Results 81 - 100 of 166
|
||||||
Results from: Notes Author: Just Read Mark Ordered by Date |
||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
81 | Ezra and Family Values? | Ezra 10:3 | Just Read Mark | 118449 | ||
Bloodlines. Hello Angel. Thanks for your post. I agree that is important to see each Bible passage in light of others. While the goal in Ezra is certainly purity, this is understood in racial terms. They were to keep the bloodline pure to prevent the split allegiances that come from marrying pagan partners. (Throughout Chronicles, we see Kings get wrapped up with idolatry through their family ties.... so this rule is not without reason.) As for the explicit concern with race, see how the officials report the situation to Ezra: “For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and their sons. Thus the holy seed has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands, and in this faithlessness the officials and leaders have lead the way.” (Ezra 9:2) The phrase “holy seed” would refer, I think, to Abrahams bloodline. So, this is difficult to hear. Some other questions I have: How are we to understand family, when priveleging ancestral family leads to breaking marriage bonds? Since Ezra takes action regarding Jewish men with gentile wives, what of the Jewish women with gentile husbands? |
||||||
82 | What's Jesus example of borrowing money? | Matt 17:27 | Just Read Mark | 117245 | ||
Or am I being too earnest now? Hank, I can't quite tell in what spirit you post was written. Perhaps it was "light"? Somehow I am falling into the knot of writing a serious note about Jesus' sense of humour .... |
||||||
83 | What's Jesus example of borrowing money? | Matt 17:27 | Just Read Mark | 117241 | ||
O humourless one: The first definition is "one who jokes." While this is contrary to our earnest sense of Jesus, there is some truth to it. I overstated my case for rhetorical effect. My dictionary has the "obnoxious or incompetent" element as U.S. usage. Hmmm..... I don't really care to pursue this.... see my other reply (to Hank). I can really see how this forum can get distracted. JRM |
||||||
84 | What's Jesus example of borrowing money? | Matt 17:27 | Just Read Mark | 117240 | ||
Lighten up. Yikes. How about the content of what I wrote? How about looking at the context? And isn't it clear that I've read the rest, if you look at my posts? One of my gripes about how Jesus is portrayed, is that he is always grim faced and sombre. There are moments of brilliant wit in the gospels, and I love how he can turn an opponent away with a few words. Maybe "joker" was overstated for the sake of making a point? Whatever. I think you are all more offended than my Lord is right now. How about the content of the post, rather than one word? JRM. |
||||||
85 | What's Jesus example of borrowing money? | Matt 17:27 | Just Read Mark | 117232 | ||
I was being a bit silly. But doesn't that bit of the Gospel make you smile? We need to keep some humour in our study of the Bible, cause Jesus is at times a joker too. There is no description of how Jesus dealt with money... We know that he ate at other peoples' homes (like Zacheus), and stayed in peoples homes (like Mary, Lazarus and Martha). We know they kept a purse for giving to the poor, and that the disciples were stressed about the finances of feeding the 5000. Jesus tells a number of stories about shrewd financial managers, encouraging us to be clever and resourceful. (Luke 16 elevates an unjust steward as an example... strange indeed.) The Bible is clear about usury being wrong, which puts our Banks into a difficult place. Jesus maintains this OT sense, suggesting that we loan money without expectation of repayment (not only no interest, but to give it away!) Yikes. Matthew 5:42 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. This last ones casts the borrower as "unthankful and evil." Hmmm.... Sometimes resigning ourselves to poor treatment frees us to be generous despite circumstances -- and then to really appreciate any gratitude we receive. Now, I have a mortgage, and some other debts -- related mostly to my business. I feel OK about it, although it can be a burden. One guideline I have heard Christians use (not Biblical, but thought out), is that it is not OK to borrow for things that depreciate in value (general living expenses, or even a car)... you should live within your means. But if you borrow for something that will INCREASE in value (ie. a house, an education, a business expansion) that is OK. Do I stick to this? Not quite --- my business fluctuates, so at times I borrow to get through a hard cycle. But it is a useful measure, I think. Here is a text I keep in mind: My child, if you have given your pledge to your neighbor, if you have bound yourself to another, you are snared by the utterance of your lips, caught by the words of your mouth. So do this, my child, and save yourself, for you have come into your neighbor's power: go, hurry, and plead with your neighbor. Give your eyes no sleep and your eyelids no slumber; save yourself like a gazelle from the hunter, like a bird from the hand of the fowler. (Proverbs 6:1-5) Yours, JRM |
