Today’s Readings: Psalm 107; Genesis 19:1-17; Matthew 26:57-68; Romans 8:1-8
One of the challenges in engaging scripture is to look at the entirety of a particular story and not just one particular aspect of the story that suits your needs or personal agenda. Today’s story from Genesis is a good example of why it’s important to look at the whole. There are some who have looked at the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah and concluded that the passage is about one – and only one thing: a condemnation of homosexuality. They use a literal interpretation of a portion of the passage to conclude that. Ironically, there is another literal dimension to the passage that many of these same folks leave out; the portion of the story where Lot offers his two virginal daughters to the crowd in an attempt to appease them. Interestingly enough there is no mention of a condemnation of Lot’s offer. Therefore, if you were to draw absolute moral conclusions from the story based upon just a literal reading of the text, you could conclude that such an offer could be considered morally acceptable. I don’t think that’s the case, however. “So what IS the point of the story then?” you might ask. The point is one that carried through all aspects of the story: God’s children are called to live hospitable lives. That point is what motivated Lot to take in the angels/men. That point is what motivated Lot to risk life and limb to protect his guests. That point is what motivated Lot to go to radical lengths in order to appease the surly crowd. In other words: hospitality matters! Ironically many individuals and churches who regularly read the text violate the basic principle of hospitality in the hostile way they treat Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered individuals. In other words, in their passion for a so-called literal reading of the story they completely miss the point of the story. So what can we take from today’s story? Many things. The one I’ll take away today, however, is the importance of not missing the point – not becoming so focused on my own narrow interpretive agenda that I lose sight of what really matters in the larger scheme of things. I hope that’s a lesson that connects for you as well. Til next time…
One of the challenges in engaging scripture is to look at the entirety of a particular story and not just one particular aspect of the story that suits your needs or personal agenda. Today’s story from Genesis is a good example of why it’s important to look at the whole. There are some who have looked at the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah and concluded that the passage is about one – and only one thing: a condemnation of homosexuality. They use a literal interpretation of a portion of the passage to conclude that. Ironically, there is another literal dimension to the passage that many of these same folks leave out; the portion of the story where Lot offers his two virginal daughters to the crowd in an attempt to appease them. Interestingly enough there is no mention of a condemnation of Lot’s offer. Therefore, if you were to draw absolute moral conclusions from the story based upon just a literal reading of the text, you could conclude that such an offer could be considered morally acceptable. I don’t think that’s the case, however. “So what IS the point of the story then?” you might ask. The point is one that carried through all aspects of the story: God’s children are called to live hospitable lives. That point is what motivated Lot to take in the angels/men. That point is what motivated Lot to risk life and limb to protect his guests. That point is what motivated Lot to go to radical lengths in order to appease the surly crowd. In other words: hospitality matters! Ironically many individuals and churches who regularly read the text violate the basic principle of hospitality in the hostile way they treat Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered individuals. In other words, in their passion for a so-called literal reading of the story they completely miss the point of the story. So what can we take from today’s story? Many things. The one I’ll take away today, however, is the importance of not missing the point – not becoming so focused on my own narrow interpretive agenda that I lose sight of what really matters in the larger scheme of things. I hope that’s a lesson that connects for you as well. Til next time…
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