As contemporary society struggles with questions of equity and power, all of us would do well to consider the radical proposition of Scripture, which demotes everyone to the lowest level, assigns some to excercise an unequal authority for its purposes, and then demotes the latter along with everyone else, leaving them in a worse position….
Category: The Bible as Literature
The First Will Be Last
When Peter approaches Jesus to ask, “what then will there be for us,” (Matthew 19:27) his question betrays two sins: first, his belief that he has done the right thing, and, second, his expectation that he deserves a reward for his actions. In his response, Jesus tests both Peter and the addressee of Matthew’s Gospel:…
No Good Thing
Among the disastrous consequences of the Synoptic thesis of the gospels is the erasure of each individual author’s intent. Is there a generalized parable of the Rich Man that happens to appear in Matthew, or is there a teaching of Matthew that retools the parable to say something different than the other gospels? If we…
Mic Drop
Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ But…
Mission Priority
Nothing irritates a person of responsibility more than someone or something that distracts from the issue at hand. Faced with distraction, a wise manager acts quickly to get the team back on track. Whatever the disturbance, the manager’s goal is to settle the matter soon so that the team can stay on task to complete…
Certificate of Divorce?
When children argue, they lobby their parents to choose a side. An unwise parent intervenes to solve the conflict, deciding who is right and who is wrong. This parent is unwise, because no matter how well-reasoned the discussion, the intervention teaches the child a horrible lesson: when you have a dispute with another person, instead…
The Sword of Damocles
The meaning of Scripture is plain and straightforward. It is intricate and detailed, yes. It takes time and effort to digest, yes. It presents arguments that demand intellectual engagement, yes. But all this must never be confused with complexity. As we often say on the podcast, you do not need a seminary degree to understand…
On the Hook
People love rules for two reasons. First, they want clear guidelines on what they need to do to be in good standing, and therefore, off the hook. Second, as rule followers, they want a high perch from which to look down and criticize others who, by their measure, do not follow the rules. In Matthew,…
If Your Brother Sins
When Jesus said to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,” it is usually misunderstood as the gift of personal power, as though Peter is himself invested with divine authority. (Matthew 16:19) This is an incorrect reading. The keys entrusted to Peter are the words handed down to the church…
The Boot of Caesar
When you see George Floyd under the boot of Caesar, you must hear the words of Scripture: “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” (Galatians 3:1) All of you were, “standing at a distance, seeing these things.” (Luke 23:49) Do you not know that, “God…