Monsters, Martyrs, and Everyone in Between

This week as I was taking a peek at the children's Bible that we give our families for baptisms, I noticed that our text for this week didn't make the cut. Was I surprised? No. The text for this week is one of those difficult texts that can't quite be summed up in a few short sentences or made alright with a lovely illustration.

So what do we do with it? What do we do anytime we face something in Scripture that is less than beautiful? That challenges instead of comforts or just makes us downright angry? How we answer this question can impact our understanding of Scripture and even our faith. Do we ignore the pieces we don't like? Do we accept those pieces as they are because they're written in the Bible? Do we dive deeper to see if there's more than we currently understand? When we read, do we read with a specific lens, or guiding principle that helps us filter and interpret as we go?

I invite you to take a look at this week's text: Mark 6:14-29 or any section of scripture that you struggle with, and look at it anew. Read it multiple times throughout the week and see what questions, thoughts, images, or meaning come to you through the week.