Today’s Readings: Psalm 103; Exodus 13:17-14:4; Luke 13:10-17; Romans 12:9-13; Psalm 6
Lots of spiritual leaders will bemoan the fact that people in their spiritual communities don’t view the sacred writings of their tradition as important to their spiritual journeys. I’m not one for simply complaining about things like this; instead, I like to put the energies that others would invest into complaining into trying to create solutions. Because of this tendency, I started asking myself early in my ministry, “Why don’t people see the Bible as a valuable spiritual resource?” A part of my answer was that people don’t appreciate the value of the Bible because of the radically different worldviews that exist between the world the sacred writings were written in and the world in which we live today. So I’ve spent a great deal of time and energy trying to provide tools that could help folks bridge the gap between the two worlds. One tool that I’ve used in the process is Eugene’s Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible titled The Message. Today’s Gospel reading provides a good example of how his paraphrase does that. You see many modern folks wrestle with the notion of Jesus’ healings because the healings put their modern worldview (where everything is explainable through reason and science) in contrast with a pre-modern worldview (where there was room in life for mystery and supernaturalism). Most of the early translations of Scripture talk about the woman’s condition in a very absolute terms – in ways that are a barrier for our modern minds. The King James Version, for instance, says the woman “had a spirit of infirmity” while the New Revised Standard Version says the woman had “a spirit that had crippled her”. Peterson’s paraphrasing, on the other hand, says the woman was “twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up”. Here’s how Peterson’s approach can be helpful bridging the gap between the modern and pre-modern worlds. When most modern folks hear the King James Version or the New Revised Standard Version, they encounter the word “spirit” and immediately think of the story only in supernatural terms. Consequently, their minds cause them to check out from the story on some levels. When you hear the woman described as being twisted and bent – it creates a different feel toward the story. You may not be afflicted with exactly the same condition as the woman (arthritis) but the words “twisted and bent” invite you to consider the ways in which you are twisted and bent. For instance you might be twisted and bent in terms of your values or priorities, or you might be twisted and bent in terms of your outlook (self-centered rather than God-centered). No matter how we think of ourselves as being twisted and bent, we share one thing in common with the woman – we often find ourselves contorted into circumstances where we too find it difficult to "look up". When you begin to engage the healing story from such a perspective, it’s much more difficult to walk away from the story for it reminds us of the power of God at work through Jesus that helps straighten us up. Helping people make these sorts of connections is what my call to ministry is all about – helping people understand that each and every aspect of our tradition (including the Bible!) can help take us to new places of insight and growth if only we give them the chance to do so. So today I’ll leave you with one question: “In what ways are you twisted and bent – in what ways are you in need of healing?” Once you figure that out, you can follow the woman’s example and start spending some time near the God of Jesus. As you do so, listen closely for the liberative words of Jesus to come to you: “You’re free!” Those words that may come to you in one of many number of forms will signal your new ability to stand up straight and tall and give glory to God! Til next time…
Lots of spiritual leaders will bemoan the fact that people in their spiritual communities don’t view the sacred writings of their tradition as important to their spiritual journeys. I’m not one for simply complaining about things like this; instead, I like to put the energies that others would invest into complaining into trying to create solutions. Because of this tendency, I started asking myself early in my ministry, “Why don’t people see the Bible as a valuable spiritual resource?” A part of my answer was that people don’t appreciate the value of the Bible because of the radically different worldviews that exist between the world the sacred writings were written in and the world in which we live today. So I’ve spent a great deal of time and energy trying to provide tools that could help folks bridge the gap between the two worlds. One tool that I’ve used in the process is Eugene’s Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible titled The Message. Today’s Gospel reading provides a good example of how his paraphrase does that. You see many modern folks wrestle with the notion of Jesus’ healings because the healings put their modern worldview (where everything is explainable through reason and science) in contrast with a pre-modern worldview (where there was room in life for mystery and supernaturalism). Most of the early translations of Scripture talk about the woman’s condition in a very absolute terms – in ways that are a barrier for our modern minds. The King James Version, for instance, says the woman “had a spirit of infirmity” while the New Revised Standard Version says the woman had “a spirit that had crippled her”. Peterson’s paraphrasing, on the other hand, says the woman was “twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn’t even look up”. Here’s how Peterson’s approach can be helpful bridging the gap between the modern and pre-modern worlds. When most modern folks hear the King James Version or the New Revised Standard Version, they encounter the word “spirit” and immediately think of the story only in supernatural terms. Consequently, their minds cause them to check out from the story on some levels. When you hear the woman described as being twisted and bent – it creates a different feel toward the story. You may not be afflicted with exactly the same condition as the woman (arthritis) but the words “twisted and bent” invite you to consider the ways in which you are twisted and bent. For instance you might be twisted and bent in terms of your values or priorities, or you might be twisted and bent in terms of your outlook (self-centered rather than God-centered). No matter how we think of ourselves as being twisted and bent, we share one thing in common with the woman – we often find ourselves contorted into circumstances where we too find it difficult to "look up". When you begin to engage the healing story from such a perspective, it’s much more difficult to walk away from the story for it reminds us of the power of God at work through Jesus that helps straighten us up. Helping people make these sorts of connections is what my call to ministry is all about – helping people understand that each and every aspect of our tradition (including the Bible!) can help take us to new places of insight and growth if only we give them the chance to do so. So today I’ll leave you with one question: “In what ways are you twisted and bent – in what ways are you in need of healing?” Once you figure that out, you can follow the woman’s example and start spending some time near the God of Jesus. As you do so, listen closely for the liberative words of Jesus to come to you: “You’re free!” Those words that may come to you in one of many number of forms will signal your new ability to stand up straight and tall and give glory to God! Til next time…
No comments:
Post a Comment