A warm welcome to everyone! Today we will discuss the topic: “12 forgotten teachings of Christ”. It is worth noting that these forgotten teachings do not apply equally to all religious communities. There are some that have preserved certain teachings, but unfortunately not others – in a moment you will see exactly what I mean.
If any forgotten teachings of Christ come to mind, ones that, in your opinion, people no longer remember today, please write them in the comments. Maybe I myself have overlooked something – I would be happy to hear your opinions.
So let us begin. Our introduction will be the first of the teachings that are not fully respected, even though they form the foundation of Christ’s teaching. I would even venture to say that apart from the teaching about love, many people would find it hard to name other specific teachings of Christ. So let us start with this first one, which I would especially like to emphasize. We find it in the Gospel of John 14:21: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, that one loves Me. And whoever loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love that person and reveal myself to them.”
This is the first, very important teaching of Christ: the obligation to observe all His teachings. People often think that God’s grace is so immense that nothing more is needed – that merely declaring faith is enough, without making the effort to live according to the commandments. Meanwhile Christ says clearly: whoever keeps His commandments truly loves Him. He was a teacher, and a disciple is someone who absorbs and takes in the teaching of their master. Our Lord Yeshu wanted us not only to know His teachings, but also to apply them. Let us also look at another passage from the Gospel of John 5:24: “Amen, amen, I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes the One who sent Me has aeonian life and does not come into judgment, but passes from death to life.” This is a literal translation, but the essence is clear: listening to Christ’s teachings, combined with faith, gives eternal life.
It is worth noting that this is about listening combined with action – it is not enough for the teaching to go in one ear and out the other. To believe means to trust not only Christ, but also God, who sent Him. Having eternal life is closely connected with keeping the teachings of Master Yeshu.
Although today we are focusing on the teachings of Christ, sometimes, for a broader understanding of certain principles, it is worth reaching also for the teaching of the apostles. Christ left some issues unsaid, because they were obvious to the Jews of that time, whereas the apostles, addressing Gentiles, had to explain more. An example could be the issue of women covering their heads during prayer – this is a topic developed by Paul, although it is not what we are dealing with today.
To confirm the importance of Christ’s teachings, I will also refer to the 1st and 2nd Letters of John. 1 John 2:3-5: “And by this we know that we have known Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says: I know Him, but does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His words, truly in this the love of God has been fulfilled; by this we know that we are in Him.” Therefore, in order to observe the teachings, one must first know them – and that is already the first step, which is often forgotten.
2 John 1:9 says even more clearly: “Everyone who goes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Anointed One does not have God. The one who remains in the teaching of the Anointed One has both the Father and the Son.” These are very strong words – whoever does not keep the teachings of the Anointed One is not His disciple, is not a Christian, does not have a true relationship with God.
That was the first of the forgotten teachings of Christ. Ahead of us are eleven more, which we will analyze together.
Let us move on to the next one: it is a teaching that was forgotten very quickly, although protestants at one point recalled it. Let us open the Gospel of Matthew 23:8-10: “But you, do not allow yourselves to be called Reverend [Rabbi], for one is your Master, and you are all brothers. Nor call anyone on earth your father; for you have one Father, the One in heaven. Nor should you want to be called masters, because you have only one Master, Christ.” In some translations the word “Rabbi” appears, which means “highly honorable”, “master” or “teacher”. Christ Yeshu, however, clearly emphasized that people should not give themselves such religious titles.
Unfortunately, the catholic church very quickly moved away from this instruction – titles such as “holy father”, “reverend” appeared, which are applied to people, not to God. This is not, of course, about addressing one’s own dad as “father”, but about religious honorific titles. It is similar in other older Christian communities – this teaching of Christ was very quickly lost. Since the foundation of salvation is keeping His teachings, and this one was not kept, it is hard to speak of being His disciple.
Another forgotten teaching, rejected or ignored by Christianity, is found in the Gospel of Matthew 5:44: “But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” In theory all Christian churches preach love, but in practice few live by this teaching every day. Could we honestly say, hand on heart, that we genuinely love our enemies? Love for enemies means wishing them well, desiring their good, having no desire for revenge or satisfaction at their failures. Meanwhile, we often live in a spirit of revenge – and yet Christ clearly taught us to pray even for those who do us harm, asking for their transformation.
