Re: Direct / Indirect Speech

From: Jim Beale (beale@uconect.net)
Date: Thu Nov 26 1998 - 11:31:16 EST


At 9:43 AM -0500 11/25/98, James C. Williams wrote:

> On Tue, 24 Nov 1998 Jim Beale wrote:
>
>>1. Many will come and say I [meaning Jesus] am the Christ ...
>>2. Many will come and say I [meaning themselves] am the Christ ...
>>
>>The differentiation between these two interpretations
>>is made clear by the context. It seems obvious that
>>Jesus is not warning us against those who come and
>>point to the true Messiah, doesn't it? That would be
>>an outrageous interpretation of Jesus's words.
>
>I don't see how the context drives that conclusion. Just tune in to TV
>preachers and you are likely to hear someone pointing to Jesus as the
>Messiah and yet leading many astray ("your faith is a force; if you use the
>force correctly, you will change your reality" and other such stuff). It
>is outrageous, but it happens all the time, so it is possible that Jesus
>could mean that.

I think it is clear from the context that Jesus was trying to
give some indicia by which we might discriminate those intent
on deceiving from those not. Interpretation #1 (above) doesn't
give anything helpful, since, as you say, some who say that are
legit and some are not. But anyone claiming that they themelves
are the Christ is being deceptive. Interpretation #1 would ruin
the intent of the whole passage.

Cheers!

In Christ,
Jim

>->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->->
 A mystery is a problem which encroaches upon its own data, invading
 them, as it were, and thereby transcending itself as a simple problem.
 (Gabriel Marcel, On the Ontological Mystery)
<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<-<

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