Jesus hates FIGS!

Have you seen this meme?

Well in case you need the context, in Matthew 21:18-22 a story is told of Jesus cursing a Fig tree that bears no fruit. Obviously, the meme is meant as satire and a play on words however there is more to look at here. Why has this meme gained such popularity? Well, it's because of what Jesus is NOT saying. He is not saying that he hates queer folks. In fact, nowhere in the new testament does Jesus say anything about homosexuality. Historically we know that it was in existence. The Old Testament makes reference to it however the New Testament does not.

Hold onto your hats kids - she's going in!

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament, though the same being- are very different and the reason is because of Jesus: The word made flesh, the lamb led to slaughter for the NEW covenant. (Pretty theology words aren't they?) What does all this mean? It means that when Jesus came to Earth - when he gave himself up to death - a new covenant was made, between God and his people. That doesn't mean that the old convent was dissolved, but rather that it changed ("I have not come to abolish the law, but to complete it" - Jesus). This is why we don't need to observe the rules about pork or eating a steak rare or other restrictions set forth in Leviticus. The verse in the bible that condemns homosexuality - or rather homosexual sex (more on that later), is in Leviticus (18:22 if anyone is interested).  The question always remains, however: how do we determine which rules of the Old Testament to follow and which we can deem are outdated? If we deem them outdated, why? Is it only social stigmas that determine when something is ok and when it isn't? Some denominations of Christianity have already embraced same-sex relationships. Most notable examples are: The Episcopal Church, Metropolitan Community Churches, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church (in the US), and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America*.  Is it all just a matter of time? Once, interracial relationships were said to be condemned by scripture- that is no longer the case.  

The Old Testament stipulates that marrying people of other nations will cause His people to lose the Lord's favor and He will not protect them from being overtaken by these nations. (Deuteronomy 7:2-5 and Joshua 23:10-13). At one point in time, these scriptures were used to justify racism and the “sinfulness” of interracial marriage. It was unholy that we should mingle or marry people from other countries.  Looking at our society now, this sounds completely unrealistic and bigoted. With time, scripture has been studied further; the New Testament warns against marrying non-believers (2 Corinthians 6:14-16), and so we have come to understand that what God meant in the Old Testament was that we should be wary of marrying people who do not believe in our God. Along the same lines, we now understand that the three major religions (Jewish, Christian, and Islam) also believe in the SAME God (more on this in a future post but If your curiosity is burning look up "Abrahamic Religions"). There are very few religion restrictions to marrying anyone - as long as they are of the opposite sex. That, I believe, will be the next leap. 

The beautiful thing about the Living Word is that it is indeed living. As we develop as a species, as our ability to interpret and our knowledge increases, the Living Word reveals itself to us more and more. The Word is unchanging, let's be clear, but we change and we grow and so the meaning that has been there since the dawn of day has not all been interpreted to its fullness. God is omnipotent and vast. He spans all of time and space and so we cannot suppose that we know all that He wants to reveal to us yet.

To bring it all back- Jesus talks about divorce. This means that His teachings included teachings on relationships and yet He never talks about homosexuality. If queerness is so condemned and contradictory to God's original design, why doesn't Jesus, the Living Word himself, talk about it? At the very least He would have addressed "proper" unions, but there’s nothing; all he talks about is not abandoning your spouse.

His teachings all center around three things- love, worship, and service. He wasn't one for the red tape of Jewish law (healing on the Sabbath... the horror!!). If it wasn't important enough for Him to bring up then I think it's safe to say that it can be revisited.

The thing I always try to keep in mind when discerning scripture and doctrine is the "why." Rules for the sake of rules are just begging to be broken. What is it about doing this thing or not doing this thing that will lead us into the Lord's loving embrace? Why would my loving parent (God the Father) prevent me from doing this? If the answer you come up with is just "because He said so," I challenge you to revisit that. All the rules are put in place because of His love for us, not as some disciplinary measure.

