Neighbor

Tellyontellyon said:

Is there anybody who shouldn't be considered a neighbor?

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Every one is a neighbor. Be ready for love with each and every person.

But - - Estrid said:

Im not going to love someone who deliberately harmed me.

Some compassion, maybe, depends.

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I offer I understand what you are saying, Estrid, and thank you for sharing so personally. And I would say having compassion for an evil person is loving the person.

And I would not expect you to feel love for the person, but you would feel God while loving the person.

All Glory To God said:

I'm glad you're thinking about the situation. And I hope you keep thinking on the situation. It's important.

I need to say that the Samaritans were not Gentiles. As far as I am aware they were a mixed-race part Jewish people. And they believed (John 4:20) in the God of Abraham Issac and Jacob. The reason the Jews and Samaritans did not see eye to eye is when a Pagan nation, I think Assyrian nation overrun the Jews. Some Jews surrendered but some Jews resisted. The ''sell outs'' became the Samaritan people and mixed with the Assyrian population. But they still maintained the same God as before. So it really isn't a question of anything more than faith and how one acquires the faith. And of course not all people have faith.

John 4 is the place to study the Samaritan people from a Biblical perspective.

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According to what I have read and what I understand to considered historically correct the various tribes of Israel split under two kings and became Judea and Israel. Israel became involved in idolatry and was taken captive by the Assyrians. (The Assyrians are nothing to do with modern Syria, which is a modern nation created by the Sykes - Pecco agreement between Britian and France following the first world war). The Assyrian empire was much further north and occupied Babylon and areas to the north of Babylon as well, it area is much the same to modern Iraq.

Getting back to the story, eventually they tried to return to Judea, but by then Judea had fallen into idolatry, and those tribes from the nation of israel moved to the north of the black sea the Roman Empire which controlled that area called them the Cythans, later another group who spoke the same language fought them and displaced them. The Romans called the original Cythians "the genuine Cythians" and the others just "Cythians".

The original, or genuine Cythians relocated to northern Europe. The Romans spoke Latin and the Latin word for "Genuine" is Gernain and that is the origin of Germany. The British came from the Angles, the Saxons and the ancient Britons. The Angles and the Saxons came from part of Germany, and to this day part of germany is still called Saxony. Even now there are clear connections between many words in the English language and the German language.

All Glory To God said:

The problem with this is if you go by the Good Samaritan parable, the neighbour is ''the one who showed mercy'' so that is an exclusive, not all inclusive group. Following on from that the sensible question would be why did the man have mercy or why will the neighbour have mercy on his kind? And I believe the Bible tells us. The love God has (1 John 4:19) for his friends had an effect on them that changed their heart and makes them a new creature. Yes, they do indeed have mercy but this is from God. How many Atheists love God? How many Muslims love Christians while they discriminate them in Islamic countries? Yep, Love for fellow Christians is a nature that comes from the love that God has for his people and in turn his people love him and the rest of Gods adopted children. We're a family joined by the same spirit that does not extend to people who have not been born of the spirit of God.It has everything to do with repentance. All the people in the parable of the good Samaritan professed to believe in the God of Abraham Issac and Jacob, including the Samaritan. The thing that proved the Samaritan was one of Gods people was his mercy or heart. And how did he become that way? God performed in him that changed his heart. Being dead in sins God has bestowed the Grace that changes people into new creatures. And how do we know that really happened? Fruit of repentance (Matthew 3:7-9) or the result of saving faith. Which manifest in the type of Holy acts of goodness that were absent from the other unregenerate two men, despite their lineage.Why is Jesus praying only for his people (John 17:9) and why is he only sacrificing himself for his people (John 10:15) then?When Moses decreed the original ''love thy Neigbour'' law, who was he talking to? The theocratic nation of Israel. The Hebrews were not bound to love Eqytians, Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, Hivites, Perizzites, and Girgashites....they loved their brother and sister Israelites or Gods friends. Because not everyone was their neighbour.In the New testament it talks about ''brothers'' but in what context? Church discipline is one.Matthew 18 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. by the evidence of two or three witnesses. tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.How can you summon a non-believer to the church for reconciliation with their brother? Unless people outside the church are not brothers and sisters.

