Date: 6 November 2000
To: Ben H. Swett
From: Rio
Subject: Who Killed These People?
Dear Ben,
Acts 5:1 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also
sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife's full knowledge he kept back
part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles'
feet. 3 Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled
your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself
some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn't it belong to you before
it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What
made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."
5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died.
And then Ananias' wife died.
A heart attack or murder?
Peter?
What happened?
Shalom,
Rio
-------------------------
Dear Rio,
Maybe they both had heart attacks, caused by the thought they had sinned
against God, but maybe it was an unintentional effect of Peter's anger.
The power to bless can be the power to curse, the power to heal can be the
power to harm, according to the emotion behind it. For sure, Peter was angry
at them at that moment.
Jesus dumped his anger on a fig tree before he went to the Temple to drive
out the money-changers. Otherwise his anger might have withered them as
it withered the fig tree.
These two reports in scripture illustrate why I don't want any more psychic
power than I already have.
Shalom,
Ben
-------------------------
Dear Ben,
This is new to me, dumping anger to the fig tree. All this time I thought
Jesus was showing his disciples things they can do if they believe. The
power of faith and mind, even could move the mountain.
Ben< The power of faith and mind can do a lot of things. Not all of them
are good. I think Jesus was warning his disciples: this power can be misused.
Ben< If you could move a mountain with the power of faith and mind, would
you do it? What about all the people and animals who are living on that
mountain?
Rio< And an argument from me: anger for not finding a fruit on that tree?
I don't think my Lord could be so easily angry at a small thing like a fruit.
Ben< I agree with this line of argument. I think he wasn't angry at the
fig tree; I think he was angry at the money-changers, and he used the fig
tree to discharge the energy of his anger before he went to the Temple to
drive them out.
Rio< I thought anger turns to love the more we are closer to God, when
we know God's love.
Ben< I think Jesus loved the money-changers even though he was very angry
at what they were doing to the faithful people who came to the Temple --
and because he loved the money-changers, he dumped the energy of his anger
on a fig tree (where it wouldn't hurt anyone) instead of dumping it on them.
Rio< I practice this: When I get angry at someone on the street (while
driving), I try not to yell or stay angry; instead, I am trying to change
the anger to blessing. I am far from it most of the time, but I am trying
... every day. And also I practice this at every occasion to everyone. They
are all my brothers and sisters, having the same potential as me, becoming
sons and daughters of God, although they have a tendency to go astray, and
some are chasing what they desire.
Ben< Yes. Good. You are conditioning your own reactions, to bless and
not curse.
Ben< What will you do if and when you feel yourself filled with righteous
anger? If you repress the anger, it will boil inside you (that isn't good
for you), and it may pop out later as an over-reaction to some minor offense.
It is much better to learn how to discharge your anger where it won't hurt
anyone. When I was angry, my mother used to send me out to "chop down
that tree" (it was a standing dead tree), and it took me almost a year
to chop it down, but chopping until I was tired burned off my anger without
hurting anyone.
Rio< I don't understand the part where you said the power to bless can
be the power to curse, etc. The more we bless, the more power we get, and
then that provides us with more power we could use to curse?
Ben< Yes. The more power anyone has, the more good or bad that person
can do. This is true of all kinds of power. Even political power.
Rio< Bless and curse are the intention. To heal and to harm are the intention;
they are different. I think this is different from medicine (could kill
or cure) or like a knife (to cut or kill).
Ben< To bless and heal are good intentions, and good results. To curse
and harm are bad intentions, and bad results. We who want good results work
with good intentions; however, we can also do things unintentionally. The
more power anyone has, the more good or bad that person can do, either intentionally
or unintentionally. This is why we work to develop more and more self-control,
both of our intentions and of the amount of power (energy; in Greek, dunamis)
that we apply to specific intentions.
Rio< I thought blessing could make someone brighter and closer to God,
and a curse will come back to us, like a boomerang. I don't understand this
one. Need more help.
Ben< Yes, blessing does make us brighter and closer to God. Our own blessings
bless us automatically, because the emotions that generate a blessing heal
us from within. Blessing others is the will of God because it is always
good for us (and it may also be good for them).
Ben< No, a curse doesn't necessarily come back to us like a boomerang.
