spot, rot and mildew – the message (3)

I’m ploughing my way through Leviticus at the moment, though not on the Sabbath (see Exodus 34:21), and have reached the chapters about skin diseases, mould on clothing and mildew in houses (Leviticus 13-14). I have to admit it’s been tough going and I find myself continually asking what has this got to do with the mission and ministry of the Church today. Of course leprosy still exists; however, as Christians we follow The Lord who reached out to touch and heal rather than one who drove out the ‘unclean’ (Lev 13:1-46). Likewise, there are plenty of houses that suffer from mould and rot but again our approach to dealing with these problems is somewhat different from that suggested in the scriptures except as a last resort (Lev 14:33-57).

Leviticus raises the perpetual question for the Christian and the Church; which commands still apply and which can be ignored or set aside? There are some commands that have almost universal acceptance, do no murder for example, though societies seem to find ways around that one when it comes to capital punishment and prosecuting wars. Other laws are ignored or dismissed by most Christians who think nothing of tucking into a prawn sandwich unless like me they are allergic to prawns. Then there are those commands that remain a source of contention. Until relatively recently our society sought to keep one day a week special and banned trading on a Sunday. The law may have changed yet many Christians still feel uncomfortable about Sunday shopping. One of the issues threatening to split the Anglican communion is whether or not the Old Testament commands relating to homosexual acts are culturally relative or permanently valid (Lev 18:22, 20:13).

We are all very good at picking and choosing the commands we feel obligated to obey and those we can dismiss as irrelevant or redundant. But I wonder how many of us can give a considered explanation for our choices? As I was reflecting on this I remembered a scene from The West Wing in which the fictional President Bartlett challenges a radio presenter over her use of Biblical commands.

Now where did I put that stone?

the missing bits – the Message (2)

Still on track with reading through the Bible in a year as part of our parish Bible challenge. As previously mentioned I have been using The Message translation/paraphrase which has given a fresh perspective on familiar and not so familiar passages. The first thing that has struck me is how certain passages of scripture seem to have been excised from the canon. Not that these passages have been removed from the Bible, but they might as well not be there for all the attention they are given.

The story of Judah, Tamar and Onan (Genesis 38) pops up in the middle of the story of Joseph and his brothers, just before Joseph is taken off to Egypt and sold to Potiphar. I know the story but had forgotten that this is where it is placed and I am struggling to remember the last time I read it; I’ve certainly never heard it read in church or mentioned in a sermon. Most people will know the story of Joseph courtesy of Messrs Rice and Lloyd Webber. Joseph and his ATD was the first show I drummed for at school and I’ve lost count of the number of versions of Joseph that I’ve sat through since. I have yet to see a version of Joseph which has an interlude featuring Judah, Tamar and Onan. The only modern cultural reference of note is from Dorothy Parker who named her parrot Onan (google it if you can’t work it out).

Of more serious concern is the deliberate excising of sections of scripture that the compilers of the Common Worship Lectionary have indulged in. Peter Ould has highlighted this problem in Cutting Out Scripture. Last week during Morning Prayer Peter noticed that a significant section of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) had been left out. Here’s the bit:

Before they had gone to bed, all the men from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house. They called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them.”

Lot went outside to meet them and shut the door behind him and said, “No, my friends. Don’t do this wicked thing. Look, I have two daughters who have never slept with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do what you like with them. But don’t do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof.”

“Get out of our way,” they replied. And they said, “This fellow came here as an alien, and now he wants to play the judge! We’ll treat you worse than them.” They kept bringing pressure on Lot and moved forward to break down the door.

But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. (Genesis 19:4-11)

Now I’m at a loss to work out why this passage has been removed as the redaction renders the rest of the text meaningless. I’m not concerned here about arguments over how we are to interpret the story, or what the sin might be that leads to judgement on the cities, I just don’t see how we can reflect meaningfully without reading the whole story. The comments following Peter’s blog begin to discuss how the story may be understood but they presuppose knowledge of the missing passage. I'd be interested to know if anyone has compiled a list of all the Bible passages the Common Worship lectionary has omitted.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to rediscovering and reflecting on other parts of the Bible that don’t get much of a look in or have been deliberately ignored, including the nasty bits and the passages that make for uncomfortable reading.

got The Message? (1)

At the beginning of the New Year members of our three village churches started a challenge to read through the Bible in a year using the Everyday with Jesus Bible. During Spring Harvest last year I picked up a copy of The Message, Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible, and my version is divided into daily readings to be read in a year, so I thought I’d join in. One week in and I’m still on track!

I’ve used The Message on and off over the last couple of years as a complement to other translations. My preferred version and the one I have on my Blackberry is the NRSV, mainly because I grew up with the RSV, though I want to get back to using my Greek New Testament more regularly rather than just for sermon preparation. Our church pew Bibles are the NIV which I have to confess I have never been entirely comfortable with, not least because of some of the theological presuppositions which affect the translation. While I understand what the Good News was trying to do I can’t forgive it for denying the incarnation (all to do with the way it translates flesh as human nature). I also find it useful to check out Tom Wright’s translation of the New Testament as part of his For Everyone series of commentaries.

Anyway, back to The Message. I enjoy it’s pace and imaginative rendering of familiar passages. The narratives have a rhythm and flow which makes for ease of reading and the more poetic passages, the psalms and wisdom material for example, have a resonance that makes me want to speak them out loud. At times the translation is quite startling and I find myself reading a passage several times or turning a phrase over in my mind throughout the day. The downside of The Message is that sometimes I find the paraphrase attractive but unconvincing. I read a phrase that really captures the imagination but when I look more carefully it is difficult to see how the translation relates to the Hebrew or Greek. This raises the age old dilemma for the preacher; do we end up trying to make scripture fit what we want it to say? I would be concerned if this was the only version of the Bible Christians used, but if it gets people engaging with scripture then I’m all for it. These opening verses from Psalm 1 give a flavour of The Message and sum up what it’s all about:

¹How well God must like you— you don't hang out at Sin Saloon, you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.
^2-3 Instead you thrill to God's Word,
you chew on Scripture day and night.
You're a tree replanted in Eden,
bearing fresh fruit every month,
Never dropping a leaf,
always in blossom.

One final comment. I bought my copy of The Message at the Wesley Owen bookshop at Spring Harvest. Wesley Owen has gone into administration, part of the sorry tale of Christian bookshops in recent years, and it will be interesting to see who the bookseller at Spring Harvest is in 2010. Details about the future of Wesley Owen shops can be found at the Church Times blog with some excellent links to other sites.