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The person identified as giving mercy is the neighbor to the man in the ditch.

They are both neighbors to each other. Everyone around you is your neighbor.

People try to justify their mistake by claiming that only church members are neighbors.
They forget that Jesus had no Christian churches when He was teaching.
Every person around you is your neighbor.

Does the Bible consider unrepentant sinners to be neighbors?

Mark 12:31
The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

James 2:8
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Romans 15:2
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.

Proverbs 3:29
Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.

Matthew 7:12
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Galatians 5:14
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 10:27
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Luke 6:31
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Matthew 19:19
Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

[Edit] I don't expect a response.

Sorry, I forgot the context:

Luke 10
25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”


So Jesus says that the the man beat-up in the ditch and the
one who shows him mercy are neighbors to each other.
That clears up any baloney about repentance being a requirement for neighbors.

All Glory To God said:

With all due respect (and there isn't much due) as this message is little more than spam. I appreciate you have your own opinion and do not wish to take that from you but this post doesn't prove anything. Does it?

So you claim the good Samaritan parable is about universal love. And I won't concede that as you gave no justification for it. You are not obliged to give evidence but then it is simply subjective opinion.

Are you saying you love all people equally with no distinction?

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No. I'm saying I should love all people, making no distinction. In the same way that God loves all of us sinners in Jesus Christ, without distinction.

The Law commands what I am supposed to do, not that I do it. I very clearly don't love the way I ought, and that's sin.

It makes no difference whether a person is a Christian or not? You just hold the person in equal status?

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Of course it doesn't make any difference whether a person is a Christian or not. If my neighbor is hungry, then they need food. If that neighbor is my brother or sister in Christ, then I have fed my brother or sister; if that neighbor is not a believer, then I have still fed my neighbor.

I think that's unbiblical because Christians are commanded to a special type of love (John 13:34) for each other. Sure we can have compassion on non-Christians (Galatians 6:10) whilst maintaining the distinction but when the line is blurred and a generic form of love for both lost and saved is dispensed regardless, then I don't think that's love at all.

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There isn't one single kind of love. The way a parent loves their children, the way a person loves their spouse, the way a person loves their neighbor are all very different kinds of love. Christians are called to a particular kind of affection, a brotherly and sisterly affection that exists in our midst through our unity of faith in Christ and expressed in our shared life together as the Church.

But the command to love our neighbor is expressly to love them by being concerned about their well-being. Christ's command is that the hungry, the thirsty, the poor, the naked, the foreigner, the sick, and the imprisoned are treated justly, kindly, and compassionately: feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, tend to the sick, visit the imprisoned, care for the widow and the orphan, etc.

It is through this command, St. Paul says in Galatians 5:14, that the entirety of God's Law is found.

This is why I believe Martin Luther was absolutely correct when he said that if anyone claims to do a good work for God, but it is of no benefit to our neighbor, then it is not a good work at all. Indeed, we see the Lord Jesus expressly condemn such false good works when He says not all who say "Lord Lord" are His--they who say, "Lord, Lord, did we not do.... in Your name?"

God doesn't need our good works, but our neighbor does.

-CryptoLutheran

Sketcher said:

Anybody who shows love to you or those you care about, even if he's one of those people. Jesus challenged the cultural belief of hating on Samaritans when he did this.

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In the Samaritan story Jesus says that the person who shows compassion is the neighbor to the man who got beat up.

