For Lent I’ve decided to read the entire New Testament. The last time I did that was in my first year
of college. I read the entire Bible,
cover to cover. Loved it—even the boring
parts. Since then, I’ve read the Bible mostly
through Bible studies and Mass readings.
But I’ve never read the entire Bible again.
I read the Revised Standard Version the first time. This time I’m going to read the Good News
Bible. I have a couple of reasons for
choosing this translation. One, it reads
like a fast-paced novel. Two, it’s 288
pages long. I did the math and found if
I read seven pages a day, I would get it done in 42 days. Hence, the title of my blog.
I won’t be blogging daily.
So think of these blogs—however often they arrive—like a Yahoo group
email digest that show up in your mailbox once or twice a week. Today, I’ll report on the first seven pages.
I’ve started with Matthew’s Gospel. I’m amazed how much can be packed into seven pages. Already, Jesus has been born, grown up and
moved out on his own. He moved to the
town of Capernaum. Matthew says, “When
Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee. He did not stay in Nazareth, but went to live
in Capernaum, a town by Lake Galilee."
It wasn’t the first time he’d fled for his life. He was just a baby when Mary and Joseph moved
to Egypt to avoid Herod’s genocidal rage against the boys in Bethlehem murdered
because they might grow up to be king. John’s imprisonment posed for Jesus another
imminent danger from another Herod.
Sound familiar? It
reads like current events, summarized nicely in this quote from the Christian
Century:
“On television screens and on the
covers of newsmagazines the picture is a constant one: innocent people fleeing
their homes to escape the terror of violent and inhuman authorities. Jesus is
in their company, man and boy, seeking refuge from those who imprison and kill.
Matthew’s stories are not simply historical recollections; they are current
events. King Herod is dead, to be sure, and so are Archelaus and Antipas, but
not really. Their successors seem to wait in line to raise the sword against
God’s Christ and against those whose ways are the ways of God. The gospel
continues to have its enemies and not solely in totalitarian states. Love
without partiality and those who are zealous for racial, cultural and social
"purity" will rise up in great numbers and from surprising quarters.
Teach and practice forgiveness and the voices of vengeance will come screaming
at you.” Christian Century, January 17, 1990, p. 43
Which is why I love the three Kings, three political rulers
who were wise men indeed:
“And so they (the three kings)
left, and on their way they saw the same star they had seen in the East. When the saw it, how happy they were, what
joy was theirs! It went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child was. They went into the house, and when they saw
the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him.” Matt.
2:9-11
Unlike Herod, they were not threatened by Jesus’ birth. Instead, they were curious, open-minded,
willing to learn, eager to serve and humble enough to adore the one born to be
their king.
How refreshing is that?
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