Rama Ramanathan

Image credit: Barbara Schwarz OP This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 13:10-17. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the title “A Woman with a Disabling Spirit.” J B Phillips, in his paraphrase, supplies the title “Jesus reduces the Sabbatarians to silence.”[1] Sabbatarians are people who maintain that we must do …

Why did Jesus straighten a bent over woman in a synagogue on the day of rest? Read More »

Pastor Hsi (1836-1896) was born in Shanxi, China. He was born into wealth. His father and grandfather were scholars. They also compounded herbs to treat ailments. They handed down recipes from generation to generation. Hsi took the name “Sheng Mo” when he was baptized. Sheng Mo means demon slayer. Hsi was very intelligent. He studied …

Pastor Hsi: A Beacon of Hope in 19th Century China Read More »

Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati (1858-1922) was an Indian social reformer and Christian missionary. Almost everything I say about her can be found in her own writings. Ramabai is one of my heroes of faith. Let me just add that I was once a “Hindu,” by which I mean I used to practice one of the forms …

Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati: A Beacon of Hope and Change Read More »

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 12:49-56. The English Standard Version supplies verses 49-53 with the heading “Not Peace, but Division,” and the heading “Interpreting the Time,” for verses 54-56. Harmony is the condition of being at peace. Thinking about harmony helps us understand what the passage tells us Jesus said. Harmony …

Did Jesus tell us to set the world on fire? Read More »

They say these verses require that followers of Jesus must live under the same roof and share everything with one another.

The story must be read as part of a long sermon which begins at 12:1 and ends at 13:9.

The story must be read in the light of the eschaton, the final events in God’s plan for the world.

The story must be read as part of teaching about the difference between those who serve God and neighbour and those who serve themselves.

But Jesus answered the disciples request for a “boundary-marking prayer” by offering them a “life-shaping prayer.” Properly used,

The Lord’s prayer erases things in us.
The Lord’s prayer engraves things in us.
The Lord’s prayer leads us to embrace others.
The Lord’s prayer energizes us.

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 10:38-42. The English Standard Version supplies the passage with the title “Martha and Mary.” J B Philips supplies “… the need for quiet listening to his word.” Have you heard of Bono? His band, U2, wrote and produced the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” It was released …

Martha and Mary: Christ on the cross and the stupidity of religious violence Read More »

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 10:25-37. Most Bibles supply the passage with the heading “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” The story is often retold. But the meaning is often lost. This is how most people tell it: It was a dangerous road. Bandits operated on it. One of their victims …

Did Jesus know the history of the Samaritans? Read More »

This Sunday, the lectionary invites us to ponder Luke 10:1-11, 16-20. The English Standard Version supplies the verses with the heading “Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two.” Some translations say that Jesus sent out seventy, not seventy-two. According to footnotes in the translations and according to commentaries, the early manuscripts are split evenly between the two …

A normal Christian life is a peace-filled life of tension Read More »