Our own curses curse us automatically, because the emotions that generate
a curse burn inside us. Cursing others is contrary to the will of God because
it is always bad for us (and it may also be bad for them).
Shalom,
Ben
-------------------------
Dear Ben,
Is it before or after? (Matt 21:12-22) If it is after, and if it is anger,
the energy (or residue) could have damaged the blind and the lame who came
to Him after he drove out the money-changers (Matt 21:14). Or Matthew has
the chronological time wrong? (Matt 21:12-13 should be after Matt 21:18-22
?)
Shalom,
Rio
-------------------------
Dear Rio,
Mark 11:11-21 has the sequence I believe is correct.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem, went into the Temple, and when
he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out
to Bethany with the twelve. (Mark 11:11)
On the following day (Monday), as they were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem,
Jesus stopped and cursed the fig tree. Then he went on into Jerusalem, entered
the Temple, and drove out the money-changers. That evening, they went out
of the city again. (Mark 11:12-19)
The next day (Tuesday), as they were walking to Jerusalem in the morning,
his disciples saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. And Peter remembered
and said to him, "Master, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered."
(Mark 11:20-21)
Mark wrote the earliest Gospel. And there is a very early tradition that
Mark was Peter's secretary, writing down what Peter said, so his sequence
is probably the way Peter remembered it. Matthew copied from Mark, but I
think he missed this sequence (and added the line that says the fig tree
withered immediately), because he assumed that Jesus drove the money-changers
out of the Temple on Palm Sunday. Luke's Gospel and John's Gospel don't
have the fig tree incident.
As to the blind and lame people who came to be healed, Jesus always responded
to them with compassion; and to heal them, he would first have to neutralize
any residue of his anger. A blessing must be both pure and powerful, to
heal as he did.
Shalom,
Ben
-------------------------
Dear Ben,
More questions:
If He had dumped the anger on the fig tree (Mark 11), what was the overturning
of tables and benches? The sight is awsome, I think, like throwing things
when we are angry, dumping the energy, punching the sand bag, chopping tree,
yelling or cursing ...
Ben< Jesus obviously didn't dump ALL of his anger on the fig tree. He
saved some for the money-changers (and enough so that none of the Temple
guards dared to try to stop him), but not enough to do more damage than
he intended to do.
Rio< The lines used: "May no one ever eat fruit from you again."
(Mark) "May you never bear fruit again!" (Matthew) This is different
from "chop that tree" ... chop, chop, chop, chop ... and no "may"
word. I think, in this case, maybe a simple: "wither"... or no
words. Maybe He just placed His hands on the tree. (I hope you understand
what I mean)
Ben< Yes, this is different by many orders of magnitude from the little
boyhood angers I worked out by chopping a dead tree, but the principle is
the same.
Rio< Mark gives a different sight than Matthew, different impact. How
could this time sequence difference have occured? Maybe this part and other
parts like this, or like the word to the tree (Mark 11, Matt 21), were not
inspired by the Holy Spirit? Only their human brain's memory? I found other
differences between Matthew and the others: [He lists several examples]
Ben< There are a LOT of differences between the Gospels. None of them
were written by the hand of God. All of them were written by fallible human
beings, from a pile of notes, and probably some interviews with some of
those who were there. I believe these writers were inspired by the Holy
Spirit to do the best they could with the materials they had available.
Our job is to do the best we can with the treasure they passed down to us.
Shalom,
Ben
PS: I have assembled this series of emails, edited them for typos and such,
and with your permission, I would like to post the result under Dialogues
on my website. As I usualy do, I have kept only your first name to protect
your privacy. I can change your name to a nickname if you wish, or publish
this dialogue with your full name if you prefer.
-------------------------
Dear Ben,
I see it is very late there, almost morning. Having trouble sleeping? I
hope it is not because of me. :)
On your website, please do so. I am very glad I could do something to help
others who may have the same questions. You have my permission, first name
it is.
One more thing, I took another look at your "Spiritual Shower"
-- a thought told me to look at it again. I think this kind of shower could
help us deal with our anger (emotional burden). Or for me ... praying.
Thank you, Ben, thank you very much for everything.
Peace and Blessings to you and yours,
Rio