The Foolish

Maryann23

In Matthew 23:17, Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees as fools, and blind. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

However, it also says in the bible in Matthew 5:22, “but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Is that kinda a contradiction… ??? its kinda got me confused. Anyone care to explain…?

wfhanna1

Hello, i think this is more of an analysis question than a straight out of the book question and here is my anaylsis and i hope it helps and leads in the right way.

Many times through out the Bible Christ said things to the extreme just to prove His point and to make people aware for example Matt:5 when He talked that if an arms make u sin cut it off. Of course He didn't mean to literaly go cut it off but to show that to what extreme we should treat our bodies if they cause us to sin.
Ok so now to the fool part when Christ called the scribes and Pharisees fools what i think He meant is that you guys got so involved with the temple and Jewish tradition and the money and forgot what this is all about, about God and His promise to His people to give them a Messiah (a savoir) so Christ is saying don't be (execuse me here) stupid and fools and run after earthly things, Do not act holy from the outside and still dirty in the inside.
Ok to the second part of your question Matthew 5:22, “but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”
ok what does Christ teach us in the sermon on the mountain (Matt 5 and 6) Love your enemies, so to get to the point of loving your enemies you can't call them a bad name and if you call somebody who is not your enemy a bad name, how are you going to love your enemy and not call them anything bad?.
Hopefully that helped to clearify a bit for you

Unknown

In Matthew 23:17, Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees as fools, and blind. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

However, it also says in the bible in Matthew 5:22, “but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Is that kinda a contradiction… its kinda got me confused. Anyone care to explain…?

Context is everything my friend.

There is nothing wrong with calling one a fool per se if the context of such labeling is justified and performed in a spirit of love. The context of Matthew 5:22 deals with unrighteous anger:

"22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

Therefore, the act of calling people names such as “fool” is only being condemned when such words are being employed in a spirit of malevolent contempt as opposed to in love and honesty. Christ was essentially calling a spade a spade with consideration for Psalm 14:1 which explicitly labels one a fool on the basis of their unbelief, he was not unrighteously angry and lashing out, and therefore there is no contradiction.

There is also a more complicated etymological issue with regards to the difference between the Greek word translated fool in 5:22 and the one translated fool in 23:17, but I think consideration for immediate context suffices in exposing the mere apparency as opposed to reality of this "contradiction".

Peace.