Jesus is NOT the mediator for all?

by Ultimate Reality 8 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Ultimate Reality
    Ultimate Reality

    The current interpretation of the Watchtower Society is that Christ’s role as mediator applies only to a small group of individuals - the 144,000. The assumption is that since the new covenant applies to their roles and kings and priests, Jesus’ mediates between them and Jehovah God, while those with an earthly hope are often described as ‘beneficiaries’ of this arrangement. For more information on this, see jwfacts.com

    There is some shifty reasoning used by the Society to justify their view that Christ actually mediates for fewer people than Moses:

    The Watchtower of November 15, 1979, page 26, made this comment:

    “What, then, is Christ’s role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.”—1 Tim. 2:5, 6.

    The insertion "[not, all men]" is the Society blatantly changing the meaning of the Bible.

    This question was raised again in a 1989 Questions From Readers (w 8/15/89 p 30-31):

    “Is Jesus the Mediator only for spirit-anointed Christians or for all mankind, since 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 speaks of him as the “mediator” who “gave himself a corresponding ransom for all”?”

    The Watchtower answer to this question on the mediator centers on the following legal concept:

    “The Greek word me·si′tes, used for “mediator,” means ‘one who finds himself between two bodies or parties.’ It was a ‘many-sided technical term of Hellenistic legal language.’ Professor Albrecht Oepke (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament) says that me·si′tes was “one of the most varied technical terms in the vocabulary of Hellen[istic] law. ” (w 8/15/89 p 30-31)

    So, it is a "many-sided technical" term. But they never bother to define what it means! Nor do they cite the source.

    However, after some searching you'll find comment was taken from the 1967 edition of the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Notice what this dictionary stated on page 588 (1985 edition) regarding 1 Timothy 2:5, 6:

    “In 1 Tim. 2:5-6 we find a Christianized use. The one God wills that all people be saved, and there is one Mediator representing God to them and them to God, i.e., Christ Jesus in his sacrificial death.”

    Beginning to see a difference in how mediator should be defined?

    Professor Jerome H. Neyrey, Ph.D. (Yale University), a professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Notre Dame, made the following comments on Oepke’s definition:

    Writing on "mediator" in 1967, Albert Oepke identified the following social roles in the ancient world that exemplify the role of broker or mediator. A mesites is a person who (I) is "neutral" to two parties and negotiates peace or guarantees agreements, (2) arranges business deals, (3) receives as king divine laws and offers sacrifice for the people, (4) offers as priest prayers and sacrifice to God on behalf of individuals and the people, (5) brings as prophet a teaching or mighty work from God, (6) founds a new cult or religion, and (7) delivers as angel communication from God.

    As Oepke also notes, the New Testament calls Jesus a broker in many ways: he is the unique mediator between the one God and humankind (1 Tim 2:5), the mediator of the new covenant (Heb 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) and a "priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Heb 5:6; 6:20; 7:17). In contrast to the Levitical priesthood, Jesus' priesthood/brokerage is vastly superior because Jesus "is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb 7:25). - Worship in the fourth gospel: a cultural interpretation of John 14-17 -- Part II

    Finally, to put this legal word business to rest, here is how should we legally define the word mediator as used by Paul:

    “[Paul] calls him the mediator, the mesities. Mesities comes from mesos, which, in this case, means in the middle. A mesities is, therefore, one who stands in the middle between two people and brings them together. When Job is desperately anxious that somehow he should be able to put his case to God, he cries out hopelessly: 'There is no umpire [mesities] between us' (Job 9:33). Paul calls Moses the mesities (Galations 3;19) in that he was the one between, who brought the law from God to the people. In Athens in classical times, there was a body of men - all citizens in their sixtieth year - who could be called upon to act as mediators when there was a dispute between two citizens, and their first duty was to bring about a reconciliation. In Rome, there were arbitri. The judge settled points of law; but the arbitri settled matters of what was fair and just; and it was their duty to bring disputes to an end. Further, in legal Greek, a mesities was a sponsor, a guarantor or a surety. He put up a bail for a friend who was on trial; he guaranteed a debt or an overdraft. The mesities was someone who was willing to pay a friend's debt to make things right again.”

