Bible Reading: Matthew 24:27-35 KJV
- Matthew 24:35 KJV
A sepia filter is a digital processing technique that simulates the warm, brownish tone characteristic of traditional black-and-white photographs from the early days of photography. The term “sepia” refers to the rich brown pigment derived from the ink sac of the common cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis. This filter gives images a nostalgic, vintage appearance, it enhances the overall mood and atmosphere of a photograph and create a distinctive, artistic look. Put another way, it changes reality to what the photographer thinks is best; the end result resembles, but does not match reality.
What lens are you filtering Jesus and his teachings through? Is your understandings of Jesus and his teachings based upon the filter of your experience and feelings, your pastor, Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, John Calvin or the popes?
In Luke 6:40 Jesus says, "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master." Also, John 13:16 says, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." If Jesus is Lord and God, He is also the greatest teacher ever. He is also the master of all truth. Actually, He is more than that as stated in John 14:6b, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Jesus is truth!
Martin Luther made wonderful contributions to Christendom, including translation the Bible into German for the masses to read and learn from. However, before the readers got to Matthew 1:1, they would see this introduction from Luther, "John's Gospel is the one, tender, true chief Gospel, far, far, to be preferred to the other three and placed above them... So, too, the Epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter far surpass the other three Gospels..."
Martin Luther made wonderful contributions to Christendom, including translation the Bible into German for the masses to read and learn from. However, before the readers got to Matthew 1:1, they would see this introduction from Luther, "John's Gospel is the one, tender, true chief Gospel, far, far, to be preferred to the other three and placed above them... So, too, the Epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter far surpass the other three Gospels..."
What Luther is saying is that you should start with John then go to the writings of Paul and Peter, thus the other three gospels, including the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) are of very little value. This method of filtering Jesus and His teachings allowed Luther to feel at peace when ordering roughly 100,000 German peasants to be slaughtered by the nobility. Luther wrote, "I, Martin Luther slew all the peasants in the rebellion, for I said that they should be slain...the Lord God who commanded me to speak this way."
If Luther had spent any time in Matthew he would have known that the Lord God would have not commanded him to do that. Jesus said in Matthew 7:12, "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." This is the basis of the Golden Rule, 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' Do you think that Luther treated the peasants as he would want the Catholic Church to treat him?
We can not do as Thomas Jefferson did when he created the 'Jefferson Bible' by removing portions of scripture that he did not like or agree with. Instead, we must take Jesus words and teaching at face value and filter everything else through His words. Simply start with Jesus and filter everything else through Him!
Sources:
- Portions of the above is from Phil Baker's excellent book New Wineskins and the Simple Words of Christ
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