I was thinking recently and decided I wanted to add a section to my website to blog about issues of church and faith. It's interesting to consider what role the Internet might have in the lives of today's and tomorrow's young people -- could it be a catalyst for encouraging kids to explore and share their faith?
December 17: Thoughts in Response to Reading the New TestamentDecember 17, 2013
Matthew 5:38-42: An Eye for an Eye
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.When I read this, what came to mind was WWII. If the world’s response to Hitler was modeled after this teaching of Jesus, what would that have looked like? Would it have been horrific, or beautiful? Weak, or powerful?
A somewhat related question that, for whatever reason, has bopped around my head, is what to do if a violent person either kidnaps your child or grabs your child and threatens to harm them unless a large sum of money is handed over. How would this teaching of Jesus apply there? Something that’s interesting to me is that the passage seems to apply in two different ways: Turning the other cheek might (?) crudely imply saying something like “Why stop with my child? Why don’t I go round up the rest of my family so that you can do us all in?”. On the other hand, the “give to anyone who begs” part of the passage would seem to imply that one should not resist such violence and simply give the person what they are asking for.
It also makes me think that one of the advantages of not having a million dollars sitting in a bank account is instead relying on the love of a community is that it can't be hijacked in quite the same way. But, you could always be made to sell your home, etc.
In any event, this “turning the other cheek” teaching I think has fascinated many people. Jesus seems to be saying that if we are clever about the way we respond to evil, it can be made to look foolish and in a large part be disarmed. But that raises more questions for me: What are various ways to creatively and cleverly respond to evil?
Matthew 5:43-48: Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,[a] what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.Have you ever stopped and thought “who are my enemies”? If you’re a fairly loving and forgiving person, maybe you don’t think of yourself as having a lot of “enemies”. What came to mind for me were people whose behavior frustrates me. We’ll go with owners of luxury vehicles. That frustrates me because I see a deep injustice in people dying for lack of clean water or mosquito nets (etc) while other people buy themselves such expensive toys. My response in being so annoyed with people’s behavior can be to lose love for them. Am I likely to pray for that guy who drives by me in a BMW? Not really. But that guy is just as loved by God as the lady in Africa dying of AIDS who doesn’t have enough money to buy anti-viral medications. So I think what this “love your enemies” teaching is helping me see today is that while we’re all imperfect, and some people are naturally going to frustrate us, we need to love those people just as we love ourselves, and just as we love the sick, neglected, and dying. Praying for people who frustrate you, and legitimately asking God to bless them and care for them seems like a powerful strategy to that end.
Matthew 6:1-4: Giving to the Needy
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[a]This is a passage that has come to mind many times in the past couple of years. I resonate with it, but I’m also uneasy about how exactly to apply it in my life. If I do something or say something that exposes something noble I’ve done, my guideline for whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is typically to self analyze and ask myself whether I’m doing or saying something to get recognition. If I feel relatively pure in heart (which of course we probably never are, fully) then I will typically feel free in what I do and say. If I sense my attitude is feeling fleshy and craving recognition, then I try and shy away from saying more. But I’m sure we can all be fooled into thinking we’re pure in heart when deep down subconsciously what’s motivating us is tainted with self centeredness. What this also highlights is that I’m very poor at being “political”, or thinking clearly about how others are likely to perceive me, or how my words are going to affect them. Because I tend to be more heart/motivation focused (I think?), perhaps that draws my attention away from how others are going to perceive me. My “image”. I don’t think that’s all good -- perhaps I am sometimes making a fool of myself and not even realizing it. Does that please God? Probably not, eh?
The other part of this passage that I find tricky is that it sounds like Jesus is saying that we’ll be rewarded even more if we’re quiet about the good things we do, and that should be good motivation to be quiet. But because my acts of love aren’t motivated (I hope) by wanting a reward, this “do it for an even bigger reward” isn’t helpful psychologically for me, and it strikes me as a kind of strange thing for Jesus to say. I guess I’ll have to keep pondering that one.
Finally, this passage is an interesting contrast to Matthew 5:14-16:
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.I think it’s one of the “balance” things, perhaps, something that takes judgement and discernment. Something to keep thinking about...
