[GCFL-discuss] Pink Sheriff

[Discussion of the Good, Clean Funnies List]

Rev. Ev, you may be right, since each person is entitled to read
Scripture for themselves. That is why only those who choose to be, remain
under the authority of the Pope and the Magisterium. But you are relying
on one English translation which is different from many others (e.g., the
King James Version). With all due respect to John Wesley, he too could be
wrong, or taken out of context. I don't really believe what Jesus or
Isaiah said needs to be "explained" into a more limited meaning than the
plain text. Incidentally, the same passage says that Jesus was reading
from the scroll of Isaiah, so any distinction between what Isaiah wrote
and what Jesus said is an error in transcription or translation. 

He came to open the doors of the PRISON and bring liberty to the
CAPTIVES. At minimum, that calls for those who claim or try to follow
Jesus to have more compassion for those among our number who for one
reason or another spend some part of their life in prison. (They are not
a separate class or species of people, although their behavior may at the
present time be undesirable or dangerous. They are, according to Jesus,
"the least of these my brethren".) Yes, there is Matthew 25:31 -- to end
of chapter. If you do not visit "the least of these my brethren" in
prison (he definitely means prison there) then you are in significant
danger of never making it into heaven, no matter how sincere your
profession of faith. 

No, I don't claim to judge anyone, I am merely pointing out that throwing
those in jail to the wolves and smugly saying they deserve it does not
exactly measure up to what Jesus said. Maybe it is not practical or
feasible for a nation, or a county, to live up to what Jesus said, but it
IS what he said. Christians might at least be expected to try to mitigate
even the necessary actions of the state, by trying to act individually in
a manner more like what Jesus said. (And even without Jesus, most of it
is also what Isaiah said. After all, there are millions of people in the
world who accept the authority of Isaiah, but do not believe that Isaiah
was talking about Yeshua ben Yosef at all.)

Siarlys

On Wed, 15 Jun 2005 12:10:43 EDT gcfl-discuss at gcfl.net writes:
Isaiah the prophet said prison in Isaiah 61:1.  Jesus said in Luke 4:18:
... "to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the
blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,  (19) to preach the
acceptable year of the Lord."    The meaning of prison pertains to the
opening of the eyes.    

The prophet describes first, who Christ is, and then what are his
offices. Liberty - This appertains to Christ's kingly office, whereby he
proclaims liberty from the dominion of sin, and from the fear of hell. 
(taken from Wesley's Explanatory Notes on Is. 61:1)  

So yes, Jesus did come to open spiritual prison doors and set the
captives free - (the captives being us)  through His redemptive work done
at Calvary.  

As for those who break the existing laws of the land today and have to
serve time for it, the prison doors will be physically opened when the
sentence is served.   

God bless you abundantly today and always!

"Rev. Ev" 
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