Wednesday, July 20, 2005

M&M: The tail end of Luke 10

Why are there so many Mary's in the Bible?
Apparently Mary has its origins in Hebrew and means "the perfect one." That seems to fit in this particular instance particularly well.

Forest People. Trees people.
Martha got stuck on the trees.

What is the "one thing" that Martha should be focusing on?

If I traded it all
If I gave it all away for one thing
Just for one thing
If I sorted it out
If I knew all about this one thing
Wouldn't that be something
- Finger Eleven, "One Thing"
(Wow. Just watched the video and there's some crazy imagery happening there. Allusions to the Crucifixion. Eve and the Tree of Knowledge. Plus the whole general idea of life as a game. I'm going to watch it again.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Luke 9. Red letters only.

Okay, my Bible doesn't actually have red letters. But if it did, here's what the red text in Luke 9 would be:

3-5: Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.
empowerment

13: You give them something to eat.
challenge to empowerment

14: Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each.

18: Who do the crowds say that I am?

20: But what about you...who do you say that I am?
(J.C. the Tea-cha Man, asking the questions and making his disciples think).

22: The Son of Man must suffer many things and be reected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
(The first talk of his impending death.)

23-27: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kindgom of God.
(Christian cliché: "take up his cross daily" ...make it mean something again!)
(Some men standing here: those who see Jesus all lit up, chatting it up with Moses and Elijah?)
(Whoever. Whosoever. John 3:16. Choice is yours.)


41: O unbelieving and perverse generation...how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? (Bring your son here.)
(A reverse echo of the Psalms: 'How long, O Lord, must we wait for you to come?')

44: Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you: The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.
(Hint at death #2)

48: Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all--he is the greatest.
(In the passages directly before this, Jesus heals a child. Significance?)
(Again with the whoever. Implies that the door is open, choice is yours...)


50: Do not stop him...for whoever is not against you is for you.
(Another Christian cliché....except I'm not convinced that anybody knows what this means!)
(Maybe...'focus on what matters. you're getting distracted by something that's of no consequence in the big picture...?)


58: Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.
(Imagine if you found this in a fortune cookie....)

59-60: Follow me...Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
(or this...)

62: No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.
(or this...)