Center for Action and Contemplation – Father
Richard Rohr’s Daily Meditation – Friday, 10 January 2014 “The Jesus
Hermeneutic”
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
Yes, And
“The Jesus Hermeneutic”
Friday, January 10, 2014
You deserve to know my science for interpreting
sacred texts. It is called a “hermeneutic.” Without an honest and declared
hermeneutic, we have no consistency or authority in our interpretation of the
Bible. My methodology is very simple; I will try to interpret Scripture the way
that Jesus did.
Even more than telling us exactly what to see
in the Scriptures, Jesus taught us how to see, what to emphasize, and also what
could be de-emphasized, or even ignored. Jesus is himself our hermeneutic, and
he was in no way a fundamentalist or literalist. He was a man of the Spirit.
Just watch him and watch how he does it (which means you must have some knowledge
of his Scriptures!).
Jesus consistently ignored or even denied
exclusionary, punitive, and triumphalistic texts in his own Jewish Bible in
favor of texts that emphasized inclusion, mercy, and justice for the oppressed.
He had a deeper and wider eye that knew what passages were creating a highway
for God and which passages were merely cultural, self-serving, and legalistic
additions. When Christians state that every line in the Bible is of equal
importance and inspiration, they are being very unlike Jesus . . . .
Jesus read the inspired text in an inspired
way, which is precisely why he was accused of “teaching with authority and not
like our scribes” (Matthew 7:29).
From Yes, And . . . : Daily Meditations, pp.
x-xi
Gateway to Silence:
Yes . . . and . . .
-------
Center for Action and Contemplation
1705 Five Points Road SW
1705 Five Points Road SW
Albuquerque, NM 87105 (physical)
PO Box 12464
PO Box 12464
---------
No comments:
Post a Comment