The Defense of "Jesus"

The big poker headline of this past week was the U.S. government's contention that Full Tilt Poker was operated as a "Ponzi" scheme by owners including world-famous poker pro Chris "Jesus" Ferguson.

Since then, Ferguson's attorney has issued a denial of the charge. Well, at least a denial that the arrangement fits the U.S. government's definition of "Ponzi."

Far be it from us to "judge Jesus." We'll leave the legal points to attorneys and scholars. But we'd like to make a couple of points related to this case. For one thing, the much better-known Jesus was put on trial and sentenced to death -- on charges which were far-fetched at best.

Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.'" Yet even then their testimony did not agree. - Mark 14:57-59

What Jesus actually said was quite different....

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days".... But the temple he had spoken of was his body. - John 2:19, 21

Yet Jesus allowed Himself to be put to death on those charges, to pay the penalty of our sins. And Christ was resurrected three days later, that we might have eternal life in Him.

Here's one more verse, which is much more down-to-earth in terms of this case:

Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:22, KJV

Trying to run a casino-style online poker operation in the U.S. was playing fast and loose with federal laws in the first place. The Justice Department cracked down on several such sites in April, and none of them have resurfaced.

How do you run your life, though? Are you living within the laws of man - or more importantly, the laws of God? Check the list of commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 (for starters), and examine where your life stands.