All Glory To God said:

The problem with this is if you go by the Good Samaritan parable, the neighbour is ''the one who showed mercy'' so that is an exclusive, not all inclusive group. Following on from that the sensible question would be why did the man have mercy or why will the neighbour have mercy on his kind? And I believe the Bible tells us. The love God has (1 John 4:19) for his friends had an effect on them that changed their heart and makes them a new creature. Yes, they do indeed have mercy but this is from God. How many Atheists love God? How many Muslims love Christians while they discriminate them in Islamic countries? Yep, Love for fellow Christians is a nature that comes from the love that God has for his people and in turn his people love him and the rest of Gods adopted children. We're a family joined by the same spirit that does not extend to people who have not been born of the spirit of God.

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We can choose to treat strangers like family and be good neighbors to them.

I had no problem understanding this because I learned this "love for neighbors" while I was a building manager. My neighbors were disabled drug dealers, prostitutes, thieves, sloths, rapists, etc. They all lived in my two buildings. It was my task to treat them as family. Morally, plus I got paid to do it.

SkyWriting said:

We can choose to treat strangers like family and be good neighbors to them.

I had no problem understanding this because I learned this "love for neighbors" while I was a building manager. My neighbors were disabled drug dealers, prostitutes, thieves, sloths, rapists, etc. They all lived in my building. It was my task to treat them as family. Morally, plus I got paid to do it.

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They are still people and Jesus still died for them as much as for you and me! We really need to know this!

Estrid said:

I disagree.
You believe we are not to use brains?

Do not steal a dime to save someones life?

Love someone who is torturing you for fun?

There is no absolute that does not have
situations where the greater harm is from
following them.

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Jesus consistently acted in the interest of saving or restoring the lives of others. Hence, he healed on the Sabbath, which upset the Pharisees who didn't want anyone to do anything remotely resembling anything that might be considered work on the Sabbath.

Interestingly enough, we also see that from him when he was on the cross, praying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That's the ultimate love challenge, I can't say I'm equal to that task, but Jesus backed up his teaching on the necessity of forgiving others by example, and I have to respect that.

This isn't to say that if Jesus lived today, he would always leave his door unlocked, or present himself for abuse when walking down a dark alley. When Jesus' hour came, he did present himself for arrest, but before that hour came, there were several attempts to kill him and discredit him. He used his mind to escape every time. There were people who wished to delay him in one spot when he needed to go to another spot. He left anyway - whether they were healed by God anyway isn't given in Scripture. So, he was able to say "no" when appropriate, as determined by the will of the Father.

All Glory To God said:

The problem with this is if you go by the Good Samaritan parable, the neighbour is ''the one who showed mercy'' so that is an exclusive, not all inclusive group.

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A neighbor to the man in the ditch. So they are neighbors to each other.
Not in church, not in good standing, not faith filled, not believers.
A man walking to another town and sees a man in a ditch and Jesus explains that they are considered "neighbors."

Sketcher said:

Jesus consistently acted in the interest of saving or restoring the lives of others. Hence, he healed on the Sabbath, which upset the Pharisees who didn't want anyone to do anything remotely resembling anything that might be considered work on the Sabbath.

Interestingly enough, we also see that from him when he was on the cross, praying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That's the ultimate love challenge, I can't say I'm equal to that task, but Jesus backed up his teaching on the necessity of forgiving others by example, and I have to respect that.

This isn't to say that if Jesus lived today, he would always leave his door unlocked, or present himself for abuse when walking down a dark alley. When Jesus' hour came, he did present himself for arrest, but before that hour came, there were several attempts to kill him and discredit him. He used his mind to escape every time. There were people who wished to delay him in one spot when he needed to go to another spot. He left anyway - whether they were healed by God anyway isn't given in Scripture. So, he was able to say "no" when appropriate, as determined by the will of the Father.

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Paraphrasing bits of the Bible is fine but actually completely failed
to respond to what I said, particularly the
part about " thinking" v " absolutes" to be
followed under all circumstances.

Trusting in Him said:

According to what I have read and what I understand to considered historically correct the various tribes of Israel split under two kings and became Judea and Israel. Israel became involved in idolatry and was taken captive by the Assyrians. (The Assyrians are nothing to do with modern Syria, which is a modern nation created by the Sykes - Pecco agreement between Britian and France following the first world war). The Assyrian empire was much further north and occupied Babylon and areas to the north of Babylon as well, it area is much the same to modern Iraq.

