--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jesus was the only One that ever raised…" description: "\"Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead,\" The Misfit continued, \"and He shouldn't have done it. He shown everything off balance. If He did wha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/flannery-o-connor-639_balance_jesus-was-the-only-one-that-ever-raised_1347168.jpg" --- # Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead," The… ![“Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead," The Misfit continued, "and He shouldn't have done it. He shown everything off balance. If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy…” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/flannery-o-connor-639_balance_jesus-was-the-only-one-that-ever-raised_1347168.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/flannery-o-connor-639_balance_jesus-was-the-only-one-that-ever-raised_1347168.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb4/flannery-o-connor-639_balance_jesus-was-the-only-one-that-ever-raised_1347168.jpg) > “Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead," The Misfit continued, "and He shouldn't have done it. He shown everything off balance. If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. No pleasure but meanness," he said and his voice had become almost a snarl.” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage highlights the existential crisis of meaninglessness when divine authority is questioned, suggesting violent nihilism as a misguided response. **In simple terms:** Questioning faith can lead to despair and harmful actions. Key Takeaway Recognize the danger of nihilism and seek constructive purpose. Themes faith nihilism violence existentialism Mood dark intense contemplative Type literary philosophical provocative When to use this quote - religious doubt - personal crisis - ethical decision making Key Concepts theodicy free will moral relativism Questions to Reflect On - What alternative paths exist when faith feels broken? - How can one find meaning without resorting to harm? A Different Perspective The argument assumes a binary choice between blind devotion and destructive rebellion, ignoring nuanced belief systems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Jesus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jesus/) [Killing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killing/) [Meanness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meanness/) [Misfits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfits/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“I . . . Why do you want me to?” There was a flicker of something in Greta’s look. I couldn’t tell whether it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/i-why-do-you-want-me-to-there-was-a-flicker-of-something-in-greta-s/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [“Killing somebody, even if you have to do it, it feels that bad?' 'Willy, it's one of the ugliest things in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/killing-somebody-even-if-you-have-to-do-it-it-feels-that-bad-willy-it/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) > [“This means we can already rule out the revisionist positions on Jesus’s resurrection that have been offered by so many writers in recent years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/this-means-we-can-already-rule-out-the-revisionist-positions-on-jesus/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“Whether or not the tithe is still the minimal measure of those firstfruits, I ask myself, Does God expect His New Covenant children to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/whether-or-not-the-tithe-is-still-the-minimal-measure-of-those/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [“I should point out that the Gospels do not indicate on which day Jesus was raised. The women go to the tomb on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bart-d-ehrman/i-should-point-out-that-the-gospels-do-not-indicate-on-which-day/) [Bart D. Ehrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bart-d-ehrman/) > [“Jesus is raised, so he is the Messiah, and therefore he is the world’s true Lord; Jesus is raised, so God’s new creation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/jesus-is-raised-so-he-is-the-messiah-and-therefore-he-is-the-world-s/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [“But if Jesus is raised from the dead, then the scriptures have reached their goal in him, and it’s now time for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/but-if-jesus-is-raised-from-the-dead-then-the-scriptures-have-reached/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [Ever feel like killing somebody just to see if you could get away with it? Sure, you have. 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And so, generally,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/i-mean-if-you-re-raised-as-a-decent-human-being-killing-somebody-is/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [I don't want to get away with murder! I'd have to live with that for the rest of my life. I would never want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/i-don-t-want-to-get-away-with-murder-i-d-have-to-live-with-that-for/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [So if you're a gang member and you would normally be killing somebody, why not kill a white person?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-souljah/so-if-you-re-a-gang-member-and-you-would-normally-be-killing-somebody/) [Sister Souljah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sister-souljah/) > [ God picked a junior high girl \[to be Jesus' mother\]. Jesus was raised by a woman who today, we wouldn't even let her lead… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/god-picked-a-junior-high-girl-to-be-jesus-mother-jesus-was-raised-by/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [Jesus raised the standard high so we would realize we couldn’t possibly do it without a savior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/jesus-raised-the-standard-high-so-we-would-realize-we-couldn-t/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) ## More by Flannery O'Connor > [“Wait here, wait here!" he cried and jumped up and began to run for help toward a cluster of lights he saw in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/wait-here-wait-here-he-cried-and-jumped-up-and-began-to-run-for-help/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [... the man in the violent situation reveals those qualities least dispensable in his personality, those qualities which are all he will have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/the-man-in-the-violent-situation-reveals-those-qualities-least/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“I don’t know how to cure the source-itis except to tell you that I can discover a good many possible sources myself for Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-don-t-know-how-to-cure-the-source-itis-except-to-tell-you-that-i/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/for-the-fiction-writer-himself-the-whole-story-is-the-meaning-because/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Everything that gave her pleasure was small and depressed him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/everything-that-gave-her-pleasure-was-small-and-depressed-him/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/to-the-hard-of-hearing-you-shout-and-for-the-almost-blind-you-draw/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“He felt his hunger no longer as a pain but as a tide. He felt it rising in himself through time and darkness, rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-felt-his-hunger-no-longer-as-a-pain-but-as-a-tide-he-felt-it/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/where-you-come-from-is-gone-where-you-thought-you-were-going-to-never/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [Technique in the minds of many is something rigid, something like a formula that you impose on the material; but in the best stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/technique-in-the-minds-of-many-is-something-rigid-something-like-a/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“There are all kinds of truth ... but behind all of them there is only one truth and that is that there's no truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/there-are-all-kinds-of-truth-but-behind-all-of-them-there-is-only-one/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Mrs. May winced. She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. Their father had gone to a one-room schoolhouse through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/she-had-observed-that-the-more-education-they-got-the-less-they-could/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [One of the awful things about writing when you are a Christian is that for you the ultimate reality is the Incarnation, the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/one-of-the-awful-things-about-writing-when-you-are-a-christian-is/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [“Hazel Motes sat at a forward angel on the green plush train seat, looking one minute at the window as if he might want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/hazel-motes-sat-at-a-forward-angel-on-the-green-plush-train-seat/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) [Explore all 432 Flannery O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. 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I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. 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Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Jesus was the only One that ever raised the dead,\" The Misfit continued, \"and He shouldn't have done it. He shown everything off balance. If He did what He said, then it's nothing for you to do but throw away everything and follow Him, and if He didn't, then it's nothing for you to do but enjoy the few minutes you got left the best way you can by killing somebody or burning down his house or doing some other meanness to him. 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