In the Beginning was Information

dom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (Matthew25:34). The reason is given in verse 40: “Whatever you did for oneof the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.”The second group is sent into the eternal fire because “Whateveryou did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.”The message of James 1:22 becomes clear in this regard: “Do notmerely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what itsays.” Heinrich Kemner said justly that in the last judgement wewill mostly be found guilty for what we did not do. “Anyone, then,who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins” (James4:17). Also in the Old Testament Moses, as instructed by God,identifies the pragmatic requirement on which life depends: “Taketo heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, sothat you may command your children to obey carefully all thewords of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they areyour life” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47).We now use two illustrative examples to explain a false and a correctpragmatic attitude towards the Bible.Example 1: There is an East Prussian story 19 about a teacher whodiscussed Matthew 5:39: “If someone strikes you on the rightcheek, turn to him the other also” during a religious instructionclass. One farmer was rather indignant when his son told him this,and when he met the teacher in a meadow he put this command tothe test. He asked the teacher whether he practised that which hetaught the children. The reply was: “But of course, it stands in theBible.” The farmer then lashed out and struck the teacher downwith a powerful blow in his face. When he struggled to his feet, thefarmer quoted: “Turn to him the other also”, and dealt him anotherheavy blow on his left cheek. Being a Bible student, the teachercountered with: “With the measure you use, it will be measured toyou – and even more” (Mark 4:24) and in his turn struck thefarmer. This resulted in an exchange of blows where every blow19 The German Poet Johann Peter Hebel (1760 – 1826) told a similar story withthe title “Good word, evil deed” in the “Little treasure chest of the Rhenishhome friend”.146