Remember the time Jesus said this?
But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.
It doesn’t usually make the list of Bible School memory verses.
Probably because it’s such a harsh thing for the Prince of Peace to say.
It’s a difficult passage to explain when you rip it out of context.
Of course, ripped out of context is usually where you’ll find it.
Always out of context with pagans.
Reading the heathen commentary you might conclude that Jesus started every sermon with, “Slaughter my enemies!”
The phrase appears once, in Luke 19 (verse 27 if you want to avoid reading the context).
The quote comes at the end of a parable.
Jesus wasn’t commanding his followers to slaughter his enemies.
…Because He didn’t want his enemies slaughtered.
** WARNING – THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL CONTAINS CONTEXT THAT MAY DAMAGE YOUR DREADFUL HERMENEUTICS **
The parable appears right before this:
28 After He had said these things, He was going on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. – Luke 19:28
He was going up to Jerusalem to be crucified…
…by his enemies.
A.K.A “us”.
The trick up Jesus’ sleeve was to achieve victory by sacrificial death.
But let’s set that aside and focus on the “slaughter my enemies” statement.
If you look way up above the “slaughter line” you’ll find this gem:
But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ – Luke 29:14
The citizens hated him and said, “We don’t want this dude to boss us around.”
Gosh, that sounds awfully familiar.
Doesn’t it?
That sentiment is echoed on Humanist/Atheist websites every day!
Christ warned (more than once) about a reckoning that’s coming.
Jesus gives his enemies the freedom to slander Him.
Write your memes, ye heathen!
Write your blogs, ye pagans!
Ye wretched sinners proclaim your wisdom on YouTube.
And prepare for slaughter.
The choice is yours.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants” – Deut. 30:19
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** WARNING – THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL CONTAINS CONTEXT THAT MAY DAMAGE YOUR DREADFUL HERMENEUTICS
I want that on a sticker! I could use about 150 of them. It is way better than my plan for e-vandalism, where I just take my paint pen and start writing (stop) “dreadful hermeneutics” on every stop sign.
Deuteronomy 30:19 has gotta be one of the best verses in the Bible. Anyone who thinks the Bible is cryptic obviously hasn’t read this one, because God breaks it down pretty well: “you only get two choices, life or death, but pro tip—choose life, you moron.”