Thursday, July 16

Today’s Readings: Psalm 55; 2 Samuel 1:17-27; Mark 4:21-32; Ephesians 4:17-24; Psalm 127

It is extremely easy to many of us to read Scripture and read it primarily with our own particular interests in mind. Take today’s passage from 2 Samuel, for example. There are many in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community that suggest that the words attributed to David in his lament for Jonathan would suggest David was either bisexual or gay. “After all,” they would say, “the text tells us David said: ‘I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother, you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women” (2 Samuel 1:26 from The New International Version). While the text is clearly an expression of love felt by one man toward another man, I’m not sure we can exactly equate that love with our modern notion of bisexuality or homosexuality. I would be the first to admit I can understand the desire to do so. That’s because as a gay man I’ve had the Bible used as a weapon against me many times. The thought of being able to take a biblical story and use it in my favor is certainly very appealing. The challenge for me, however, is to remind myself that the sacred writings/stories of our faith weren’t created to be about us; rather, I believe they were created to draw us into relationship with something larger than ourselves and our circumstance. Perhaps you have been in a situation or life-circumstance where you felt tempted to use the sacred words of our faith tradition primarily either as a weapon against someone or a means of defense against an aggressor. If that’s the case, take a step back and ask yourself: “What is the purpose of the sacred narratives in my life?” A little honest soul-searching in response to that question might change the way you experience Scripture from this point forward. Til next time…