tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912800736431926417.post8007527077875222236..comments2024-03-12T05:57:28.113-04:00Comments on Rich's Ruminations: A Journey With Matthew - Day 41Rich Simpsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17673981090399476002noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-912800736431926417.post-9163070194166132652014-07-11T14:01:00.800-04:002014-07-11T14:01:00.800-04:00In The Power of Parable, Crossan looks at this sto...In The Power of Parable, Crossan looks at this story from the view of charging interest, which is wrong according to the Torah. When the Master says to the third slave, "Why did you not put my money in the bank? Then when I returned, I could have collected it with interest," it is our clue that the Master is NOT God. Why would God talk about breaking the law? Why would God admit that God is harsh or greedy? Rather, Crossan sees this parable as one where Jesus is challenging listeners to consider how they feel about taking interest, which must have been a heated discussion for the time. Crossan says :<br />"The parable is not simply about INTEREST, but about WORLD. Or better, it is about world as embodied here in interest, as incarnated here in profit. The parable challenges you to think about these questions. What about interest and gain? Whose law do you follow? Do you live under God or under Rome? Do you accept God's laws or Rome's customs? Who is in charge of Israel-is it God or Rome? Are you Roman or Jewish? How can you be both? " Crossan sums up the parable bluntly. He sees Jesus as asking his listeners, "Do you stand with the greedy or the needy?"juliemankowskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01349544036125936276noreply@blogger.com