TUESDAY, March 2 (Chad of Lichfield)

Mark 3:19b-35. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Perhaps verses 20 and 21, with their reference to his family's attempt to restrain Jesus, belong here. Did Jesus' friends bring blessed Mary from Nazareth upon the report that Jesus was losing his mind? Had the scribes been whispering in Nazareth in the hope that the mother would fetch him home and silence him? He had always been so good to her. But Jesus refuses to let blood kinship limit love kinship. He offers himself as brother to any who do God's will. That offer holds good today, no matter who you are or what you have been.

God comes first. His claim is prior even to a mother's or a motherland's. There is defeat in store for any nation which teaches its children that it is right to hate a brother race, or to claim from its citizens that worship and allegiance which belongs alone to God. (1936)

PRAY for the Diocese of Bida (Province of Abuja, Nigeria)

Ps 61, 62 * 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; Genesis 42:1-17; 1 Corinthians 5:1-8

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Mar 02, 2010 at 7:34 am

Written by Andrea,

The end of this meditation seems to be a product of its time (1936, as Nazi Germany was on the rise). While I'm glad there was indeed "defeat in store" for that particular nation, I am always troubled by religious writers or speakers who use Scripture for political ends. I agree that we as individuals should take the lesson from Mark to heart and put nothing before God. But wielding Scripture like a weapon against a nation seems wrong to me.

Mixing interpretation of scripture with political views

Mar 02, 2010 at 7:52 am

Written by Lorrie Robinson,

Generally, I agree with Andrea, who made the first comment above. Each individual should surely try to discern how God is leading them in exercising their political responsibilities as citizens. But it gets very messy if you claim too much certainty as to God's will on the particular policy your intellect, experience and inner sense draws you to. But great, sweeping fundamental principles such as are at play if a nation teaches its citizens to hate a brother race or to replace the authority of the State for what is actually God's authority in a person's life seem to me to be in a different catagory from political views or policies.

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Mar 02, 2010 at 8:00 am

Written by CDL,

I certainly agree with Andrea that using Scripture for political ends is (to me) offensive. But if we read into the sentence "there is defeat in store for any nation which teaches its children that it is right to hate a brother race" to mean that the concept of hate is what will be defeated (rather than the nation or its people), we can accept what the writer was saying in 1936.

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Mar 02, 2010 at 10:05 am

Written by Andrea,

Thanks, Lorrie and CDL. Both these perspectives are helpful to me.

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Mar 02, 2010 at 10:36 am

Written by George ,

The hesitancy to declare troubles me. I think honoring God first requires us to be clear about our stands, not to be handwringers. I don't see this as "using Scripture for political ends". What I see is an honest clear declaration that any nation that teaches hate based on race (or religion) or denies opportunity to worship God is a nation ill-founded and that will suffer "defeat". I see no angst in taking that position, just honesty...a position that we must always combine with our generous love, because Jesus' love will conquer all, hence the ultimate defeat of such "evil" nations. We should not be hesitant, but simply "call a spade a spade", and then love that nation to change.

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Mar 02, 2010 at 11:00 am

Written by Peter Catlin,

Politics? Come on guys, the reference is to the racist policies of Nazi Germany. Those policies led to the deliberate and highly organized murder of over 6 million innocents. Surely we need not be timid about calling those policies evil, and thanking God for those who found the political will to opppose the executioners with force.

Blind or naive?

Mar 02, 2010 at 12:26 pm

Written by brook,

Surely we are neither blind nor naive enough to think that there is no teaching "children that it is right to hate a brother race, or to claim from its citizens that worship and allegiance which belongs alone to God" in this United States, 2010.

Convicted by Thy word

Mar 02, 2010 at 11:59 pm

Written by Steve Doutt,

I'm convicted by Thy word O God. I've broken my promise to you. I did not find delight in your commands. During this Lenten season, as we follow Jesus to the cross let's accept responsibility for all that's gone wrong; and, then accept forgiveness that we cannot earn, and only deserve by the Grace of God.

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Mar 03, 2010 at 7:22 am

Written by Andrea,

Peter - it is not timid to be troubled about the use of Scripture to support politic ends, even politic ends I agree with wholeheartedly. It is a principled position. I don't believe, for instance, that the German "nation" was evil, any more than our nation is evil for some of the epic failures to love we have exhibited. I also keep in mind the Brook's comment, which reminds me that Jesus told us to work on removing the log in our own eye first. My belief is that whenever the Gospel is turned into a weapon, we lose Jesus's message. Even if it's a weapon against those groups who "deserve" to be punished.

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