"Children" podcast
Showing posts with label Mark 10:2-16. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mark 10:2-16. Show all posts
10/03/2021
Children - Mark 10:2-16 - Pentecost 20 - World Communion Sunday - 10-3-21
"Children" podcast
10/07/2018
Children
Sermon podcast from today, World Communion Sunday, at St. Paul's UCC in Downers Grove, IL. Mark 10:2-17
video sermon preview
"Children" podcast
video sermon preview
"Children" podcast
10/05/2012
Marriage
This week's Bible reflection (Whoa) has a little bit of heat to it. And it's just the beginning part of Sunday's "Yep -- goin' there" sermon at St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Downers Grove, IL.
"Marriage" text
"Marriage" podcast
"Marriage" text
"Marriage" podcast
10/01/2012
Whoa.
If you’re reading this week’s Bible passage from Mark 10:2-16, you can’t miss it. Jesus stepped into the whole divorce thing.
This is one of those oft-abused bits in the Bible. Why are folks so giddy about using the Bible to cut people down?
It looks as if Jesus took the Pharisees' bait. It looks as if he even took things further. Could it be that Jesus kicked someone hurting from the pain of divorce when they were down?
I hope not.
In Palestine at the time Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, Jewish men held all the cards. When it came to divorce, they made the rules. The Pharisees debated the rules and under what circumstances divorce was legal, but the men still were the ones who did the divorcing. Women had no power in the situation. The Pharisees brought Jesus a question that was a trap. He couldn't answer it without angering some.
So Jesus did “the Jesus thing:” He asked them what the law of Moses said. Then he answered a different question -- without dealing with the legality of things. Jesus talked about love and unity in marriage. He talked about it in equal terms with men and women.
Yes. Equal terms even though the rules showed that things were anything but equal. Jesus talked about marriage and divorce with men and women on equal terms!
And he didn’t stop there. He spoke about men and women in equal terms – and he talked the same way about children! Jesus said that children were valuable.
Jesus took the trap and showed the Pharisees and the disciples that marriage was intended to build up both of the people in the marriage. He showed the Pharisees and the disciples that their rules caused trouble when they sought to use them to grasp power and cut down someone else.
I don't think Jesus ever intended us to take this Bible reading and shun or chastise people who have suffered through abuse or who have lived through divorce after failed marriages. I don’t think that the Bible should ever be used to shun or exploit or cut down or in any way make a person feel less than. I do think that Jesus wanted married couples to take their vows seriously and to live their lives loving each other and living at peace with one another.
Jesus considers everyone worthwhile. No one is unimportant. Everyone is valuable. No one is better than another -- and everyone, deserves to be treated with equal respect and love.
This is one of those oft-abused bits in the Bible. Why are folks so giddy about using the Bible to cut people down?
It looks as if Jesus took the Pharisees' bait. It looks as if he even took things further. Could it be that Jesus kicked someone hurting from the pain of divorce when they were down?
I hope not.
In Palestine at the time Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, Jewish men held all the cards. When it came to divorce, they made the rules. The Pharisees debated the rules and under what circumstances divorce was legal, but the men still were the ones who did the divorcing. Women had no power in the situation. The Pharisees brought Jesus a question that was a trap. He couldn't answer it without angering some.
So Jesus did “the Jesus thing:” He asked them what the law of Moses said. Then he answered a different question -- without dealing with the legality of things. Jesus talked about love and unity in marriage. He talked about it in equal terms with men and women.
Yes. Equal terms even though the rules showed that things were anything but equal. Jesus talked about marriage and divorce with men and women on equal terms!
And he didn’t stop there. He spoke about men and women in equal terms – and he talked the same way about children! Jesus said that children were valuable.
Jesus took the trap and showed the Pharisees and the disciples that marriage was intended to build up both of the people in the marriage. He showed the Pharisees and the disciples that their rules caused trouble when they sought to use them to grasp power and cut down someone else.
I don't think Jesus ever intended us to take this Bible reading and shun or chastise people who have suffered through abuse or who have lived through divorce after failed marriages. I don’t think that the Bible should ever be used to shun or exploit or cut down or in any way make a person feel less than. I do think that Jesus wanted married couples to take their vows seriously and to live their lives loving each other and living at peace with one another.
Jesus considers everyone worthwhile. No one is unimportant. Everyone is valuable. No one is better than another -- and everyone, deserves to be treated with equal respect and love.
10/03/2009
Children
This week's Bible study blog entry for i.ucc (Scriptural Abuse) really gets things rolling. It's a big part of the beginning of this week's sermon at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in Somonauk, Illinois.
"Children" text
"Children" podcast
"Children" text
"Children" podcast
9/27/2009
Scriptural Abuse
Here's this week's Bible study blog entry for i.ucc:
Why do we use the Bible to cut people down?
It’s too easy to look at the first part of this week’s reading from Mark 10:2-16 and think, Wow – Jesus hates divorced people!
Context is REALLY important here, however.
In Palestine at the time Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, divorce was all about what the man wanted and what the man did to make the divorce happen. Women had no power in the situation. The Pharisees brought Jesus a question that was a trap. He couldn't answer it without angering some.
So he angered some. He asked them what the law of Moses said. Then he answered a different question -- without dealing with the legality of things. Jesus talked about the ideal for marriage. He talked about it in equal terms with men and women.
Equal terms.
Equal terms in marriage and divorce – and the equality of children with adults. Jesus took the trap and showed the Pharisees and the disciples that marriage was intended to build up both of the people in the marriage. He showed the Pharisees and the disciples that their rules caused trouble when they sought to use them to take power and persecute someone else.
I don't think Jesus ever intended us to take this passage of scripture and shun or chastise people who have suffered through abuse or who have lived through divorce after failed marriages. I do think that Jesus wanted married couples to take their vows seriously and to live their lives loving each other and living at peace with one another.
