While on earth in human form, did Jesus know everything?

Sincerely,
Smarty Pants

Dear Smarty Pants,

No, Jesus didn’t know everything while here on Earth.  When Jesus was a child, He grew and learned things just like every other child (Lk 2:52).  When discussing the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus specifically said that He wasn’t aware when the Father would destroy that city (Matt 24:36).  When He was in His physical body, Jesus suffered and dealt with every weakness and struggle that we do (Heb 4:15)… including not always knowing what would happen next.

I have been studying the topics of repentance and restitution.  It is clear that God expected restitution in the Old Testament – Deu 22:19, 22:29 Neh 5:10-11, Lev 24:18, Ex 21:32, Ex 22 to name a few, but I find only one scripture in the New Testament (Luke 19:8-9 about Zaccheus).  And he was not under the New Covenant at the time.  So I am not sure it really proves God's will on restitution today.  What is the New Testament teaching on restitution?  If someone repents of stealing, cheating, destroying others’ property, etc., are they required to right the wrong to the degree that they can?  Or as the one sinned against, are we to "turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, hand over the other cloak", forgive and not ask restitution?

Sincerely,
Pay Back

Dear Pay Back,

If christians are sinned against, we should turn the other cheek and go the extra mile (Matt 5:39-42).  When a christian repents of stealing, cheating, etc., first and foremost, he must steal no more (Eph 4:28).  However, repentance involves more than just stopping a behavior – repentance is a change of mindset.  As you mentioned, Zacchaeus epitomized that heart of repentance (Lk 19:7-9).  The Bible never specifically says how much a christian should do to make restitution… and it would be unwise to make specific rules where the Lord hasn’t.  Many concepts in the Bible are a matter of principle and not a specific rule.  As we try to imitate Christ (1 Cor 11:1), issues like these often come down to simply asking the question, “What would Jesus do?”  Genuine repentance leads to a desire to rectify our wrongs whenever such means are possible.

I understand that rejecting God's gift is a major sin (suicide).  When facing tough medical decisions, is it tantamount to suicide if I refuse medical treatments and medicines in order to hasten my death, end my suffering, and be with God?  I am afraid that if I decide to not accept treatment, it will be seen by the Father as a rejection of the beautiful life that He has granted me.  Is it wrong to die naturally?  Thank you, Father, for your help.

Sincerely,
Dignity In Death

Dear Dignity In Death,

Call no man 'father' – for there is only one 'Father' (Matt 23:9).  We are just men and servants of God like all others.

The act of purposefully taking your own life is definitely wrong, but refusing to prolong a terminal illness is a much murkier area.  There is no doubt that suicide is sinful (read “Victim Was The Assailant” for further details), but when someone doesn’t accept surgery, chemotherapy, life-support, etc. – that isn’t suicide.  ‘Do not resuscitate’ orders, living wills, and other such decisions are a matter of wisdom and conscience.

God very clearly teaches that we should be people who value life.  It isn’t our right to presumptuously choose the moment of our death (Eccl 8:8).  Just because we are suffering isn’t necessarily a reason to stop fighting for life.  Suffering can be a very important part of our life here (Eccl 7:14).  The general rule should be to seek to preserve life – even our consciences tell us this.  It is called the “survival instinct”.

On the other hand, there comes a point when continuing to poke, prod, and prolong the life of a body that is obviously dying can offend our conscience as well.  This is where wisdom comes in.  God tells us to ask Him for wisdom (Jas 1:5) and to make conscientious decisions (1 Tim 3:9).  There is no magic answer to your questions – only principles to follow in a very difficult time.

I saw my husband looking at naked pictures online.  Is that wrong?  I did get mad.  I believe this is as bad as porn.

Sincerely,
Jealous Wife

Dear Jealous Wife,

Yes, it is wrong!  ‘Pornography’ is defined as ‘printed or visual material containing the explicit description or display of sexual organs or activity’.  What your husband was doing was sinful (Matt 5:28), and you have every right to be mad.  Marriage is intended by God to be between one man and one woman (Gen 2:24), and pornography plants the seeds of adultery within the heart of a spouse.

I belong to a rather large family.  Like with many families, my family has the 'A' side and the 'B' side.  In other words, one part of the family thinks very little of the other part of the family.  I happen to be on the 'B' side, the one that is looked down upon.  The 'A' side has begun organizing a family reunion.  Experience has taught me that they take our kindness for weakness.  They have us bring an obscene amount of food each event, they bring little or nothing, and then they dictate how the food will be disbursed.  There is always conflict.  I know this all sounds silly, but I would like to avoid the foolishness this year.  Would it be wrong of me (in the eyes of God) to send my portion to the reunion, but not attend?

Sincerely,
Fed Up… But Hungry

Dear Fed Up… But Hungry,

Whether or not you go to your family reunion is a matter of preference and wisdom, but it isn’t a sin issue.  God tells us that we must honor our father and mother (Eph 6:2), but that requirement does not extend to the rest of your relatives.  You must always be kind and decent to everyone (1 Thess 3:12), but that doesn’t mean you need to go to every shindig that your family puts together.  Jesus recognized that family ties often are the most difficult (Matt 13:55-57).  Jesus’ brothers were some of the last to believe He was the Messiah (John 7:5).  There were times where even Christ had a strained relationship with his family members.  The key is to be faithful to God and loving to others at all times (Matt 22:37-39).  Avoid bitterness at all costs (Eph 4:31) and seek to prayerfully do what is wise (Jas 1:5).  There is no right or wrong choice in this circumstance… only right and wrong attitudes.