Posted by Nicodemus on March 18, 1999 at 16:19:35 {MWVfXqWP3Z2kM}:
NOTE: THIS WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED TO WITNESSES.NET TODAY.
I've been following some of the recent discussion on the board, and just wanted to throw in a couple of thoughts. The timing seems to be good.
Next week, we will begin considering, once again, the publication The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.
For my money, this is one of the finest publications the Society has ever released. Why? For a very simple, yet powerful, reason. And we're about to experience this reason once again. You see, in the course of studying this publication (assuming the conductor does as instructed and has the actual scriptures read), we will read virtually the entire gospel record of Jesus' life. What he said. Perhaps even more importantly, what he did. And, I might add, what he didn't do. Can we all agree on what the Apostle Peter wrote at 1 Peter 2:21, namely that Christ left us a "model for [us] to follow his steps closely?"
As we consider this publication, please pay careful attention each and every week. If you do anything "extra" in preparation, read the Bible accounts themselves very carefully, and ponder on them. And, as you do, always have in mind these questions: Am I, as an individual, expending every effort to model my life after the Christ? And; are we, as an organization, making every effort to model ourselves after the Christ?
Take special note of how Christ treated people. Compare it with how the Pharisees treated them. Then, ask yourself honestly, which of the two methods do I find myself emulating? And, how does the way we treat our brothers as an organization match up to this test?
You see, many of us that seem to get tagged as 'reformists' don't tend to get excited so much about all the technicalities of doctrine as we do about the way our brothers are treated.
May I share one example of what I mean? Recently, Argus posted some questions about the mediatorship of Christ with respect to the anointed and the 'great crowd.' Many of our brothers have asked lots of interesting questions with respect to our future hope. One that a lot of brothers struggle with, for example, is the issue of Jesus' comments about the resurrected dead not marrying. These can become very difficult, and emotional questions.
But here is perhaps another perspective on these types of issues. Ask yourself a couple of very simple questions. First, do I believe that Jehovah has a very clear purpose, and knows exactly what it is and how he is going to accomplish it? If the answer to that question is "yes," then here's the second question; Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that we (and by "we" I mean JWs as an organization) are somewhat in error in our understanding of some facet or detail of this purpose, that we don't presently understand all the details correctly. Is this going to have any effect on Jehovah's actual purpose? In other words, if Jehovah's purpose is "x", and we are saying it is "y", do you think Jehovah is going to change the "x" to "y" just because we say so?
We have a fairly recent example that this is not the case, don't we? We, as an organization, went a little too far in assigning special connotation to the year 1975. Apparently, that wasn't Jehovah's time. And, he didn't change his purpose, his timeline, just because we promoted a certain date. If you ponder this whole event, it can provide tremendous perspective. Jehovah, our God, is going to fulfill his purpose exactly as he intends to, irrespective of whether our present understanding of it is correct in every detail, or not. This perspective can help us deal with difficulties in understanding.
But now, let's get back to the issue of how we treat our brothers. Do you remember the situation for the average Jew in the days of the Pharisees? They were still under the Mosaic Law, which had already proved impossible for their ancestors to follow perfectly. In fact, the Bible tells us at Galatians 3:19 that that the Law "was added to make transgressions manifest, until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made."
The Pharisees, however, had added a further burden to the common people. These were the oral laws that, over the years, took on the same legitimacy and weight as the written law of Jehovah. The problem was, no one could cope with all this. None of the common, everyday, average Jews, could keep up with all the things they were expected to do. And then what happened? Why, the Pharisees began to look down upon them! Recall this famous exchange, as recorded at John 7:45-49; "Therefore the officers went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, and the latter said to them: "Why is it YOU did not bring him in?" The officers replied: "Never has [another] man spoken like this." In turn the Pharisees answered: "YOU have not been misled also, have YOU? Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he? But this crowd that does not know the Law are accursed people."
Yes, the Pharisees actually got to the point where they referred to their own brothers as "accursed." or "am-haarets," because they were unable to meet all the requirements they placed on them. It got to the point where the average Jew just gave up, and probably started feeling worthless in God's eyes because of not being able to 'keep up.'
And that is where Jesus enters the picture. He
completely shook up that system. He brought perspective back to the question of what, truly, is most important with respect to serving God. Many accounts could be cited, but let's consider just one:
*** Rbi8 Mark 12:28-34
***
28 Now one of the scribes that had come up and heard them disputing, knowing that he had answered them in a fine way, asked him: "Which commandment is first of all?" 29 Jesus answered: "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God
is one Jehovah, 30 and you must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind and with your whole strength.' 31 The second is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no
other commandment greater than these." 32 The scribe said to him: "Teacher, you well said in line with truth, 'He is One, and there is no other than He'; 33 and this loving him with one's whole heart and with one's whole understanding
and with one's whole strength and this loving one's neighbor as oneself is worth far more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34 At this Jesus, discerning he had answered intelligently, said to him: "You are not far
from the kingdom of God." But nobody had the courage anymore to question him.
The implications of this are important to understand, both personally and organizationally. Do we ever find ourselves adding to the requirements found in God's Word, and then referring to those who don't successfully meet all such requirements as "weak" or "unspiritual?" Example; while the principle of meeting together is clearly referenced in the Bible, a specific schedule of five hour-long meetings is not. And yet, how often have we referred to individuals who don't make it to all five as "weak," "unspiritual," or even "unappreciative?" If they average three meetings a week, instead of viewing them as having "missed two meetings," what about giving them credit for making the effort to be at three?
As Jesus clearly taught, our worship is so much more than statistics, or rules. It's about love. Love for Jehovah. Love for our brothers. And love for our neighbors.
The above couple of paragraphs weren't meant to be critical. They were meant simply to encourage introspection. And I don't mean to 'point the finger' at anyone. As we studied the 'Greatest Man' book the last time, I had to ask myself how I was treating my brothers. Especially as an elder in the congregation. You see, whatever situation I find myself in, I must follow Jesus' example to the best of my ability. If I don't make that effort, I can't claim to be a Christian. And, if I don't, who is the finger deservedly pointed at if my brother is hurt? This holds true whether I'm commending, counseling, reproving, and even judging.
This introspection, however, needs to be done, and is being done, on an organizational level as well. Use of guilt as a motivator is slowly becoming a thing of the past, as just one example.
It's all part of applying 1 Peter 2:21. About letting Jesus life & ministry truly serve as a model for us. It is my sincere hope that all of us can follow this model more closely -- the model set for us by The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.