Law and Grace
Bob Wickizer
Job 1-2:1-10
Every now and then I write a perfectly good sermon on Thursday and then something happens that turns the world upside down. Friday morning I was greeted with the news of yet another grizzly school shooting where some deranged person opens fire this time on college students. Our hearts go out to all the victims and families. We are becoming numb to the tragic news with young people dying to senseless killings at an average rate of one person every day.
I could make a plea for sensible laws and background checks and I think we need to tighten that whole supply side up but we all know that all the laws in the world will not stop a determined person. Laws will only reduce the killing rate. Maybe we could get back to only one victim every ten days. But there is one commonality here between this issue of the laws today and the laws in the days of Jesus.
Today we have one of those challenging gospel texts where most people respond in a deeply personal way either puzzled, ashamed, angry or sad. Some who have no intention of ever being married look at this and ask ''What's the big deal?'' Those who have been divorced hear Jesus' words and sometimes respond with a sense of guilt or shame. Still others who might have been on the short end of the divorce stick may respond with anger. And those who have had their parents divorce may recall those difficult times in their lives and respond with sadness. These are valid personal responses to very difficult situations but after working with this text, I don't think Jesus ever intended to stir up difficult feelings among those affected by divorce. In fact, I don't think this is a teaching about divorce at all.
To cut right to the heart of it, Jesus is not addressing the issue of divorce but with these references to the creation stories of Genesis, he is raising the question to the Pharisees of why God gave the law in the first place and who does the law protect.
Just prior ...
Bob Wickizer
Job 1-2:1-10
Every now and then I write a perfectly good sermon on Thursday and then something happens that turns the world upside down. Friday morning I was greeted with the news of yet another grizzly school shooting where some deranged person opens fire this time on college students. Our hearts go out to all the victims and families. We are becoming numb to the tragic news with young people dying to senseless killings at an average rate of one person every day.
I could make a plea for sensible laws and background checks and I think we need to tighten that whole supply side up but we all know that all the laws in the world will not stop a determined person. Laws will only reduce the killing rate. Maybe we could get back to only one victim every ten days. But there is one commonality here between this issue of the laws today and the laws in the days of Jesus.
Today we have one of those challenging gospel texts where most people respond in a deeply personal way either puzzled, ashamed, angry or sad. Some who have no intention of ever being married look at this and ask ''What's the big deal?'' Those who have been divorced hear Jesus' words and sometimes respond with a sense of guilt or shame. Still others who might have been on the short end of the divorce stick may respond with anger. And those who have had their parents divorce may recall those difficult times in their lives and respond with sadness. These are valid personal responses to very difficult situations but after working with this text, I don't think Jesus ever intended to stir up difficult feelings among those affected by divorce. In fact, I don't think this is a teaching about divorce at all.
To cut right to the heart of it, Jesus is not addressing the issue of divorce but with these references to the creation stories of Genesis, he is raising the question to the Pharisees of why God gave the law in the first place and who does the law protect.
Just prior ...
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