One of the core ways for misunderstanding to build up is by receiving incomplete information about something someone else has said.  I believe this is a big part of the distrust between the Abrahamic faiths, and indeed, many of our broader misunderstandings today.  For example, the media can emphasize one particular phrase a person says, and build a completely different story based on that statement than what was intended.

In some cases, we simply lack the information to understand what a person is saying.  Consider some of Jesus’ phrases, which sound familiar to the Western mind, but perhaps we have not fully understood.  It is cases like these where studying the text through the Eastern lens reveals perspective we have not seen before.

Did Jesus Really Say, “I Come to Bring a Sword”?

“Do not suppose I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.” At first blush, this verse seems to be in total contradiction to all the of Jesus’ teachings. How could the man who taught us to “turn the other cheek” and “love our enemies” by claiming that he came to bring a sword? In fact, this verse has even been used by some to justify violence against “non-believers.”

The truer meaning here is not sword, but division. This is more accurately rendered in the common English translations of the corresponding passage in Luke: “Do you think I have come to bring peace on earth? I say to you no, but divisions.”

The teachings of Jesus were so revolutionary and contrary to the political, social and religious order of the day that when people followed them, divisions among families, friends and institutions inevitably ensued. Dr. Lamsa comments that the Eastern idiomatic aspect of these verses were not known by the Greeks. Jesus never suggested that his followers ought to “take up the sword,” but rather that following him would inevitably cause “divisions” and persecutions-as history has in fact shown to be the case.

[The Aramaic example is excerpted from Appendix 3 of A Deadly Misunderstanding.]

If we realize we can misunderstand our own text without careful study and prayer for God to reveal the truth to us, how much more might we misunderstand a related but unique text of a neighboring faith?

In this week’s newsletter we discussed the issues of Christmas and Muslims:

Do Muslims believe in Christmas? While they support the “real” meaning, they do not celebrate it like Westerners. The story found in the New Testament Gospels is commonly known in the West, but how many of us know that the Qur’an outlines a remarkably similar story?  It speaks of an angelic visitation to Mary, her virginity, the Spirit’s power in conceiving a Holy son that will be the Messiah (Christ) and a sign to the world. Read the verses below from the Qur’an’s book interestingly entitled, Mary:

19:19-21, 21:91 &3:45

“…I am only a messenger (the angel) from your Lord to announce a gift of a Holy (sinless) son.”

“How shall I (Mary) have a son seeing that no man has touched me…?”

“We (God) breathed into her our Spirit and made her and her son a Sign for all people.”

“O Mary! (the angel) God gives you glad tidings from a Word from Him, his name will be Christ Jesus…”

 We are in a season emphasizing peace and hope.  The book, A Deadly Misunderstanding, outlines this little known Christmas similarity (see page 142) and many other commonalities from the Qur’an that expand good will and common ground among people of the world.

One of our readers quickly responded with a link to an article from the Telegraph.co.uk highlighting a Muslim cleric’s denouncement of Christmas only days before.

“Many [Muslims] still practise this corrupt celebration as a remembrance of the birth of Jesus.  How can a Muslim possibly approve or participate in such a practice that bases itself on the notion Allah has an offspring?  The very concept of Christmas contradicts and conflicts with the foundation of Islam.”

This critique of Christmas highlights the misunderstanding that resides between Muslims and Christians.  Mark examines similar issues on the nature of Jesus in ADM’s Chapter 12, Jesus the Ruhallah. This cleric contradicts his own Qu’ran, which tells him to honor Jesus as a sign from God!  This is an example of a situation in which the new strategy of building bridges could make all the difference.  

This week Robert Ricciardelli of Visionary Advancement Strategies featured one of Mark’s articles, “Jihad” Not a License to Murder, in his weekly newsletter.  Read the article here. In other stories, we have new study groups for ADM sprouting up, like the group of guys who blog here. Making the rounds on the radio, listen to another interview, this time with Dr. Alvin Jones:  Dr. Alvin Jones Nov 24, 2008