GOING TO THE MAT WITH MATT

THE ANGELUS TRUMPET

The Unexpurgated Source for Alternative Bible Facts

GOING TO THE MAT with Matt

by Matt Hughes
writing from Jerusalem, Oct. 1, 2017, 21:(01:22)23:32

Dear Matt, I have been running my inn for twenty years. I often need to transport my patrons’ luggage between the city proper and my inn. Many of my patrons are Roman officials, and the amount of luggage may be quite expansive. Therefore, I keep a donkey at the front door to be ready to care for my patrons’ needs.
The other day, two guys came, untied both my prize jenny and her colt-in-training, and started walking away with them. When I asked, “Just what are you doing there?”, they responded, “The Lord has need of it”, and kept on walking like their Lord was a god or something.
Later I found out they rode my jenny all the way into town and then let her go to return on her own. Fortunately, the colt followed along, but I’m thinking that I deserve some remuneration for the use of my animals. What do you think? Wailing Jenny
Dear Wailing, Make room for mercy. Don’t have a cow over this. Your jenny is back without damage, and her colt has returned with her. First, be grateful that they are safely outside your inn today, and ruminate on this: those who borrowed your animals may not have been lording it over you; they may have been actually acting for the Lord, or maybe the son of God and you can gain from the advertising rights.


Dear Matt, The other day I was minding my own business exchanging unclean, idolatrous, filthy lucre into usable, clean, temple shekels to be used to pay the temple tax and purchase animals for sacrifice when a guy came into the courtyard screaming his head off. Then he turned over the tables where we were making change and released all of the animals, claiming that we were thieves and robbers. In the midst of all of this, the city urchins ran around creating further chaos, crying “Hosanna to the son of David.” When this wannabe rabbi was confronted with his behavior and that of the noisy urchins, he responded, “Out of the mouths of babes,” like he was the messiah or something. This cost a lot of people a lot of money and I think that we should be compensated. What do you think? Lucre Xchanger
Dear Luc, I don’t have to tell you that there is always a cost for change. We live in a radical time of reform and, there are going to be people who will have to pay a cost for that reform. As uncomfortable as this cost may be for you, it is a much smaller cost than the usurious payment of those who are oppressed and living in poverty in our world today. What if the children in the streets are right and it is the Son of David, the Messiah? What kind of change would that make?


Dear Matt, I am a herdsman and a dresser of fig trees. I work hard for my living following all of the laws and paying what is required of me. At the end of the harvest, I pay my tithe and I openly invite the poor to glean what is left behind, according to the law. The other day a man was on his way to Jerusalem, and he stopped to look at my fig trees. Then he openly cursed one of my trees, and it immediately withered. It was not time for the gleaners since the harvest is still months away so I have no idea what this vagabond was doing or expecting. Whatever it was, I do not believe that cursing my fig tree was called for. Now my harvest is jeopardized, and my reputation as a fig pruner is destroyed. These trees are my very life. What can I do to regain my loss? Fig Pruner in Bethany
Dear Pru, It is not that I don’t give a fig, but a withered tree is not the end of the world. It could be that it is time to look for a heartier tree for your garden. Have you ever considered a cross-breed? There is one that bears the fruit of life and is everbearing. It could change your life. I recommend that you check out the catalog of Paradise Farms, a subsidiary of the Kingdom of Dodd.


Dear Matt, For years now, I have belonged to an elite group of people who work hard at maintaining order in our rough-and-tumble society. We are sort of a Better Business Bureau, made up of elder statesmen, of which I am one, and religious leaders. Lately we have encountered what I would call a new progressive publicist leader who challenges everything my organization stands for. He has disrupted our orderly markets and gone as far as claiming to heal the blind and the lame. The problem is, when we ask him who died and made him God, and where he gets off challenging us, he responds with obfuscating conundrums that have no right answers. When we tell him that we cannot give him a clear answer, he refuses to talk with us anymore. What do you suggest? Barry Weine, Elder of Jerusalem
Dear Elder Barry Weine, Authority is not something to be taken upon oneself, but something that is given and recognized by God and the people. Maybe instead of creating markets and laws that give advantage and privilege to you and your cohorts, you should take some time to listen to the needs of the people and then receive the authority they give you. The fruit of the tree that ripens and matures through attention and care is the sweetest, and results in a fine wine. It is much more palatable than the bitter whine of self-serving and neglect.


Dear Matt, For years my twin brother and I have had a contentious existence with one another. I have always valued absolute honesty, and he has favored whatever response will make his life easier. The other day Dad came and asked me to go do something for him. Because I am honest, I told him that I was not able to. He went to my brother and asked him to do the task for him; he said that he would do it. Now here’s the thing. I later found I had time to do the task anyway; so, I went and did it. My brother, who said that he would do the task, got caught up in what he was doing, as usual, and didn’t do it. But at the end of the day, he got all the credit, and I didn’t. This is not the first occurrence of this situation; it is only the latest circumstance of contention. I resent doing the work while failing to get credit. What can I do? Twin Piqued
Dear Piqued, Life is full of times when we do the work and others get the credit. Suck it up. In the meantime, you can take away the power of your discontent by honestly negotiating time with your dad and others in authority over you, then finding ways to say yes to this world of opportunity and follow through.
----
Are you one of the people trapped in Scripture?
Would you like the incisive and insightful wisdom of Matt Hughes to help you understand yourself better?
Address your issues to GOING TO THE MAT with Matt in the comment field of any post at blindfaithdumbcluck.blogspot.com. You never know, Matt may read his mail some day, and your Biblically-challenged life circumstance could become the focus of GOING TO THE MAT With Matt.