If Christians truly followed this teaching, there would not have been religious wars between catholics and protestants, which so deeply marked the history of Europe. Paradoxically, Christians, invoking Christ, fought and killed one another, in practice erasing His teaching about love for enemies. It is sad that although this commandment is sometimes quoted, it is rarely genuinely applied. So can those who disregard it – regardless of denomination – count on salvation? It is hard to imagine.
We must remember that these are teachings that Christ received from the Father and faithfully passed on to his disciples. It is very important that we understand this before we move on to the next points on our list.
The next teaching I want to talk about is precisely one that the catholic church observes quite rigorously, whereas protestants do not. In fact, it can be stated with confidence that most, if not all, protestant churches do not follow this principle. What teaching is it? Let’s check this on the basis of Scripture – perhaps let’s first look at the Gospel of Matthew, specifically chapter 5, verse 32. There we read: “But I say to you: Everyone who divorces his wife – except in the case of fornication – exposes her to adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” So we clearly see that Christ did not accept divorce – unlike Moses. The only exception was the case of fornication.
An interesting point is that even if the wife committed fornication, yes, the husband had the right to send her away, but that did not mean he could simply marry another woman – especially if she had previously been someone’s wife. Christ introduced strict criteria here: a man could marry only a virgin or a widow, because every divorced woman, according to the teaching of the New Testament, still in a certain sense belongs to her first husband. The New Testament twice clearly mentions that as long as the husband lives, the wife remains his wife, even if she is sent away by him. A woman, even if she was sent away because of unfaithfulness, has no right to marry again. A man, however, if at all, may enter into a relationship only with a virgin or a widow – a situation almost extraordinary today. In practice, then, both the woman and the man are left with solitude.
And importantly, this is not a one-time command – this topic appears in different places. Let us take Matthew 5:32 once again: “But I tell you: Everyone who sends away his wife – except in the case of fornication – exposes her to adultery; and whoever takes the one sent away as a wife commits adultery.” Why so? Because, according to Christ’s teaching, the wife formally still belongs to her first husband, even if he sent her away. Hence there is practically no basis for divorce, and if there is, it does not mean full freedom to enter into a new relationship.
The apostle Paul also upholds this teaching – he writes that if a woman leaves her husband, she should not bind herself to anyone else. Protestant churches decided to soften this teaching, considering it too strict. They gave people a chance to begin a new life alongside another partner – something, however, that we do not find in Christ’s teaching. Of course, if someone is abandoned by their spouse, they cannot force that person to stay – however, they themselves should not enter into a new relationship.
For a fuller picture, let us also look at the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, verses 3 to 6 where the topic of divorce returns. The Pharisees ask Christ: “Is it lawful for a man to send away his woman for any reason? And He answered, saiying: Have you not read that the Creator from the beginning made them male and female? And said: Therefore a man shall leave father and mother and be joined to his woman, and the two shall be one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” When asked why, then, Moses permitted divorce, Christ explains that it happened because of the hardness of people’s hearts – but this was not God’s will from the beginning. And once again He emphasizes: “Whoever sends away his woman, except for fornication, and joins himself to another, betrays.”
Interestingly, the apostles, hearing these requirements, state outright: “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not worth marrying.” Today we often hear how much marriage is praised, often presenting men as responsible for failures and women as blameless – yet the apostles already knew that reality can be difficult. Christ does not rebuke their observation, but rather emphasizes that not everyone is able to accept this teaching – there are those who, for the Kingdom of God, will choose solitude. Paul, in turn, later emphasizes that life in solitude makes it possible to devote oneself fully to serving God.
These are truths that are rarely preached today – they are forgotten or deliberately omitted. Also in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 11-12, we read: “Whoever sends away his wife and takes another commits adultery against her. And if a wife leaves her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” So there is no talk of divorce. It must be admitted that the catholic church is the most consistent on this issue, although it also does not observe all of Christ’s teachings.
Unfortunately, many people treat Christ’s teaching like a supermarket – they choose what suits them and reject the rest. This is where the differences between religions come from – none fully observes all His commands. That is why it is so important, so that we ourselves would turn to the sources and learn the teaching of Christ on our own, not relying solely on tradition or the interpretations of churches.
