Matthew 21:22, New King James Version (NKJV): "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, *you will receive*.” Now, IF 1) you believe that the Bible accurately reports what Jesus said; 2) you believe that JC was telling the truth; 3) you believe that Jesus was speaking not just to his disciples but to all humans, then and later; and 4) you believe in JC, THEN I have a simple request: Pray sincerely, right now, for peace in the Middle East before another child dies. That''s a good prayer, right? Not greedy or grasping? Go ahead--it won't take you ten seconds to make that prayer. You won't even bother, right? A wonderful request like that, and you can't even summon a few seconds' mental energy to make that silent prayer. Why? Because you know it won't be granted. You *know* it. *You KNOW it.* But if you _did_ make that prayer, of course nothing would change, and many more children would die before peace comes to the Middle East. So what do you conclude? That the Bible misquoted Jesus? No, you don't want to go down that path. That JC was *just wrong*? No, you can't accept that either. That things he said only applied to the specific people he was talking to--in which case, what he said has nothing to do with us? I don't think you want to go there, either. That you don't really believe in JC? (Oh, and that *no one* really does--because if every Christian in the world made the same prayer, the effect on the Middle East would be zero, *_which you know_*?) This is sincere: I think Christians, especially proselytizers, would be well advised to steer clear of Matthew 21:22. Otherwise they might have to think about questions with uncomfortable answers.
Matthew 21:22, New King James Version (NKJV):
"And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, *you will receive*.”
Now, IF
1) you believe that the Bible accurately reports what Jesus said;
2) you believe that JC was telling the truth;
3) you believe that Jesus was speaking not just to his disciples but to all humans, then and later; and
4) you believe in JC,
THEN
I have a simple request: Pray sincerely, right now, for peace in the Middle East before another child dies. That''s a good prayer, right? Not greedy or grasping? Go ahead--it won't take you ten seconds to make that prayer.
You won't even bother, right? A wonderful request like that, and you can't even summon a few seconds' mental energy to make that silent prayer. Why? Because you know it won't be granted. You *know* it. *You KNOW it.*
But if you _did_ make that prayer, of course nothing would change, and many more children would die before peace comes to the Middle East. So what do you conclude?
That the Bible misquoted Jesus? No, you don't want to go down that path.
That JC was *just wrong*? No, you can't accept that either.
That things he said only applied to the specific people he was talking to--in which case, what he said has nothing to do with us? I don't think you want to go there, either.
That you don't really believe in JC? (Oh, and that *no one* really does--because if every Christian in the world made the same prayer, the effect on the Middle East would be zero, *_which you know_*?)
This is sincere: I think Christians, especially proselytizers, would be well advised to steer clear of Matthew 21:22. Otherwise they might have to think about questions with uncomfortable answers.