Category: The Bible as Literature

When we refer to an interpretation or discuss interpretation theories, we do so to claim authority over the text or to avoid accountability. A written text in any language says what it says. You need only see with your eyes what is written on the pages. Note the use of the plural: “pages.” You have…

It’s tempting to think that the study of literature—the discipline of hearing and understanding the written word—is more accessible than the so-called “hard sciences.” Our collective laziness bolsters this ill-conceived but commonly held view. Unlike Semitic languages, anyone can pronounce English words correctly without analyzing grammar or syntax. This basic fact enables an army of…

It is practically impossible for human beings to consider any question without worrying about what’s in it for them. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for us, the Lord’s teaching in Matthew disallows this question. Jesus blows past the many anxious and self-involved human questions to posit the post-apocalyptic, divine premise of Genesis: everything created is already returning…

Heralding his Father’s Kingdom, Jesus bookends the conquest of Jerusalem in Matthew with the same words that announced his entrance: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Ending this section with a warning: “from now on you will not see me until you say” Matthew’s gospel extends God’s mercy to Jerusalem…

Whether fighting for your values or fighting for justice, Matthew’s gospel begs the question: who are you fighting? In human narratives—egotistical by nature—you are the good guy, fighting your enemy. This compelling personal narrative, born of ego and shaped by your experience, is a rejection of God. In Scripture, you, yourself, are the Lord’s enemy….

Ancestor worship is as old as dirt. Whether we lift up our ancestors or condemn them, our true concern is how others see us and what our children will think of us. We pontificate about being on “the right side of history” because we want to be right, even as the Prophets announce the condemnation…

In Ezekiel 13, the prophet warns against those who speak their own words, the inspiration of their own thoughts, from their own heart. Such prophets, Ezekiel warns, spread lies and build whitewashed walls; the Lord is against them, he proclaims, and the work of their hands will surely fall. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew…

The benefit of following a lectionary is that it forces those in church to hear the assigned reading with no regard for who is present, how they sin, or what they prefer to hear. If they are present, the judgment of the reading applies to them. Period. Full stop. When we deceive ourselves, picking and…

Be they religious or philosophical, human systems of thought seek to discern what is good and what is evil. The Gospel of Matthew dynamites this approach by usurping human power structures and dismantling human ethics, replacing both with God’s divine judgment, firmly seated outside our control and beyond our understanding. Richard and Fr. Marc discuss…

Following the Old Testament’s line, which sets Israel apart to demonstrate that Israel is no better, Matthew’s condemnation of the Scribes and Pharisees consolidates the Bible’s rejection of exceptionalism. Where nations, religions, institutions, social groupings, and even families scramble to proclaim, “become like us,” resoundingly, the biblical writers warn everyone, “do not become like us!”…