Last week we looked at the handful of passages in the Bible that address homosexual acts. Some folks point to these passages to say that the Bible explicitly condemns homosexual acts. Others believe those laws apply more to rape, prostitution, or cult worship, leaving room in God’s kingdom for a loving, faithful same-sex relationship. If we sincerely study the Bible and closely examine the passages that deal specifically with homosexual acts, we’re likely to find that those passages don’t necessarily support or refute our particular views.
Where does that leave us?
One argument against same-sex relationships is that there’s no scripture passage to support it as there is for a heterosexual relationship; nor is there any passage that explicitly overturns the laws against same-sex acts. But, as Kathy noted in her comments on the last post, Jesus paid far more attention to divorce and adultery, and yet views on this have changed over time. Are Christians who make a bigger deal out of homosexual relationships than divorce being hypocritical (another sin Jesus addressed often)?
There’s certainly nothing in the Bible to support condemnation of homosexuals or acts of hatred or insensitivity toward gays. Jesus emphasized the commandments on love, including “Love your neighbor as yourself” (if you add his parable of the Good Samaritan, “neighbor” includes those you might not normally associate with), “Do to others as you would have them do to you”, and “Love one another as I have loved you”. In the first letter of John we read that God is love and if we love, then God lives in us and we live in God. It’s pretty obvious that if we are following Jesus, we not only begin with love, but we also look for where love is (as Kathy mentioned in her comment on the last post).
Let’s explore a couple of passages that have been offered in support of God’s intent to accept homosexuals.
The first passage, Philip baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, is one I had not heard used in this context before. In Banned Questions about the Bible, Jose Morales, Jr. suggests we look at how the Bible treats eunuchs. Eunuchs were prohibited from being part of the assembly (Deut. 23:1; interestingly, so were those born of an “illicit union,” which would likely have applied to Jesus if Joseph hadn't stayed with Mary), but Philip talked scripture with the eunuch and baptized him as what may have been the first non-Jewish convert to Jesus. Morales said that the term “eunuch” can also refer to “‘effeminate’ men, men with both sets of genitals, and men with same-sex attraction,” although I don’t know whether those additional meanings were used at the time the Bible was written. The only passage that might suggest a broader meaning comes in Jesus’ dialog about marriage and divorce in Matthew 19, where he says ‘For some are eunuchs because they were born that way’ (Mt. 19:12).”
For me, that passage is likely to open up debate about whether the term “eunuch” encompassed same-sex attraction in the Bible. Nevertheless, it shows that, at the very beginning of the early church, God opened the doors to those who were once considered outsiders by the law.
And the whole concept of God’s people is opened wide in Acts 10-11 when Peter encounters Gentiles filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter has a vision in which a voice tells him to eat unclean animals. When Peter refuses, the voice says, “What God has made clean, you must not profane” (Acts 10:9-16). Then God leads Peter to the house of Cornelius, a centurion. Peter witnesses God’s Spirit among them and baptizes them (10:44-48). Later, when he is called on the carpet by the church in Jerusalem for baptizing non-Jews, Peter responds, “If God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in Jesus, who was I to hinder God?” (11:17).
Our understanding of genetics increasingly points to the fact that our sexuality is not a lifestyle or a choice but the very essence of who we are. More and more Christians are recognizing that homosexuality is not a choice that can be switched or a “disease” that can be cured. It is part of who we are born to be.
I don’t know if those passages offer a counter to those who insist that God abhors homosexuality. But I do know that not only are there people in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community who seek to follow Jesus, but there are even more who have felt pushed out by the very people Jesus called to be known by their love. If God is at work among the GLBT community, then who are we to hinder God?
I liked this comment from Kathy Escobar about the debate over what the Bible says about homosexuality:
“Over time, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t really know, but I don’t really need to know. I don’t have a simple way to reconcile these passages or dismiss created design and the differences between male and female anatomy. Regardless, I can say that all of the unknowns, various interpretations, and perspectives do force me to keep turning to and relying on the bigger story, and the bigger story is about Jesus alive and at work, restoring, rebuilding, healing, challenging, moving people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and sexual orientations.” (Banned Questions about the Bible, p. 24)
If we don’t know for sure, what are our options? Keep quiet? Continue to insist on our interpretation? Respond in humility and love? Trust that God is at work in ways that aren’t limited by our lack of understanding?
What do you think?
In researching eunuchs, I have concluded that Morales’ interpretation may have been influenced by wishful thinking, although not necessarily. In Matthew 19:12 , Christ refers to three kinds of eunuchs, starting with those who have been born incapable of marriage. I guess that would come closest to homosexuals, but it could also refer to hermaphrodites, or to people who were apparently born with some disability that would keep them from having marital relations. The literature I read refers to them collectively as congenital eunuchs. I also found that the use of the word “eunuch” varies from translation to translation of the Bible. So, I the end I’ll have to give Morales’ interpretation a definite “maybe”.
ReplyDeleteI also found that the Hebrew and Aramaic word “saris”, which means “leader” was sometimes translated in the Bible to the Greek “eunouchos” from which we get the word “eunuch” So I guess it could also mean “leader”.
I’m glad that’s all cleared up now.
Yes, that's as clear as mud. I think the best response/guidance here is to go back to what Jesus said/didn't say and lead with love, grace, and humility.
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