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If you are a woman, you have likely heard the story of Martha and Mary. Martha is hurried and busy in the kitchen at the big party she threw for Jesus. But Mary sits down at Jesus's feet, anointing him with ointment. Martha complains to Jesus, saying that he should tell Mary to get busy and help her sister. But Jesus says Mary chose the better way. This is usually told to shame busy body women. But this is totally wrong. Instead, it is an invitation into a man's world that they had been excluded from. This story is coupled with Judas rebuking the extravagant use of ointment. And Jesus says that the poor will always be with us, which is also poorly used to remove the shame of not supporting the poor. The common theme is misusing this story to uphold patriarchy and male dominance. They couldn't be more wrong. I describe the audacity of Mary and Martha, and the corruption of Judas in context. text.

#marthaandmary #lazarus #judas #passion #Jesus #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

The word for "sat" is παρακαθεσθεῖσα which is a reflexive word, which in context literally means "one who sat herself down alongside at Jesus's feet." To sit at his feet is to be his disciple.

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Have you been puzzled by the dissonance of Palm Sunday? How can people seem so happy at the start of the worst week of Jesus's life? Why do we think Hosanna is offering praise? What made the people throw their cloaks down and wave branches? These are pivotal questions. Looking at the volatile political and cultural dynamics at play, you can see the astonishing insight and bravery of Jesus. Whether you believe his actions were divinely guided or not, I get a glimpse how this amazing story shows us the Jesus that I love. From the triumphal entry to Jesus weeping over Jerusalem to Jesus's audacious cleansing to the temple, Jesus went to the wall, through the gate, and put himself in the hands of the authorities leading to his crucifixion and resurrection. I describe what it looked like for Jesus to ride from the Mount of Olives to the eastern wall of Jerusalem. I describe the political dynamics and the astonishing bravery of Jesus in Luke 19:28-39.

#palmsunday #jesus #jerusalem #cleansingthetemple #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

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Correction! Jezreel Valley goes from Haifa to the Jordan River. Kidron Valley is next to Jerusalem. I am sorry for the error!

No word is more polarizing than "woke" but the people who get really angry about usually can't define it. To them, it just means anything liberal they don't like. Instead, the term arose in the black community in the mid-20th century and it simply means becoming aware of the systemic injustice in American society. It was used against Jim Crow and racism and the institutions that kept and still keep people of color down. I argue that Amos is the most woke book of the Hebrew Bible because it is a shock to the self-righteous. Old Testament Survey classes are usually the weeder classes in seminaries, in a similar way that Calculus is in universities. Why? I explore how many Christians when faced with a deeper understanding of the Old Testament encounter a crisis of faith. Amos is one of those books for Americans and all western societies. Amos has long been used as a critique by civil rights advocates and liberation theologians. If you don't see yourself in Amos, you just aren't paying attention.

Reference: Gören Eidevall "Amos: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries)

#oldtestament #amos #woke #capitalism #liberationtheology #selfrighteousness #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa