Deconstructing the Bible

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 2. In this season we are looking at the Parables of Jesus...breaking them down to see how they disrupt the status quo and point us towards the upside-down Kingdom of God.

In this episode we look at the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus from Luke 16.

If you want to join us for a follow-up small group on zoom this Thursday (Oct 7) at 1:00pm, please follow the link below.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83124015730

Welcome back to Deconstructing the Bible. This is episode 1 of season 2! In this season we are exploring the parables of Jesus from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

In this episode we set the stage by talking about what IS a parable and HOW that impacts what we can learn from it. We then dive into two short parables from Matthew 13: 31-33...the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven in Bread.

This season we are also inviting people to join us in a virtual small group on zoom.

You can email Jason ([email protected]) and he will send you a link to the zoom meeting, or you can click on the link below.

You can also email Jason to receive a PDF of small group questions for each episode.

Here is the zoom link...

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87554367390

It's so easy to be resentful and bitter, to want payback. People give us reasons to be this way almost every day. And it's enticing to enjoy the power and the position that being unforgiving holds. 

But Jesus expects something different. What does it look like for forgiveness to be a way of life...to be a flow? 

What if forgiveness not only releases someone from the debt they owe us, but releases us as well?

In Leviticus 16, the people of Israel are taught to use a scapegoat as a symbolic act of relinquishing their sins and receiving forgiveness. As beautiful as this mechanism was, it was only a step towards true spiritual maturity of loving one's enemies and being transformed by the power of God's Spirit.

Jesus becomes the scapegoat to end all scapegoats. But too often humanity has created in-groups and out-groups, us vs. them, which require scapegoats...because we want to be perceived as innocent and unburdened by our sins and inadequacies.

How can we move past the scapegoat mechanism? How can we continue to move towards a 'we'?

This episode is indebted to the work of Richard Rohr, from whom I was introduced to this idea. Here is a short article that exemplifies his work: https://cac.org/jesus-reveals-lie-scapegoating-2016-10-13/

It's obvious that the political climate is polarized. It's cliche to even mention it or use that word. But how do we move towards wholeness? 

The story of Israel can help us recognize how we have more in common with one another than we think. And when we can see ourselves in one another we develop empathy. And empathy is the road to wholeness. 

BUT - the only way towards empathy is to get proximate to one another. We must learn to get close, embrace relationship. 

Is that what Jesus did on the cross? Did Jesus embrace the fullness of human frailty and disconnection on the cross? Did this movement of Jesus create room for empathy and the road to wholeness?

It goes without saying that the past 18 months have been hard. Whether you are a parent, someone who lost a job or a loved one, or someone who experienced an immense amount of loneliness in 2020, this has been a tough season. A racial reckoning and call for reconciliation and justice has been at the forefront of our lives. And politics has seemingly never been more polarized and tense. 

How does a season of such hardship impact how we read the Bible...especially when many of us have been taught that perfection, holiness, purity (a Genesis 1 and 2) world are the standard? 

How does the story of Genesis 3 impact how we read the Bible? Is this is a chapter of brokenness? Is this a chapter of relationship? Could it be a bit of both. 

What if Genesis 3 is not the aberration or the exception to a perfect creation, but is the final act of creation? What if Genesis 3 helps us understand the nature of God, who is always moving humanity towards relational wholeness?

Enjoy episode 12!

What does it mean to believe? What would it look like if we saw belief and salvation a little differently?

In this episode we talk about how the acquisition of knowledge is important, but can sometimes be a crutch for a transformed spirituality. BUT, when done well, knowledge can propel our faith forward because we combine our best thinking with our active participation.

Halakah, Hata, T'Shuva (Law, Sin, Repent) are Hebrew words found throughout the Bible that shape how we believe and the way in which we believe. In this episode, we take a deeper dive into how these terms could be translated and how that translation can impact how we navigate relationship with God, others, ourselves, and all of creation.

As a bonus, we also talk about two Greek words for sin and repent as well!

In this episode, we reference the work of Bryan Stevenson. The work of Brene Brown is not specifically mentioned, but her work on identity is highly influential. Below are Ted Talks that  explore their ideas more fully.

Bryan Stevenson: "We need to talk about injustice"
Brene Brown: "Listening to shame"

In Episode 9, Jason walks us through James Marcia's Identity Development Model to better understand who we are and how our faith is shaped in different seasons of our life. 

This model is predicated on levels of commitment and levels of crisis or curiosity. 

In this episode, Jason explores James Fowler's faith development theory from the book Stages of Faith (book link below). At each stage of our development we engage the Bible differently. As faith becomes our own (stage 4), we sometimes need to read the Bible with different lenses as we explore what we believe and how it shapes who we are becoming.

Stages of Faith (by James Fowler)