This is obviously a rather large jar of jelly beans.
It contains literally thousands of jelly beans.
But some of them, for purposes of this summation, are salted.
Specifically it’s the red and green ones that taste disgusting, and are best avoided where possible.
So when anyone reaches into the jar, they are soon careful to exclude the greens & reds.
Now let’s just imagine each of the jelly beans in this jar is inscribed with a biblical passage.
Further, you have to wear a blind-fold every time you reach in for one.
There are of course plenty of ‘tasty’ beans to enjoy.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...and now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (I Corinthians 13:4-8,13)
Do unto others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)
A house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches and valuables." (Proverbs 24:3)
Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good works." (Hebrews 10:24)
But now and again, you get to chew on one of those hideous salted beans.
Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the Lord: whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. (Exodus 35:2)
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city. (Deuteronomy 22:23-24)
And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend. (Jeremiah 19:9)
Behold, I will corrupt your seed and spread dung upon your faces. (Malachi 2:3)
We then take the blind-fold off.
After a few experimental plunges, those dipping into the jar are again soon practiced at ‘cherry picking’ the contents.
Sound familiar?
1 comment:
"Sound familiar?"
Sounds lame. To this Bible reader God's justice is sweet. You view the God you don't believe in through rose tinted glasses.
Is this how you read a novel or a newspaper, by the way? Reading paragraphs at random? Endeavouring to avoid evil reports? The Bible, like other literature, should not be treated like a jar of discrete beans. The artificial divisions into chapter and verse were for ease of reference, and were not intended to disturb the continuity of the narrative. (Though we could wish that more Christians would realise this.)
Neil William
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