We were created for one reason (Baltimore Catechism folks, this is your time to shine!!) We were created to love and be loved. That's it. That was the whole reason. He made us to love us and for us to love Him. Then Jesus came and added to that- that we love God above all things and that we love the other as we love ourselves (That’s right, the Golden Rule comes from the Bible y'all). If this is at the center of all Christian belief than how does God restricting our love for another human make any sense? Love is Love (is love is love is love is love is love.... Theatre nerds where you at?! Lin Manuel Miranda was raised Catholic... not relevant, but just sayin') 

I love my partner deeper than I have ever loved a man. Now, don't get me wrong, I have love for my ex-husband. He is a nice guy. At one point I did fully believe that I could spend my life with him. It is now, however, living in my authentic state, that I can truly recognize what deep, intense, full, and intimate love truly is.

Theology of the Body argues that marriage is the closest of all human bond and friendship- that conjugal love makes the two persons one in body AND soul. This is why it has been elevated to a sacramental level.  (If you don't know what Theology of the Body is- it’s basically a huge book all about God's intention for sex written by Pope (St.) John Paul II, whom I affectionately know as JP2.) Having been married to a man, having now experienced my relationship with my partner, I can with certainty tell you that this most current bond (between two women) better reflects the bond JP2 must have been talking about. Yes, but there is the biological life-creating component of it missing (they argue with conviction!). Ok, yes, two people of the same biological sex are not going to be able to create new biological life by making love, however: 

Isn't creating and having a life more than just breathing air?     

Two people create a life together when they tether themselves to each other. A family, "traditional" or not, will do the same. A loving couple that brings a child into their home, gives that child a loving environment where they can grow and develop and live a good wholesome life they would otherwise not have. That, too, is creating life.

"Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect."

-1 Corinthians 13:8-9 

Doctrine is interpreted and developed by man. Even through divine intervention, we are still limited by our humanness. The work is not done. For a long time, the woman who was charged with adultery, that Jesus saved (You know, "he who is without sin cast the first stone") was thought to be Mary of Magdala. People still think that! (It wasn't her folks!) With time, and with further understanding of scripture, her name was cleared. She is now known as one of the most loyal followers of Jesus (Yeah, I see you Dan Brown fans- that's not where I'm going with this.) As we break down the anti-woman tone that once was held by the heads of our religion, the women in the new testament were further studied and their significance further determined. Before this time, it didn't matter that there was no distinction between those two women because their presence in the scripture was insignificant. The name of one of Jesus’s most loyal followers (whom probably funded his work, by the way; any woman that had a surname, in this case,“of Magdala”, during that time was understood to come from money - History folks in the room,) has for generations been associated with lowliness and sin. Now, we know better; the truth of the Living Word has been further revealed. As LGBT folks and their rights come out of the shadows, similar to women’s rights coming out of the shadows, it is my hope that these scriptures that condemn us and our love will be studied further and more of God’s truth will be revealed. 

Time is what gives me hope. I know that things are not going to change overnight. Right now, we are still fighting to have LGBTQ used in official church documents instead of "homosexual inclinations". At least most know what LGBTQ is though, so I see that as a step forward. A baby step forward is still a step in the right direction. A few years ago, the only resource and support for a queer person in the church was "Courage" or programs of the like. (If you don't know what Courage is, I would recommend just avoiding it altogether.) It was just a few years ago that homosexual people were not accepted. Today, that has changed to homosexual sex. It's still a hard pill to swallow and it's still not enough to accept gay folks as long as we don't "act gay." No one should be forced into celibacy. 

Today, however, there are queer-friendly ministry meetings I can go to all over the state of NJ, some in NY, and in Pennsylvania, and that is just off the top of my head (Resources in the menu to the left: LGBT Interparish Collaborative); Ministry groups that embrace instead of trying to change, and these ministry groups are supported by their pastors and church leaders. That is a big step forward. I earnestly believe that the Church's views on LGBTQ+ relationships will change. One day, we too, will be fully embraced and our love will no longer be deemed illegitimate.

My hope is that one day in the future someone reads this post and says... "well, yeah, duh!!"

Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with knowledge and wisdom, that we may have the right sense to truly understand Your divine intention for our Love. Help us to embrace that love which you have created in your perfection, in all its varied forms. 
Amen

* Source: www.GayChurch.org