December 11: Thoughts in Response to Reading the New TestamentDecember 11, 2013
Matthew 5: 21-25: Concerning Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister,[a] you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult[b] a brother or sister,[c] you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell[d] of fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister[e] has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister,[f]and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court[g] with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.This was a good passage for me to read. Sometimes in the last year as I have been frustrated or even feeling mild feelings of anger over the disparity in the world, I have the sense that a wee bit of those feelings are good and OK, but that as humans those feelings quickly become quite “fleshy” and self-centered, and not pleasing to God. This passage seems to similarly suggest that God is very put off by people being angry with one another. It seems as though our anger is perhaps the result of judgements that we have made, which we are often not in a position to make. In any event, this passage should hopefully come to mind the next time I get angry.
Matthew 5: 27-30: Concerning Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.[a]30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.I don’t think I’ve ever read a commentary on this passage before, so it was interesting to do a couple of Google searches. Let’s be honest: The most striking phrase here to me is “if your right hand causes you to sin, cut if off and throw it away”. Are you talking about what it sounds like you’re talking about Jesus? (nudge nudge, wink wink) Commentary on the Internet seems not to think so, in a specific sense. But in a general sense, this is probably quite well within the realm of things Jesus was talking about. We’re left with some uncomfortable mystery here, aren’t we?
Matthew 5: 31-32: Concerning Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.I think what strikes me here is that I can’t imagine a pastor at our church preaching a sermon on when it’s God’s will to divorce and when it’s not. As I understand, it’s something that our church painfully worked through a few decades ago. I think what’s uncomfortable for me here is that we read certain things that Jesus says, and we know that if a pastor preached those sayings, they’d have a riot on their hands. hmm.
December 10: Thoughts in Response to Reading the New TestamentDecember 10, 2013
I’ve typically been pretty terrible at making time to read the Bible. (I presume I’m not the only one out there!) The first time I read the new testament from start to finish (university), I was struck by biblical passages that “stuck out”. Maybe they were teachings that I had never or rarely read before -- things that caused me to pause and think “now wait a minute, that doesn’t really fit with my understanding of things”! I’ve heard other people say this as well: We grow up hearing bits and pieces, but when you read it as one piece, and as an adult, you see things that you never saw before. I’m again thirsty to read through the new testament and journal about what sticks out, or simply what speaks to me, so I’m going to try and do that, however quickly or slowly it happens. I want to try and keep up on the journaling, because I think that’s a good way to process the things that feel new, and a good way to invite others into the conversation. I’ll be putting my journal on my website as I go along. Obviously feel free to join me in my re-reading of the new testament, and if anyone likewise would want to journal I would be very happy to read your thoughts too.
Matthew 5, 17-20: The Fulfillment of the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,[a] not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks[b] one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.This catches my attention, because on the surface level it sounds like Jesus is saying that all of the various Jewish traditions that make up the old testament are still to be followed. Obviously we’re not doing that. It also brings to mind some families in Woodstock when I was a teenager that started to observe Jewish traditions, and left the churches they had been attending. (I think) Perhaps this passage was central to their thinking. It also makes me think of the struggles that the early Christian community had around this topic, for example, whether followers of Jesus should be eating “unclean” foods or not. This passage really brings that struggle to life for me for early followers -- especially for the Jewish folks who understood Jesus saying that they should continue observing all of their scriptural traditions in great detail. Tricky. Other than this isolated group in Woodstock, I’m actually not very familiar with modern day Christians struggling to understand these words. I would suppose the later parts of the New Testament that face this issue head on are what we look to as a resolution of this challenging teaching of Jesus? This actually seems quite reminiscent of the current wrestling in some churches with homosexuality. You have clear words in the Bible that indicate that God forbids it, you have many people who struggle with that teaching, and you have people feeling in their spirits that within our culture it is acceptable to God. The similarity is that with the “should we follow the law” statements that Jesus makes in Matthew 5, early Christians must have had a similar struggle. You’d have people saying “But Jesus clearly said we should follow the law”. And you’d have others saying “But I’m feeling in my spirit that it is acceptable to God for Christians of other cultures to follow the spirit of the law but not the details”. And then comes this vision of the sheet coming down from heaven, etc.
Matthew 5, 11-12
11 “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely[a] on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.The other day I heard that someone had said something very disturbing about me that questioned my character. While I know that ultimately we don’t need to be overly fussy about what people think about us, I struggled with it, and I’m still trying to sort out whether I should go talk to that person and try and find some understanding. In any event, I found these words comforting!
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