I was surprised as I listened to Matthew 8-12 that I really wasn't as engrossed as I was with the first chapters--even the begats. (Even though in the ESV it is "the father of...")
But there were a few things that hit me. It seems that everyone is afraid of Jesus. We seem to have missed that with "Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild." There really isn't very much that scares us about Jesus. Have we domesticated him that much? Turned him into a "Mr. Rogers Wantabe?"
I was also struck by the variation in the stories. Take the Gerasene demoniac--only here it is the Gadarenes demoniacs. There are two of them! And later there are two blind men! Somehow that little tidbit had always escaped me. Did Jesus wipe out two different herds of pigs, or did Matthew change the story? And if so, why? (Hey, I am just listening and then reading the story here!)
It is also apparent that Jesus doesn't like religious people very much! He says better things about the outcasts, those "outside the law" than he does about the Pharisees, the other religious folk. That really gives me pause! I/we are those religious folk, and yet Jesus says that we are missing the boat! Things will be better off for the folks of Sodom! And that didn't turn out very well!
Sorta makes me wonder if I want to listen to any more!
What are you hearing, learning? Leave your thoughts!
2 comments:
I was struck, too, by how much Jesus frightened people, and how harsh he comes across so often. Yesterday he talked a lot about trees being cut down, chaff being thrown into the fire and such, then today it's people being left in outer darkness or ending up worse off than the folks in Sodom! We definitely water down the Bible, and no wonder -- it has teeth!
The other thing I notice about today's section, though, is how busy Jesus is healing people and casting out demons, and how he has compassion on people outside the normal religious circles -- the Roman centurion, the woman with the issue of blood, the tax collectors and "sinners" (Aren't we all?). You're right, his harshest words were reserved for the highly religious folk.
I'm glad you're doing this, Don! I hope more people will join in the discussion.
I think I was actually more interested in this section because it went against the grain. The problem with this journey/ listening activity is that it forces you to actually listen to the parts of the bible that you would generally skip over. For instance- when Jesus encourages a man to leave his father before burying him! Or when Jesus continually threatens the fate of Sodom to people! If I were just reading, I would skim over and ignore this- because its not easy to hear. This, however, makes you stop and think- well, can I just throw out Matthew in order to maintain my image of Christ as a loving, endlessly forgiving person? Or do I throw out my image and form a "Jesus didn't Tap", let's remember how tough he was, image? (You should check out the Jesus didn't Tap fad). Or is there something in the middle that I need to consider?
It's a tough section. I'm not gonna lie, I think I'll be really happy when Matthew is over.
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