... communities in the area (Luke 19:10 RSV). In Mark’s gospel, Jesus was rejected simply because he was from the family of a carpenter or tradesman. He was identified as Mary’s son, implying that Joseph his father was dead, or there remains some suspicion surrounding his birth from a virgin mother. Other family issues of the text have included whether Jesus has any biological brothers and sisters from his mother Mary. Suffice it to say, that Jesus was not being groomed from a priestly family to become a ...
... first century was living in darkness. Things that had once given comfort and hope, like the Jerusalem temple, now just hurt to look at and think about. The community of neighbors that had meant so much to them was now a place of division and suspicion. Even their faith community was broken, divided by frustration and anger, and the temple was a place where those who openly spoke of God acting to overcome oppression did that at the risk of being reported to one of the security groups. Even family, the core ...
... at the table. But before they ate, they clinked their glasses under the agreement to pour a bit of wine into one another's cups in order to protect themselves from being poisoned. These apparently innocent, affable gestures rooted in violence and suspicion. We really are something, we humans. Scratch beneath even our most innocent appearing customs and you will find darker significance. Two little boys in Arkansas, the First Family in the Whitehouse, the people gathered here around the table, we really are ...