The Third Option

Jesus was the friend of sinners, they were not the enemies. He befriended them before they changed. Under the Old Covenant, we are told to destroy our enemies. Under the New Covenant, we are told to love our enemies. The heart of Jesus is that He did not come to destroy. God is good to all: He rains on the just and the unjust. The Pharisees, under the law, taught to hate your enemies. Jesus taught to love your enemies. The Pharisees could not accept this break with tradition. It's something that natural man cannot accept. Be like your Father in Heaven: love. Love the Samaritans in your life. This can't be done in your own strength but only through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you. 

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' (Matthew 11:19, NKJV)

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you' (Matthew 5:43, NKJV)

He makes the His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45, NKJV)

Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48, NKJV)

In this episode Rick and Judi discuss how human nature tends to focus on what is wrong and therefore promotes division and separation, while Jesus prayed for unity and exemplified that even those most different from us should be considered our neighbor (The Good Samaritan). -Isms (ie. liberalism, capitalism, socialism, Catholicism) suggest separation. 

In 1 Corinthians 1:13, Paul asks the question, "Is Christ divided?" This leads to denominationalism where we separate from each other due to our differences. Paul also dealt with this subject in 2 Corinthians 6:17 where he talks about coming out and being separate from "them". Under the Old Covenant, this passage was about not touching anything "unclean." But under the New Covenant was Paul encouraging them not to be like the world, but rather be loving, peaceful and kind? Love doesn't see the separations, but rather sees the individual as unique and extremely valuable. God so loved the world. 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NKJV)

Where did the Cosmic Battle idea start? Separation began in the Garden of Eden, first from God, then man from woman, then brother from brother. Join Rick and Judi as they discus how God is motivated by love rather than good and evil. Jesus explains that He didn't come to destroy but to save. The real enemies of Jesus weren't people, but condemnation, hate, fear, elitism. These are the undoing of LOVE. They divide, making one better than the other. This promotes binary thinking. People of His day wanted Jesus to destroy evildoers such as Rome, Samaritans and thieves, but why did Jesus not do those things?

For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them. (Luke 9:56, NKJV)

Rick and Judi address the idea that The Third Option either condones or condemns sin. Jesus was often tested in this way by the religious and political leaders of His day. Was what He was teaching encouraging people to condone sin, as they suspected? This episode delves into "The Woman Caught in Adultery" and how Jesus was tested to take a stand for the knowledge of good and evil. Jesus did not condone adultery nor did He condemn the woman, but He loved and forgave her. Love empowers. Guilt controls. The Third Option always trumps the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The Woman Caught In Adultery (John 7:53-8:11)

In this episode Rick and Judi discuss the biblical account of Zacchaeus. They do a character study on the man and why a guy like him might have chosen to become a traitor to his nation as well as what other people thought about him. Then they take a look at Jesus' perspective of Zacchaeus and how He saw the man. It is interesting to note that Jesus honored Zacchaeus. The result was an example of the power of the Jesus-kind of LOVE. Love did what hate couldn't do. 

Zacchaeus the Tax Collector (Luke 19:1-10)

In this episode, Rick and Judi Manis discuss "The Woman at the Well" and the history of two nations, Israel and Samaria. What is the purpose of Jesus going though Samaria when most Jews would go out of their way to avoid it? What was the controversy (the question the woman posed)? And how did Jesus use "the third option" to settle the controversy?

The Woman at the Well (John 4:4-42)

Introducing our first episode of the Third Option Podcast with Rick and Judi Manis. We are talking about a higher way than our world system which is based on right verses wrong, left verses right, and good versus evil. Our citizenship is in heaven or as Jesus called it, The Kingdom of God. It operates under a different system called LOVE. It is way more powerful than the world system. The banner over us is love. 

He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. (Song of Solomon 2:4, NKJV)