Scripture can be approached in many ways – and how we “use” it reveals much about our own spirit. Fundamentalist religious groups “use” Scripture to justify all kinds of terrible acts. The importance of how we use Scripture (and our words and actions inspired by it) is the topic of today’s sermon. In 2 Kings 2, Elisha is mocked by youths, and he reacts by cursing them – whereupon they are mauled by she-bears. Is this a lesson in virtuous violence? Did the lads deserve this punishment? Or does Jesus clue us in on a better way of approaching such texts from the Old Testament? Father John offers a podcast dealing with various interpretive options, concluding with a clear litmus test given by Jesus concerning how our use of Scripture, and our subsequent words and actions, can be judged.
NOTE: Services were canceled due to bad weather at Saint Andrew’s, so today’s audio file is a podcast of the sermon content.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:21 — 17.7MB)
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