No one is unimportant. Everyone is valuable.
And we all must stop scriptural abuse.
Why do we use the Bible to cut people down?
It’s too easy to look at the first part of this week’s reading from Mark 10:2-16 and think, Wow – Jesus hates divorced people!
Context is REALLY important here, however.
In Palestine at the time Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, divorce was all about what the man wanted and what the man did to make the divorce happen. Women had no power in the situation. The Pharisees brought Jesus a question that was a trap. He couldn't answer it without angering some.
So he angered some. He asked them what the law of Moses said. Then he answered a different question -- without dealing with the legality of things. Jesus talked about the ideal for marriage. He talked about it in equal terms with men and women.
Equal terms.
Equal terms in marriage and divorce – and the equality of children with adults. Jesus took the trap and showed the Pharisees and the disciples that marriage was intended to build up both of the people in the marriage. He showed the Pharisees and the disciples that their rules caused trouble when they sought to use them to take power and persecute someone else.
I don't think Jesus ever intended us to take this passage of scripture and shun or chastise people who have suffered through abuse or who have lived through divorce after failed marriages. I do think that Jesus wanted married couples to take their vows seriously and to live their lives loving each other and living at peace with one another.
No one is unimportant. Everyone is valuable.
And we all must stop scriptural abuse.
10/07/2006
Status too
I took this week's blog entry for i.ucc and expanded it into a sermon for tomorrow morning. Want an early look?
*****
Update: If you look now it won't be early anymore -- but rather later. However, you can listen to it instead of reading! (or in addition too -- as there are differences in the written and spoken versions!)
In case you're wondering, here is the full title of the sermon: "Jesus Changes Everything: Status"
*****
Update: If you look now it won't be early anymore -- but rather later. However, you can listen to it instead of reading! (or in addition too -- as there are differences in the written and spoken versions!)
In case you're wondering, here is the full title of the sermon: "Jesus Changes Everything: Status"
10/02/2006
Status
This week's blog entry for the "Opening the Bible" blog at i.ucc focuses on one of the "terror texts" that is so often abused. It covers Jesus' teaching about divorce from Mark 10:2-16. This week's entry is called "Status"
Right in the middle of this week's reading from Mark (10:2-16) I found another of those oft-abused passages of scripture. Why do we use the Bible to cut people down?
On a first reading of this week's passage from Mark 10:2-16, it's easy to think, "Jesus stepped in it now! He took the Pharisee's bait and then even took thinks further. He kicked someone hurting from the pain of divorce when they were down.
And then it's time to dig deeper.
In Palestine at the time Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, Jewish men held all the cards. When it came to divorce, they made the rules. The pharisees debated the rules and when divorce was legal, but the men still were the ones who did the divorcing. Women had no power in the situation. The pharisees brought Jesus a question that was a trap. He couldn't answer it without angering some.
I love the stories where Jesus gets to find the answer that leaves them speechless, however. He asked them what the law of Moses said. Then he answered a different question -- without dealing with the legality of things, (The rules for the "hard-hearted") Jesus talked about the ideal for marriage. He talked about it in equal terms with men and women.
What? Equal terms? That can't be! Jesus lived in a time where women had no power or status. How could he talk about marriage and divorce with men and women on equal terms?
Well, he did. And not only with marriage and divorce, but with children too. He talked about them as being very valuable. Jesus took the trap and showed the pharisees and the disciples that marriage was intended to build up both of the people in the marriage. He showed the pharisees and the disciples that their rules caused trouble when they sought to use them to take power and persecute someone else.
I don't think Jesus ever intended us to take this passage of scripture and shun or chastise people who have suffered through abuse or who have lived through divorce after failed marriages. I do think that Jesus wanted married couples to take their vows seriously and to live their lives loving each other and living at peace with one another.
This passage shows that Jesus considers everyone worthwhile. No one is unimportant. Everyone is valuable. No one is better than another -- and everyone, as God's children, has the same status.
Right in the middle of this week's reading from Mark (10:2-16) I found another of those oft-abused passages of scripture. Why do we use the Bible to cut people down?
On a first reading of this week's passage from Mark 10:2-16, it's easy to think, "Jesus stepped in it now! He took the Pharisee's bait and then even took thinks further. He kicked someone hurting from the pain of divorce when they were down.
And then it's time to dig deeper.
In Palestine at the time Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, Jewish men held all the cards. When it came to divorce, they made the rules. The pharisees debated the rules and when divorce was legal, but the men still were the ones who did the divorcing. Women had no power in the situation. The pharisees brought Jesus a question that was a trap. He couldn't answer it without angering some.
I love the stories where Jesus gets to find the answer that leaves them speechless, however. He asked them what the law of Moses said. Then he answered a different question -- without dealing with the legality of things, (The rules for the "hard-hearted") Jesus talked about the ideal for marriage. He talked about it in equal terms with men and women.
What? Equal terms? That can't be! Jesus lived in a time where women had no power or status. How could he talk about marriage and divorce with men and women on equal terms?
Well, he did. And not only with marriage and divorce, but with children too. He talked about them as being very valuable. Jesus took the trap and showed the pharisees and the disciples that marriage was intended to build up both of the people in the marriage. He showed the pharisees and the disciples that their rules caused trouble when they sought to use them to take power and persecute someone else.
I don't think Jesus ever intended us to take this passage of scripture and shun or chastise people who have suffered through abuse or who have lived through divorce after failed marriages. I do think that Jesus wanted married couples to take their vows seriously and to live their lives loving each other and living at peace with one another.
This passage shows that Jesus considers everyone worthwhile. No one is unimportant. Everyone is valuable. No one is better than another -- and everyone, as God's children, has the same status.
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