Lately I’ve been realizing how very little we pay attention to the Bible. Who did Jesus hang out with? The prostitutes, the tax collectors, and the lepers, we all answer very smugly, as if we understood. That’s the way I always answer, but the truth is I’ve never actually hung out with the modern day equivalent. I’ve never talked to a prostitute, I’ve never met anyone with HIV, I’ve never even seen cocaine, let alone someone using it. If Jesus were around today I get the feeling he’d be hanging around with these kind of people. I also get the feeling that we understand that conceptually, it’s just that something doesn’t fully click because we don’t do anything about it. I’ve never heard a church announce a weekly “Hooker Hour” where they go wherever the hookers hang out and share the love of Jesus. Maybe that’s a bad example, but very rarely do I see sign up sheets for those activities. I know I’d never sign up.

Then there’s Paul. We ignore him, too. At least Jesus won’t feel lonely that way. Paul talks about marriage and he says it’s perfectly okay to stay single. In fact, he encourages it. Yet what do we all do? Get married. I’m getting married on December 29. Perhaps it’s odd of me to bring this up, since I myself am getting married, but I’m just trying to prove my point. We don’t really do what the Bible says. We read it, we understand it, and we ignore it. Paul says be single. That’s great. Thanks Paul. But no thanks.