For The Record, He Didn't Condemn Her

Butcher a cow. Butcher a pig. But please don't butcher the scripture. Yesterday I was listening to KKOH radio personality Bill Manders who hosts their afternoon talk show. He was talking about the recently released movie "The DaVinci Code." He was asking callers to call in and give a scripture that proved Jesus wasn't married and had no children. His particular take on it was along the line of reasoning that said if the scripture didn't explicitly state He wasn't married and a parent, then that silence left the door open for the possibility. One caller used the familiar reference in Isaiah 53:8. However he used the NIV which states; By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? My choice would have been the King James Version's rendering; He was taken from prison and judgment. And who shall declare his generation? Both make a comparable and adequate answer to the host's question, but he was stuck in his ways and declared this verse to be inconclusive. My how we can get stubborn with God's word! In Acts 8:33, the Ethiopian eunuch gets a Bible Study on this very verse. As for me, I believe that this verse speaks to many things, including the fact that He never had a wife or children to carry on His lineage. One thing I feel is that scholars who wrote the commentaries, readily accepted as fact that Jesus never had children. Therefore in their comments they would not mention anything along this line, opting for more spiritual applications of the verse. I will admit that I may be off base, but I would need to be shown the error of my reasoning. The crux of this blog though is not whether Jesus had a natural family. It is with the common misquoting and misrepresentation of scripture that seems to abound. We all make errors at times when we quote scripture. As such we all need to be willing to make correction. I myself have made countless speaking errors, most of which I have been able to fix when I realized what I had said or when someone has brought it to my attention. There was another point in the radio program that really annoyed me. In fact, after that exchange I turned off my radio and listened only to the voice within my head. Another caller had called in with a rather complicated exigetical explanation using the fact that if Jesus had been married, and since He had not died on the cross, thereby providing forgiveness, then He would have sinned. This was based on his interpretation of husband and wife becoming one flesh. If a sinless person was joined to a sinful person, this unifying of the flesh would corrupt the sinless person. I must admit this was an interesting explanation, but it seemed to turn sour when the host challenged the caller to ask who was the woman caught in adultery. "Was it Mary Magdalene?" the host asked. The caller responded by saying, "No, it was the woman at the well, the Samaritan." The host then repeatedly asked him, "Didn't Jesus say 'I forgive you'?" His response finally was, "Yes, Jesus said He forgave her." Quickly searching the concordance of my mind, (since I was driving and it would have been dangerous for me to whip out my notebook and fire up E-Sword!) I realized the actual rendering was "neither do I condemn thee" which was a follow up answer to His question asking where were her accusers; When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. (John 8:10-11 KJV) There is no mention of forgiveness, only Christ stating that He would also not cast the first stone and the admonition to change her behavior immediately. You may say I'm splitting hairs, but I have to tell you, I see so much being read into scripture that we Christians become a laughingstock because we don't have ready, reliable answers. Sometimes the scripture explains its point by what is written. Sometimes it does so by what is not written. Study to show yourself approved unto God. For then can we silence the foolish arguments. Study your Bible that you may have a ready answer of the hope that lies within you. Study your Bible that you may have unwavering faith in God's word. Then you too, can set the record straight.