Christians seem to have a thing about favorite Bible verses. We are more likely to learn something from our least-favorite verses. CS Lewis uses this idea as his Introduction in Reflections on the Psalms.
My own "favorite" captures some of that, but not in a heavy dose. Anything more strenuous I must be turning away from. Genesis 50, Joseph speaking after the death of their father to his brothers who sold him into slavery. Verse 20: "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." I have come to see much that has happened to me in that light. Unfortunately, it is only much later that I come to that realisation. It would be far better if I could see that while it was happening.
I've always been partial to John 2:10.
ReplyDeleteI ave always said that's pretty much a statement of "Alcohol, 12% by volume."
ReplyDeleteFavorite? Mark 9:24
ReplyDeleteLeast favorite? Matthew 25:45, with Matthew 7:21 close behind
I could continue the dog theme from an earlier post, as I LOVE Matthew 15:27.
ReplyDeleteLeast favourite Genesis 22:8. I remember ranting in the class where we were studying this story. What kind of father would do this to his kid. How many years of therapy the boy would need. Would he EVER want to be alone with his dad again. And how if I were Sarah, THAT monster of a father would never be allowed in MY bed again. And so on. I feel even more strongly about this since having and raising kids. And I just do NOT buy the bland rationalisations of this as somehow prefiguring God's sacrifice of His Only Beloved Son...yadda yadda yadda. What basically amounted to a readiness for child sacrifice (so prevalent amongst benighted and cruel people from those around Abraham to my later otherwise admired Ancient Greeks at war). I'm trying to remember if Julian Jaynes had any spiffy explanations based on his views about the origins of consciousness that might get Abraham off the hook for being a monster dad. His ideas about people changing from hearing and obeying (and even chatting with) the gods, to that dreadful state of consciousness and therefore separateness from God. The self-aware anguish about decisions and grapple with God. The unconscious only hear and obey...
Not sure about favourite verses. I don't want to annoy James by saying that the nuns I used to work with had the sheep and goats story framed all over the place, as they worked with quite wretched children and their families, to remind them to be compassionate. And that (as a wrathful and often judgmental person when hearing about things that had been done to the kids we worked with BEFORE they arrived,) I needed that reminder a lot more than the nuns...To try and see and serve Christ in the people around us. I think I've told AVI before about how one Ash Wednesday, a Sunday school teacher of mine when I was working in a parish was chatting with me as we drove our kids somewhere about what were we going to take on and give up for Lent. It was a VERY Anglo-Catholic and serious parish about Lent. Up piped my middle kid's voice from the back of the minivan as we were driving: "Mom, I think you should give up being MEAN for Lent..." Yup. Our kids know what miserable sinners we all are...
But I was thinking today of a non-scriptural line I REALLY like, of Jonathan Edwards. About the elect: "There is no distinction already existing in them that causes God to choose them rather than the rest. God does not choose men because they are excellent, but He makes them excellent because He has chosen them. It is not because God considers them as holy that He chooses them ..." Could you imagine having HIM for your preacher??? And having such zingers tossed your way every Sunday?
You don't annoy me--my criterion for "unfavorite" was whether it made me squirm. Since complacency sets in easily...
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