The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 28 January 2015 “Jesus went beyond 'God said it'”

The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States Daily Guide grow. pray. study. for Wednesday, 28 January 2015 “Jesus went beyond 'God said it'”
Daily Scripture: Matthew 5: Anger
21 You know that our ancestors were told, “Do not murder” and “A murderer must be brought to trial.” 22 But I promise you that if you are angry with someone,[a] you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you will be in danger of the fires of hell.[Footnotes:
5.22 someone: In verses 22-24 the Greek text has “brother,” which may refer to people in general or to other followers.]
Marriage
27 You know the commandment which says, “Be faithful in marriage.” 28 But I tell you that if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts.
Revenge
38 You know that you have been taught, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” 39 But I tell you not to try to get even with a person who has done something to you. When someone slaps your right cheek,[a] turn and let that person slap your other cheek. 40 If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well.[Footnotes:
5.39 right cheek: A slap on the right cheek was a bad insult.]
Love
43 You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44 But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45 Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong.
Reflection Questions:
Bishop Leslie Newbigin wrote, “Most of us treat the Bible as an anthology of helpful thoughts … from which we can obtain comfort, guidance and direction … It is rather an interpretation of the whole of history from the creation to its end … and is told from the point of view of the people whom God chose to be the bearers of his purpose.” That’s why Jesus described an ideal that went far beyond the written Mosaic Law (including two of the Ten Commandments). He clearly did not believe the written words were all we needed to know.
• We believe we’ve advanced far beyond the ancient world. Yet we still speak of “getting revenge” or “settling a score” in everything from sports rivalries to sweeping business deals. How does it reshape our attitudes and actions to focus on mutual love and service, not revenge? In what ways does Jesus’ teaching speak to your heart about the spirit in which you deal with others?
• The Translator’s Handbook on Matthew said, “The term [for love in verse 44] from the Old Testament always implies a sense of faithful loyalty, not mere emotion, so that expressions which approach this idea are to be preferred over those meaning merely to like someone very much.” What does it look like for you to “love” people you do not “like very much,” maybe even who have wronged you? How can Jesus’ life and death help you re-define “love” in terms of actions rather than feelings?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me with your all-in, unflinching love that would face the cross so I could choose eternal life. Teach me how to love in a way that runs deeper than good feelings. Amen.

Insight from Angela LaVallie

Angela LaVallie is the Worship Logistics Program Director at Resurrection. She oversees preparing the Sanctuary for worship, supports Vibe worship and volunteers in the Student Center, provides oversight for Holy Communion at the Leawood campus, and assists with worship logistics at conferences.

When I was in high school, I went to the only Christian bookstore in my hometown and bought a keychain that proclaimed, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it.” I thought carrying that around for all the world to see meant that I was a good Christian. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t read much of what “God said.” I went to church every Sunday. Our youth minister would lead my Sunday school class in reading and discussing a passage of scripture with little-to-no context outside those few verses. I was never taught or encourage to put much thought into interpreting what the Bible said beyond what the ministers and teachers told me it meant.

In high school, I thought I wanted to go into ministry. I thought I wanted to go to a Bible college until I found out there were a lot more scholarships for boys going to Christian schools…because women support men in ministry, but don’t lead in ministry. That’s what I was led to believe; the Bible says that. Instead of questioning whether the Christian leaders around me were possibly interpreting the Bible in a way it wasn’t meant to be read today, I questioned whether I was wrong in what I thought I was being called to do.

In college, there was a pastor who hung around campus preaching at the fountain in front of the student union. He would spout off scripture and his version of what it meant, condemning students for his perceptions of how they were all living in sin – students he knew nothing about except that they were passing in front of him. One day when I was wearing shorts, he called me names, assuming I had loose morals since he could see my legs. Not a week later, I was wearing a long dress and ran into this preacher at a soda machine inside one of the buildings, and he told me how nice it was to see a woman dressed like a woman should be dressed. I couldn’t believe it. I was still the same person on this day as I was a few days before. The only thing that had changed was his perception of me – all based on a few verses of scripture.

A little over seven years ago, I took the Disciple 1 Bible study and read most of the Bible in about nine months. As much work as that class was, it really opened my eyes to the complexities of the Bible and all of the issues it addresses (or doesn’t address). Having read the Bible several times now, I am much more secure in my interpretation of God’s love for me and all humankind. But, I am even more confused about the specifics of what the writers of the Bible were trying to say. Some passages of scripture directly contradict other passages. Some we read factually and try to adhere to. Others we believe we aren’t possibly meant to take literally. When we actually read the Bible and spend time with God, I think we are meant to expand our minds rather than put God into a neat little box.

I try to keep in mind that, when it comes to the Bible, God inspired it, men wrote it, and I interpret it.

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