It is worth noting one more important aspect. Many appeal to the Mosaic Law, as if it were still in force. Meanwhile, precisely on the issue of divorce, Christ clearly says that Moses allowed it only because of the “hardness of hearts” of the Israelites. This was a concession on Moses’ part, not God’s command – from the beginning God wanted marriage to be indissoluble.
Let us move on to the next, already fifth teaching, which also few people remember today. Let us check again chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew, verses 34-37: “But I tell you: Do not swear at all, neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of His feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Let your speech be: Yes, yes; no, no. And whatever is more than this comes from the Evil One.”
How many people today remember that Christ teaches not to swear? This comes from the fact that people often lied and needed an oath so that once in a while their word would be taken seriously. Christ says: speak the truth always – oaths should not be necessary. Truthfulness should be the norm, and breaking one’s word is a serious offense – all the more so if we break a marriage vow. Divorce is therefore not only a violation of the teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, but also the breaking of an oath.
So you see that these are teachings often overlooked, and yet fundamental. Christ emphasizes that true worshipers will give glory to God in spirit and in truth – and so we should learn the true teachings of Christ and live according to them, with all our heart, soul, and spirit. Faith cannot be superficial – if we limit ourselves only to convenient passages, we miss the truth and fail to carry out God’s will. It is not lived in spirit, but merely declared in words. If someone truly believed with all their heart, their spirit would be attuned to it. This does not change the fact, however, that Christian communities from the very beginning organized themselves in congregations. Christ himself gathered people around him and clearly said: “Whoever does not gather with me scatters”. This is because his goal was to unite people. Later the apostles developed the teaching about communal meetings – Christ did not emphasize this, but he foretold that the disciples would be excluded from synagogues, that those who do this would be convinced they are serving God.
I will recall the teachings of Christ that were discussed, which are a conditions for salvation: 1. Observing His teachings. 2. The prohibition against addressing people as “father” or “reverend”. 3. The command to love even one’s enemies. 4. The prohibition of divorce. 5. Truthfulness and no need to take oaths.
Another teaching, and one could say – a prohibition, is found in the Gospel of Matthew 7:1-5: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment with which you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother: Let me remove the speck from your eye, when the beam is in your eye? Hypocrite, first remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove [cast out] the speck from your brother’s eye.”
The key here is the call: do not judge another person. It is about refraining from critical and hasty assessment of someone’s life, because in truth we do not know another person in depth. Christ says clearly: do not judge. Do you know anyone who follows this perfectly? The apostles write in their letters that in congregations there are people appointed to care for the morality of the community, and they, with great responsibility, settle matters of serious offenses. The other brothers and sisters are not allowed to do this – they are to report the problem and allow the responsible brothers to examine it. Otherwise gossip and slander arise, and this destroys the unity of the community.
People often judge others hastily and unfairly, forgetting that Christ was repeatedly falsely judged and slandered – He was called a drunkard, a glutton, or a deceiver. This teaching is unfortunately often broken: people judge others while justifying themselves. Hence the biblical command: take care of your own life, do not judge others.
On the other hand, we have a clear command to forgive, Matthew 18:21-22: “Then Peter came to Him and asked: «Lord, how many times should I forgive if my brother sins against me? As many as seven times?» Yeshu answered him: «I do not tell you as many as seven times, but as many as seventy-seven times.” For many this is a difficult teaching – they believe they will never forgive. But whoever does not follow this rule is not a disciple of Christ. People ask: what if the guilty person does not apologize? The Bible does not teach about apologizing – it teaches about forgiveness. The guilty person should ask for forgiveness, and even beg for it. Sometimes someone has hurt us unknowingly – then it is worth, following the example of Stephen or Christ on the cross, asking God for forgiveness for the perpetrator, “for they do not know what they are doing”.
If we show forgiveness, our sins will also be forgiven. The parable of the servant whose debt was forgiven, but who himself could not forgive his neighbor, is extremely telling: God expects mercy from us. Whoever does not forgive puts themselves in a difficult situation before God. This is a very important teaching: if someone persists in resentment, even though the guilty person has asked for forgiveness, the problem lies with the offended person, not the guilty one. Mercy is key – whoever does not show it will not receive it themselves.
Many do not forgive their loved ones, parents, children, neighbors, friends – and in this way they distance themselves from the teaching of Christ. This is a serious spiritual problem.