||||||
86 | can we eat pork? | Acts 10:15 | Just Read Mark | 117053 | ||
Food and conscience. Horray for Christian liberty: that we have freedom to enjoy this world created by a generous God! Let us buy at the market, unless... Unless the food is produced by companies that breach human rights.... or the meat is contaminated with growth hormones that are affecting our health.... or the animals have been kept on low-grade antibiotics, so that antibiotics are becoming ineffective even in human medicine..... The ethical questions around food are a little different now than during Paul's day, perhaps. JRM. |
||||||
87 | "That's just your interpretation."(?) | 2 Tim 2:15 | Just Read Mark | 117052 | ||
What Context? Hi Kalos, Hank, BradK.... I agree, for the most part, with your post. Certainly, we need to look at the context of each passage to understand its sense. This means understanding how it fits in the entire book --- but also how it fits in relation to other books of the Bible. There is, however, another layer of context that is more difficult to handle. This is the historical period: a sense of the culture in which the book is written. Who was the original audience? We need to understand these things to get at the original sense of the words (the objective sense you strive for) ---- the problem is, there are so many questions around these issues. When were the gospels written? What were the various audiences for the gospels? When was Revelation written? In view of the immense genre of apocalyptic writing at the time, how are we to understand the book of Revelation? How did THEY understand it? How did John understand it? If you enter into the research on these matters, they do not resolve themselves readily. At least, not for me! So, while I encourage your sense of reading with context and historicity in mind ---- your take on it is too "positivistic." We need to be aware of the gaps in our knowledge, and admit t them. I wonder why there aren't more evangelicals publishing historical work about scripture? It seems they've left the field to the likes of the Jesus Seminar. But, if we value the approach you outlined in your post, we should NOT give up that terrain. I read some NT Wright earlier this year, and found that I learned SO MUCH from it that I had never learned from other sources. Mostly about the Jewish history between the testaments, and what that might mean for their expectations of redemption. JRM |
||||||
88 | What/Who | Matt 25:30 | Just Read Mark | 115062 | ||
Sure. I agree with all that you've said. But my question is: how do you, as a believer, respond to Jesus' parable? What do you learn from the banished servant? | ||||||
89 | What/Who | Matt 25:30 | Just Read Mark | 114959 | ||
Seeing myself cast out. I know I am a Christian; I can be confident in what Christ has done for me. Still, reading these parables in Matthew is chilling. Too often, I behave like those who are cast out. There is the tension between being saved by faith, and having the vitality of faith to take daily risks for the Lord. "Faith without works is dead..." Searcher - your response seems to say that, if we are believers, we have little to fear from these parables. I don't think our salvation-security should shield us from the point Jesus is clearly making: be vigilent, and serve, or else.... It is also interesting to ponder how Jesus' first hearers might have heard these parables -- without the theology of Paul and the knowledge of the cross. It is also interesting to look at Matthew 7:22 -- where people who believe enough to call Jesus Lord are still rejected for their lawlessness. We might dismiss their apeal to the "Lord" as ingenuine --- but then, perhaps we are being smug. Do we dismiss Christ's parables, saying "these warnings don't apply to Christians like me"? Yours, JRM. |
||||||
90 | Freedom from what? | Luke 4:18 | Just Read Mark | 114792 | ||
