An Unsettling, Yet Freeing, Discovery
Almost daily I make new discoveries in the Bible, even after 66 years of studying the texts in preparation for preaching and writing. I can't find it now, but recently I read that we should never get to the point that we confuse the pursuit of truth with the possession of it. Shakespeare wrote, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” And St. Paul wrote, “Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.” (I Corinthians 8:2) I found the new discovery in a text found in all three Synoptic Gospels, viz., the familiar story of the rich, young ruler [1] (Matthew just calls him “someone,” Mark calls him, simply, “a man,” Luke calls him “a certain ruler”)—isn’t it strange how words, phrases, and ideas get attached to scriptural accounts? In this case it’s not inaccurate. Later in the narrative Matthew does say he is “young;” Luke calls him a “ruler,” and all three accounts mention his wealth. It’s just not generally go...