Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, August 29, 2020
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
If I think about this in our modern context, I have to disagree with Paul. He was speaking specifically to the differences between Jew and Gentile, and that even though God had proclaimed all things clean, if those who have always followed Jewish law still refuse to eat pork because they see it as unclean, Gentile Christians should not insist those folks eat pork. In other words, let them have their individual faith practices.
Where this falls down is if it’s interpreted to mean that individual ways of interpreting scripture are all find and dandy and we’re all just Christians and should let others interpret it however they want. This would mean that anyone could choose to use the Bible to justify the oppression of others on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, or to justify the destruction of the natural environment. As Christians, we can’t just say, “Well, that’s how they interpret the Bible, so who am I to judge?” We are called to speak on behalf of the oppressed and marginalized, even if it means calling out other Christians when their actions violate human and environmental rights. No one is “unclean” for any reason, and no one ought to be allowed to act in ways that treat others as “unclean.”
Gracious God, remind me again and again of the sacredness and beauty of all that you have made, that I might always act to uplift it. Amen.
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