Comments on: Kingdom D.N.A.: The Kingdom http://faithreflections.org/2010/06/kingdom-d-n-a-the-kingdom/ The wrestle for Authentic Faith, Community, Leadership and Life Fri, 04 May 2012 05:20:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: heather robertson http://faithreflections.org/2010/06/kingdom-d-n-a-the-kingdom/comment-page-1/#comment-53 heather robertson Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:41:19 +0000 http://faithreflections.org/?p=381#comment-53 I've been reading Peter Rollins' book 'The Orthodox Heretic". It's made up of a number of different parables, some he has adapted from parables Jesus told, and some that come from other reflections either of his own or others. I read 'The Pearl of Great Price' today, which was all to do with the Kingdom. I won't write it all here, as it would be too long, but if you got your hands on the book I think you would find it to a provocative and challenging read, looking at faith in a way that challenges the religiosity of Christianity. In the story that struck me today, like the parable, Jesus is telling a crowd that the kingdom is like a great pearl that a merchant sold everything to possess. A bit later, Jesus asks an onlooker what their understanding it is (a young woman standing in the distance). This what she says: "If this Kingdom you speak of is like that priceless pearl, then the sacrifice needed in order to grasp it will not make one rich but rather will reduce the one who has sacrificed it to absolute poverty. For you are saying that one must give up everything for the pearl, yet the pearl itself is worth nothing unless you find someone to buy it. And if you do find someone then you will no longer have the pearl. So although you appear to be the richest person alive while you have the pearl, in reality you will have nothing to live on unless you tive it up. What use then is this pearl?" Jesus replies: "The pearl has no value if all you seek is its value. But if you renounce the value of the pearl and give up everything simply because you are captivated by its beauty, then and only then will you discover its true value". (the story is inspired by a relection by Soren Kierkegaard). I’ve been reading Peter Rollins’ book ‘The Orthodox Heretic”. It’s made up of a number of different parables, some he has adapted from parables Jesus told, and some that come from other reflections either of his own or others.

I read ‘The Pearl of Great Price’ today, which was all to do with the Kingdom. I won’t write it all here, as it would be too long, but if you got your hands on the book I think you would find it to a provocative and challenging read, looking at faith in a way that challenges the religiosity of Christianity.

In the story that struck me today, like the parable, Jesus is telling a crowd that the kingdom is like a great pearl that a merchant sold everything to possess. A bit later, Jesus asks an onlooker what their understanding it is (a young woman standing in the distance). This what she says:

“If this Kingdom you speak of is like that priceless pearl, then the sacrifice needed in order to grasp it will not make one rich but rather will reduce the one who has sacrificed it to absolute poverty. For you are saying that one must give up everything for the pearl, yet the pearl itself is worth nothing unless you find someone to buy it. And if you do find someone then you will no longer have the pearl. So although you appear to be the richest person alive while you have the pearl, in reality you will have nothing to live on unless you tive it up. What use then is this pearl?”

Jesus replies:

“The pearl has no value if all you seek is its value. But if you renounce the value of the pearl and give up everything simply because you are captivated by its beauty, then and only then will you discover its true value”.

(the story is inspired by a relection by Soren Kierkegaard).

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