This summer at the PSC, we’re havin’ us a good ol’ fashioned Bible study. It’s based on a series of lectures and sermons by Greek scholar, farmer and founder of the Koinonia Community, Clarence Jordan. This study focuses on the parables of Jesus, what they really mean, the lessons they teach, and what these lessons have to say to us, as committed followers of this Jesus fellow some 2,000 years removed from the socio-political context of him and his disciples.

This Tuesday we had our third lesson and discussion.  This time we discussed Jesus’ “Parables of the Revolution.”  We focused on the dramatic parable (that is, a parable where the lesson is actually acted out instead of just being narrated in a story) of Jesus’ trial in front of Pilate, as told from the account in Matthew. We listened to an audio recording of Clarence Jordan, in which he explains that Jesus Barabbas, the violent, insurrectionist criminal (whose name literally means, “Jesus, son of the father”) represented the violent type of revolution that we so often hear about in the news, and which was just as common then as it is today.  Meanwhile, Jesus Christ (whom we also call “the son of the Father”) represented a new type of revolution, one of love instead of violence.  As we digested this historical symbolism, we discussed the irony of the situation:  that the religious authorities of the day convinced the crowd to have the Jesus of violence released, and the Jesus of love crucified.  The mixing of politics with religion was a constant theme throughout this discussion, and I think we all walked away with a new appreciation for the passage of scripture on which we focused.

The “Cotton Patch Parables” Bible Study at the PSC meets every Tuesday at 6pm through the end of July.  Next week we’ll be trying to answer the question, “Who is God?” If you can join us, we’d love to have you.