Category: Through the Bible in a Year

Through the Bible in a Year – May 9

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Ruth 1-2; Mark 13; Psalm 13-14

Today we begin the beautiful story of Ruth. Its roots are lost in the mists of time, but it would seem reasonable to presume that it is written with the story of David in view. This beautiful tale is the preface to the tale of the one whose story dominates the Old Testament in so many ways, the story of the one whose life will lead to a hope realised in Christ, The Messiah.

It is a wonderful multi layered tale which speaks across the purity narrative of much of the Old Testament, the narrative which Jesus so clearly undoes in dining with those whom the ‘pure’ will not associate.

Because we are so taken in with this powerful love story, we miss the sub-text. Deep in the Old Testament is laid a subversive tale. David’s line includes a Moabitess. The one who comes ‘to the lost sheep of Israel’ is reminded of his roots – even the dogs get to eat the crumbs . . .

Through the Bible in a Year – May 8

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 20-21; Mark 12; Psalm 11-12

Using the Bible is always a bad idea. It is not a tool to be put to use. We perceive this most clearly in the way so many of us ‘use scripture’ to strengthen our position (something which is always Against the Other), and perhaps fewer texts have been so abused as Mark 12:17.

It is the foundation of two kingdom theology, a theology the early Christians died in their thousands in contradiction of – a theology which now underpins so much of what we call our security. As we have read through Mark we cannot fail to see that our Only security is in this disturbing One.

What is more it is a text which comes out of an attempt to entrap Jesus, the one who says ‘no-one can serve two masters’.

Jesus, note has no money – like so many of those who follow him faithfully as missionaries, he is reliant on the hospitality of the world to find a bed, a home. ‘Bring me a denarius’.

Then comes the point, one which relates directly to the two masters saying – ‘Whose ikon (image) is this? Whose title?” And they answered him, The emperor’s.. “Then give it to him, for the coin belongs to him”

My translation unhelpfully has “whose head is this?” – masking the challenge of the encounter – whose Image does it bear??? Which then says, everything that bears the Emperor’s image belongs to the Emperor – or, that which is stamped with an image belongs to the one who bears that image. [Rev 13.17]

Trying to understand Jesus’ teaching about money without this text in our minds will always fail. As will any who try to live in two kingdoms

It strikes me that the easy aquiescence of almost all Christians to two kingdom theology is at the root of much of the malaise of the church in these days. A kingdom for now, and a heavenly one for when we die. But Jesus’ bids us come and die. This is the meaning of our baptism – ‘do you not know you were included in his death?’. We are citizens of An Other, the one whose image has marked us from the beginning of time

To whom do we belong?

Through the Bible in a Year – May 7

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 18-19; Mark 11; Psalm 10

Every day we dare to pray – most especially we dare to pray The Prayer.

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone; so that your father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses”

Of course we hedge this round – we add in parentheses ‘forgive my repentant brother or sister’ – an addition Jesus does not make anywhere. We seek to decide whom can be forgiven – but in praying The Prayer, we relinquish that ‘right’. We have not yet come to know the good news – to know God.

We dare to pray ‘forgive us our trespasses, in the way we forgive others’ – we dare to say to God, allow the measure of our mercy towards others, to be the measure of your mercy towards us.

In truth we can only begin to pray this when we have discovered that to pray ‘Our father’ is not a vain hope, but an outrageous truth. When we begin to discern that it is his life in us that is the ground of our being – the ground of all hope.

Through the BIble in a year – May 6

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 15-17; Mark 10: 32-52; Psalm 9

So finally Samson comes to a violent end. Having like Israel been seduced and lost his power, the restoration of his power leads not only to the destruction of Israel’s enemies, but to his own destruction as well. There is no real hope in this narrative

Turning to the gospel – again there is little relief. Mark keeps returning to the same themes. Jesus over and over again undoing the attempts of the disciples to write the story they want for themselves for it is found to be utterly wanting. They are blind – they do not get it. Unlike the man who cannot see – who cries out the only cry that should ever come from our lips – have mercy on us. How much of our fine church programmes cries out to Him – ‘we need your mercy!’? How much says ‘we’re doing pretty well on our own, thank you’

Through the Bible in a year – May 5

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 13-14; Mark 10:1-31; Psalm 8

We get the leaders we deserve. At the end of the day those who lead are those who fit best our own inner desires for power. Thus the story yesterday. Our concepts of leadership need revision in the light of the Kingdom of God. When did any nation last vote for a leader like Jesus?

