STUMBLING BLOCKS (38 OF 49)
Scripture: Mark 9:38-50
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Stumbling Blocks (38 of 49)
Lectionary, Year B
Christopher B. Harbin
Mark 9:38-50
''Off with her head!'' My household would readily associate such words with Lewis Carroll's Queen of Hearts. We immediately consider her as evil, as hateful. She is isolated from reality, even the reality of a world of fantasy accessed through a mirror. She is obsessed with self. She has no consideration for anyone. She can easily issue death sentences for she has no outward concern to spare. She is all that matters within her realm. All else exists only to advance her self-interests. And yet, we hold the same preoccupation when we write others off as unworthy of our fellowship. Jesus never considered others as worthless, and yet figures like John Calvin loom all too large in church history while dispensing the same condemning attitudes. Why do we continue to erect stumbling blocks in the path of our fellowship with Christ and one another?
Jesus is sometimes difficult to understand. That was as true for the disciples as it is for us. Perhaps we have a more difficult time in certain respects, for we are far removed from the language, culture, and time in which Jesus taught. On the other hand, we are more familiar with Jesus' words than the disciples who were hearing him for the very first time. They had problems making sense of Jesus' words as do we, especially as they come to us through the centuries and translation. One tool we have at our disposal that we often overlook is the context of the narrative surrounding Jesus' words. We tend to jump right past context as irrelevant.
Jesus had just been teaching about welcoming him as one receives a toddler. This had come in response to their arguments about power and prominence. Then John called Jesus' attention to a man whom they had tried to stop from claiming Jesus' authority to expel demons. After all, only those who were part of Jesus' band should be wielding Jesus' name and authority to perform such works of God's redem ...
Lectionary, Year B
Christopher B. Harbin
Mark 9:38-50
''Off with her head!'' My household would readily associate such words with Lewis Carroll's Queen of Hearts. We immediately consider her as evil, as hateful. She is isolated from reality, even the reality of a world of fantasy accessed through a mirror. She is obsessed with self. She has no consideration for anyone. She can easily issue death sentences for she has no outward concern to spare. She is all that matters within her realm. All else exists only to advance her self-interests. And yet, we hold the same preoccupation when we write others off as unworthy of our fellowship. Jesus never considered others as worthless, and yet figures like John Calvin loom all too large in church history while dispensing the same condemning attitudes. Why do we continue to erect stumbling blocks in the path of our fellowship with Christ and one another?
Jesus is sometimes difficult to understand. That was as true for the disciples as it is for us. Perhaps we have a more difficult time in certain respects, for we are far removed from the language, culture, and time in which Jesus taught. On the other hand, we are more familiar with Jesus' words than the disciples who were hearing him for the very first time. They had problems making sense of Jesus' words as do we, especially as they come to us through the centuries and translation. One tool we have at our disposal that we often overlook is the context of the narrative surrounding Jesus' words. We tend to jump right past context as irrelevant.
Jesus had just been teaching about welcoming him as one receives a toddler. This had come in response to their arguments about power and prominence. Then John called Jesus' attention to a man whom they had tried to stop from claiming Jesus' authority to expel demons. After all, only those who were part of Jesus' band should be wielding Jesus' name and authority to perform such works of God's redem ...
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