Poly:
I've always maintained that it is those who mock God, blatently continue to proudly live in their sin and think they have no need of Christ, that should be the ones who are dealt with harshly. We don't find this with Zacheus and "the woman". The ones we do find being self-righteous, Jesus never hesitated to rebuke or offend.
Jesus
did sometimes rebuke harshly the unrepentant. I would not deny that because clearly it's Biblical.
But what about other cases? How about the account of Christ's interaction with the woman at the well in John 4? You'll notice that she had not yet repented and was sinning in heterosexual promiscuity. Christ stated the facts of what she was doing that were obviously sin---but he didn't call her a harlot, a wh$#(, or a slut. He didn't suggest her execution. He didn't say how eager He was for her to burn in hell.
Taking such a simplistic, partial, and slanted view of Christ's actions and basing your ideas
only on that has led to some bad and harmful conclusions for Enyart and his people. Do you see how your views are only based on a small part of what Christ did?
Let me ask you something, adajos. So many insist that Christ had fellowship with those living in sin. I've heard many times "He hung out with prostitutes", not meaning ex-prostitutes but ones who were still commiting vile acts. The pharisees were also "sinners". So if it didn't bother Christ to "hang out" with other sinners, why wouldn't he be willing to do the same with them? Why would He mock them? Didn't He know that if he would just be nice and accept them, it would be far more effective?
I have these points in answer to your question:
1. Christ did associate with the Pharisees---they would come and listen to His teachings and often question him, deliberately trying to trap them. Some, who were more sincere than others he associated with more--Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus for instance.
2. Christ could see what was in people's hearts in a way that you and I cannot.
3. The Pharisees
appeared righteous and went through the motions of doing all the right things and condemning all the wrong things. But they were filled with self-righteousness and more interested in seeming holy to others than in loving and helping people. As such, they represented God poorly and did more harm than good.
Answer me this---who is "most similar" to the Pharisees in this conversation---yourself or beanieboy? Please give your grounds for your answer as well.
BTW Poly, where did your post that I am responding to in this post go? Either it was deleted, or I responded to this post in the wrong thread. Which is it?