How Jesus Was Lost in the Bible …And Found

By Floyd Hale

The long "Quest of the Historical Jesus" has come to an end--according to Floyd Hale, the author of HOW JESUS WAS LOST IN THE BIBLE ... AND FOUND. This is a brief review in his own words.
Jesus was the "first Gandhi" (to sum it up in one statement). To make this obvious I first show--"by the Scriptures"--that all the other images and titles laid on Jesus after his death by the Church are false. That takes a few pages of what may be considered boring by some--even heresy by others.
The real Jesus' primary task was to pick and train dedicated followers who would conduct nothing short of a revolution--"nonviolently." Needless to say this would cause enemies, whom they were to "love"--while "hating" their own families. Words like these have caused Bible scholars to miss seeing Jesus applied this kind of teaching to those whom he would "send out," and not to "all believers." Jesus's execution as a seditionist by the Romans stopped the "revolution" before it started. No "sender-outer," no revolution. But the "edited"plans were well remembered and can be gleaned from the Gospels. This reveals the image the "planner."
Jesus was a Humanist and needs to be rescued from the Bible and let stand in History on his own, no longer shackled by religion. One of the purposes of this book is an effort to do just that.

A full Review of "How Jesus Was Lost ... And Found," is Mike Travelstead's Review which follows:
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How Jesus Was Lost in the Bible and Found by Floyd Hale
Reviewed by Mike Travelstead, Macedonia, IL

In his latest of several self-published books, The Reverend Floyd Hale has taken on the Herculean task of redefining Jesus the Christ. Having read all of the previous books, which were thought-provoking for truth-seekers, I found this latest volume most compelling, following a consistent logic, using much illustration, explanation, and scriptural reference.
If readers approach the text with an open mind and critical attitude, they will be rewarded with a cogent argument worthy of reflection, one that re-shapes the image of Jesus, who has had a profound and far-reaching effect on the history of our world.
The thesis of How Jesus Was Lost in the Bible and Found claims that the traditional titles applied to JesusChrist, Messiah, Savior, Son of God, Son of Manby the church are false because the Old Testament prophecies did not apply to him nor foretell him. Some liberal Biblical scholars have denied the divinity of Jesus, but maintain that he was a wise teacher. The Reverend Hale goes further by insisting that Jesus commanded his followers not just to believe, but to act. He trained them to conduct a non-violent revolution designed to change the system, a system which oppressed the poor and suffering. Later leaders, like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., adopted this sacrificial but effective technique. However, Jesus plan was aborted by his premature execution.
Hales style is conversational, infused with Southern Illinois humor, some references which may not be readily apparent to younger readers. Some analogies, too, are quite instructive. I like especially the football analogy he uses at the end. Hale speculates that Jesus has a dream," in which he forms a team that will carry the ball, but he dies a moment before kick-off. The game is called for a memorial service. But instead of going back to the field, they continue conducting memorial services. That is powerful.
This plan never came to fruition because, as Hale claims, Jesus followers misinterpreted his idea of the Kingdom. As the early church was being established, many different beliefs contended for precedence. The historical figure who virtually single-handedly created the Christian Church as it is known was St. Paul. Completely ignoring the stories of Jesus miraculous birth, Paul emphasizes the resurrection as the basis of his faith, hoping for eternal salvation sometime in the future. Hale maintains that Jesus preaching of t

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477210369

Floyd Hale

AUTHOR’S PREFACE From my seminary days (over a half century ago) I learned to study the Bible critically—applying the modern tools of Literary Analysis. I found that learning the truth in the Bible depends on knowing the truth about the Bible. When I learned there was no Garden of Eden, a serpent didn’t strike out and bite me. He just grinned and slowly walked away—before God cut his legs off. Learning the truth about the Bible is not hard; it’s living with those facts—especially for a preacher—that can put a kink in one’s life-style. For over thirty years I wrote a weekly column (The Bible Says . . .) in newspapers across Southern Illinois, answering questions on the Bible, and that put a kink in my reputation as a pastor. I affiliated myself with the Society of Biblical Literature and followed closely the work of the Jesus Seminar group (Westar Institute) then in California. Not teaching, nor planning to write, I studied strictly for my own learning. I kept few notes and no bibliography. (Sorry ’bout that.) I trust the truth to stand on its own. If anything I say herein is not the truth, forget it. I’m going to tell it like it is—whether it is or not. The problem is getting it published, for I’m not an accredited scholar—nor the son of a scholar. To make my thesis clear and convincing I must go into great detail most of the time. I’ll quote a lot of scripture, for only theirin lies Jesus. This makes for heavy reading (especially in the first section), but all of this must go into print—I have found this material nowhere (except in bits and pieces in commentaries). I will use several footnotes (I don’t like “notes” in a ‘separate book’—in the back.) I don’t even like footnotes, but I feel I should add them regularly for explanation’s sake. I’ll also give scripture references (I don’t like these in the text.) I realize many more scriptures can be quoted which contradict mine. More background information is provided in the Epilogue. I am vain enough to believe I’ve learned something about Jesus that has so far been missed. I’d hate to take it into the grave with me (I’m now 89). This might jump-start the Quest for the Historical Jesus into one more—“last”—session. This would not be the expected “happy ending,” but it might reveal who Jesus really was—the way he saw his contribution to the human good. It pains me to see Jesus’ name used by millions who just want to escape from reality. In spite of his rejection and suffering, Jesus enjoyed life—“with sinners” (anyone then not actively religious. That was this vast herd of “sheep without a shepherd.”) It was not his life he wanted to share with “believers” in some “spiritual” way. He wanted to free up the dominated economy which required the poor to bid with the rich for bread. He tried to change the economy—“this world”—into the economy of the kingdom of God—“as it is in heaven” (to put it in ideal terms). He was not a Socialist, just a Humanist who wanted a level playing field on which his “Heavenly Father’s children” could enjoy "abundant life." In my detailed explanation of Jesus’ ministry I am not selling his religion—for I think he had none. And I am not telling folks to go to church and get it, for it’s not there. I just want Jesus understood—for historical purposes.

