<SIGH>
OK, for the sake of trying to explain what I said, and what apparently you thought I said... here goes:
I didn't say this in so many words before, but I don't think Jesus EVER quoted the Old Testament out of context. I don't think Jesus would have said something like "The truth will set you free" to make someone tell the truth, for example (I realize that's New Testament), when the context of that verse clearly indicates that "The Truth" is the Word of God. So when Jesus quoted two different Bible passages, He did it fully knowing the context. So when He said "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations," He fully knew that he was quoting a passage of Scripture which is about how God welcomed Gentiles to worship in the Temple (heck, He even
said "for all nations!"):
Isaiah 56:6-7 wrote:And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant- these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
See what I mean? Jesus WAS talking about Gentiles. It's right there in black and white. I'm sorry to hear that you would think Jesus would base his actions on culture and not on Scripture, but I tend to think the opposite... Jesus based his actions on Scripture
despite the customs of the day if they conflicted.
RockMe wrote:You seem to believe that if I would simply listen to you I would see that you are clearly right, but that is a rather arrogant assumption.
But wouldn't it be a fun experiment to try listening to me? After all, this might be the one time I
am right!
Whew... I hate to be misunderstood, and RockMe, up to now I don't think you have really understood me. But there is no way I can add more detail to the topic now, so this will be my last post on this thread unless someone specifically asks me a question. It does seem to me that you are not basing your conclusion "...on Jesus' ministry and the culture of the time," but on your preconceived notions of what Jesus was saying. And that's okay, because this is not a Salvation issue. But you will find that very often there are things in the Bible that have a bigger meaning than what is on the surface, and that's what I'm talking about here.