Take, for example, this Sunday's reading from Genesis. I wasn't scheduled to read this Sunday but my fellow-reader, Mark L. conned me into switching with him. So, it'll be up to me to figure out just what the heck is going on in the first reading from Genesis.
God tells Abram (he's not Abraham yet, that comes later) that He is giving the land of the Canaanites to Abram and all his descendants (more numerous than the stars in the skies etc.) forever. I'm guessing it's the land of the Canaanites since they are the ones who frequently get dumped on in the bible. Abram, obviously a skeptic; not willing to take God's word for it (?!) wants to know how he will know it is his. This is where the story goes off the track for modern people (and those of us who have to read it to them). It involves slicing open a variety of animals (but not the birds for some reason) and then something happens with lamps or something. After all this, Abram is convinced. The word of the Lord.
Chances are that none of the priests will mess with this story
since they have the Gospel reading of the Transfiguration to talk about. The Transfiguration is pretty cool and not just because the apostles sound like they've been smoking something that makes them see long dead prophets who aren't really there. There is a really great mosaic of the Transfiguration in St. Peter's in Rome based on a painting by Raphael who, as we are led to believe, also enjoyed a variety of mind-altering substances.Anyway, my point is that a lot of the Old Testament is completely baffling to modern audiences, obsessed as it is with sacrificing a barnyard of critters; splashing their blood over altars and burning them to cinders. Presumably, God enjoyed this immensely before walking a mile in our sandals in the person of Jesus. For Christians the Old Testament is one long preface to the coming of Jesus but for the Jews, this is all they have. I hope they make more sense out of it.
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