These are good questions. Many people, when they read the Bible, come away with this sense of, "That was wonderful. That was weird." It is to the "weird" side that we want to address ourselves now.
I mean, let's be honest. The Bible is a bit weird. It is unlike almost any other book. It is actually 66 books, written by dozens of people, over the course of centuries. It is history and poetry, personal letters and priestly instruction, and lots more besides. And so much of it feels like Star Wars: "a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away." On top of that, you've got recent books that talk about other gospels that make us wonder if the Bible is all that it is cracked up to be. And you've got teachings in other religions that say the Bible is corrupt. Finally, you've got Christians themselves; they run around quoting scripture that seems to contradict everyday knowledge that the rest of the world (especially the scientific community) takes for granted. All this is enough to make one want to throw up one's hands and call it quits. Have you ever felt that way?
I think there might be a few reasons why we are prone to getting frustrated. The first is that Christians are sometimes overly rigid and don't allow for development of understanding regarding discoveries of the text. So, for example, some Christians are convinced that Moses must have written the first five books of the Bible, because, well, Moses wrote them! When we discover that Moses almost certainly did not write at least some parts (like the sections about events after he died), then we're likely to think that this Bible thing is a farce. Secondly, we might be more familiar with popular media than with the facts of historical research. We hear about these new gospels and how the biblical gospels - written much later - distort the picture of Jesus, when, in fact, the best scholarly evidence points to a very early writing of the biblical gospels and how these four books were confirmed to be in the Bible because of their long-standing testimony to Jesus. [This article by author N.T. Wright spells this out effectively.] Third, we've been taught to think of the Bible in the wrong way. Many people think of the Bible as a big textbook. But the Bible doesn't follow the logic of a textbook. It is much more of a story, with lots of history, and even some instruction manual for life thrown in. The way that a story is true is much different than the way a textbook is true. Instead of analyzing the truth of each proposition, the Bible invites us to enter in and participate in its story. We're invited to open up our heart to the love shown therein.
So those are some thoughts on the Bible. But that still doesn't get to the heart of it for me. Want to know the main reason I'd say why we can trust the Bible? Because Jesus did. I'd bet most of us would say Jesus was a pretty good guy. That he taught some insightful things and lived an amazing and powerful life. I sure think so. And the source material for his teachings and life were the Bible. Of course, he only had what we call the "Old Testament." He learned and loved and lived in the story of the scriptures and out of that came his teachings and life. So if we're looking for a reason to believe the Bible and be willing to trust that it is okay, that's the best one I know of. Because Jesus believed the Bible and trusted it was from God. And so, if we want to live a life like Jesus, then we would do well to soak ourselves in the same source that informed his - the Bible.
We sometimes have this idea that it is wrong to ask why.
Why? It isn't a sin to doubt. It isn't a sin to ask questions.
God never turns his back on anyone asking an honest question. We can be honest with God. We can bring our hard questions to Jesus.
There's a story from the life of Jesus. You can find it in Matthew's biography, right near the end, in the 28th chapter of his book. Matthew is telling the story about the time after Jesus' resurrection from the dead, when he meets with his followers before translating out of their view. Matthew says that, when they saw the risen Jesus, their reaction was to worship. Jesus has just risen from the dead, something that no other human being had ever done. He's defeated death and his body is glorious. They were filled with awe and reverence. And, Matthew says, "some doubted." I love that little line, because it has got to be one of the most honest statements in the Bible. I mean, they knew what we know: dead people stay dead, right? And here's Jesus, risen from the dead? It was a little much to take in for some of them. They worshiped, but some doubted. They worshiped even while doubting. They were able to honor God and ask some honest questions at the same time; doing the one didn't necessarily diminish the other. Nor does Jesus rebuke the doubters. In fact, he commissions these same folks to carry on the work he's begun.
There's another biblical story that I'm reminded of, even more famous. It has to do with so-called "Doubting Thomas," pictured above. This story comes from John's biography of Jesus, in the 20th chapter of his book. Again, Jesus has recently risen from the dead. While his friends are gathered (secretly - for fear of suffering the same fate as Jesus), Jesus meets up with them to show them he's now alive; only, Thomas isn't there. They tell Thomas Jesus has appeared to them alive, but Thomas is skeptical. He wants proof. A week later Jesus meets up with his friends again, this time with Thomas among them. Jesus is fully aware of Thomas' mindset. Does he rebuke him? Kick him out of the group? No. He invites him to poke around and consider the evidence, to consider Jesus. And then Jesus invites Thomas to lay doubting aside and take up trust, to believe.
Jesus welcomes our honest questions.
This blog is dedicated to reflecting on some honest questions asked by members and friends of the Royal Oak Vineyard Church in the 2008 Easter Season. I look forward to your comments.
Why? It isn't a sin to doubt. It isn't a sin to ask questions.
God never turns his back on anyone asking an honest question. We can be honest with God. We can bring our hard questions to Jesus.
There's a story from the life of Jesus. You can find it in Matthew's biography, right near the end, in the 28th chapter of his book. Matthew is telling the story about the time after Jesus' resurrection from the dead, when he meets with his followers before translating out of their view. Matthew says that, when they saw the risen Jesus, their reaction was to worship. Jesus has just risen from the dead, something that no other human being had ever done. He's defeated death and his body is glorious. They were filled with awe and reverence. And, Matthew says, "some doubted." I love that little line, because it has got to be one of the most honest statements in the Bible. I mean, they knew what we know: dead people stay dead, right? And here's Jesus, risen from the dead? It was a little much to take in for some of them. They worshiped, but some doubted. They worshiped even while doubting. They were able to honor God and ask some honest questions at the same time; doing the one didn't necessarily diminish the other. Nor does Jesus rebuke the doubters. In fact, he commissions these same folks to carry on the work he's begun.
There's another biblical story that I'm reminded of, even more famous. It has to do with so-called "Doubting Thomas," pictured above. This story comes from John's biography of Jesus, in the 20th chapter of his book. Again, Jesus has recently risen from the dead. While his friends are gathered (secretly - for fear of suffering the same fate as Jesus), Jesus meets up with them to show them he's now alive; only, Thomas isn't there. They tell Thomas Jesus has appeared to them alive, but Thomas is skeptical. He wants proof. A week later Jesus meets up with his friends again, this time with Thomas among them. Jesus is fully aware of Thomas' mindset. Does he rebuke him? Kick him out of the group? No. He invites him to poke around and consider the evidence, to consider Jesus. And then Jesus invites Thomas to lay doubting aside and take up trust, to believe.
Jesus welcomes our honest questions.
This blog is dedicated to reflecting on some honest questions asked by members and friends of the Royal Oak Vineyard Church in the 2008 Easter Season. I look forward to your comments.
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2 comments:
You put it on the level I need. Thank you
I follow your argument that Jesus trusted the old testament. Extending that argument, how can you really validate the new testament since it was written after Jesus death and he didn't say anything about it? Who is to say any man's writings are not also gospels. Why should anyone believe the new testament is from God and not merely the writings of men claiming to have prophetic gifts of God and called words of God? I truly don't know what to believe yet it's the greatest mystery in my life.
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