If Jesus was God, he would be all-knowing and all-good, according to traditional Christian understanding of the attributes of Jesus.
In Matthew 15:2, it is noted that Jesus' disciples did not wash there hands before eating. Nowhere in the New Testament do we find Jesus explaining to his followers or others the need to wash hands to avoid disease transmission.
Today we know about the germ theory of disease and the importance of simply washing our hands to avoid disease transmission. If Jesus truly was God with the above attributes, why do we not find Jesus presenting both of these concepts? Could it be that Jesus, if he was historic, was simply a human being with a following?
The unfounded extrapolation you make here is that because Jesus' disciples did not wash their hands that therefore Jesus was not aware of germs and disease. Or worse, that because the New Testament does not record Jesus speaking about disease transmission that he was therefore unaware of this phenomenon. Sorry, but that simply does not follow. Not to mention this idea that the New Testament is supposed to record trivial, non-theological concepts like the avoidance of disease transmission is bizarre. Nevertheless, I doubt Jesus spent his earthly ministry teaching his followers about physical cleanliness. Furthermore, it completely misses the actual theological point being made in that passage. Jesus is condemning the Pharisees and scribes for valuing human tradition above scripture and he is teaching that the authority of Scripture trumps all human tradition.
ReplyDeleteMiles, thanks for your comment.
ReplyDeleteYou may be correct that in the context of the Bible passage Jesus may not have been obligated to discuss physical cleanliness. I ran across this passage in a podcast about the total lack of anything scientific being recorded out of the mouth of Jesus. That is the point.
The Bible supposedly records many prophesies and how to live your life. However, there is nothing that Jesus, or anyone else, said in the Bible that indicates wisdom beyond human understanding.
Have a great day.