Greetings from Greyson July 12

Hi Pilgrims! 

We (often) read the Bible asking ourselves, “What are we supposed to get out of this?” During the more difficult passages, we remind ourselves that the Bible was not written by God’s own divine hand, but by human authors placed in a specific context with agendas to communicate.

The Bible was written by those with power, and knowing this sometimes helps us to make sense of certain passages. For example, the infamous passage from a book attributed to Paul that says women should be silent in church is clearly a passage aimed at keeping the patriarchy alive and well (this text has been identified as inserted from another author, not Paul, but that’s for another day). Religion is so often used to justify human structures and institutions, and the Bible is not immune from this. 

Then we read a passage like the Genesis text for this week. Esau, perfect exemplar of patriarchal masculinity, is passed over in birthright for Jacob, Esau’s quieter, softer, cunning younger brother. The text says that God announced this would happen before the brothers were even born. Why would the authors of the Bible choose to keep a narrative that defies the very human conventions of birthrights and patriarchy that the authors of the Bible are presumably invested in upholding? 

We will be wondering about this passage together this Sunday! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Greyson