It has been a long and tiring week, and a couple of times I've been tempted to skip the Bible Study for the evening. But I've done the reading and reflection every night. Many of my postings are short and, at least to me, do not seem to have much "meat." However, as I've said before, these were never meant to be more than conversation starters. It is sometimes discouraging that there hasn't been much conversation around the Lambeth Bible Study. On the other hand, I've also been re-learning that great revelations and profound insights are not an everyday occurrence when doing bible study--especially when doing it every day. It will be interesting to look back on these, oh, say a year from now, and see how what I wrote strikes me differently--or if it strikes me at all.
If you encounter a burning bush every day, it ceases to be an important and significant event.
Today some of the blogs I read regularly have pointed out the poisonous nature of some of the posts, and a majority of the comments by some conservatives, especially on one particular blog site--Stand Firm in Faith. One of the commentaries on the subject is by Mark Harris. Father Jake (here and here) and Susan Russell have also written on the subject.
This evening I had a bit of an "aha" moment while reading the scheduled passage. I finally realized why Jesus, as portrayed in John's Gospel, has been annoying me over the past couple of weeks. Things came together after first reading this comment on Mark Harris' Preludium:
Instead we got repetition of the canard. No evidence. No example. The the broad and repeated claim that the people who disagree with you don't believe in sin.These have become the stock in trade of the "conservative." Why discuss the issue at hand when you can write off anyone who disagrees with a few choice epithets and an accusation of a heresy or two.Then came this line from Jesus in tonight's Gospel passage:
Essentially, Jesus is saying anyone who disagrees with him is evil. This evening, that sounds very much like the commentors (and some of the writers) at Stand Firm: "If you don't agree with me, then you are evil, a sinner, and doomed to hell." Not everyone who questioned Jesus was wrong. Take, for example, the Canaanite/ Syrophoenician woman in Matthew (15:21-38) and Mark (7:24-30).Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father's desires. (8:43-44)
The reason you do not hear them [the words] is that you are not from God. (8:47)
Doubt and questions are NOT the opposite of faith or belief in Jesus.
Peace,
Jeffri
There is a slight difference between what Jesus said and the constant repetitions of the "conservatives." Specifically, there is nothing in the scriptural account to suggest that Jesus was lying about what the others had said.
ReplyDeleteI am the author of the particular comment you quoted. Feel free to come visit at simplemassingpriest.blogspot.com
Hi, Malcolm,
ReplyDeleteI quoted your comment because it crystallized for me how I was feeling about this particular chapter of John's Gospel. Yes, there is a difference between what Jesus is saying and the conservatives. But what I was getting at was how Jesus in this particular chapter struck me at this particular time in my encounter with the Gospel.
If you've looked at the posts for the past week, you can see I've been having difficulty with this chapter at this time. I'm glad it's done and the Reading Plan is moving on.
I believe we can only approach the Gospel from where we are today. The way I encounter it today will be different from yesterday's encounter and from tomorrow's. The next time I study this passage, I will probably have a completely different take on it, and it might even make sense to me.
Peace,
Jeffri