33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. (Mark 9:33-34)
We can be so clueless. Jesus talks about sacrifice, and we’re consumed with who gets the best seat in the house.
Quite probably an apocryphal story, but one I still find relevant in our time:
According to Cornelius a Lapide, Thomas Aquinas once called on Pope Innocent II when the latter was counting out a large sum of money. “You see, Thomas,” said the Pope, “the church can no longer say, ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” “True, holy father,” was the reply; “neither can she now say, ‘Rise and walk.’”
Cited by F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 77–78. (Found HERE in my meager search)
Matthew 21:12-22 is a passage I’m very familiar with in my reading… and know so little about in context of the story. For too long I have looked at each part without regard to the whole.
Continue reading “Tossing tables and disrupting worship”