Readings, June 17, 2007

2 Samuel
Chapter 12 7 Then Nathan said to David: "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king of Israel. I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave you your lord's house and your lord's wives for your own. I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more. 9 Why have you spurned the LORD and done evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you took his wife as your own, and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.' 13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan answered David: "The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.

Galatians
Chapter 2 16 (yet) who know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 1 19 For through the law I died to the law, 2 that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20 yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Luke
Chapter 7 36 1 2 A Pharisee invited him to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. 37 Now there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner." 40 Jesus said to him in reply, "Simon, I have something to say to you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. 41 "Two people were in debt to a certain creditor; one owed five hundred days' wages 3 and the other owed fifty. 42 Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will love him more?" 43 Simon said in reply, "The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven." He said to him, "You have judged rightly." 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. 47 So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. 4 But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." 48 He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49 The others at table said to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50 But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Chapter 8 1 5 Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the Twelve 2 and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 Joanna, the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

Catholic Fundamentalist Interpretation

Nathan gave David a report from The Programmer, who recounted the favorable downloads He'd given David, and asked why David disobeyed His programming instructions after all those rewards.

The punishment for disobeying Programming Instructions was, as with Adam, visited on David's descendents.  The punishment may have been an alteration of the genetic code that could not be overwritten until Christ, The Program in loving, perfect, human form, downloaded Himself.  David, unlike Adam, did not blame someone else for his sin, but took the blame directly, so was directly forgiven, just as his descendants would be if they asked for forgiveness in the name of the Sinless One.

A free-will creature is not justified by works of the law but by faith in The Program, Jesus Christ.  If we believe in Him, we are re-programmed with the Source Code, which is impossible without believing in the Source Code.  The purpose of the law was to bring about the downloading of The Program, so I have died to human things, given them up as Christ gave up his earthly life and joys.  I live by believing in The Program who loved and gave Himself up for me. 

If there were any way to be saved but to be reprogrammed with the Source Code, Christ died for nothing.  In fact, Christ did die for "no thing", but for the love that transcends things.

One who specialized in obeying the law asked The Program to dine with him, and He did.  A sinful woman brought an expensive jar of fine stone, and she bathed his feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and anointed them with ointment.

The smug Pharisee thought, "If this man were a real prophet, he would perceive and judge the way I do.", encapsulating all human arrogance in a sentence.

Jesus read his mind, (as He still reads ours) and asked, "One debtor owed five hundred days' wages, another owed a tenth of that.  Who will love the creditor more for forgiving his debt?"

The Pharisee answered, "The one, I suppose,

("I suppose" is more condescending arrogance) forgiven the most."

Jesus said he was right. Then, He described the worshipful attitude the woman had toward him, and compared it with the self-righteous attitude of the Pharisee, who did nothing to show how important forgiveness would be to him, who thought his purpose was to criticize and condemn others rather than see his own faults, and who believed himself to be equal to one who was already thought to be a prophet, at the very least.

(more arrogance).

Jesus explained:  "Since her many sins have been forgiven, she has shown great love, but those who have no sense of their sins (like you, bozo) have little love.  Then, He reprogrammed the woman so that she could directly sense The Program, told her the truth, that she was saved by faith, and to go in peace.

Then, he went from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news that reconciliation with The Program and moving into the New Kingdom was now possible.  The 12 Disciples were with him, along with some women who had been reprogrammed spiritually to get rid of demons and physically to get rid of physical and mental defects.  Mary Magdalene had seven demons driven out, so she was as thoroughly possessed as, say a combination of Princess Diana and Hillary Clinton.  Also, Joanna, who gave up the nation's highest-status post outside of royalty or Roman power, and many others who provided for Jesus and the 12.,