A Son of Abraham
Christopher B. Harbin
Luke 19:1-10
We don't always focus on the important issues in a text. We may be too focused on visual aspects that capture the imagination of a child. The important factors may take us far beyond the mental images that capture our attention to stories as children. Simply because we have heard and read stories from childhood does not necessarily mean we understand them. What do we do when we come face to face with the deeper meaning and message of a text we have classified safely as a children's story?
As a seminary professor and missionary in Brazil, I learned a lot from my students. They did not necessarily teach me a lot about the Bible, but they opened my eyes to issues, perspectives, and contexts I would not likely have dealt with on my own. At times they challenged me to review my understanding of the Scriptures, even if that did not mean fully embracing another's position. They called me to assess some of the cultural baggage attached to my understanding of Scripture, even as I called on them to do the same in their context.
One such student was Lindemann. He was of German Lutheran background and brought some varied perspectives to class. He embraced the notion that Jesus' command to the rich young ruler applied directly to all of us. He believed we should sell all our belonging, give the proceeds to the poor, and only then might we follow Jesus. What was a command to one person in one context of life was to him a command for all those who would follow Jesus as disciples. That is why he had given up his real estate business and come to seminary later in life, seeking to be faithful to Jesus. To back up his position, he had scoured the Scriptures for all sorts of passages with similar instructions about wealth and poverty.
Other students at the seminary asked me to deal with Lindemann, as they figured he was pushing the theme too far, trying to force a specific, contextual, instruction to cover a much broa ...
Christopher B. Harbin
Luke 19:1-10
We don't always focus on the important issues in a text. We may be too focused on visual aspects that capture the imagination of a child. The important factors may take us far beyond the mental images that capture our attention to stories as children. Simply because we have heard and read stories from childhood does not necessarily mean we understand them. What do we do when we come face to face with the deeper meaning and message of a text we have classified safely as a children's story?
As a seminary professor and missionary in Brazil, I learned a lot from my students. They did not necessarily teach me a lot about the Bible, but they opened my eyes to issues, perspectives, and contexts I would not likely have dealt with on my own. At times they challenged me to review my understanding of the Scriptures, even if that did not mean fully embracing another's position. They called me to assess some of the cultural baggage attached to my understanding of Scripture, even as I called on them to do the same in their context.
One such student was Lindemann. He was of German Lutheran background and brought some varied perspectives to class. He embraced the notion that Jesus' command to the rich young ruler applied directly to all of us. He believed we should sell all our belonging, give the proceeds to the poor, and only then might we follow Jesus. What was a command to one person in one context of life was to him a command for all those who would follow Jesus as disciples. That is why he had given up his real estate business and come to seminary later in life, seeking to be faithful to Jesus. To back up his position, he had scoured the Scriptures for all sorts of passages with similar instructions about wealth and poverty.
Other students at the seminary asked me to deal with Lindemann, as they figured he was pushing the theme too far, trying to force a specific, contextual, instruction to cover a much broa ...
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