.

“After he had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.”

I LOVE the bible!

The sentence preceding this one?  It is the conclusion to a parable:

“But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them – bring them here and slaughter them in my presence.” ***

And then he went on ahead.

I love the bible.  We so don’t “get it” so often.

How all this talk of “slaughter “in the bible is bad.  How all the “killing” in the bible is evil.  Which makes God a “bad God” and Jesus a “bad Jesus” – and all who follow “retards” or some other delightful compliment.

This from the “The Walking Dead” promo: “The Walking Dead gets a lot of attention (and criticism) for its graphic kills, dismemberments and decapitations; the show’s producers seem to find special pleasure in coming up with fresh ways to exert final punishment on the living and the dead. But while the body count keeps the action moving, what’s kept the show endlessly compelling is the exploration of the interior lives of characters and how they deal with a world overrun by an ever-present threat.”

And this:

“A MODERN DAY PARABLE

THROUGH THIS LENS, THE WALKING DEAD SERVES AS A MODERN DAY PARABLE MUCH OF THE CRISES CURRENTLY FACED AROUND THE WORLD.

THE NUMBER OF DISPLACED PEOPLE WORLDWIDE IS AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL EVER RECORDED, WITH AN ESTIMATED 59.5 MILLION PEOPLE (OR ONE IN EVERY 122 HUMAN BEINGS ON THE PLANET).  IN ADDITION, CIVIL WARS AND LACK OF NATURAL RESOURCE HAVE DRIVEN AN ESTIMATED 1 BILLION PEOPLE, OR 14 PERCENT OF THE EARTH’S POPULATION, TO LIVE LIVES OF CONFLICT AND POVERTY.  WE DON’T REALLY NEED A FICTIONAL ZOMBIEPOCALYPSE TO PICTURE OUR ACTUAL PLANET IN CRISIS. FOR MANY, REALITY IS A HORROR THEY LIVE WITH EVERY DAY.”

My point is simple.

When we speak to real people we speak into a context, culture and time.  We “meet them (and us) where they are”.  And I see that everywhere in the bible.  And for me there is only one reason that the bible has survived so long and become so widespread: it continues to meet all of us where we are.

And just like any film critic we can all pick holes, cast aspersions, and write clever barbs. We can dismiss those who get it – we can throw insults – question their intelligence – parade our intellectual prowess (like a phallic symbol).

Bu there is something worth finding.   And the more I see that simplicity I have begun to see this parallel …

If I will not see anything worthwhile in the entire bible – if I will not see any worth in those who see worth in the bible … What else (and “who else”) might I be closing my eyes to (all in the name of being right)?

*** Luke 19:11-28