This is writ large in the book of Judges and comes to a peak in the narrative of Samson. Wild rebellious Israel is finally given the leader they crave, one who mirrors their untrainable mature. Much as we stand in awe of Samon’s feats – he is a wild man – out of control. Just like Israel.

Again Jesus confronts us – and starkly. After once more putting a small child at the centre of the picture – in the next moment one who embodies all the values we worship – the self made individual – the sort of person we’d want to lead our company, or our nation, or indeed our church steps into the foreground. Wanting, like the man who sought to justify himself, to check out that he was on the right path. Jesus falls in with his demand. ‘Yes, on your own terms you’re following the right path – but why ask me? If you were already sure of yourself?’ The man is undone. He has everything. But he does not have the one thing necessary. His Life is full of himself and his acheievements – but he has not the true wealth, only that which will decay. He now has to choose which path to follow, except he has already determined his path.

There is a sense of predestination in this story. It is far far far harder to follow Christ, having for so many years invested ourselves in the things of the world. When we are told we can have both, we are sold a lie . . . at least that is what the Scriptures tell us . . .

Through the Bible in a Year – May 4

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 10-12; Mark 9:30-50; Psalm 7

As we pondered yesterday, Jesus is the one who comes among us as the great disturber. As one writer puts it, Jesus shows up and suddenly there are demons everywhere!

Today we see how he ruthlessly disturbs our perceptions of his Kingdom. The disciples fight it out to see who is the greatest, but then Jesus tells them that the greatest must become the least – must be prepared to welcome the child.

Think for a moment of how our churches operate – of how we exclude children for the comfort of adults. So they are trooped off to Sunday School – of course we use lots of ‘grown up’ rationales for this, but we tend only to welcome children on our own terms, as long as they fit in, as long a they don’t forget who really is the greatest . . .

Through the Bible in a Year – May 3

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 9; Mark 9:1-29; Psalm 5-6

Without doubt, there is something very disturbing about Mark’s portrayal of Jesus. Just spend a moment seeing yourself as one of his disciples in today’s passage. Of course this means you have to choose which disciple. Do we choose only to find ourselves on the mountain in the presence of the transfigured one? Disturbing enough.

How many of us find ourselves rather in our relationship with Christ more as the disciples that did not go up onto the mountain. The chaos of the demons all about – our helplessness. If and when we have encountered the miraculous, has it disturbed us? Shaken us? Have we encountered the living one?

When we say we are listening to him in obedience to the heavenly voice – does what he say shake us up from time to time?

Through the Bible in a Year – May 2nd

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 7-8; Mark 8; Psalm 3-4

Our Psalms offer us very contrasting prayers although one speaks to the other.

Psalm 3 we are told is of David, when he is fleeing from his son Absalom. The story of David and his son we will come to in time in our journey through the Old Testament – but for now it is enough to know that Absalom has staged a coup and David with a small band of those who have remained loyal have fled.

For the cast majority of those who read posts such as these it is hard to comprehend the depths of David’s loss and terror. His son has risen against him, his kingdom torn from his hand, and now he flees for his life. None of us can really know anything like this – yet in the midst his entire confidence is in God. He is both transcendent and imminent – a shield around him – and also the one who sustains him. God is his life, yes even David’s life.

Having said that we cannot know the depth of David’s predicament – who amongst us has every fled from those that seek to kill them – there is still as much disquiet in our hearts as if this were the case. The human creature often knows fear and distress which seems not to have a comparable external referent. And in the midst of this, Psalm 4 gives us wise wise counsel. For in the midst of the turbulence it is all too easy to be reactive and lash out against the ‘enemy’ – to ‘take the law into our own hands’, which is in effect to ‘take the name of the Lord in vain’.

