“...and in Luke 11:27-28 where Jesus tells the woman in the crowd that his mother, being the one who more than anyone else, hears the word of God and keeps it, should be honored as a way of honoring him.
Luk 11:27-28 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. (28) But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Yea, RATHER, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.
“Like I wrote earlier, disputes over interpretation of the Bible . . . .”
Instead of finding interpretations, you should have just read it plainly.
No, if you looked at the philology, you see that the conjunction can be a “no not that but this” contrast or a “yest that but even more this
it is used both ways in Scripture.
So you can’t resolve it philologically, so you go to context.
In the Infancy Narratives Mary is the epitome of those who hear the word of God and keep it.
Not to conclude that Jesus is endorsing the blessedness of his own mother when he says that those who hear the word of God and keep it (she kept the Word in a way no one else could, in her womb, as well as pondering the words of God to her from the angels and magi and so on and so forth).
This is the only realistic way to interpret that passage: anyone who read Luke would see immediately the connection between 11:27-28 and Luke 2:15, 2:51 etc.
Elementary exegesis. Never noticed that, did you? Wonder why? Presuppostions you bring to Scripture, perhaps?
Learn what the Greek word translated as “RATHER”” means. I explained it. It can have a contrast meaning (which you think is the plain meaning) or a ÿes but even more than that.
It’s used both ways.
I am the one doing careful word study here. In this case the word can be used in two ways,so you interpret Scripture with Scripture and that makes clear that he’s endorsing honor of his mother. Which is what the Ten Commandments tell him to do.
But see you blindly depend on your translation, which chose one of the two possible meanings of the word. Translators are traitors. In choosing to translate it as “rather” the translator took sides on this issue. Had he been honest, he’d have pointed out in a footnote that it could also mean “Yeah, sure, venerate my beloved mother but even more than that remember that all who hear and keep the word of God, like my mother does, are blessed.
There, I fixed it for you.
Here’s to hope...that one of you wiser-than-me’s can explain what the angel meant when he told Mary she was blessed among women. Or for that matter, what Jesus meant when he said “Why do you call me good? Only God is good.”
I’ll be praying the rosary. :)