My Favorite Verses - Vol V (Feb 17 to Jun 17)
An illustrated collection of brief commentaries on some of the Bible’s most beloved (and some of its least understood) passages, parables, verses & sayings
An illustrated collection of brief commentaries on some of the Bible’s most beloved (and some of its least understood) passages, parables, verses & sayings
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BONUS Note: Due <strong>to</strong> Emperor Augustus‟ ban on heterosexual marriage for<br />
his centurions (a ban that lasted until 197 A.D.), it was probably not at all uncommon<br />
for homosexual partnerships <strong>to</strong> develop among Roman soldiers. And indeed, in<br />
this very passage (Matthew 8:5-13, and also in Luke 7:1-10), we see Jesus actually<br />
being openly & non-judgmentally Kind <strong>to</strong> a Roman centurion while co-healing his<br />
pais, a Greek term (see Strong‟s #3816) commonly unders<strong>to</strong>od in Jesus‟ day <strong>to</strong><br />
mean not “servant” but rather “younger, same-sex lover.” Indeed, the “servant” in<br />
question must have been more than the mere attendant that many conservative<br />
&/or homophobic Christians believe him <strong>to</strong> be, otherwise the far more prevalent<br />
Greek terms for that status (diakoneo, diakonos or doulos – Strong‟s #1401 … a la<br />
Matthew 8:9) would have been used <strong>to</strong> describe him herein ... And it was just this<br />
type of Faith-full Kindness that Jesus was preaching throughout his three year<br />
ministry – a Kindness that was more done than said, a Kindness that was done<br />
openly & courageously, and a Kindness that was bold enough <strong>to</strong> challenge even<br />
the unjust religious conventions (in this case the staunch anti-homosexual Old<br />
Testament laws) of the day in order <strong>to</strong> Love anyway.<br />
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