[Speaking of Matt. 18:1-9] “The first thing to notice is how the disciples’ lapse into mimetic rivalry evoked from Jesus a discourse on scandal and scandalizing. As I said, it seems at first a non sequitur. From the mimetic point of view, however, it is the perfect response. Jesus recognized his disciples anxiety about their relative social standing for what it was: an indication that they were becoming ‘stumbling blocks’ for one another. They were becoming envious and rivalrous. Ironically, Jesus here uses imagery that is scandalous in the conventional sense of being shocking in order to stress the dangers of scandal in the scriptural sense of something that arouses envious, covetous, or rivalrous desire” (Gil Bailie, Violence Unveiled, p. 210).
Have 'Em Delivered
Write to the Editor
Subscribe
0 Comments