Now let us deal with Christ’s teaching on human tradition, Mark 7:6-13. Christ quotes Isaiah: “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But they worship Me in vain, teaching rules given by people.” He goes on to say that, abandoning God’s commandments, they hold on to traditions established by people. An example is the custom of korban, which released someone from the duty of caring for their parents. In this way human tradition invalidated God’s commandments.
Today in the Church we also see examples of traditions that invalidate the teachings of Christ: the titles “reverend”, “holy father” are contrary to His teaching. Other examples include secular Christmas or Easter traditions, often taken from paganism, which have nothing to do with God’s will – although they may be attractive or pleasant to someone, they are only human customs, not God’s commandments. Quite the opposite, they stand in contradiction to them.
Another example may be a custom that has no basis in the Bible and was established by people – for example, the belief that only the blessing of a cross or picture by a priest makes it suitable for prayer. We will not find such a command in the Bible. It is a human invention that may have been meant to serve various purposes, including – unfortunately – financial ones. It is hard to say clearly what this is about, but we can see pagan influences in it.
Another example of human tradition is the establishment of various patrons, such as a patron of drivers, merchants, or other groups. This resembles a pagan belief system, where particular gods were assigned to different areas of life: merchants, households, or agriculture. By introducing such traditions into Christianity, pagan patterns were copied. The older the Church, the more traditions of this kind accumulated – and many of them are not only inconsistent with the teaching of Christ, but actually distort it. This often leads to a situation in which, through its traditions, the Church resembles an ancient pagan religion more than a community following the teachings of Christ. Tradition can unfortunately invalidate or undermine the Word of God.
The first example that comes to mind: lying. The Bible commands us that our “yes” should always be “yes”, and our “no” – “no”.Yet many people turn a blind eye to these principles and justify divorces and remarriages, which Scripture defines as adultery. And after all, these are things Christ taught, but which have been obscured by people with new customs.
It was not only the catholic church that introduced or accepted human traditions. Many protestant communities also adopted customs contrary to biblical teaching, for example admitting women to the position of pastor or conducting weddings for same-sex couples. What is more, it sometimes happens that women not only teach in churches, but there are even active lesbians in pastoral positions – although the Bible clearly condemns such attitudes. In this way, human traditions distort the original teaching of Lord Yeshu, creating something new, completely contrary to the message of Scripture. There are many such sayings or teachings that sound appealing, such as “trust your heart”, whereas the Bible warns: “do not trust your heart”. However, the spirit of this world has a strong influence on people, who often prefer to listen to “the spirit of this world” rather than biblical teachings.
Similar examples could be multiplied. Many traditions have been made almost sacred by people. Do you have your own observations about such traditions? Maybe you would like to add something? Someone rightly noted that the catholic church annuls marriages for an appropriate fee – although that was not the case in the past. An example is the history of the rise of the church of england: King Henry VIII did not obtain the pope’s consent for a divorce, so he separated from Rome. Today, however, matters look different and almost anyone can obtain an annulment of marriage. So we see that traditions change over the years, having nothing to do with the original teaching.
Let us move on. There is also the issue here of so-called Judaizing, that is, returning to some provisions of the Mosaic Law. Some people try to observe certain commandments, choosing the ones that suit them. It must be understood that Christ – by dying on the cross – redeemed people from under the Mosaic Law, opening the way to the New Covenant. The New Testament is the New Agreement between God and humankind. A new agreement cannot be entered into without dissolving the previous one – that is why Christ’s death had such significance. Some, however, do not accept this and still try to observe selected provisions, e.g. the prohibition on eating certain foods.
Christ addressed this issue even before His death. First, He questioned the right to divorce, and then – as we read in the Gospel of Mark 7:15-24 – He said: “Nothing enters a person from outside that could make them unclean; but what comes out of a person, that makes a person unclean.” For food goes to the stomach, not the heart. In this way our Lord Yeshu clearly made it understood that food does not make a person unclean. The apostles initially did not fully grasp this teaching, until Peter received a vision in which God commanded him to eat what had until then been regarded as unclean. God declared that what He had cleansed should no longer be called unclean. Unfortunately, many believers still ignore both the teaching of Christ and the revelation given to Peter, holding to the conviction that eating certain foods is a sin.