Duplicate note | ||||||
91 | Freedom from what? | Luke 4:18 | Just Read Mark | 114791 | ||
Hmmm?why did this appear times? | ||||||
92 | Freedom from what? | Luke 4:18 | Just Read Mark | 114789 | ||
Thanks. It seems we agree perfectly. The reason I mentioned Luke 5 was that Jesus addresses BOTH the physical needs AND the spiritual needs of the paralytic --- indeed, Jesus presents these as inseparable. Sometimes Christians use the "freeing the captives" passage in a way that ignores the call to help people here and now, to work for "shalom." yours JRM |
||||||
93 | Freedom from what? | Luke 4:18 | Just Read Mark | 114790 | ||
Thanks. It seems we agree perfectly. The reason I mentioned Luke 5 was that Jesus addresses BOTH the physical needs AND the spiritual needs of the paralytic --- indeed, Jesus presents these as inseparable. Sometimes Christians use the "freeing the captives" passage in a way that ignores the call to help people here and now, to work for "shalom." yours JRM |
||||||
94 | Freedom from what? | Luke 4:18 | Just Read Mark | 114788 | ||
Thanks. It seems we agree perfectly. The reason I mentioned Luke 5 was that Jesus addresses BOTH the physical needs AND the spiritual needs of the paralytic --- indeed, Jesus presents these as inseparable. Sometimes Christians use the "freeing the captives" passage in a way that ignores the call to help people here and now, to work for "shalom." yours JRM |
||||||
95 | Jesus and the Jubilee Year in Luke | Luke 4:18 | Just Read Mark | 114781 | ||
Prophet in his own country. Emmaus: thanks for the thought provoking post. Not only did Jesus welcome Gentiles to the table, he critiqued the faith of his own community. The transition in the text comes when the Nazarene's wonder, "Is this not Joseph's son?" Perhaps they were feeling a false pride, that this teacher should come from their community. Or perhaps they were discrediting Jesus, knowing that he was "only " one of their own. Either way, they were failing to hear message of Jesus, and he is scathing in his critique toward them. Interesting that this story is recorded in Luke -- the gospel writen by a gentile (also the only gospel to include the Good Samaritan story). JRM. |
||||||
96 | Should we ask God for the gift of tongue | 1 Cor 12:11 | Just Read Mark | 111643 | ||
Amazing Gibberish. Obviously, this is a divisive issue. I am from a mainline denomination, not known for its use of spiritual gifts. I have some friends who are very open to these things, however, and have learned as much as possible. At one service recently --- an event with perhaps 600 worshipping --- one of these friends prayed in his "prayer language," in the context of praying through "Christmas" texts in Isaiah. Driving home, a woman mentioned to another aquaintance of mine, "you guys are always surprising me. How did J. learn to speak an indiginous language from Ethiopia?" So this woman heard the text from Isaiah in her traditional language, from her remote area of Ethiopia. This has been a powerful testimony in her life, and for others as well. To me, it was gibberish. To Jeff, it was an act of trusting God amid sounds he could not understand. To Satan, it was the power of God to minister to a particular person who needed to hear God's word in a fresh way. I am quite stunned by this, happening with people that I know. How do I make sense of this? I think the reasons that the gifts were needed then are the same reason the gifts are needed now. |
||||||
97 | Should we ask God for the gift of tongue | 1 Cor 12:11 | Just Read Mark | 111640 | ||
Amazing Gibberish. Obviously, this is a divisive issue. I am from a mainline denomination, not known for its use of spiritual gifts. I have some friends who are very open to these things, however, and have learned as much as possible. At one service recently --- an event with perhaps 600 worshipping --- one of these friends prayed in his "prayer language," in the context of praying through "Christmas" texts in Isaiah. Driving home, a woman mentioned to another aquaintance of mine, "you guys are always surprising me. How did J. learn to speak an indiginous language from Ethiopia?" So this woman heard the text from Isaiah in her traditional language, from her remote area of Ethiopia. This has been a powerful testimony in her life, and for others as well. To me, it was gibberish. To Jeff, it was an act of trusting God amid sounds he could not understand. To Satan, it was the power of God to minister to a particular person who needed to hear God's word in a fresh way. I am quite stunned by this, happening with people that I know. How do I make sense of this? I think the reasons that the gifts were needed then are the same reason the gifts are needed now. |
