Afterlife Experiment
Some who demand respect do little to earn it.
While Jesus was teaching in the temple, he said, "How can the scribes say that the Messiah is the son of David? David himself, by the Holy Spirit, declared, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet."' David himself calls him Lord; so how can he be his son?" And the large crowd was listening to him with delight. As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." - Mark 12:35-44
There is consolation in knowing that those who do harm to others during their lives will receive some sort of punishment in the hereafter.
But what if they didn't? What if there was no punishment for bad behavior? Would it make us want to do evil toward others?
All throughout Scripture, people have believed that God will punish those who do harm to others. The commandments lay out the rules of engagement with one another, and the beatitudes teach us that there will come a time when we will know the benefits of doing good.
People believed those who are good lead a good life and those who don't face troubles, but that didn't prove out, and Jesus changed our thinking about that.
So, we have to wait.
Eternity is where the harvest is done and the fruits are removed from the chaff which is burned in the fire.
That could be a long time to wait for it.
Those who want early rewards may just choose to seel their souls and enjoy life now.
We see evidence of this now in cities across America as they relax punishment for crimes.
So, maybe we do need some sort of punishment to ensire that we all behave. Maybe the experiment of focusing on the afterlife for retribution isn't working.
More to come...