Rand, James (Lileks), the Gospel parables work on multiple levels.
Good son. One of the Pharisees. Works at keeping the Biblical Law. Really hard. Gets disrespected by the New Rabbi in Town just for asking a few questions.
Prodigal son. Tax collector. Lives pretty comfortably, actually. He too is a Jew, but he is collaborating with the pagan Roman occupying authorities. Makes you want to spit. The New Rabbi in Town invites himself over to his place . . . what is with this guy?
Getting back to the parable, we just have the Good son’s word that he was never offered even a goat for a little partee with his buds. The ol’ man parted with the Prodigal son’s share of the inheritance just for the asking . . . maybe Good son never even asked for that goat (the “ask and ye shall receive” thing — another Bible lesson in the story). Maybe we are just hearing the Good son’s side of the story, and maybe the ol’ man was trying to correct him by saying “everything that is mine was yours” for a reason.
Another level of the Narrative is that first the Jewish persons with the wrong politics, then the Samaritans, and after that the pagans were invited into the fold. Created some resentment. How are these arrivistes granted Salvation when me and my ancestors were working hard at keeping the Law for generations?
At yet another level there is that envy thing. There is a strong Gospel critique of “Ok, this is what I have, but look what he is getting!” The Kingdom of Heaven does not work on the “It’s not fair!” principle. Rand, do you think there is a Libertarian message in here, that property owners have a sovereign right over their property and to do with it what they choose without someone whining about it and then passing regulations and taxes to “do something about it.”
Some of us are born with advantages and then squander it, some of us work hard for very small rewards, and as a Libertarian, do you see any injustice in this?
I can identify with each of the two sons for various aspects of my life experience. I think it is a good story.
message in here, that property owners have a sovereign right over their property
Considering that one of the Ten Commandments is ‘thou shalt not steal’ I think we got that part covered.
The word rabbi means teacher, and in his public life, Jesus was such a teacher.
Jesus teaches:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mathew 5:17)
Teaching evaluations comments come back:
“We already KNOW the Ten Commandments and the instructor keeps spending so much class time going over them. ”
“He wastes so much class time telling childhood stories about pearls, mustard plants, this guy engaged in unfair labor practices by paying the workers who punched in late the same lump sum, this other guy who steals from his boss, and this dude who just blew off a semester at the U. No one understands the point he is trying to make.”
It is absolutely unfair. The point is to look beyond fair and unfair to the more important issue. Life and death trumps fair and unfair.
That’s the difference between poker players and puppies. Puppies will eventually stop whining.
Rand, James (Lileks), the Gospel parables work on multiple levels.
Good son. One of the Pharisees. Works at keeping the Biblical Law. Really hard. Gets disrespected by the New Rabbi in Town just for asking a few questions.
Prodigal son. Tax collector. Lives pretty comfortably, actually. He too is a Jew, but he is collaborating with the pagan Roman occupying authorities. Makes you want to spit. The New Rabbi in Town invites himself over to his place . . . what is with this guy?
Getting back to the parable, we just have the Good son’s word that he was never offered even a goat for a little partee with his buds. The ol’ man parted with the Prodigal son’s share of the inheritance just for the asking . . . maybe Good son never even asked for that goat (the “ask and ye shall receive” thing — another Bible lesson in the story). Maybe we are just hearing the Good son’s side of the story, and maybe the ol’ man was trying to correct him by saying “everything that is mine was yours” for a reason.
Another level of the Narrative is that first the Jewish persons with the wrong politics, then the Samaritans, and after that the pagans were invited into the fold. Created some resentment. How are these arrivistes granted Salvation when me and my ancestors were working hard at keeping the Law for generations?
At yet another level there is that envy thing. There is a strong Gospel critique of “Ok, this is what I have, but look what he is getting!” The Kingdom of Heaven does not work on the “It’s not fair!” principle. Rand, do you think there is a Libertarian message in here, that property owners have a sovereign right over their property and to do with it what they choose without someone whining about it and then passing regulations and taxes to “do something about it.”
Some of us are born with advantages and then squander it, some of us work hard for very small rewards, and as a Libertarian, do you see any injustice in this?
I can identify with each of the two sons for various aspects of my life experience. I think it is a good story.
message in here, that property owners have a sovereign right over their property
Considering that one of the Ten Commandments is ‘thou shalt not steal’ I think we got that part covered.
The word rabbi means teacher, and in his public life, Jesus was such a teacher.
Jesus teaches:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Mathew 5:17)
Teaching evaluations comments come back:
“We already KNOW the Ten Commandments and the instructor keeps spending so much class time going over them. ”
“He wastes so much class time telling childhood stories about pearls, mustard plants, this guy engaged in unfair labor practices by paying the workers who punched in late the same lump sum, this other guy who steals from his boss, and this dude who just blew off a semester at the U. No one understands the point he is trying to make.”
It is absolutely unfair. The point is to look beyond fair and unfair to the more important issue. Life and death trumps fair and unfair.
That’s the difference between poker players and puppies. Puppies will eventually stop whining.