I wonder how you read the Bible?
I wonder if the way we read our Bible tells us something about the way we live our Christian life?
I think often we pick and choose, jump from Scripture to Scripture to hear what we want to hear when we need to hear it. Or follow a devotional thought based on a theme like peace or hope. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good ‘one sentence inspirational thought for the day’, and I know God brings us comfort or guidance in all those spaces. I wonder however, if it may reflect our faith walk as we jump in and out of whatever we want to hear at the time, when it suits us?
The problem with only reading the Bible this way is that there are parts of the Bible we miss and never see in context of the whole picture. We could miss the bigger picture and how this helps us with the context and deeper meaning of many stories and statements in the Bible.
This year, our community decided to step away from the 6 weeks themed topics that we grabbed from here and there and started reading the book of Luke from beginning to end. It has meant we have had to read the inspiring texts along with the hard texts and within the context in which they were spoken. It has made me realize again and again how important it is that my daily walk with Christ must be more than tapping into a nice ‘feel good’ verse of the day and then carrying on with life as if I can safely tick the box, “yes, I have spent time with God”. Yes, I may feel uplifted, but I am really prepared for what life will throw me and more importantly am I a living the called life He desires for me?
Luke follows the story of Jesus and while He did so many things we would all long to see today, like healings, freeing some from being socially outcast, releasing others from demons, amazing miracles … we also walk with a Man and band of followers who saw many walk away because the call was just too hard and life consuming.
In Luke 9:57-62, we see some harsh statements that if plucked out of context make Jesus seem heartless and certainly not compassionate. It seems that Jesus talks bluntly about not taking the time to bury your father or fixing up affairs in the home. So, we can be guilty of brushing over those verses and landing in Luke 10:27 where Jesus is saying something we want to hear.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
But if we read it all together, not jumping to the good bits, we read that Luke 9:57-62 must be seen in context of verse 51 where it says: “As it came time for His Ascension … so He headed for Jerusalem”. This means that Jesus does care about family and compassion, but He also knew His time was urgent and that he needed to stay the course for the greater purpose of dying on the Cross, so those dead, dying and yet to be born have a greater chance of eternal life. He challenges us all about the things that distract us and deter us, that cause us to look back or get off course. To walk with Jesus is to live in a way that shows “no procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day” (Luke 9:62 MSG).
During all this time, the crowds came and went, with only a few faithful followers staying till the end. Although, even they fled and left him alone to walk the pain of crucifixion by himself. This is not a hero story in the eyes of the world, yet it is the most important thing Jesus does in his life and the ONLY reason we have forgiveness, His love, hope of eternity and the promise that things will get better.
Yet, many of us would rather just grab an uplifting verse for the day, like a meme, that gives us a lift as we carry on looking for things that we can do or feel that will make life better for today. And when we do that, we are no different from the crowds that came, listened and left when the words got a little tough to hear. No wonder putting time aside time with God and doing life with a faith community of people is simply ONE choice in a range of many things that we might choose to do any given day and especially on Sundays.
2000 years later we are often as clueless as the disciples were leading up to Him dying on the cross. We are in danger of reading our Bible like we ‘DO' the Christian life. A moment here or there when the busyness of life allows. When we do, we just want to hear the good bits about “life to the full” and “grace and love”.
“Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matt 16:24-26)
Jesus is still looking for people who will follow Him and count the whole cost. As we read Luke from beginning to end, immersed in the great and tough times of Jesus’ life, we are daily challenged to consider the cost of everyday life with Jesus and what that looks like in our everyday in 2020.
I wonder how you read the Bible?
I wonder if the way you read your Bible tells you something about the way you live your Christian life?
