I am a fan of that passage, too. It’s always struck me.
Martin Luther King liked it, too.
“You shall take joy in the comfort of her breasts.” Song of Solomon.
Also, Ecclesiastes- it condemns life in the highest poetry. The message ‘nothing a human does lasts. Nothing a human does is worthwhile.’ BUT as I said, it tells us this in beautiful poetry that has lasted milennia. The existence of Ecclesiastes disproves the message. It’s like when the Three Stooges hide in a chicken coop, the bad guy knocks and yells “Anybody in there?” and Moe answers “Nobody here but us chickens!”
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity! There is nothing new under the sun!” yeah, right Moe.
The story of Baldhead and the two bears. “Go up ye baldhead” has always seemed like such an excellent insult. (Murdering dozens of children is a pretty effective comeback.)
Of course Headspike Chick is pretty bad-ass, too. She needs her own cel-animated musical movie.
Mine is Romans 8 38-39 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I had probably heard these before, but only started paying attention when I heard them quoted in a movie “The Hiding Place”
John 21:25
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were to be written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books.
John 10:30-38 is pretty cool.
—————————
10:30 I and my Father are one.
10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
i.e., most definitely NOT channelling Chevy Chase and telling us “I am the Son of God and you aren’t”.
ETA: also most definitely NOT “you have to believe me; to doubt me or question me is a sin”
also the verse he’s referencing in his reply on verses 34-35 is Psalms 82:1-6:
82:1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
82:2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
82:3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
82:4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
82:6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
I have no idea.
Luke 18:25 that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God”
Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Luke 18-19 in honor of all those gardeners right now.
They were doing a lot more with mustard seed back in the day, Matthew 17 20-21
Luke 13: 19-21 plant some seed and grow a plant that provides refuge for birds or any living thing.
Matthew 21:17; “And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.”
Another vote for this one. In this world, how about you just try to do the right thing as best you can?
Now, sure ocassionally I look at some “believers” and I want to sock Matt. 7:22-23 at them - “Many will say on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? And I will say to them: I have never known you, get away from me…”
The prologue of John is one fine example of an opening.
In the footsteps of Jesus, i think Matthew and Luke were probably dealing more with agrarians based on monologue. Jesus had his coastsl, initial cohort, of fisherman.
Facetiously, the one from Pulp Fiction.
Actually, Man looks on the outer appearance, God looks at the heart.
Erm… Psalms 147:10 " He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse: neither delighteth he in any man’s legs."
I quite like for the odd poetry of it Psalm 60:8
“Moab is my washpot; Over Edom will I cast out my shoe: Philistia, triumph thou because of me.”
And the ultimate putdown in debate Proverbs 26:11
" As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."
Mark:
12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.
Just because it sounds so petty and human.