The Psalmist calls us to a better path – a life giving path – ‘When you are disturbed, do not sin. Ponder it on your bed, and be still’

When our life is lived in the light of the knowledge of God, our perspective radically alters. We need not sin. It is the turbulence of our heart that is the very source of sin. ‘Trust in the lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding’ That is the path of Peace – of Shalom. Of discovering Home (your life is hid with Christ in God)

Through the Bible in a Year – May 1st

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The scheme for May – June can be found here

Jdg 5-6; Mark 7; Psalm 1-2

Mark’s gospel always presents us with telling juxtapositions. Incidents are placed side by side and when we read them together we find a depth in the story that we would miss otherwise. It’s too easy to think that Mark’s is a somewhat unlearned gospel just full of incidents and miss Mark the theologian, revealing the depth of the hidden Messiah in and through all these encounters. In many respects this is why it is so revealing to read Mark alongside John. To discover that there are buried treasures in Mark which perhaps even surpass the Glory motifs in John where the treasure is lain open to our eyes.

Here we have Jesus in two further conflicts – at the axis of which are as usual the disciples.
In the place where we are – or perhaps we are to be found in all of the conflict narrative – we might discover ourselves in the entirety of Mark’s gospel.

First and obviously we may identify with the Pharisees and Scribes who set aside the word of God for our Traditions. That we all do this so frequently is so obvious, that it might seem to be labouring the point to give and example – surely we do this all the time??

but at the danger of labouring the point, the arena of the conflict is food – meals. In a sense the Heart of the gospel message, revealed in Every eucharist – the radical hospitality of God to those of unclean hands – all are welcoed in. Think how often those of us who have nuclear families close the door on the flock, because this is ‘Family time’, or ‘husband and wife time’. Of course These traditions we see as harmless, indeed we have even built them into our faith and rationalise them . . . they are for God . . . and so we gather and sanctify these closed meals with ‘grace’ . . .

The Disciples don’t get what Jesus is on about, Again. ‘do you not see???’

And we know they continue to fail to get it as the encounter of Peter with Cornelius shows . . . again a story of how wide the table of God is thrown . . . how great is his mercy

And then the second conflict story – the encounter with the Syro-phoenician woman . . . a very hard story for us to hear. A woman, in great need, dismissed by Jesus with hard words about dogs . . . Of course we fail to understand that we too are the woman, needing mercy from God, knocking insistenly on his door as a visitor come late looking for food and board.

The incident begins with Jesus trying to hide himself away, but as the crowds previously have given him no rest, so now also the woman. In all the narrative, Jesus calls for faith – people must hunt him down, seek for him – Look for Life. In other words he seeks those who seek for the Life of God to spring forth. He seeks by hiding.

The woman seeks him – comes into a house which is Jewish and closed – she knocks. She asks – and is rebutted, but the eye of faith is Open, unlike that of the disciples – she knows who Jesus is – she knows she can expect better of him.

You who remind the Lord,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it renowned throughout the earth. Isaiah 62:7-8

The God of Israel is becoming known as the one whose table is open to all – where those who might imagine themselves to be without hope, might yet come to table

Through the Bible in a Year – April 30

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The Scheme for March – April can be found here

Jdg 3-4; Mark 6:30-end; Psalm 148-150

‘for their hearts were hardened . . .’

I often feel a chill when I read these words. Of course we are so used to hearing them in the context of the enemies of God – Pharaoh a clear example. And how when the hearts remain hard, God then hardens the heart further, that his glory might be revealed. Again Pharaoh is a prime example and Paul uses similar imagery in Romans 1.

But here the words are doubly chilling, for it is the disciples whose hearts are hard. Mark’s account is unremittingly hard on the disciples from beginning to end. They do not understand parables – presumably because of their hardness of heart? – and now we are told that their hearts were hardened evidenced in their did not understanding about the loaves. They saw Jesus walking on the water, but they hadn’t got the point about the loaves. It was as if they hadn’t seen the LORD providing Manna for his people. They, like the people of Nazareth, did not recognise the Saviour standing amongst them. But of course it is precisely in God’s saving acts that this hardness is evidenced – be it Pharaoh’s or the disciples. The close presence of God seems almost to do this as if by default.

I think we need to be careful here not to assume we do not fall into the same category. I mean, if the disciples Saw Jesus and did not believe, why do we assume that we do? Might it be that all out carefully built walls of ‘doctrine’ and ‘truth’ – our easy proclamation ‘thus saith the LORD’, is in fact nothing but our own hardness. Our towers of certitude just the projection of our own rebellion against God. For indeed He only dies for his enemies.

In every way that we make lives for ourselves at whatever level, we fail to understand about the loaves