Have you heard the phrase “Moralizing the text?” You may not have heard it, but I would be surprised if you have not experienced it if you have spent any time in the Church. It can be argued that this is the primary way the modern church has read scripture. When one moralizes the text, they read the Bible with an eye to put a life lesson at the end of a passage, often adding a clear reading of what is right and what is wrong. We might say, “In this passage, we see Jesus do ‘x,’ therefore we are called to do ‘y.’” Or, “Peter reacted this way, so we should not do that.” The objective of such bible reading is (essentially) behavior modification. Although not without value, I wonder what we miss out on when we do this? I wonder how our opinion of Jesus and His good news is affected? I wonder how our faith is impacted when moralizing the text is our primary approach to scripture? This week at Mosaic we will look at the familiar story of baby Moses and consider these questions together. See you then! ~Aaron