{"id":1498,"date":"2022-12-21T12:22:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T18:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/?p=1498"},"modified":"2022-12-21T12:44:52","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T18:44:52","slug":"engaging-the-living-word","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/2022\/12\/engaging-the-living-word\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging the Living Word"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-modular-content-collection><h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Nourishing Vocation Project<\/h4>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">Engaging the Living Word<\/h5>\n<h5 style=\"text-align: center;\">The Man who could not Hear or Speak &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=521203313\">Mark 7:31-37<\/a><\/h5>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>What is this particular text?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Story\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Miracle \/ Healing narrative <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Speech and Hearing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Boundary crossing \/ rejection of taboos <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Prejudice against people with disabilities<\/li>\n<li>Jesus touches someone who is \u201cunclean\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Revelation <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>The miracle serves to reveal who Jesus is<\/li>\n<li>Parallels the healing of the blind man in <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=522403987\">Mark 8:22-26<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How does the text function within the scriptural story?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Continues the themes of seeing and hearing introduced in<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=522404146\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mark 4:12<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing and hearing Jesus are both literal and metaphorical\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Messianic secret\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus ushers in the Messianic age; his actions demonstrate that this is so\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Results of Jesus\u2019 own openness from his encounter with the Syrophoenician woman\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>How can this text function in the church today?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Functions as a mirror <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>When\/what\/who do we not \u201chear?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>When\/what\/who do we impede from speaking?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invitation \/ expectation to continue crossing boundaries and rejecting taboos <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What boundaries need to be erased today? <\/span><\/li>\n<li>What taboos keep people away from the good news today?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invitation to center voices that are not often heard\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The man is brought to Jesus. What does it mean, look like, to bring people to Jesus today? <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Challenge to be open to God\u2019s call today\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What does the text do to you? How do you react to the text? What feelings does this text engender in you?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Makes me think of my own inability to metaphorically hear\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brings to mind times in my own life when I have needed to be open\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confronts me with my own difficulty with being open to things that are different or unfamiliar <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Curiosity about the \u201cMessianic secret\u201d \u2013 tell no one <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Sometimes we take this way too literally<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caution signs \u2013 not to create unfaithful expectations\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caution signs \u2013 not to look at human difference as \u201cless than\u201d that needs to be fixed<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caution signs \u2013 ableism<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What do you have to say to the text?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The call to \u201cbe open\u201d feels like both Law and Gospel\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is curious that the interaction between Jesus and the man happens in private <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Touch is so important: how do we talk about good touch in a society where touch has so often been weaponized?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a very embodied miracle\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is indeed astounding\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What do you see through this text from the story itself?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Human need\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The community is essential: the man is brought to Jesus\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is hard to be open on your own\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Embodiment matters\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus words (and touch) become enfleshed in the man\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What do you see from within your church\/community\/world? (2022)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing and hearing those who are \u201coutside\u201d is a perpetual challenge and invitation <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Openness is both learned and gifted\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do we \u201cbring people to Jesus\u201d without manifesting a colonial attitude? <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How is the church closed?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who does the church neither see nor hear?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whose voices does the church impede?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Crises of our current time <\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Ableism<\/li>\n<li>Centering dominant voices and decentering marginalized voices<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What do you see within yourself?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The times when openness has been a gift\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The times when openness has been a challenge\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The times when it has been hard for me to find the right words to say\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is the context \u2013 textual and historical?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follows Jesus declaring all foods clean\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Immediately preceded by Jesus exchange with the Syrophoenician woman and Jesus\u2019 expansion of his own self-understanding and ministry\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Precedes the feeding of the four thousand\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Relates to the healing of the blind man in<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=522409164\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8:22-26<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Leads up to Peter\u2019s declaration at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=522409216\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caesarea Philippi<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What questions does this text raise for you?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do we talk about healing stories without being ableist?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How do we center the experience of the man?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The man does not speak for himself. How can we carefully tend to \u201cnothing about me without me\u201d in our own faith communities?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Who is the church (metaphorically) in this story? Those who bring the man? The man? The crowd?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where are our needs for openness today?<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is it that keeps us closed?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What words\/themes seem of particular import?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brought to him\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Companionship\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Begged him\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Private\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Touched\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ephphatha\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Opened\/released\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is the Gospel \/ transforming Good News within this text?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God calls us to openness\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus meets our needs in private\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus opens us up\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus is not afraid to touch us\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus crosses boundaries\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus healing power is embodied\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What is the as-over-againstness of this text?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are closed\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We struggle to hear\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We struggle to speak\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We prevent others from hearing and speaking\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We center powerful voices\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Embodying the Gospel is hard\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Who does this text say that Jesus is, or if not Jesus, then who does this text say that God is? What does this text say about God?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One who hears and sees\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One who touches\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One who prays\/asks God\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One who gives direction\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One whose ministry is both public and private\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open who is open\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Open who calls to openness\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What have others said about this text?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c\u2018Be opened.\u2019 He <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sighs. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is the sigh ironic? <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is it Jesus sharing the joke with God? As in, \u2018Okay, Father, I get it. Listen. Learn. <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be opened. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I hear you. I\u2019m working on it.\u2019\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.journeywithjesus.net\/essays\/1907-be-opened\">Debbie Thomas <\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf I was to move from the literal story<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to the level of allegory and metaphor, there seems to be wonderful pathway of spiritual experience outlined in this miracle.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/thelisteninghermit.com\/2012\/09\/05\/open-your-ears-before-you-speak-ordinary-23-b\/\">Peter Woods<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cInclusion continually softens all boundaries<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reaching deeply into the soul and expanding widely into the world, growing more profoundly in both directions, within, without, loving God and neighbor.\u201d <a href=\"http:\/\/www.edgeofenclosure.org\/proper18b.html\">Suzanne Guthrie<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>What will I teach or proclaim?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus gives voice to those whose voices are often not heard\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus embodies healing and wholeness\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus calls you to be opened\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus crosses boundaries\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Word of God is embodied and enacted\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus calls us to act on behalf of others\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus is the fulfillment of God\u2019s promises for the world\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/files\/2022\/09\/The-Man-who-could-not-Hear-or-Speak-Mark-7.31-37.docx-1.pdf\">Downloadable PDF Version<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Nourishing Vocation Project Engaging the Living Word The Man who could not Hear or Speak &#8211; Mark 7:31-37 &nbsp; What is this particular text?\u00a0 Story\u00a0 Miracle \/ Healing narrative [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8561,"featured_media":1212,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/files\/2022\/11\/NurishingGraphicF-fullimage-e1692651216451.jpg?fit=500%2C375&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8561"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1498"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1509,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1498\/revisions\/1509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/nourishing-vocation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}