Category: The Bible as Literature

On this Christmas Eve, it is important to remember that the birth of Jesus is good news for the poor and the oppressed because it heralds the ascendancy of God’s Law over the tyranny of human authorities. Beginning with David and then Caesar, even now, Jesus the Christ tramples underfoot every pretender to his Father’s…

If any human ability can be said to manifest the power of God, it is our ability to speak. When we speak words, there are only two possibilities: 1. That we are saying something informed and useful, meaning we teach something, or, 2. That our speech is uninformed and unhelpful, and therefore, destructive. For the…

It is genuinely tragic that religion, intended to set our minds on heavenly things, is repeatedly debased by the preoccupation of religious people with worldly things. The biblical story calls us to look past human transience to the things that are eternal—“the things,” Jesus teaches, that pertain “to God.” Meanwhile, the fundamentalists in Matthew are…

If you are happy with the way things are—if you own property, if your business is thriving, if existing social and religious institutions work in your favor, the last thing you want in your town is a prophet. A prophet brings news that God will bring an end to the current situation. A prophet warns…

In a parable seemingly written for our present historical moment, this week’s reading from Matthew dynamites any and all claims made by any and all people on social, moral, economic, civic, legal, or cultural dominance. Pharisees and Herodians—the would-be government of Jerusalem—want to take control away from Caesar’s sitting government, itself a religion organized around…

In the year of our Lord 2020, Matthew’s warning that we are not to judge our neighbor draws a scowl from those who hear it, even as Christians themselves dismiss it. No sooner do we give lip service to this teaching than we scramble to find self-justifying theories that separate us from others. We want…

In Matthew’s gospel, the notion of a guest is a useful metaphor. A guest owns nothing, controls nothing, provides nothing, and can do nothing when the host asks them to leave. If you hate being at the mercy of another, the best way to deal with their invitation is to throw it in the trash….

When human beings seek security and safety, they base their defense on brick and mortar buttressed by a fierce criticism of those they deem unrighteous. What to do when that criticism bounces back like a missile, and your only defense is the stone of instruction, which you rejected? Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 21:40-45….

When Matthew—or any other gospel—applies a text from the Old Testament, that’s exactly what it is: an application of something old to a new situation. The original teaching itself is static, but the way it is used depends on the new situation presented by the author. In the case of Isaiah 5, we know that…

When anyone gathers to accomplish a task, there are plenty of people who express a willingness to help and no shortage of expert opinions about the work itself and how it should be completed. Great. With all this amazing expertise and positive thinking, there should be no trouble completing the task, right? Guess again. One…