Interestingly, after the vision Peter himself ate foods previously regarded as unclean, and his pretense – when the envoys from James arrived – was criticized by Paul not because he ate unclean foods, but because of hypocrisy. Christ’s teaching is clear: no food makes a person unclean. By the way, Moses regarded some animals as unclean because in Egypt they were regarded as sacred. The point was to detach the Israelites from Egyptian beliefs. Over time, however, this rule lost it’s significance. The most important thing is to hold to the teaching of Christ.
Moving on to the next topic, the question of the Sabbath arises. What was Christ’s approach to the Sabbath? It can be said that He had a very gentle attitude toward it. Let us remember that until His death He could not officially invalidate any provision of the law. However, His behavior toward the Sabbath caused much controversy – He was accused of breaking that day. The key words here are from the Gospel of Mark 2:27: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” This means that the Sabbath was meant to serve people, not the other way around. Unfortunately, over the centuries the Sabbath was exalted beyond measure.
At the beginning, to emphasize the seriousness of the Sabbath, a man gathering wood paid for breaking it with his life – this was necessary to establish the Sabbath as a serious obligation for the Israelites. However, the Sabbath law was given exclusively to the Israelites as a sign of the covenant – not to other nations. Lord Yeshu announced that one sheepfold was to arise, also gathering Gentiles, for whom keeping the Sabbath would simply have been impossible, especially since many of them were slaves. Therefore He did not place this burden on them. Christ emphasized that the Sabbath is for man – for their rest and good, and not so that it would become a yoke.
Moreover, Christ Himself did not observe the Sabbath as strictly as the Pharisees expected. In the Gospel of Matthew 12:5 He mentions that the priests de facto profane the Sabbath by carrying out their service, and yet they are innocent. That is, they break the Sabbath, profane it, and yet remain innocent. The Sabbath was not something Christ wanted to continue in its previous form – therefore He gradually loosened the rules connected with it. His approach to the Sabbath was that one may also do good on that day. Everything that serves good is permitted: feeding a child, preparing a meal for a husband – these are good deeds. Evil must never be done, including on the Sabbath, but doing good is always right. At that time the Sabbath law was still in force, because Christ had not yet made His sacrifice, but even then He was showing that He is Lord of the Sabbath – that is, He has full right and authority over it, one might say: He is the King of the Sabbath. He decided what was allowed and what was not. Christ taught that the Sabbath was established for man, not the other way around. Unfortunately, many forget this message.
Another issue, which is especially widespread in protestantism, completely departs from the teachings of Christ Himself, and even contradicts them. Today, however, we are not talking about protestants, but about the teachings of Christ, which Christianity has often abandoned or forgotten. An example is the Gospel of Matthew 25:31-46, where Christ describes the moment of judgment: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the messengers with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate one [people] from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” It goes on to say: “Come, blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you welcomed Me; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.” The righteous ask: “Lord, when did we do this?” He answers: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” It is clearly evident that Christ rewards good deeds, including those done for people who are not His brothers. Christ’s brothers will be saved through the rapture, the others will be judged according to their deeds. The false teaching of Protestants says that deeds do not matter – whereas Christ repeatedly emphasized the importance of deeds.
Let us look at Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His messengers, and then He will repay each one according to his conduct.” The claim that deeds are not important is a distortion. It is worth understanding that Christ was not speaking about the works of the Law (such as circumcision, fasts, or the Sabbath), but about everyday attitudes and goodness. Another example: Matthew 10:42: “Whoever gives one of these little ones a cup of fresh water to drink because that person is a disciple, amen I tell you, will not lose their reward.” Or the verse before: “Whoever receives a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever receives a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.” Kindness, concern for others, support – there is a reward for that. These are the teachings of Christ, and they have been invalidated by the mistaken claim that works are not important.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10 we read: “For we must all stand before the judgment seat of the Anointed One, so that each may receive payment for the good or evil done in the body.” It is clear that we will be judged according to our deeds. James, in turn, states: “Faith without works is dead”.
Moving on to the final topic: money. What did Christ teach about money? Many people mistakenly think that Christ condemned the very fact of having money, recommending poverty. Nothing could be further from the truth! Christ did not teach people to be poor, but to have the right approach to money. Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up treasures for yourselves on earth… Store up treasures for yourselves in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” So we are still to “store up”, only spiritual goods. Elsewhere there is encouragement to “make friends with unrighteous mammon” – that is, to use money wisely, to gain favor in heaven by supporting others.
