October 29 Meeting: Community and Its Boundaries in the New Testament

This week, we started a new unit, with texts that seek to address the question, "What makes a good community, and how does a community relate to those in the community who are 'different' (different economic situation, strangers, foreigners, etc.)?" We began with the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37:

²⁵ Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.^* ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ²⁶He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ ²⁷He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ ²⁸And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

²⁹ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ ³⁰Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii,^* gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ ³⁷He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

If you attended this meeting, you can use the comments to record some of the ideas that came up, or ones that you have thought of since then!

October 15 Meeting: Poverty and the Poor in the New Testament

At our October 15 meeting, we concluded our series of readings on "Poverty and the Poor" by looking at the following passage from Acts 4:32-37:

³² Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. ³³With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. ³⁵They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. ³⁶There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means ‘son of encouragement’). ³⁷He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Again, those who were there, please make use of the comments feature to convey some of what arose from our discussion of the text.

October 1 Meeting: Poverty and the Poor in the Qur'an

During this meeting, we discussed Sura 2:271-273:

2.271
If ye publish your almsgiving, it is well, but if ye hide it and give it to the poor, it will be better for you, and will atone for some of your ill-deeds. Allah is Informed of what ye do.

2.272
To make them walk in the right way is not incumbent on you, but Allah guides aright whom He pleases; and whatever good thing you spend, it is to your own good; and you do not spend but to seek Allah's pleasure; and whatever good things you spend shall be paid back to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.

2.273
(Alms are) for the poor who are confined in the way of Allah-- they cannot go about in the land; the ignorant man thinks them to be rich on account of (their) abstaining (from begging); you can recognise them by their mark; they do not beg from men importunately; and whatever good thing you spend, surely Allah knows it.

Among the questions raised by the group were:

--What does "some" signify in "some of your ill-deeds"?

--What is the significance of the verb "make" in "To make them walk in the right way"?

--Does "...shall be paid back to you in full" refer to monetary repayment?

--What is the significance of the man being described as "ignorant"?

--What is the meaning of "their mark" by which the poor who do not beg can be recognized?


If you attended this meeting, please take the time to use the Comments function to share some of the ideas that we came up with (in connection with the questions cited here, or in connection with other questions).

September 17 Meeting: Poverty and the Poor in the Hebrew Bible

During this meeting, the CHAI group discussed 2 Kings 4:1-7:

¹ A certain woman, the wife of one of the disciples of the prophets, cried out to Elisha: “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know how your servant revered the LORD. And now a creditor is coming to seize my two children as slaves.” ²Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She replied, “Your maidservant has nothing at all in the house, except a jug of oil.” ³ “Go,” he said, “and borrow vessels outside, from all your neighbors, empty vessels, as many as you can. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind you and your children, and pour [oil] into all those vessels, removing each one as it is filled.” ⁵ She went away and shut the door behind her and her children. They kept bringing [vessels] to her and she kept pouring. ⁶When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” He answered her, “There are no more vessels”; and the oil stopped. ⁷She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your children can live on the rest.”

We broke into small groups to discuss this passage and its relation to our theme of "Poverty and the Poor." Those who were at the meeting can use the Comments function to share some of the ideas that your small group came up with regarding this passage.