20 May 2021

Romans 12-15.

The following table supplies the main examples of Paul’s teaching based directly or indirectly on Jesus’ teaching.

Jesus	Paul
‘Bless those who persecute you’ (Luke 6:28)	‘Bless those who curse you; bless and do not curse’ (12:14)
‘Do not resist an evil person’ (Mt. 5:39)	‘Do not repay anyone evil for evil’ (12:17)
‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ (Mt. 5:9) ‘Be at peace with each other’ (Mk. 9:50)	‘Live at peace with everyone’ (12:18; cf. 14:19)
‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you’ (Lk. 6:27; cf. verse 35 and Mt. 5:44)	‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him’ (12:20)
‘Is it right to pay tax to Caesar or not?… Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s’ (Mk. 12:14, 17)	‘Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes’ (13:7)
‘Love one another’ (Jn.13:34)	‘Love one another’ (13:8)
‘Love the Lord your God… Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments’ (Mt.22:37ff.)	‘He who loves his fellow-man has fulfilled the law’ (13:8)
‘Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets’ (Mt.7:12)	‘The commandments…are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbour as yourself”’ (13:9)
‘How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?’ (Lk. 12:56)	‘Understanding the present time’ (13:11a)
‘Do not let him find you sleeping (Mk.13:36) ‘Your redemption is drawing near’ (Lk. 21:28)	‘Wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now… (13:11b,c)
‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged’ (Mt. 7:1)	‘Why do you judge your brother? Let us stop passing judgment on one another’(14:10,13)
Men will have to give an account on the day of judgment…’ (Mt.12:36)	Each of us will give an account of himself to God. (14:12)
Alas for the world that such causes of stumbling arise!’ (Mt. 18:7, NEB)	Make up your mind not to put any stumbling block…in your brother’s way’ (14:13)
What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him “unclean”. (Mt. 15:10)	In saying this, Jesus declared all foods “clean”’ (Mk. 7:19). ‘No food is unclean in itself…all food is clean’ (14:14, 20)
Do not worry about…what you will eat or drink…But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness’ (Mt.6:25)	‘ ‘The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness…’ (14:17)

33). Turning now from these two general characteristics of Paul’s teaching to its particulars, it is evident that he concentrates on our relationships, beginning with our relationship to God.

Tomorrow: Romans 12:1-2. Our relationship to God: consecrated bodies and renewed minds.

 

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