    - William Barclay (1907-1978), Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism Glasgow University in Scotland, Letter to the Hebrews, p. 106.

    Biblically speaking, Jesus ‘bailed out’ all that faithfully accept his ransom sacrifice. He paid our debt, the debt incurred by sin, with his shed blood. This cannot possibly be applied to a limited group of individuals. Paul’s use of this legal term (when the actual definition is understood) is all-encompassing and should not be limited to a certain elite class of people.

    The only reason for maintaing this teaching is so the Governing Body can enforce their claim of authority as the mediator appointed over Christ's belongings that all must support in order to 'be saved'.

  • sacolton
    sacolton

    The mediator for the rank & file are the dead anointed Jehovah's Witnesses. Jesus has nothing to do with those who aren't part of the 144,000.

  • blondie
    blondie

    Good example of how the WTS alters a scripture using brackets [].

  • sacolton
    sacolton

    And their abuse of over-using the word "evidently" which suggests something of OPINION as FACT.

  • Yan Bibiyan
    Yan Bibiyan

    Excellent analysis, Ultimate. My wife was in disbelief when she found out that Jesus is, indeed, NOT her mediator. Believed quite the opposite her entire life...

  • JeffT
    JeffT

    I don't think most Witnesses actually know this. A couple of years ago two JW's (I pretty sure one was an elder from the way he acted) came to my door. I said that as a Christian I could not follow a religion that did not believe Jesus was my mediator. He said that I was mistaken, Jesus was my mediatior.

    "When did that change?"

    Well they've always believed that.

    I told him to go look at the '79 and '89 Watchtowers and come back and see me. They never came back, I wonder if they looked it up.

  • Terry
    Terry

    I guess Jesus died in place of only the hundred forty-four thousand as well.

    Okay.

  • Hoping4Change
    Hoping4Change

    Odd timing to see this subject come up as I just recently has this discussion with someone. I'd love to see a collection of scans of all the relevant articles/book chapters that point out this belief and its 'ir-rationale' (or at least a list of references with them all), especially any more recent publishings.

  • wannabefree
    wannabefree

    I am not posting this as an apologetic of Watchtower teachings, but I can understand the difference. Please clear this up for me as to why mediator/ransom differentiation does not make sense.

    My understanding is that the Watchtower teaches that Jesus is mediator for the "little flock" of anointed Christians because he is the mediator for a new covenant for a kingdom, the "kingdom covenant". This would apply to those who would rule in the kingdom as kings and priests, these are scriptural points.

    Ransom applies to all mankind because of sin and death spread to all men through Adam and the price for that sin is paid fully by the ransom sacrifice of Jesus' shed blood.

    The Bible does make a distinction between a "little flock" and a great crowd which no man can number.

    I ask sincerely, why doesn't this make sense?

    (Luke22:28-30) . . ."However, YOU are the ones that have stuck with me in my trials; 29 and I make a covenant with YOU, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, 30 that YOU may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

    (Mark14:23-25) . . .And taking a cup, he offered thanks and gave it to them, and they all drank out of it. 24 And he said to them: "This means my 'blood of the covenant,' which is to be poured out in behalf of many. 25 Truly I say to YOU, I shall by no means drink anymore of the product of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.. . .

    (Matthew26:27-28) . . .Also, he took a cup and, having given thanks, he gave it to them, saying: "Drink out of it, all of YOU; 28 for this means my 'blood of the covenant,' which is to be poured out in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.

    (Hebrews8:6) . . .But now [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent public service, so that he is also the mediator of a correspondingly better covenant,. . .

    (Hebrews9:15) . . .So that is why he is a mediator of a new covenant, in order that, because a death has occurred for [their] release by ransom from the transgressions under the former covenant, the ones who have been called might receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance.

    (Hebrews12:22-24) . . .But YOU have approached a Mount Zion and a city of [the] living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriads of angels, 23 in general assembly, and the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens, and God the Judge of all, and the spiritual lives of righteous ones who have been made perfect, 24 and Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and the blood of sprinkling, which speaks in a better way than Abel's [blood].

    (1Timothy2:5-6) . . .For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all. . .

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