Weird is the New Normal: A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis, Day Eleven

Weird is the New Normal:  A Lenten Walk Through 40 Questions in Genesis
 
Weird – “of strange or extraordinary character.”
Normal – “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern”

• Merriam Webster

Day Eleven – “Does this immigrant want to judge us?” – The men of Sodom (Gen. 19: 9)
There are so many things messed up about this scene, that it is hard to list them all!  Here are two:

• The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The people were wicked… even more wicked than we see at first glance.  First glance is bad enough!  The men of the city surrounded Lot’s house, and yelled, “Where are the men who arrived tonight? Bring them out to us so that we man ‘know’ them?” (19: 5)  For most of my life, I have been told that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was homosexuality.  The deeper I dug into the scriptures, though, the more I have come to believe that the wickedness of these cities had little to do with same-sex intercourse…and nothing to do with the mutual, loving relationships most LGBTQ persons want to have today.
Did the men of the city want to have sex with the angels?  Yes, we can certainly gather that. But what they wanted to do was more akin to gang rape and mob violence than to sex.  They were wicked, but their wickedness went far beyond sexual immorality. It was more profound. How can I say that?  Let us count the ways:

• They did not offer hospitality to strangers. That is a big deal in the Bible, by the way.  I could list many examples, but I’ll just mention two.  In Matthew 25: 43, Jesus says that whoever fails to welcome strangers has failed to welcome Him.  And in Hebrews 13: 2, we are told that we should “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Like the people of Sodom and Gommorah did, for instance) Even the question that we are considering today, referring to Lot as “this immigrant,” shows that these people had not REALLY welcomed Lot and his family, either.
• 
  
• They were proud, bloated, and didn’t help the poor and needy among them.  That’s what the prophet Ezekiel said.  In Ezekiel 16: 49-50, he says that the sin of Sodom is that they had plenty to eat and enjoyed peace and prosperity, but instead of helping the poor and they needy, they were haughty and did “detestable things.” (like gang rape and mob violence, and overall radical inhospitality) 

Also messed up…

• The response of Lot to the mob’s demands.

When the mob demanded the strangers so that they could rape them, Lot said, “My brothers, don’t do such an evil thing.” (so far so good, Lot) “I’ve got two daughters who are virgins. Let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them whatever you wish.” (what the HECK?!)
Reflection: When have you been guilty of failing to offer hospitality to strangers?  (Ironically, it may have been to the LGBTQ community)
Action: Make a determined effort to see the face of Jesus in the strangers you meet.