As I said when we first started this little journey through the questions Jesus actually answers; of the eight questions that he gives direct answers too, four of them are related to the law or Jesus’ interpretation/expansion of it.

One of the things that seemed to confuse a lot of people who interacted with Jesus while he was on the earth, and still confuses people today, was Jesus' view of the law. Great conversation...

In answering the Pharisees question about whether or not it is lawful to divorce for any reason, Jesus shoots right past the law to the picture of God’s intent. “Why reduce this beautiful relationship to do’s and don’ts?”

That’s not enough for the Pharisees (and so many others), and what they do next is a game changer.

When I started this little journey of looking at the questions Jesus actually answered, I didn’t know that one of them was going to be about divorce. I really wish Jesus had deflected this one.

Very few subjects are more painful and confusing than this one. Not only because so many of us have been affected by divorce in one way or another, but also because it enters the conversation when a couple is in crisis or in a chronically difficult marriage.

One of the questions that Jesus actually answers directly, is about forgiveness. It is told in the book of Matthew, where Peter comes up to Jesus and asks how many times should we forgive someone who sins against us. Peter thinks doing it 7 times is a perfect amount and very reasonable, Jesus turns the tables and says, not 7 times, but 70 times 7. In other words, as many times as you need too. But, why is it so important?

This weeks recording is longer than normal as we captured the music as well as the discussion. Rather than spend a lot of time teaching, we practiced what we would have taught. Don't worry, you'll understand.

Of the eight direct answers, four of them are about the law or his interpretation of the law. Three of those are pretty easy to swallow, but the fourth one is a very, very difficult answer. The other four questions are pretty random. Two of these point a finger at the lives of Jesus' closest followers, and one of those is even more difficult than the one about the law. One seems to be something out of a spy novel and the last one resulted in Jesus' death and has continued to stir controversy for the last 2000 years.

How does unity happen? I recently had an email exchange with someone in Mosaic who raised a great question after our discussion a couple of weeks ago. He said,

"Yeah but…

...communities are based in common interest and relating to people.

So things like diversity aren't going to come naturally, and things like respect and caring are.

...do we have to make up a different system for establishing communities in order to have really healthy ones?"

This got me thinking and I wrote him back this short response...

"I don't think we have to make up a different system, I think we will naturally have people that are closer to us and those that are more distant. Healthy community involves both groups of people. The ones that are the closest are likely to be those that we find safe and easily related to. The ones that we don't relate to as well, may not become close friends, but their (and those more like us) presence in a community provides safety and health to the larger group. I think one of the ways that we create an environment that is safe for those that are different from ourselves is through questions, rather than statements. If I were to tell everyone what to think on Sundays, those that thought differently, would soon feel like they were unwelcome. The same is true in every group. Those that are clear about what the "group think" is, tend to have fewer if any, people that think different. So, questions, rather than directives, are one way we can create a diverse community."

I had never really thought this through before, but it got my juices flowing as I began to think more about the place of questions rather than statements. I kind of geeked out over it.

What do you want in the community you are part of?

Just because we say, “I don’t want to be part of anything like this”, doesn’t mean that is what we need. Though the Bible doesn't provide a lot of specifics about how to have a healthy relationship with a "church", it does have a lot to say about the kind of relationships that are consistent with the life of a Christ-follower.

Take a few minutes and try to reflect on your best and worst moments within a church or religious group.

What comes to mind? With such a mixture of experiences, it may be hard to know what a healthy relationship with the church is supposed to look like.

Interestingly, there is really not much in the Bible that talks about our relationship with an organization. But, there is lots that talks about our relationship with each other and this is the key.