Getting back to the story, eventually they tried to return to Judea, but by then Judea had fallen into idolatry, and those tribes from the nation of israel moved to the north of the black sea the Roman Empire which controlled that area called them the Cythans, later another group who spoke the same language fought them and displaced them. The Romans called the original Cythians "the genuine Cythians" and the others just "Cythians".

The original, or genuine Cythians relocated to northern Europe. The Romans spoke Latin and the Latin word for "Genuine" is Gernain and that is the origin of Germany. The British came from the Angles, the Saxons and the ancient Britons. The Angles and the Saxons came from part of Germany, and to this day part of germany is still called Saxony. Even now there are clear connections between many words in the English language and the German language.

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In your first post you claimed the Samaritan people were gentiles (incorrect). Now you are trying to give a history lesson on the topic. I think you need more study before we can trust you know what you are talking about on this topic. And you admitted yourself you never really thought about it in depth. Probably best for you to take the place of learner not teacher.

Sketcher said:

Jesus consistently acted in the interest of saving or restoring the lives of others. Hence, he healed on the Sabbath, which upset the Pharisees who didn't want anyone to do anything remotely resembling anything that might be considered work on the Sabbath.

Interestingly enough, we also see that from him when he was on the cross, praying "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That's the ultimate love challenge, I can't say I'm equal to that task, but Jesus backed up his teaching on the necessity of forgiving others by example, and I have to respect that.

This isn't to say that if Jesus lived today, he would always leave his door unlocked, or present himself for abuse when walking down a dark alley. When Jesus' hour came, he did present himself for arrest, but before that hour came, there were several attempts to kill him and discredit him. He used his mind to escape every time. There were people who wished to delay him in one spot when he needed to go to another spot. He left anyway - whether they were healed by God anyway isn't given in Scripture. So, he was able to say "no" when appropriate, as determined by the will of the Father.

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It the underlying picture, it illustrate the failure of salvation by works vs salvation by grace. Not only that, but there is also the picture of the expectation that this man's saviour would be returning a second time as well. Jesus is coming again!

SkyWriting said:

The person identified as giving mercy is the neighbor to the man in the ditch.

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I agree. But that proves my point. Because Jesus had the perfect opportunity when the lawyer inquired who was he neighbour to reply ''All people''. Did Jesus do that? No, he answered in a way that explains there is a nature that accompanies this community and ultimately conditions. It is not all inclusive or he would have said it was.

SkyWriting said:

Everyone around you is your neighbor.

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This argument isn't convincing. You just keep saying this and expect it to stick.

The western apostate Church leaders have been propagating this message for decades and it has caught on with most Christians but when we examine the scriptures, it just collapses. It wasn't always that way though. The Protestant puritans would not let anyone (2 Corinthians 6:14) who wasn't a Christian join their assembly. And I think the ancient church had a similar view. It is only recently under the influence of evil people that the churchs have abandoned the Biblical teaching that the world (1 John 2:15-17) and the Christian community are to be separated out.

SkyWriting said:

People try to justify their mistake by claiming that only church members are neighbors.
They forget that Jesus had no Christian churches when He was teaching.

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The church is the community, it is people. And you seem to have an inability to see any distinction between Christian people and non-Christian people at all. That being the case, what's the purpose of being saved to begin with?

SkyWriting said:

Does the Bible consider unrepentant sinners to be neighbors?

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No. First of all people do not have faith unless they repent.

And secondly the Apostle Paul makes a stark distinction (1 Corinthians 5:12) why they are not. Because there is the believers and those outside.

SkyWriting said:

So Jesus says that the the man beat-up in the ditch and the
one who shows him mercy are neighbors to each other.
That clears up any baloney about repentance being a requirement for neighbors.