||||||
98 | Who really wrote the bible? for a friend | 1 John 1:1 | Just Read Mark | 111207 | ||
God uses human writers. I think you are right: that God used his followers, inspiring them by the Holy Spirit. Other people have posted texts that show the inspired part. (See also Hebrews 4:12) It might also be useful to look at scriptures that show the obedient writing of the faithful. Here are just a few. I would be interested in other scriptures that shed light on the process of inspired writing. Psalm 45:1-3. The talent and skill of the writer, moved by God. Luke 1:1-4. Shows a "historian" researching the testimonies of witnesses. I Corinthian 7:10,12. Paul writes a letter. He makes a distinction between his own instruction, and an instruction from the mouth of Jesus. (Not to say that both are not inspired... it is just interesting that he makes this distinction.) Revelation 1-3. A revelation given to John, being swept up in a visionary experiece, and being told to write it down faithfully. I think it is a beautiful testimony to God's love for humanity, that so many authors were used -- across so many centuries. The result is an eternal Book that shines light onto every experience. |
||||||
99 | Baby Smashing? | Ps 137:9 | Just Read Mark | 111203 | ||
Massacre of the Innocents In terms of Biblical portrayals of killing babies, I think, also, of the "massacre of the innocents," at the beginning of Matthew's gospel (2:16-18). This answers Jeremiah's prophecy, (Jer 31:15.) This violent world, that we still recognize, is the world Christ was born to redeem. *** So, kalos --- how do we link these scripture verses to interpret Psalm 137? |
||||||
100 | Baby Smashing? | Ps 137:9 | Just Read Mark | 111183 | ||
Hi Steve. Thanks for your message. Part of me agrees with what you have said.... Part of me sees things another way. So, humbly, I submit these thoughts: 1) There is more than one category of violence, I guess. Sorry for my original blanket statement. So what kind of violence do we see in verse 9? The kind that "keeps political peace"? 2) The Israelites, surely, were called to different standards than the surrounding cultures. 3) Christians are free to ask for God's vengeance --- but are we to ENACT it? The radical nature of the gospel is that we are to submit, immitating Christ's submission. See the instruction to slaves suffering unjust treatment (1Peter 2:18-23). The Church is built by the blood of its martyrs --- literally and figuratively. It is interesting that the Isaiah text that mentions the smashing of babies has the Medes doing the dirty work (Isaiah 13:17), not God's chosen people. 4) God's judgement must come against nations and individuals alike. With Sodom and Gomorrah, the innocent were evacuated before the destruction. In Canaan, "Rahab the prostitute did not perish with the disobedient" (Hebrews 11:31) Surely, then, the justice of Ezek 18 can still apply. Although, perhaps this wasn't understood at the time Psalm 137 was written? It seems Ezekiel 18 was written as a counterpoint to the interpretation of other scriptures (where descendants are punished for their parents' actions). 5) Certainly, "Jerusalem was where God made his name and presence to dwell". But the exile began to pose some problems for this theology ---- even after the exile, they remained an occupied people. Even with the Maccabean uprising --- the dynasty that followed was far from faithful. Thus, the picture of what the "kingdom of God" should look like never really happened. It is this unfulfilled expectation that adds such drama to Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. As Christians, we depoliticize "Jerusalem", understanding this merging of politics and faith to be about heaven. We are still, of course, politally active --- but "Jerusalem" becomes a symbol of our ultimate home. We can look back at Psalm 137, and see the view of Jerusalem as a distortion of God's plan. (Of course, how could they have known? But how can we read it without hindsight? How do we read without anachronism?) 6) Can you imagine Jesus smashing the baby's heads? A naive (and, again anachronistic) question, but I'll ask it anyway. Yours, JRM |
||||||
Result pages: << First < Prev [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ] Next > Last [9] >> |