The excitement continues!!!

Greetings all,
metachoi.com continues to generate interest and Michael and I are pleased to announce an online, intermediate Greek discussion group. We intend to meet Sunday evenings from 8:30-9:30 to begin discussing the book of Mark. Discussion will be in English, but the content will focus on the Greek text of Mark. The group requires an invite and all are welcome, please email me if you are interested in joining and I will put you on the inclusion list. The group will use WizIQ as an online meeting place, and will require registration with WizIQ. I have been a member for over a week and no annoying emails. The software broadcasts audio, video and has a shared whiteboard. There is no charge to join the discussion. 

Coming in 'Dirty' and Going out Clean

With the spring semester over, I have more control over my schedule. Up around seven thirty with a stimulating breakfast of oatmeal. I’ve been chowing on the instant lately, because it’s faster. Out to the office by eight thirty or so, check email and facebook (of course) and handle any issues that require attention. The actual academic workday kicks off with Hebrew and then Greek. I’m reading 1 Samuel in the Old Testament and Mark in the New. Something in Mark caught my attention the other day: Mark 7:14-23. I was drawn to the wordplay in the original language between the prepositions ‘out’ and ‘in.’ 

Jesus gathered a crowd and dropped some wisdom on them. The things that you eat do not defile you. Um, wait a minute. The Jewish law pretty specifically lists the allowable and forbidden food items. Noshing on a ham sandwich? Nope! Pork is forbidden (Deut. 14:8). So what’s the point? While Mark does indicate that this changes the dietary laws, the more important point is the basic idea of defilement. Things that become poop are not the problem. Defiling actions from a wicked heart are. 

When modern people think about evil, they often think of wickedness as a force outside them and Christians are not an exception. The ‘devil made me do it’ is a commonplace, something we believe and never really challenge. External evil is a minor problem compared to the evil within. Mark 7:21 says ‘from within, out of the evil hearts of men the evil thoughts come out’ (my translation). Christians will do well to rely on God for the restraint of evil desire.