Day 14 on the Journey

Thursday - Luke 11: 29- 12: 3

Sorry about the delay in posting…

When witnessing Jesus with the Scribes and Pharisees, the easiest emotion for me to imagine is anger. (We cannot see emotion in Luke’s text). I wonder if Jesus was just debating. I wonder if Jesus was having more conversational encounters than heated debates. Of course what Jesus is debating or discussing with the Scribes and Pharisees are important topics. I think, Jesus is trying to describe the differences in his own (God’s) attitude and the Pharisee's attitudes about what is important.

How do you envision and hear Jesus’ voice?

In the New Testament, the Scribes and Pharisees really do get a lot of bad press. The Pharisaical movement was more than likely a survival tool for the Jewish people. The Pharisees were a lay renewal movement of Jesus time. They wanted a back to the scripture and tradition emphasis. They saw the law and rules as solid boundaries to help keep the faith in bounds. Without laws and rules we would have Chaos. Right? And we cannot live in Chaos. They where trying to keep people from giving up their identity as Jews; therefore they emphasized scripture and learning.

Questions for reflection and comment:

Isn’t keeping certain tradition important?

Jesus was critiquing their tradition bound attitudes and I am sure they felt threaten. Don’t you?

There are still scribes and Pharisees in our churches today… And some of their views appeal to contemporary Christians. Hearing someone belittle a tradition that we hold dear hurts us.

Might Jesus be critiquing a practice or belief you have always considered critical to faith?

How would you feel when Jesus says, “A person does not have to say that phrase, practice that discipline, or dress that way, in order to be a Christian?

How do we keep from falling into chaos, without rules?

At the same time not let rules take precedence over relationships?