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Repentance brings faith. You think this is baloney? If you do not believe that people should be united by faith in Christ, why not join a mosque instead?

Estrid said:

Paraphrasing bits of the Bible is fine but actually completely failed
to respond to what I said, particularly the
part about " thinking" v " absolutes" to be
followed under all circumstances.

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I'm sorry that the point I meant to convey failed to get conveyed.

I went to Christ's examples because I know my own heart is corrupt and fallible, but Jesus got it right every time.

When you asked about not stealing a dime in order to save another's life, I thought to myself "how would stealing a dime save anyone's life?" But I also understood your larger point to be, "I don't agree with following rules to the point of harming myself or others." My example of Jesus healing on the Sabbath was intended to be an example of Jesus not following the Pharisees' rules, which were understood to be religious rules, to the point of harming people. In Jewish thought, there is a general exception for many of their laws: if breaking this law is absolutely needed to preserve life, then preserve life. Jesus was ahead of the curve on this when it came to healing people on the Sabbath, and general Sabbath keeping. Does that make sense now?

When you gave the example of refusing to love someone torturing you for fun as an example of greater harm coming from it, I saw that as a rejection of enabling sociopathic behavior. However, I do not see Christ's example of forgiving his torturers and executioner's on the cross as enabling sociopathic behavior. He was there to do a job after all, so it's not as though they were going to stop doing what they were doing to him. He didn't allow this to happen until his hour had come. So, if it wasn't enablement, what was the "greater harm" that came by loving them? I cannot think of any. When that is taken away, all that's left was the distress and pain of what was being done to him. And that is understandably hard to forgive. But as hard as that is, once the enablement is taken away, I fail to see the harm done by forgiving someone who has done something to you yourself.

The same goodness in Christ motivated both of these behaviors by him - healing people when religious leaders didn't think he was supposed to, and forgiving those who were crucifying him.

All Glory To God said:

Show us in the Bible where Jesus commands Christians to ''love everyone''. Those are your words.

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Skywriting in Post #23 gave many examples of what Jesus and scripture says about loving your neighbor. Some of my favorite examples can be found in Matthew 5 & Matthew 7, and John 13 & John 15. Several Epistle authors write about it as well, based on their own knowledge and understanding of what Jesus taught.

You are correct that I used the words "love everyone". Did Jesus use that exact terminology? Perhaps not in the recorded words we have from him, but we can gather all of what he said about it and clearly see that is what he meant. He talks about loving our neighbor and then explains what that means. He tells us to love our enemies, and talks about what that means. He says we should not remain angry with our "brother" but instead reconcile (forgive).

I am having a difficult time with understanding the pushback on this thread; I expected there would be no debate or disagreement on the question, since the answer should be clear, at least to Christians (and most other people). I had not planned to post anything, since my initial reaction was "well, duh, ya, of course Jesus wants us to love everyone". So, it is disappointing to me that so many are unable to understand this simple, straightforward command, which is half of the two core commandments that Jesus emphasized.

ViaCrucis said:

No. I'm saying I should love all people, making no distinction. In the same way that God loves all of us sinners in Jesus Christ, without distinction.

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I wasn't talking about redemption but sure, let's explore this. Mind if I ask some questions?

Do you believe there is a diversity of outcome in the last judgment, meaning eternal communion with God or punishment from God for our sin? If God loves us all the same (which you claimed) will we all be saved/damned the same?

ViaCrucis said:

There isn't one single kind of love. The way a parent loves their children, the way a person loves their spouse, the way a person loves their neighbor are all very different kinds of love. Christians are called to a particular kind of affection, a brotherly and sisterly affection that exists in our midst through our unity of faith in Christ and expressed in our shared life together as the Church.

. . . .

