1) His blunt reply to a young man spoiled his interest in spirituality. (Mathew 19:16-22) This does not match the majesty of Jesus. What he said in Mathew 16:21: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” contradicts what he said earlier in Mathew 5:44-48 where he says ‘If you want to be perfect, be like your heavenly Father who loves both the saints and the sinners alike—which obviously require that you need some material possessions with you. On the contrary, if you become poor by disposing all your wealth, who will take care of you? Hence Mathew 19:16-22 could be an interpolation by someone thoughtless!
2) Another controversial statement found in Mathew 5:39 (“whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also”) too could be interpolation. Because this is something Jesus himself did not practice: When he was smitten, he did not show the other cheek, instead asked boldly: “If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why do you smite me?(John 18:23). In practice, he had a very practical and manly style: “Everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.” (Mathew 10:33) If someone provokes you, you should defuse the issue through unilateral avoidance. Showing other cheek encourage others to continue to sin!
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