In Luke 9, Jesus and His disciples encounter some would-be followers. It makes sense because at this time, Jesus is becoming quite popular! The first one comes and says I will follow You. Jesus says to him foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. In other words, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. This is not glamorous work! But the next guy is someone Jesus spots in the crowd. He invites him! Follow Me! The guy says I would love to, but first permit me to go and bury my father. Jesus gives what sounds like the harshest and most insensitive response! Let the dead bury their own dead! Is Jesus not going to let this young man go to his own father's funeral? What are we supposed to make of Jesus in this moment? If we look under the surface, there's a lot more going on!

Jesus and His disciples have just been through an extremely stressful time. They had a dust-up with the Pharisees that was not pretty. Jesus decides they need a little getaway. A chance to breathe. He takes them to the region of Tyre and Sidon. There will be no Jews there. It's a pagan place. It's foreign territory. He books this house for them to stay in, and doesn't tell anyone where they are. However, a woman of Syro-Phoenician origin figures out where they are! She comes seeking Jesus. She's desperate. Her daughter has become possessed by an evil spirit. Somehow, she knows Jesus can heal her. She cries out. Lord, Son of David! Help my daughter! He doesn't answer at first. He ignores her. She cries out again. He says, I have only come for the house of Israel. What I have is not for you! She cries out again! He says, it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs! Is Jesus being mean? Is he angry? Having a bad day? Is Jesus being racist, misogynistic, downright ugly? Or is He intentionally doing something in a particular way to prove a point? Join us as REV-REB unpacks this in a way that few are courageous enough to venture into!

There are two times in the Gospels that Jesus talks about swords. One time, He says, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword! He follows that with, I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household! That sounds aggressive! Another time, He says, if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one! These passages have become in many circles a rallying cry for violent insurrection in the name of God. Theme verses for movements that would attempt to seize power and overthrow systems and institutions for the advancement of a Christian society. We don't buy it. We're going to dig deeper in a way that only REV-REB can! Did Jesus promote violence? Let's find out!