Saturday, December 22, 2007

Jesus' Tomb on the National Geographic Channel

This is not a typical parable post, but something that I felt compelled to comment on.

As I type this, I am watching a special called Jesus' Tomb I recorded on the National Geographic Channel. At one point, the narrator says, "The disciples may have had something to hide. As it says in Matthew 28:13-15, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away...And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.'"

As soon as I heard this, I got angry. I have a lot of respect for National Geographic, and to hear them adjust the gospel of Matthew just to create controversy infuriated me!

Here is what Matthew 28:11-15 says to put it back into context. After the angel appears and frightens the guards that the Jewish priests had put in place specifically to guard Jesus' body from the disciples, "some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day."

I know and accept the fact that many TV shows and movies like to take Christian text out of context in order to create controversy and gain ratings. But this was a great example of our own holy text being used to confuse the nominally and non-religious and make even believers question their faith.

When you use parts of the Bible, do so to honor God and to help your brothers and sisters. To do otherwise is a cruelty greater than almost any other. God does not want to be separate from us. It's something equivalent to spiritual kidnapping.

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