Book preview

How Jesus

Was Lost

In The Bible

. . . And Found

Floyd Hale

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© 2012 by Floyd Hale. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/18/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-0884-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-1036-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012909199

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Contents

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

SECTION 1

HOW JESUS WAS LOST IN THE GOSPELS

SECTION 2

LOOKING FOR JESUS

SECTION 3

JESUS WAS NOT APOCALYPTIC

SECTION 4

FOLLOWING JESUS

SECTION 5

JESUS’S PLAN FAILS

EPILOGUE

Endnotes

AUTHOR’S PREFACE

From my seminary days (over a half century ago) I learned to study the Bible critically—applying the modern tools of Literary Analysis. I found that learning the truth in the Bible depends on knowing the truth about the Bible. When I learned there was no Garden of Eden, a serpent didn’t strike out and bite me. He just grinned and slowly walked away—before God cut his legs off. Learning the truth about the Bible is not hard; it’s living with those facts—especially for a preacher—that can put a kink in one’s life-style.

For over thirty years I wrote a weekly column (The Bible Says . . .) in newspapers across Southern Illinois, answering questions on the Bible, and that put a kink in my reputation as a pastor.¹

I affiliated myself with the Society of Biblical Literature and followed closely the work of the Jesus Seminar group (Westar Institute) then in California. Not teaching, nor planning to write, I studied strictly for my own learning. I kept few notes and no bibliography. (Sorry ’bout that.) I trust the truth to stand on its own. If anything I say herein is not the truth, forget it. I’m going to tell it like it is—whether it is or not. The problem is getting it published, for I’m not an accredited scholar—nor the son of a scholar.

To make my thesis clear and convincing I must go into great detail most of the time. I’ll quote a lot of scripture, for only theirin lies Jesus. This makes for heavy reading (especially in the first section), but all of this must go into print—I have found this material nowhere (except in bits and pieces in commentaries). I will use several footnotes (I don’t like notes in a ‘separate book’—in the back.) I don’t even like footnotes, but I feel I should add them regularly for explanation’s sake. I’ll also give scripture references (I don’t like these in the text.) I realize many more scriptures can be quoted which contradict mine. That’s an old Bible-quoting game.

More background information is provided in the Epilogue. I am vain enough to believe I’ve learned something about Jesus that has so far been missed. I’d hate to take it into the grave with me (I’m now 89). This might jump-start the Quest for the Historical Jesus into one more—last—session. This would not be the expected happy ending, but it might reveal who Jesus really was—the way he saw his contribution to the human good.

It pains me to see Jesus’ name used by millions who just want to escape from reality. In spite of his rejection and suffering, Jesus enjoyed life—with sinners (anyone then not actively religious. That was this vast herd of sheep without a shepherd.)

It was not his life he wanted to share with believers in some spiritual way. He wanted to free up the community dominated economy which required the poor to bid with the rich for bread. He tried to change the economy—this world—into the economy of the kingdom of God—as it is in heaven (to put it in ideal terms). He was not a Socialist, just a Humanist who wanted a level playing field on which his "Heavenly Father’s children" could enjoy the game of abundant living.

In my detailed explanation of Jesus’ ministry I am not selling his religion—for I think he had none.² And I am not telling folks to go to church and get it, for it’s not there. The Bible is going to go, and I don’t want it to take Jesus with it. I want to see the historical Jesus stand on his own in history.

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SECTION 1

HOW JESUS WAS LOST

IN THE GOSPELS

What did Jesus’ followers do immediately after his death? This is the period called the black hole in the history of the Church. The women in Mark’s Gospel (the first Gospel written at least forty years ‘after the fact’), reported as going to the tomb, were in that black hole—and stayed in it.

The story goes they found the tomb open and an angel sitting therein, who told them,³ Jesus is not here. Go tell his disciples he is going before you into Galilee;⁴ you will see him (there), as he told you. Mark then flips back a page or two in his manuscript and inserts this ad-lib, "But after I am raised up I will go before you to Galilee.⁵ You will notice it is completely out of context. You will also see—if you examine carefully—the going before you is to correct the scattering" of his followers in the previous verse.

