In this week, we look at …
- how Jesus takes no shit!
- parallels between the conversation Jesus has with the elders and the conversations queer people are often asked to have with straight, cisgender Christians
- what it means for queer folks to guard ourselves and guard our hearts
- how to recognize when a question is not asked in good faith — and what to do when that happens
- what needs to be present in order for a conversation to happen
- what Brian learned from a three hour conversation about Leviticus with a seminary student
- how “questions” about LGBTQ identity and experience can actually be tricks and moving goal posts
- it’s ok to not have conversations that are designed to trap you
Matthew 21:23-27
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him as he was teaching. They asked, “What kind of authority do you have for doing these things? Who gave you this authority?”
Jesus replied, “I have a question for you. If you tell me the answer, I’ll tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things. Where did John get his authority to baptize? Did he get it from heaven or from humans?”
They argued among themselves, “If we say ‘from heaven,’ he’ll say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But we can’t say ‘from humans’ because we’re afraid of the crowd, since everyone thinks John was a prophet.” Then they replied, “We don’t know.”
Jesus also said to them, “Neither will I tell you what kind of authority I have to do these things.