The Contradiction of Jesus

In philosophy there is the approach to the mystery of God called the “via negativa”. We come closer to “understanding” God by denying what He is not. God is not created, not material, not a body, not limited. In Hindu writings there is a way to wisdom that uses the expression “neti, neti”. It translates as “not this, not that”.

Jesus does not engage in either method. He is not here to simply enlighten. He comes to save us from ourselves.

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and for the rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that shall be contradicted.” (St. Luke 2:34)

Jesus' whole Divine presence as Man among us is a contradiction. His vertical intersects and uplifts our horizontal view.

When his human life flowers into his public ministry he openly contradicts us:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (St. Matthew 4:17)

“The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” (St. Mark 1:15)

Repent – you “fall” first in sorrow for sins and then you “rise” to a new life.

As he continues his ministry he speaks in ways that are so contrary to our ways that his words seem immediately contradictory in themselves. Jesus says

“Even so let your light shine before men, in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:16)

and then

“Take heed not to do your good before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall have no reward with your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 6:1)

But here is the heart of all of our Lord's statements that appear on the first glance to be at odds with themselves: “...in order to be seen by them...”. It is not just the appearance of what we do but the intention underlying our acts, our reason for doing them that can make the difference between doing lasting good and being a whitewashed sepulchre. St. Matthew 5 and 6 come together and tell us not to hesitate to do good before men, not for our glory but for the praise of God. I quickly mentioned above the Hindu saying, “not this, not that”. While Jesus does not use this approach, personally I envision Him using the “on the one hand, and on the other” method of instruction. There is a real left-right symmetry in much of our Lord's teaching. On the one hand, do good openly and unashamedly for the glory of the Father. On the other hand do not do good publicly for your own glory.

Another example is St. Mark 9:39 (and St. Luke 9:50) where our Lord says

“For he who is not against you is for you”.

Yet in Lk. 11:23 he states

“He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters” (and Mt. 12:30).

It is the context that brings out the meaning. The first words are spoken to the apostle John when John tells Jesus that they forbade a man casting out devils in our Lord's name. Here is a man not formally with the group but doing the work of the group – casting out evil. The second quote is in reference to those who blaspheme Jesus and who smear his casting out demons. They oppose the work of the Lord.

If different people with varying personalities hear the same speech and later report a particular thought from that speech, you know it made a great impression. All four gospels give this contra-diction of our Lord:

Mt. 10:39 “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake, will find it.”

Mk. 8:35 “For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for my sake and for the gospel's sake will save it.”

Lk. 9:24 “For he who would save his life will lose it; but he who loses his life for my sake will save it.”

St. John 12: 25 “...He who loves his life, loses it; and he who hates his life in this world, keeps it unto life everlasting.”

Once more it is our purpose not only for single acts but for our entire life that can make it worthy.

All of Jesus' teaching is understood in context. In that context it will not be self-contradictory but it will still always contradict us. The early Church (and so does the Church today) had an immediate knowledge of Christ. When a Christian (St. Paul) said that Jesus was a man like us in all things but sin, we know he was not denying Christ's divinity. When a Christian (St. John) said the Word was God, we know he was not denying his true humanity. What very many of us Christians today do not fully appreciate – and I speak about scholars, clergy and laymen – is that any part of Scripture must be understood in relation to all of Scripture. And all of Scripture must be understood together with all of Sacred Tradition (Ecumenical Councils, Creeds, etc.). And in turn all of Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition must be received from the teaching office (the magisterium) of the Body of Christ, the Church. So when we listen to the words of Jesus spoken by His spotless Bride, this is how we will be delivered from error and hear the truth about His love for us.

Finally, a note of caution concerning listening to preaching today. There are times I wonder why a preacher seems compelled to try to recap the entire catechism in a single sermon. Perhaps it is simply that he does not want what he says to be seen out of context. Yet shouldn't we take the attitude suggested above and grant with good will the other times a preacher has spoken as giving the full context to what is said? This would apply to both Popes and pastors.