Meaningful Silence: Day 25
Author: Andrew Comiskey
November 07, 2020
‘Jesus made no direct
or explicit comments on same-sex intercourse, just as He made no direct
comments on many other important subjects. In a larger sense though, Jesus was
not silent about same-sex intercourse inasmuch as the inferential data speaks
long and clear about Jesus’ perspective. Four points confirm this claim. First,
understood in the context of first-century Judaism, it is very unlikely that
Jesus would have adopted a fundamentally different stance toward same-sex
intercourse, particularly given Jesus’ general approach to the Mosaic law.
Second, Jesus’ appeal to Gen 1:27 and 2:24 in his discussion of divorce (Mk.
10:1-12) confirms His embrace of an exclusively heterosexual model of
monogamy. Third,
Jesus’ positions on other matters having to do with sexual
ethics were generally more—not less—rigorous than those of the surrounding
culture. Fourth, the ways in which Jesus integrated demands for mercy and
righteous conduct in His teaching and ministry do not lend support that Jesus
might have taken a positive or neutral approach to same-sex intercourse.’
(The Bible and Homosexual
Practice, pp. 187, 188)
‘Jesus’ ministry
provides incontrovertible proof that the church can practice radical love
without sacrificing “one iota or one letter stroke” from God’s demands for
righteous conduct. For conservatives who think that upholding holiness
means complete separation from the world and contempt for the wicked of the
world, Jesus’ ministry demonstrates that righteousness can be wed with love.
When either love or righteousness is sacrificed, the church proclaims a truncated
gospel.’ (p. 213)
Jesus loves sexual
‘prodigals.’ His deft engagement with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4), a ‘sinful’
devotee (Lk 7:36-50), and a woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-12) are all
contrasted with resistance from disciples and Pharisees alike. One might
conclude that Jesus extended His mantle to ‘cover’ sexual sinners. Given that
Jesus never directly addressed the ‘gay’ question, LGBTQ+ advocates tend to
enlist merciful Jesus in their activism. Opponents to rainbow rap are framed as
Jesus’ enemies too, the legalistic Pharisees of the stories just mentioned.
Gagnon exposes such foolishness.
Jesus fuses righteousness with love. He humbles Himself before sinners as to
raise them up according to their true stature. Almighty mercy commands a letting
go of moral indignities and taking up original innocence. He provokes
repentance and offers forgiveness. He comes for the sick and makes them whole.
There is no Gospel evidence of Him sustaining sexual sinners with platitudes
that padded their unrepentance.
In truth, Jesus challenges
each of us.
He commands freedom, not just from illicit sexual acts but from
divided sexual thoughts (Matt. 5:27, 28). Jesus is after our hearts—the
Word Himself wants to enter the very marrow of our motives as to establish the
Reign of His Kingdom there. Only Almighty Mercy, endowed with power, can break
the interior chains that divide us. This God-Man will stop at nothing to make
us His home.
Jesus wants us in our entirety. We turn, and He transforms
us.
‘Jesus, sorry for making
You the leader of the sexual revolution. Your holiness and compassion combine
to summon us from our sleepy thoughts and wanderings. Wake us up to our true
stature as honorable men and women. Teach us to live wholly, casting off quickly
the phantoms that may still seek to enslave us. Thank You that they no longer
come from within, where You dwell, but from outside of us. You ennoble us to
fight for our dignity.’
‘Jesus, show us Your way
through the uneven, deeply divided ground of our nation. Please compose and restrain explosive
hearts. Use us as instruments of Your
peace. “O blood and water which gushed
forth from the heart of Savior Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, we trust in
You.”’
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