I like to read The Message from time to time. Its fresh approach often breathes life into a familiar text. If you’re a regular blog reader, you’ll notice it’s my primary text for this year’s readings. Every now and then I’m criticized in a workshop for suggesting it as a reading option, but my response is always the same: “If you don’t like The Message or any other translation I recommend, don’t read it. But be sure you read something. There are no ‘points’ for NOT reading a particular translation!”

I like The Message, but I think Eugene Peterson missed it in this paragraph in Hebrews. I like the beginning but not the end:

I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening. By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong. (Hebrews 5.11 – 14, MSG)

“You’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening” is way better than “dull of hearing.” But, the last sentence is not quite what the text says. According to the standard translations, it’s not “right from wrong,” it’s discerning between “good and evil.”

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5.14, ESV, emphasis mine)

I associate “right from wrong” with the folks who work hard at their “doctrine” – they want to get their theology just right. But “good from evil” sounds more like behavior and character, way more important values.

Decades ago when my daughter was a little girl, there was TV preacher holding forth. I don’t remember who he was nor why I had it on. I was listening to his content, making sure that what he said was “correct.” Melody listened to him for a few minutes, then looked up at me and said, “Daddy, why is he so angry?” A good observation that I had missed.

Often some of the most vitriolic behavior and all-around lack of love by believers is directed at other believers who disagree with them on some minor point of theology. We need our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer…You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God’s Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required.” (Matthew 23.1 – 3, 23, MSG)

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. (2 Timothy 2.23 – 26, ESV)

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13.34, 35, NIV)