“The majority judged that [Jesus] was bad because he did not conform to their ideas of how the Sabbath should be kept. But the real reason was that Jesus ignored these ecclesiastics [the Scribes and Pharisees]; and this was a cause of deep anger. They excommunicated both Jesus and the man who was the recipient of his goodness.” (Watchtower 1926, February 15, page 60 paragraphs 11-12)
The logic of this article is sound, and it is well-written despite it being a very old quote. So have you ever thought of this notion before? And what does the fact that he was cast out say to us today as modern-day followers of Christ? That Jesus was “excommunicated” or “disfellowshipped” by the religious leaders of his day is not that shocking- we know that is one of the things the Pharisees did to maintain power and control over their fellow brothers and sisters. For anyone that opposed them, it was their ultimate weapon. But why was he disfellowshipped by these ones?
Recently my youngest had a birthday. We of course had no party, and that’s not something I have ever experienced anyway, nor has she. But this is the first time I ever really had a longing to celebrate it.
Even several years ago, long before I had read “the books that cause the struggle” and become enlightened to the facts we discuss here, it bothered me.
WHY don’t we do birthdays? WHY don’t we do Mother’s Day and Father’s day?