June 10, 2009

Texts:
Genesis 20 and 21
Matthew 8

Genesis 20 and 21
I really like Abimilech. Somebody needed to say, "what were you thinking" to Abraham for, yet again, passing his wife off as his sister, but it took a Philistine to call him to better behavior. How often are we called to be our better selves by people who we think we're better than?

And, after this incident, Sarah finally gives birth to Isaac.

The text again points out that Abraham is a "sojourner". He does not have real estate to call his own. And in the Old Testament, God is a God of real estate. Land matters.

Sarah kicks Hagar and Ishmael out for good this time. But God hears Hagar's cries and rescues them. Ishmael is to be a great nation--and tradition has it that he is the way Muslims trace their heritage back to Abraham.

Matthew 8
This chapter is chock full of great stories. Jesus finally comes down off the mountain and his teaching by word is replaced by teaching primarily with deeds. He heals all sorts of people--lepers, Peter's mother in law, and a Centurion's servant.
He also casts out many demons. This sort of healing may not make sense to our 21st century minds, but it made perfect sense to the original readers.
One thing that likely made no sense to the original readers or to us is what Jesus tells a would be follower in 8:22 who asks to have time to go bury his father. “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
I think this is less about Jesus being heartless and unkind and is more about the reality that if you are waiting for a convenient time to follow Jesus, you'll wait for a long time. Following Jesus is not convenient. It gets in the way of all sorts of things.
For those of you who are 10 days into our daily bible readings, I'm sure you've already had a day where fitting in the readings was inconvenient.
So consider that line in that light. Is it any easier to hear?