This is in response to Jim Senyszyn’s article entitled ‘Christ “anti-family.” As Jim Senyszyn tried to pick apart Christ’s teaching, why don’t we provide some insight that he OVERLOOKED.

‘In Matthew 10:34-38 Jesus said he had come to bring intra-family discord and urged people to leave their families and follow him.’ To open our mind and heart to the Word of God we must also open our Bible and read. If we read Matthew 10:16-42 and not just verses 34-38 the complete understanding of God’s Word becomes revealed to us. In this passage Jesus was warning his disciples to prepare for persecution. God is fair and faithful in telling us the worst that we can meet with in servicing Him. Often times the strongest bonds of love and duty to mother, father, son and daughter have been broken because of enmity against Christ. This is because the most pain we feel from people is from our loved ones. Christ warns us that when we receive our greatest persecution from our family members because they wish to ridicule and destroy the faith we have acquired in God, we should not ‘loveth father or mother more than me’.

‘In Luke 14:26 he demanded that his disciples “hate” their families. In Matthew 19:29 he urged his followers to “forsake” their families.’ By reading Luke 14:25-35 Christ’s word does not tell his disciples to “hate” their families. God has never taught man to hate another man. But, his teaching is to ‘hate the lifestyle of sin’ that a person displays in their everyday life. Christ condemns the sin that man displays and not man himself.

‘In Matthew 8:21-22 and Luke 9:59-60 he denied a disciple’s request for family leave to bury his father. Jesus curtly replied, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead”.’ By reading Matthew 8:18-22 Christ shows us two examples of the hearts of people who wish to follow him. The first scribe’s plea to Christ to follow Him seems very sincere. It is a hasty response to jump and follow Christ without first considering the consequences of ‘also bearing the cross’. Time and time again some people have found that along the way some sacrifices seem too great to bear. Thus, their faith and practice of that faith diminishes. Christ teaches us how to come to Him (to forsake no one or anything for Him). As Christ explained to the scribe that the animals had a place to lay and rest their head, ‘but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.’ Christ was explaining to the scribe that he also would suffer the same persecution from man, and to consider if he was truly ready for these lifelong trials and tribulations. The second example Christ enlightens those who wish to see and hear the truth by showing us that sometimes we are too slow in our desire to follow Christ. The scribe’s request to bury his father was a fair and just request. Who knows but Christ whether or not the scribe had procrastinated in burying his father, or if there were other relatives who could attend the task of the burial.

‘In Mark 3:31-35 and in Luke 8:20-21 Jesus snubbed his biological family who had come to see him. He claimed that the assembled crowd was his family.’ Reading Mark 3:31-35 shows that Jesus did not ‘snub’ his biological family . The Spirit of God was manifested into His Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore, when Jesus went to the temple to be with ‘my mother and my brethen!’ He was speaking according to the spiritual realm of salvation that encompassed all that submitted themselves to God. Thus, when Jesus spoke of the people around him being his family, that was the Holy Spirit speaking through the earthly body of Jesus to his children whom He loves.

‘Many Christians are so blinded by the doctrine of perpetual virginity of Mary and the ideal of sexless “abstinent” Josephite marriage that they are too embarrassed to bring themselves to admit this.’ I would argue that those people that Jim Senyszyn speaks of are the ones who fail to discover the true Word of God by reading the Bible themselves. Instead, they rely on the word of someone who they consider to be a spiritual authority over them. When in fact, this person’s view can be corrupted more than the mindset of those he/she is trying to teach. For all men will fall short of the glory of God (Adam and Eve made sure of that).

‘Partly based on the false prophecy that the Second Coming was imminent (Matthew 16:28, Mark 9:1, and Luke 9:27, 21-32)’. Expanding our sight (heart) to Matthew 16:17-27 we hear that Jesus tells his disciples of the persecution he must suffer before man and to tell no one who He truly was (the Son of God). He tells them of his faith to be slain and raised the third day. Jesus speaks of those who do not ‘put to death their worldy life’ will lose that life (spiritual life of eternity by His side) on judgment day. This is also related to his disciples which He quoted in Matthew 16:27 that there are some among him who ‘shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.’ Mr. Senyszyn states that the Roman Catholic Church believes that having a family is detrimental to religious life for their ruling hierarchy. My religious belief shows me otherwise. From reading the Word of God I know that once I am married, continued consummation with my wife is an everlasting blessing from God. Why shouldn’t it be! That is the way God intended man and woman to consummate (within the confines of marriage)!!

Jeremeo E. Cobbs, Sr., is a graduate student in electrical engineering.