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That's what I am saying with ''There isn't one single kind of love'' but you seem to contradict when you say love all people. You can't have it both ways. It's either a distinct love for the same spiritual family and compassion for the lost or just a generic love for all humanity. Sure, a person can love a spouse and children more but that's really missing the point. The point is who is the neighbour and what should be done about it if anything. If everyone is your neighbour, why wouldn't you go inside and evangelize a church of professing Christians? And if non-Christians are to receive exactly the same love as Christians should, why not prayer to their deities? isn't that love?

Martinius said:

Skywriting in Post #23 gave many examples of what Jesus and scripture says about loving your neighbor. Some of my favorite examples can be found in Matthew 5 & Matthew 7, and John 13 & John 15. Several Epistle authors write about it as well, based on their own knowledge and understanding of what Jesus taught.

You are correct that I used the words "love everyone". Did Jesus use that exact terminology? Perhaps not in the recorded words we have from him, but we can gather all of what he said about it and clearly see that is what he meant. He talks about loving our neighbor and then explains what that means. He tells us to love our enemies, and talks about what that means. He says we should not remain angry with our "brother" but instead reconcile (forgive).

I am having a difficult time with understanding the pushback on this thread; I expected there would be no debate or disagreement on the question, since the answer should be clear, at least to Christians (and most other people). I had not planned to post anything, since my initial reaction was "well, duh, ya, of course Jesus wants us to love everyone". So, it is disappointing to me that so many are unable to understand this simple, straightforward command, which is half of the two core commandments that Jesus emphasized.

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Perhaps you are just following the teachings of your priests without questioning them and that is why any idea's outside of your head seem strange. I personally do my own study and do not submit to any man. Only God.

Love your enemy simply means do not repay evil for evil. I agree, don't do that. But how is that connected to loving these abusers the same as being one with a born again Christian? Two different types of love perhaps?

Sketcher said:

I'm sorry that the point I meant to convey failed to get conveyed.

I went to Christ's examples because I know my own heart is corrupt and fallible, but Jesus got it right every time.

When you asked about not stealing a dime in order to save another's life, I thought to myself "how would stealing a dime save anyone's life?" But I also understood your larger point to be, "I don't agree with following rules to the point of harming myself or others." My example of Jesus healing on the Sabbath was intended to be an example of Jesus not following the Pharisees' rules, which were understood to be religious rules, to the point of harming people. In Jewish thought, there is a general exception for many of their laws: if breaking this law is absolutely needed to preserve life, then preserve life. Jesus was ahead of the curve on this when it came to healing people on the Sabbath, and general Sabbath keeping. Does that make sense now?

When you gave the example of refusing to love someone torturing you for fun as an example of greater harm coming from it, I saw that as a rejection of enabling sociopathic behavior. However, I do not see Christ's example of forgiving his torturers and executioner's on the cross as enabling sociopathic behavior. He was there to do a job after all, so it's not as though they were going to stop doing what they were doing to him. He didn't allow this to happen until his hour had come. So, if it wasn't enablement, what was the "greater harm" that came by loving them? I cannot think of any. When that is taken away, all that's left was the distress and pain of what was being done to him. And that is understandably hard to forgive. But as hard as that is, once the enablement is taken away, I fail to see the harm done by forgiving someone who has done something to you yourself.

The same goodness in Christ motivated both of these behaviors by him - healing people when religious leaders didn't think he was supposed to, and forgiving those who were crucifying him.

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So you agree there are no absolutes in such directives
as " love thy neighbour".

Its all i was asking.

Estrid said:

So you agree there are no absolutes in such directives
as " love thy neighbour".

Its all i was asking.

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There are absolutes in that, though perhaps not what you thought. Whenever an apparent exception is made legitimately, there is going to eventually be an absolute to trace it back to. Jesus had a better grip on the right ones and when to use them than the Pharisees did.

Sketcher said:

There are absolutes in that, though perhaps not what you thought. Whenever an apparent exception is made legitimately, there is going to eventuality be an absolute to trace it back to. Jesus had a better grip on the right ones and when to use them than the Pharisees did.

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That is contrary to the meaning of the
word " absolute".