage, quote, And there went great multitudes with Jesus, and he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Okay, wow, what a teaching.

I think this is most memorably expressed in the following passage, quote, And there went great multitudes with Jesus, and he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. Okay, wow, what a teaching.

You know, obviously he doesn't literally want you to just like hate these people for no reason, but he's saying, compared to the power of my teachings and what I'm offering you, these people have to be nothing to you.

You know, obviously he doesn't literally want you to just like hate these people for no reason, but he's saying, compared to the power of my teachings and what I'm offering you, these people have to be nothing to you.

You have to be willing to set aside even your own wife, your mother, your father, your children, your brothers and sisters, everything to come and follow me if you want to be my disciple. Okay, so I think that is one thing that is missing from those who want to portray Jesus as a peace-loving hippie is his radicalism. In another passage, he says, I am the way and the truth and the life.

You have to be willing to set aside even your own wife, your mother, your father, your children, your brothers and sisters, everything to come and follow me if you want to be my disciple. Okay, so I think that is one thing that is missing from those who want to portray Jesus as a peace-loving hippie is his radicalism. In another passage, he says, I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me. And again, we're kind of used to this stuff, so much so that it might strike us as unremarkable. But imagine Caesar or Napoleon saying this. I am the way and the truth and the life. You have to hate everyone else in your life and come and follow me. I think you would recognize it.