PraxeasSep 25, 2024
Stumbling to the Reign of God (Lectionary for Proper 21)
[In answer to John's concern about an unauthorized exorcist,] Jesus quickly clarifies that the nature of work and belonging—whether exorcism and healing, or offering a drink of water to the thirsty disciple (v.41)—is bounded by practice, not by profession. Acts of liberative power will form those who undertake them. 1/3
Show threadPraxeasSep 25, 2024
Sometimes translated as “offending,” the literal sense of “stumbling” should be retained here, because it refers to the journey that the disciples are on, along with the little ones. Jesus’ confronting teaching about mutilation reads a bit differently when we put it into ancient terms. [We] should pay more attention (as Candida Moss argues in her book Divine Bodies) to cases and stories where the removal of a body part was sought with a beneficial effect. 2/3
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So when Jesus introduces this topic, it is less that he is making some wild statement about the possible benefit of loss of body parts [but] likening the journey with him to more well-known prescriptions for physical health. 3/3 More at https://abmcg.substack.com/p/stumbling-toward-the-reign-of-god?r=chywz
Stumbling toward the Reign of God

Proper 21/19th after Pentecost; Mark 9: 38-50

Andrew’s Version
Sep 25, 2024 at 2:56pmWeb