"Love Your Enemy." "Turn The Other Cheek." What Did Jesus Mean?

[eighballsidepocket]

"Love Your Enemy." "Turn The Other Cheek." What Did Jesus Mean?

(I have posted this elsewhere, and am not trying to "spam" the forums with this topic. Just interested in folk's comments.)

Dear Folks/Forum Members:

The title of this thread basically says it all.

I would like to ask all of you folks what you think Jesus meant, or intended by those radical statements.

These statements flew in the face, of man's/woman's way of handling or dealing with a part of life that can or could be a big issue at times.
********
Jesus was a radical in my opinion. I think that His statements would have been met with a lot of head scratching by a majority of mankind, even now.

Now, being a radical, I don't mean a radical in a negative sense, but radical in His stance or statement in lieu of past or prevailing beliefs.
****
Again, I did post this to stimulate some discussion about this "radical" man's statements.

Please, can we keep this discussion around His statements I mentioned, and not digress into, those people of the past or even present that claim or allege to be Christians and have done someone, large groups, or even nation's of people wrong, unethical, inhumane, acts.

I'm not trying to avoid those past inhumane acts, but want to "key" in on Jesus's specific statements and what it meant, and what you think.
*******
Please share your insights into those "radical" statements that Jesus made nearly 2,000 years ago.
******

[nevadamedic]

"Love Your Enemy." "Turn The Other Cheek." What Did Jesus Mean?

(I have posted this elsewhere, and am not trying to "spam" the forums with this topic. Just interested in folk's comments.)

Dear Folks/Forum Members:

The title of this thread basically says it all.

I would like to ask all of you folks what you think Jesus meant, or intended by those radical statements.

These statements flew in the face, of man's/woman's way of handling or dealing with a part of life that can or could be a big issue at times.
********
Jesus was a radical in my opinion. I think that His statements would have been met with a lot of head scratching by a majority of mankind, even now.

Now, being a radical, I don't mean a radical in a negative sense, but radical in His stance or statement in lieu of past or prevailing beliefs.
****
Again, I did post this to stimulate some discussion about this "radical" man's statements.

Please, can we keep this discussion around His statements I mentioned, and not digress into, those people of the past or even present that claim or allege to be Christians and have done someone, large groups, or even nation's of people wrong, unethical, inhumane, acts.

I'm not trying to avoid those past inhumane acts, but want to "key" in on Jesus's specific statements and what it meant, and what you think.
*******
Please share your insights into those "radical" statements that Jesus made nearly 2,000 years ago.

******

Jesus was a radical thats why we still talk about him today.

Also Jesus's special abilities like walking on water, turning water into wine were only seen by his followers, go figure. Of course they are going to go along with it because they believed in his teachings. I just think it's funny when Herod asked him to demonstrate his powers and he would spare him Jesus couldn't do any of them, go figure. Jesus was a Man, not the son of God.

[Hagbard Celine]

"Love your enemy...Turn the other cheek"

Another way of saying this same thing is "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," which we all know was said by Gandhi. Jesus meant for us to get rid of enmity. He wanted us to forgive transgressions against us--think about it. Whenever someone does something bad to you, your first instinct is probably to get them back--to seek revenge. If all transgressions were met with positivity instead of negativity it would do away with a whole lot of the evil in the world.

Jesus was teaching love for everyone, not just your "neighbor." The hippies were right.

[typomaniac]

Jesus was very much a pacifist, who had absolutely no intention of turning his ministry into a new religion.

He'd probably revile the leaders of most of the world's churches today.

[Monkeybone]

not exactly a new religion. he made it more so that it was a relationship and such. he wanted it so that it wasn't a Religion which is what the rabbi's had been making it. focus on God and the love aspect, not the holier than thou and give me money.

nice Hag, rep points

[eighballsidepocket]

Jesus was a radical thats why we still talk about him today.

Also Jesus's special abilities like walking on water, turning water into wine were only seen by his followers, go figure. Of course they are going to go along with it because they believed in his teachings. I just think it's funny when Herod asked him to demonstrate his powers and he would spare him Jesus couldn't do any of them, go figure. Jesus was a Man, not the son of God.

May I respectfully disagree?

Jesus "chose" by His own volition to not do any miracles or displays of His diety before Herod. If indeed He was who He claimed to be, He already knew that convincing Herod of who He was, was a "moot" point, or not unlike, "throwing your pearls to swine".

[Abbey Marie]

Jesus was modeling supernatural (Godlike) love for us. No one ever said it would be easy, either.

[darin]

May I respectfully disagree?

Jesus "chose" by His own volition to not do any miracles or displays of His diety before Herod. If indeed He was who He claimed to be, He already knew that convincing Herod of who He was, was a "moot" point, or not unlike, "throwing your pearls to swine".

I believe even MORE importantly, if Jesus chose to perform a miracle to save his physical life, it'd mean no eternal salvation/relationships with God for untold billions. Christ knew he HAD to go through death to secure life for us.

[Pale Rider]

"Love your enemy...Turn the other cheek"

Another way of saying this same thing is "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," which we all know was said by Gandhi. Jesus meant for us to get rid of enmity. He wanted us to forgive transgressions against us--think about it. Whenever someone does something bad to you, your first instinct is probably to get them back--to seek revenge. If all transgressions were met with positivity instead of negativity it would do away with a whole lot of the evil in the world.

Jesus was teaching love for everyone, not just your "neighbor." The hippies were right.

That is such a wierd belief. I'm not knocking you for it. You're definitely free to believe what you want. But how is Jesus not the son of God when God says the only into his kingdom is THROUGH his son?

You're basically saying that the New Testament is bull.

[eighballsidepocket]

That is such a wierd belief. I'm not knocking you for it. You're definitely free to believe what you want. But how is Jesus not the son of God when God says the only into his kingdom is THROUGH his son?

You're basically saying that the New Testament is bull.

Is it also possible that "turning the other cheek" was in reference to verbal slams or being verbally reviled, mocked, insulted as person?

[typomaniac]

That is such a wierd belief. I'm not knocking you for it. You're definitely free to believe what you want. But how is Jesus not the son of God when God says the only into his kingdom is THROUGH his son?

You're basically saying that the New Testament is bull.

The NT may or may not be bull, but there are valid historical reasons to suspect it. Or at least parts of it. That's a completely different thread, though.

[Doniston]

That is such a wierd belief. I'm not knocking you for it. You're definitely free to believe what you want. But how is Jesus not the son of God when God says the only into his kingdom is THROUGH his son?

You're basically saying that the New Testament is bull.

god didn't say that, it was somene whom people wrongfully assume was speaking for god.

NOTE: this is my Opinion. I wasn't there either.

[Hagbard Celine]

That is such a wierd belief. I'm not knocking you for it. You're definitely free to believe what you want. But how is Jesus not the son of God when God says the only into his kingdom is THROUGH his son?

You're basically saying that the New Testament is bull.

I don't know how you got that from what I wrote. I just wrote what I think Jesus meant by "love your enemy..." Didn't mean to knock anything.