Queer Theology

Matthew 8. 5-13

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour.

This story is chock full of imagery, drama and meaning. While many have argued that the key element of the story is found in the Centurion's faith, I'd like to think a bit about some of the "back story" we may overlook. For example, why does this powerful man of authority come to Jesus himself to make his request and not send another servant or slave? His own words convey the extent of his authority "...I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ Yep, this guy is someone to be reckoned with.

So what was the nature of the relationship between the Centurion and this servant that made him come to Jesus himself to make his request for the servant's healing? Was this servant male or female? One might argue that female servants would fall under the authority of the mistress of the household, but perhaps not. If the servant was male, then what caused the Centurion sufficient cause for concern to take time from his busy day to visit Jesus? Some of you may be way ahead of my clumsy word assemblage and see that I'm suggesting that there is as much reason to think that the Centurion had a deep and even romantic attachment to this servant who was at least as likely to be a man as a woman.

Episcopal priest and queer theologian Patrick S. Cheng and others (from whom my on ideas spring) suggest that we queer people have every right to see ourselves in the gospel stories as anyone else. We have a right to claim our place in salvation history, and as a result full and equal membership in the church. Interestingly, not all "queer theologians" are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered, oh yes, some are heterosexual! The point is to see the radical inclusivity of the the gospel and to break down those artificial humanly constructed divisions that keep us from the 'radical love' that should be the natural response of those who follow Jesus of Nazareth. Agree or not, it does give us something to think about.

* The picture is of the Duke Power building in Charlotte, NC on National Coming Out Day October 11, 2010.