Warren Carter’s commentary on Matthew, Matthew and the Margins, has really helped me to grasp the deeper meaning of this familiar passage. Either we join with Jesus and resist the lure of empire and the comfort of being among the elite or we perish. We, as disciples, must deny ourselves. If we do not deny ourselves—turning from anything that hinders “faithful and lived commitment and turning to trust oneself to God’s purposes”—we will perish. Practically speaking, this means that we do not side with the elite, with empire, when empire denies the dignity of human life by advocating and practicing abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, war, torture, racism, classism, sexism. We are to oppose empire when empire opposes the dignity of life. Continue reading →