Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Disturbed by the presence of the supernatural in the Gospels, Thomas Jefferson used a razor blade to excise all of the references to miracles and prophecy and resurrection, in the process creating a Bible – the “Jefferson Bible” – with which he could be comfortable.
Like Jefferson, sometimes I too would like to take a razor blade to the Gospels. But it would not be to create a more “rational” Bible. Instead, I would like to create a “Softer Bible.” I would like to make some of Jesus’ teachings and parables more palatable, more soothing. Easier to live with.
As part of my “Softer Bible” project I would be happy to remove today’s text from Matthew. Do I really need to be told that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God”?
But wait. Maybe I do not need a razor blade. Maybe I could replace “rich” with “one who loves riches.” Maybe I could hypothesize that he is telling the disciples and other super-Christians how they should live their lives, but his admonition does not apply to ordinary believers like me. Maybe I could take comfort that I am not rich, in that I am not part of the 1% or .1% wealthiest Americans.
Sad to say, none of these “Softer Bible” reading strategies actually work. The text does not say “one who loves riches” – it says “one who is rich.” The text gives no hint that Jesus’ words are only to be taken seriously by some small subcategory of especially devout Christians. And when I move from an American perspective to a global perspective, well, I am “rich.”
However much I would like a more soothing message, I am stuck with Jesus’ provocative words. We are stuck with Jesus’ provocative words. And maybe the point is simply that we are to wrestle and to keep wrestling with the tension between having material possessions and being a disciple.
- Bill Trollinger