Good stories of people living in the moment with the wisdom available to them. A caution: Narrative is not normative. What principles can we find in Scripture to guide our thinking and acting when things go sideways? How ought we to discipline our thinking so that we do not merely do what someone else did in a similar situation but honor God in our situation? Preparation is everything, it seems to me.
This is a false statement when applied to this situation. I have written several posts on this, but I could just start with Christ rebuking the Pharisees with ‘Have you not read what David did?”
Which is not to say that we shouldn’t seek for principles.
Was Jesus teaching a new principle or pointing out an old principle in what David did? David clearly taught that Godliness was not in the action, even commanded action, but in the heart. God commanded sacrifice, David clearly taught that the blood of bulls was of no value. So, we will have to pick the normative narratives based on principle, which is the point I was attempting to make.
I was commenting on the ‘narrative is not normative’ falsehood. Christ picked out a Scripture ‘narrative’ and held the Pharisees up to the standard, the principle, that it taught.
(And that was not at all what happened with David, by the way.)
Perhaps we are talking past each other, or it is late here. I may not understand the distinction you are making. Jesus was reinforcing a principle already clearly taught in Scripture; he was not telling us to go eat the shewbread.
What I am trying to say is that the principle ‘narrative is not normative’ is false. Christ, and many other of the Biblical authors, often brings out Scriptural narrative in an authoritative way.
The principle being discussed in the passage was ‘how do we honour the Sabbath’. And Christ was pointing out that the Sabbath was being honoured by His disciples just as it was being honoured by David… by being put in its proper place. And He was accusing the Pharisees of dishonouring the Sabbath… but ripping it from its proper place.
And He did that using… narrative. Narrative is one of the ways that Scripture teaches us.
Good stories of people living in the moment with the wisdom available to them. A caution: Narrative is not normative. What principles can we find in Scripture to guide our thinking and acting when things go sideways? How ought we to discipline our thinking so that we do not merely do what someone else did in a similar situation but honor God in our situation? Preparation is everything, it seems to me.
»Narrative is not normative
This is a false statement when applied to this situation. I have written several posts on this, but I could just start with Christ rebuking the Pharisees with ‘Have you not read what David did?”
Which is not to say that we shouldn’t seek for principles.
Was Jesus teaching a new principle or pointing out an old principle in what David did? David clearly taught that Godliness was not in the action, even commanded action, but in the heart. God commanded sacrifice, David clearly taught that the blood of bulls was of no value. So, we will have to pick the normative narratives based on principle, which is the point I was attempting to make.
I was commenting on the ‘narrative is not normative’ falsehood. Christ picked out a Scripture ‘narrative’ and held the Pharisees up to the standard, the principle, that it taught.
(And that was not at all what happened with David, by the way.)
Perhaps we are talking past each other, or it is late here. I may not understand the distinction you are making. Jesus was reinforcing a principle already clearly taught in Scripture; he was not telling us to go eat the shewbread.
What I am trying to say is that the principle ‘narrative is not normative’ is false. Christ, and many other of the Biblical authors, often brings out Scriptural narrative in an authoritative way.
The principle being discussed in the passage was ‘how do we honour the Sabbath’. And Christ was pointing out that the Sabbath was being honoured by His disciples just as it was being honoured by David… by being put in its proper place. And He was accusing the Pharisees of dishonouring the Sabbath… but ripping it from its proper place.
And He did that using… narrative. Narrative is one of the ways that Scripture teaches us.
Ok, we agree on that. Blessings.