“If you knew the whole Bible by heart and the teachings of all the philosophers, what would all this avail you without the love of God, and without His grace?”
Thomas a'Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 1
On Mondays I lead a Bible study at the Rogue Valley Retirement Center. We are currently working our way through Matthew, and this week we focused on Chapter 15. That chapter opens up with scribes and Pharisees confronting Jesus over the issue of ritual hand washing. Jesus goes on the offensive and talks about how the traditions of hand washing and allowing children to abandon their parents are in direct opposition to God's will. What he's telling those around him is that we cannot be tainted by what we perceive as impurities in others. Verses 1-20 have Jesus arguing against limited, literal readings of Scripture that are designed to keep people out, in favor of generous readings of Scripture that look to manifest the love of God to everyone through our behavior.
The argument the Pharisees and scribes were essentially making was, “Scripture clearly says . . .”
The scribes and the Pharisees knew their holy scripture and the teachings that derived from it. They were constantly playing a game of scriptural one-upmanship with Jesus, looking to prove they had all the right scriptural answers in an attempt to maintain their purity and holiness. By holding to ritual law, by maintaining their cleanliness, as was dictated in both scripture and thousands of years of teachings, they could maintain their holiness while ostracizing and condemning others.
This wasn't just an issue for the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' day, it is an issue for Christians today as well. Today we also have people who know the Bible by heart. Today we have people quoting scripture in reference to the curse of Ham. Today we have people who find scriptural support for slavery and the continued oppression of African Americans. Today we have people who find scriptural support for the degrading and exclusion of women, minorities and outsiders. Today we still have people more concerned with their own purity and being tainted by perceived impurities of others than with expressing the love of God in thought, word and deed.
I don't know Dylann Roof or what he knew about the Bible. But I do know that groups steeped in racism (such as the KKK and the Council of Conservative Citizens) and in the patriarchy movement (such as Quiverfull) often recite chapter and verse of the Bible as both a foundation of their hatred and rationale to ostracize, condemn and sometimes kill others.
The arguments these groups are essentially making is, “Scripture clearly says . . .”
Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Let all you do be done in love. Whoever does not love, abides in death.
If you knew the whole Bible by heart and the teachings of all the philosophers, what would all this avail you without the love of God?
Amen.
amen.
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