Hi!
I’ve been thinking that it would be a good idea to introduce ourselves, detail our religious backgrounds, and say why we wanted to do this over the summer.
So, to start off, my name is Marlene Morgan, and I will be a junior this Fall, having taken this past year off to work and live on the Navajo reservation. I’m still living in Arizona, working for a Navajo group down here called Black Mesa Water Coalition, which is a grassroots environmental justice organization.
I grew Methodist and Presbyterian (my parents switched about halfway through my childhood) which are fairly similar Protestant denominations at this point, although Presbyterians believe in predetermination. Since college I have alternated between being Christian and not. It is hard for me to accept a lot of the teachings of Christianity, although I have always appreciated the charitable aspects of the religion.
I think this will give me a really good chance to rethink Christianity, and also to put together a lot of the pieces of Christianity I’ve encountered since early childhood. Actually, reading Matthew already felt a bit nostalgic for me because I can remember learning about small parts (for instance- the Mustard Seed parable) at different times as a kid, and can remember what I thought about it then.
A section I found interesting was 5:25-26. In my Bible it goes:
Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
This passage starts out as another teaching about being kind and forgiving even to your enemies (as he talks about in chapters before and after), but morphs into something else- very practical advice about how to stay out of jail in a country with unfair penal laws. I think Jesus is pointing out the practicality of his teachings- loving your enemies is ultimately good for you. I’m not sure if I like that he does this- I don’t know if I want Jesus to stoop to this, or if I want him to say love your enemies against all reason, even if it leads to your death, because it is the right thing to do. I feel like he shouldn’t be stooping to our selfishness, even if winning people over with this will maybe eventually pull them onto a less selfish path. Did you all read this differently? What do you think about Jesus being so practical about human nature?
There are also places where he really is not at all practical or flexible. The Bible is very clear on divorce in Matthew- it is the same as committing adultery. It is also clear on adulterous thought- that whatever part of the body is the cause of having the thoughts should be cut off (or, in the case of eyes, gouged out!). I find this interesting because I tend to think of morality more in terms of actions, and not in thoughts. I think, especially in the case of adultery, the victory maybe lies more in preventing the action- that it is overcoming the thoughts about committing adultery where we prove ourselves to be moral beings. I also feel that this is how I read the golden rule- do onto others… etc. – it does not mention thought. Perhaps thought is prohibited because it can lead to action, or it could just be that the thought is immoral in itself, without regard to consequences. Again, curious to hear your thoughts here.
I find the conflict between Jesus’s humility and his desire to spread God’s word interesting. Jesus often tells the people he has just performed miracles on to not tell anyone, presumably because he does not want to be showy about his relationship with God. He often performs miracles in front of large groups, however, and he is angry at the towns that do not believe in God after Jesus has performed many miracles in those towns (12:20-24). It seems that this is something Christians struggle with today. How do you be both modest about your relationship with God (one of the passages in Matthew mentions that you should not pray loudly or in front of others) while also letting people know about the amazing things that God has done in your life? It’s a hard line to walk, even for those that don’t perform miracles. It’s interesting to see Jesus struggling with it.
I also am surprised at some of Jesus’s language. It’s much harsher than I expected (13:36- 43) (13:47- 52). And some things that he does seem so unnecessary, as in when he curses the fig tree that does not bear fruit (21:18-21).
I liked how Jesus’s support always seemed to come from the people. Even when leaders wanted to criticize Jesus or John the Baptist, they often had to hold their tongues or actions because they were wary of the wrath of the people. It’s nice to know that there is always power in those that don’t seem to have power.
Finally, there were some passages that I just didn’t understand the meaning of at all. For instance, 7:6- Do not give dogs what is sacred, do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under your feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. 8:22- But Jesus told him “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” (Is he saying that non- Christians are dead? That seems too harsh.) There were several others. I’m thinking about buying the Oxford Bible, which offers background on dated references that might make parts of the Bible very confusing.