And they (the women) ran away from the empty tomb, trembling and bewildered. They didn’t dare breathe a word to anyone."⁶ This ends Mark’s Gospel. This leaves the ending abrupt and the resurrection a mystery—and that’s the way Mark wanted it.⁷

Matthew and Luke go ahead, taking the angel’s he has risen (at the tomb) and enlarging his appearance into detailed resurrection stories. This is another indication they did not recognize Mark’s Son of man theme—which ended before the crucifixion.

In Matthew, after the women are told by the angel to go quickly and tell the disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, the women go quickly—"with fear and great joy. And the women took hold of him (he was physical?)⁸ and worshipped him. He tells them not to be afraid. (You see, Matthew and Luke also thought Mark needed a proper ending.")

It was not an empty tomb on the third day, nor the Disciples’ hallucinating about seeing Jesus’ ghos, that saved the disciples faith and created the Church." For, in the first place nothing like that happened—and they knew that.⁹ The resurrection stories came later as a product of the disciples’ extreme effort to save Jesus’ life. I am getting ahead of myself and must get back to losing Jesus.

Luke wants the Church to start off immediately after the ‘resurrection’—with a big bang, and from Jerusalem go out to evangelize the whole world. So he fills that black hole with dynamite.¹⁰ The resurrected Jesus tells his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they feel the shock, and he flies away—on the same day he arose (but very late at night). The disciples go back into town, continually at the temple blessing God. That ends Luke’s Gospel.

Luke opens his second volume of Church History (Acts) by first editing the ending of his first volume.¹¹ Jesus stays thirty-nine (39) more days," talking to his disciples about the kingdom of God, and then tells them to keep on staying—"until they are charged with super-power from on high. They go out across a small valley with him to Olivet Hill and he is lifted up. Staring upward the disciples are told by two angels standing by, He’s coming back, the same way you saw him leave. This time they go back to their attic apartment, roll dice—after praying—to see who takes Judas’ place—to fulfill prophecy." One Mathias’ number came up, and the last that’s heard of him.

The Day of Pentecost comes—the fire falls—a little flame on each head. Their jubilation draws a big crowd, thinking they are drunk. Peter preaches to this bunch of pilgrims from many different nations in town for the Holy Days, and they understand him in their own languages. Peter protests publicly—at least four times—the "authorities’ unlawful killing of Jesus." (Why did they complain about that, when they said it was God’s way of saving people?)¹²

Other miracles are performed. One of which was an angel’s letting them out of jail. Another, members of the group drop dead for lying to the Holy Spirit about their financial pledge to the church—and great fear comes on the whole church and those who heard of these things. (I bet it did.) Good time for an altar call, and about three thousand—that’s 3,000—were baptized. (They had to be sprinkled—very lightly—for water in that place was about as scarce as chicken teeth.) 3,000? And two thousand—that’s 2,000—more joined up in a few days. (You’d think Billy Graham had been to town.)

When arrested, beaten and ordered not to teach in Jesus’ name, they answered, We obey God and not man. (I like that.) They were beaten again and went off rejoicing that they had been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. (I like that too.) Luke could really tell a story. But it just didn’t happen that way. It should be obvious it is a story. But Luke’s words became Scripture, and every word in the Scriptures is God’s Word, and there you go . . .

I must tell you, these first five chapters of Luke’s History of the Church are fiction. (There’s a bit of truth reflected in them, but it is very little.) This has dominated the traditional view (faith) of the Church. And uninformed readers—after listening to sermon after sermon on this ‘inspirational legend’—take it as the way the Church actually began.¹³ I like Luke’s story—I wish the Church had started that way. But it didn’t. This story has, right along with all those ‘fulfilled prophecies’, helped hide the truth about the real Jesus in the Bible.

Let’s get back into that black hole (again)—this time up in Galilee with the Disciples. They don’t stay there too long, for they show up back down in Jerusalem. Fishin’ just didn’t cut it, for those who had been with Jesus.¹⁴

What brought the Disciples back to the scene of the crime? They didn’t need to invent a Messiah for their ‘new religion,’ for they hadn’t started one.¹⁵ Jesus had commissioned them to preach the gospel and heal the sick. There’s some healing, but no record they preached Jesus’ gospel—for that’s what got him killed. Even if they had—and survived—who would believe what a recently executed blasphemer had said?

If they were just doing religious work, that could have been done up in Galilee, holding spiritual life retreats on the beautiful shores of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus had been popular. But they were a determined bunch. Unless the religious leaders who rejected Jesus were convinced that he was "God’s anointed," his life and death would have been in vein.

That gang of twelve had experienced a most unique relationship with Jesus, in an unusual group experience, just long enough for him to capture their minds and hearts—and imaginations. He was too good and smart and heroic to return to dust. Jesus was the kind of person who could