Daily Devotional for Small Group Discussion: What I Wish the Bible Didn’t Say

by Chris Mereschuk | published on Aug 26, 2024

Discussion Questions 

  1. Which scripture passages do you wish didn’t make it into the Bible? 
  1. How do you make meaning of those scripture passages (if at all)?
  1. How might you acknowledge and accept their existence while proclaiming what you do believe, and not just what you don’t believe?

Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church… Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ… – Ephesians 5:22-23a, 6:5 (NRSVUE) 

You ever read scripture and kinda wish you hadn’t? Inspiring biblical calls for justice, righteousness, and radical liberation are inter-spliced with misogyny, patriarchy, xenophobia, racism, exploitation, and sexualized violence. Oh, how I wish these wretched things weren’t in there! But they’re in there. 

Along with ancient divine wisdom, scripture lays bare enduring, terrifying truths about human existence and how we treat one another based on our beliefs. But there’s a difference between acknowledging these things as socio-historical facts, and venerating them as divine blessings for injustice and oppression. 

Some folks dismiss the entire Bible because of scriptures such as these verses from Ephesians, perhaps believing the parts corrupt the whole. Ignoring them is not an option, because that’s hypocrisy.  

For those of us who choose to look to the Bible as our guide, how do we contend with scriptures that cause us to recoil? How do we hold this tension and reconcile the simultaneous beauty and horror? Accepting the existence of these scriptures is not the same as affirming and adopting their teachings. Again, ignoring them is not an option. But wrestling and arguing with them is. We can learn about translations and context. Dissect and deconstruct them. Talk and pray about them. And make your case for what you do believe. Because that’s in there, too.  

Prayer
Divine Author: Our sacred text is unsettlingly complex, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Help us wrestle with it so we can understand and proclaim your Word. Amen.

Chris MereschukAbout the Author
Chris Mereschuk (he/him) is an Unsettled Pastor and the Founder of RevCJM, LLC, specializing in church vitality and Legacy consulting and coaching.