Jerusalem Syndrome

I'm ba-ack! Though South Carolina was nice, it's good to be home again and in my own bed. I don't seem to sleep very well away from home. So, though I drove for 11 hours constantly blowing my nose, there's no time for a sick day, although maybe I can sneak in a nap this afternoon. . . Anyway, back to business.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Sun, Apr 19 How many Benjamites were killed when God (and the Israelites) struck them down? (Judges 20)
Judges 20:35 The LORD defeated Benjamin before Israel, and on that day the Israelites struck down 25,100 Benjamites, all armed with swords.

And here's the question of the day:
Mon, Apr 20 What happened, in those days when Israel had no king? (Judges 21)


And here's the reflection of the day:
There are a lot of angles from which to come at Mark 7. At least, Lamar Williamson, Jr has come up with a number of angles in his commentary on Mark (Interpretation series). Instead of going through a couple of them, I'm going to focus on one that was new to me.

In verse one, Williamson points out, the people opposing Jesus (the Pharisees and teachers of the law) came "from Jerusalem." Jerusalem is the center of the opposition to Jesus. Jerusalem is where Jesus goes to be tried, found guilty, and crucified.

Those who "came from Jerusalem" were trying to protect the "tradition of the elders" and maintaining appearances. They would not tolerate any break with tradition OR innovation within the tradition. But Jesus balks against this rigidity, claiming as Isaiah did, that though the Pharisees honor God with their lips, "their hearts are far from Me."

This is the "Jerusalem syndrome," as Williamson calls it. "In every religious community, there are some who 'come from Jerusalem'" and these tendencies lurk inside each one of us (Williamson, 136). Each time we read this passage, it calls us to consider in what way each one of us might be suffering from "Jerusalem syndrome."

Look inside yourself. Do you have any symptoms of the Jerusalem syndrome--places where you honor God with your lips but your hearts are far away from God? I know I do. It's time to confess and to realize that we need to hold on to the commands of God and let go of the traditions of humans (v 9).

Allison

Paul, Tevye, and Tradition

Well, it's back to the grind for me. Vacation over. :0( But I am glad to be back and sleeping in my own bed again. Lots of phone calls and emails and visits to catch up on. But first, questions and answers for you . . .

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Mon, March 9: What was the name of the man who came down from Judea, took Paul’s belt and bound himself? (Acts 21)
Acts 21:10-11 0 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"

And here's the question of the day:
Tues, March 10: What two people did God say would be left after all the other Israelites had died in the desert? (Num 26)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Paul is at it again, in Acts 22, stirring up the people and getting himself into scrapes. Paul continues to be a radical. We tend to think that a radical is an agent of change, one who is interested in throwing the current establishment and its traditions out the window.

But the root of "radical" is from the Latin root radix, which actually means root. To be a radical is not to change everything for the sake of change; it is actually to return to one's roots.

Paul believes that his mission to those "unclean Gentiles" is directly tied to the roots of Israel's faith (Willimon, Acts, 163). Paul was eager to include the whole world into God's plan of salvation. But in the religious world, the "unclean Gentile" tradition prevailed over the "share the faith" tradition. Paul is challenging the traditions which develop as the product of human invention rather than the hand of God.

Sometimes the radical change that is needed should encourage us to return to our roots and to evaluate our traditions in light of the roots of faith. The issue at hand is not so much about whether or not our traditions honor the past, but rather "which tradition is worth our whole mind and soul and strength?" (Willimon, Acts, 164). Think about your church for a moment. What are its traditions and rituals? Do they honor the past or do they honor God? Can they do both faithfully?

And for as much as Paul does not care for some of the religious traditions, he does not seem to mind using some of the political traditions in his favor, namely by invoking his right as a Roman citizen to a trial, rather than immediate punishment. Think about your own life--what traditions do you follow? Who or what do they honor?

I've mentioned in the past how a song frequently pops into my mind. Today it is "Tradition" sung by Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof." In case you need a refresher, here's the song with the lyrics:



Traditions are meant to guide us and to call us back when we begin to get lost. Can you think of some new traditions to create in your life? in your family? in your church?


Have a great day!
Allison