Lectio Divina is Latin for divine reading. It is an ancient way of reading Scripture that has been kept alive for centuries by the Christian monastic tradition. Lectio Divina is simply a rhythm of reading a given text, meditating on it, entering into prayerful dialogue with God, and creating space to contemplate in stillness.
It is my understanding that the Word of God is not that which can be objectified and thus approached as something we can rationally explain. Rather, it is a mystery that invites us into a relationship. For it is not in the words where we find God, but in our encounter with them.
Thus, Lectio Divina beckons us to delve into the mystery with the hope that we might be transformed by an encounter with the living God.
Matthew 19:16-22
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. ”There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. ”What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
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Interesting…
I was just reading this account during my own reading this past week. Specifically, I was drawn to the opening exchange between the young man/ruler and Jesus –
Luke 18:18-19 18 And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.
I compared the reading with the other gospel accounts…and I’m still asking the same questions:
Comment by Jeff Borden June 23, 2008 @ 3:41 pmDid the young ruler recognize Jesus as God?
Was Jesus affirming or questioning the young ruler’s acknowledgement (if it was an acknowledgment at all)?
If these questions are answered in the affirmative, what does this account speak to me?
…I’m still meditating on it.
I think Jesus is posing a challenge to the man to consider who he really is.
Furthermore, I find it interesting that after Jesus’ initial response to the question, the man still assumes there is something he lacks. But, what if the man never assumed as much but rather was after something new and fresh, something that was creating a stir among the people. And he simply wanted to be a part of it. If that was the case, I would paraphrase the man’s response to Jesus, “That’s it, keep the commandments? I have been doing that my whole life.”
To which Jesus responds (again, a paraphrase), “You are mistaken. I am not simply inviting people to a fresh knowledge of who God is and how to inherit eternal life. I am inviting people into a way of life. You want to participate? Go sell everything you have. Then you can come join us.”
Jesus isn’t after bandwagon disciples. He is looking for people who give up everything for the sake of his movement.
After all, we’re talking about the Kingdom come here.
Comment by Nate June 23, 2008 @ 5:41 pm