What Christ condemned, however, was the idolization of money. Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and mammon.” Let us consider whom we truly serve – is our day organized by God, or by the pursuit of money? The master decided how a slave lived, so if we work all day only for profit, perhaps money has become our master. Money is a bad master but a good servant – Christ taught us to manage it wisely, not to give it priority. Let us first care for the matters of the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33), and the rest will be added to us. This is not about carelessness – the Bible says that “whoever does not work, let them not eat” – but we should not be overly anxious about our livelihood. Each day has troubles of its own. Let us put God’s matters first, and God will take care of the rest. We are to beware of greed – Luke 12:15: “Take care and guard yourselves against all greed, because even when someone has an abundance of everything, that person’s life does not depend on their possessions.” Possessions make life easier, but before God the rich and the poor are equal – they die the same way. And no one takes anything with them. Christ taught common sense here, encouraging us not to place excessive trust in money. Because money in one case may save someone, but in another it may become the cause of ruin – someone may desire our money and go so far as to use violence to take it from us. Money does not always save life. Christ also taught that it will be difficult for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God – not because wealth is evil in itself, but because it carries the danger of improper management. Wealth can lead people to close themselves off to the needs of others, to stinginess and a lack of openness to helping their neighbors.
The parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows this clearly – the rich man was not condemned for malice, theft, or fraud, but for a lack of sensitivity and for failing to help the one who lay at his gate in need. His sin was that he did not relieve Lazarus, although he had the means to do so. He managed his goods badly – he used them solely for his own pleasure, forgetting about another human being.
Christ clearly said: “No servant can serve two masters” – one cannot serve both God and mammon at the same time (Luke 16:13). This teaching shows that money is not an end in itself. However, it happens that people fall into the opposite extreme and turn poverty into a virtue. But is poverty really a virtue? If we do not even have enough for our own needs, how can we help others, feed the hungry, or support those in need? Poverty is not inherently good, because it limits our ability to do good. If someone has only enough to survive and does not strive to also have something for others – this is not an attitude worthy of praise. After all, this is not about laziness or closing oneself off.
Christ taught sensible management of goods – He did not condemn money, He did not forbid multiplying it, on the contrary – He often cited examples of wise investing and using entrusted resources. To sum up: Christ condemned accumulating money exclusively for oneself, but praised it when it was “put to work”, multiplied, and allocated to supporting others. Money is not to be stored away, but used for the common good.
A good example here is the parable of the owner of the vineyard – it is thanks to his wealth that a workplace is created for others. The owner invests, gives employment, allows others to earn a living – this is the positive role of wealth. Unfortunately, if he limited himself only to living off interest, without investing and supporting others – he would not be praised. Christ warned against the attitude of the man who built granaries and thought he would live in peace – God said to him: “Fool, this very night your soul will be demanded of you, and what you have gathered will fall to others.” The Bible firmly condemns accumulating wealth exclusively for oneself, and praises wise investing for the benefit of others.
To sum up today’s reflections: Whoever does not observe all the teachings of Christ will not be His true disciple and will not attain eternal life. These teachings include: the prohibition on taking the titles Father, Reverend, or Holy; the command to love even one’s enemies; the absolute prohibition of divorce; the prohibition of lying and unnecessary oaths; the prohibition of judging others; the command to forgive; avoiding human traditions that invalidate God’s law; the teaching that foods do not make a person unclean, and that the Sabbath is for man; the necessity of good works, that is, works of faith; and the proper attitude toward money.
That is all for today. If you want, in the future I can describe the teachings of the apostles, because some issues, obvious to Judeans, required clarification when the Gospel reached the Gentiles. This concerned, for example, the Sabbath, foods, head coverings, or hierarchy in the family – a woman, according to apostolic teaching, was to be subject to her husband. Such clarifications were necessary in the pagan world, where divorces existed, and women could get divorced, which was not the case in Israel. The example of Herod and Herodias shows how firmly John the Immerser condemned this – for which he suffered death. Women in Israel did not have the right to divorce. So in the pagan world, the Holy Spirit, through the apostle Paul, conveyed additional instructions and rules, which I will be happy to discuss in the future if you are interested.
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