Giving it all up or at least being truly willing to give it all up. That is what Jesus asked the rich young man to do, because He knew his heart. (17-31) Sometimes it's easy to go through the motions and have a heart that is far, far away from God. Jesus wants all of us, not just part of us but all of us. Yet, with God ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!
The chapter has a lot, the first part (1-10) is very difficult and I think has probably been abused by church leaders.
How do you think church leaders have abused 1-10? I'm not disagreeing, just curious for your thoughts. =) I glanced over the post before going to the chapter and thought that would be the "sell all your possessions" part, LOL. Divorce is definitely a tricky subject within the church, though.
ReplyDeleteI can't speak for Holly, but I know that there has always been quite a lot of controversy in the Catholic church about marriage, divorce and particularly re-marriage. You must have a decree of invalidity if you want to re-marry and continue to participate in sacraments, etc.
DeleteOf course, not allowing priests and nuns to enter into the covenant of marriage is yet another controversy.
I agree that couples should do what they can to keep a marriage together. But, I also think there are some very legitimate reasons for divorce, especially when there is abuse involved. Some churches frown on divorcing no matter what and people (usually women) end up isolated, staying in abusive marriages rather than getting support to get out of the situation.
Those are just some of the negatives that come to mind for me.
Sorry, crazy day today. I have seen Christians criticize people, usually women, for getting a divorce even when it's an abusive situation. Sometimes well meaning people don't think before they speak and words can hurt at times.
DeleteI kinda figured and definitely agree, just wanted to make sure I knew what you meant. =)
DeleteI love this lesson from Jesus:
ReplyDelete42 So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 43 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 16:17
ReplyDeleteAnd Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."
Mark 10
46 "Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a large crowd, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road."
I had remembered Bar-jona, son of Jonah, being surname of Peter, but did not realize Bartimaeus was son of Timaeus. Think this is neat, like Scandinavian surnames ending in -sen, or -son.
I hadn't caught that one, either! Though that's what I love about "Barabbas." It means "son of a father." It's assumed to be a pseudonym he took on when he began his rebellious activities, because it's basically a not-a-name.
DeleteI'm such a history geek, LOL.
Me, too, Roseanna. Our Sunday School "Bread of Life" is led by a Biblical history Pastor and it is so fun! He mentions what is going on in the world during the time frame we isolate as only being biblical times! Especially what names mean too and how they relate, land areas, and events.
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