Tuesday, July 17, 2018

WEEKLY COMMENTARY: Bible Readers May Bring Some "Blinders" To Their Bible Understanding


Consider the origins of Scripture.   Some of it is more than 2,000 years old.  Some was written in various languages by authors who may not have compared notes very carefully.  Furthermore, some Scripture has been translated for us by people of different cultures and different eras.  Should we be surprised that the Bible text is sometimes confusing, or even beyond our belief?

Nevertheless, many of us believe that Scripture is divinely inspired and contains very important guidance and truth on how we should live our lives.

But, some "outside" factors may also affect a reader's interpretation of the Bible.  Let's examine four such "outside" factors, to keep them in perspective.

1.)  Failure to distinguish between the Bible's major themes and message, and its 
      LESS primary teachings.

Some people say, for example, that they cannot accept what the Bible says about gender roles or politics, so they disbelieve other things the Bible tells them.  However, Christians all agree that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.  But, are some doubters saying that because they do not like what the Bible says about gender roles, let's say, that it is false that Jesus could have been raised from the dead?  If Jesus is the son of God, then we must take his teaching seriously.  If he is not whom he says he is, then why would we care what the Bible says about anything else?  In short, people should not worry about such things as gender roles in the Bible, until they have decided whether they believe that Jesus' teachings are central to our faith.

2.)  Forgetting that the New Testament is all about Jesus ---- not directly about us.

If you think the Bible is only about you ---- what you must do and how you must live ---- then you do not need Jesus.  All you need are the rules.  Actually, there are only two ways to read the Bible:  a.) you can read the Bible as if it is all about you and what you must do to please God, and thus be a good person.  OR  b.) you can read the  New Testament as if it is all about Jesus and what he has done for us.

3.)  Jumping to conclusions that may be false, about what a Bible passage is actually teaching.


Be patient with the text.  Many of the things people find offensive can be cleared up with a decent commentary reference book that puts the issue into historical context.  The Bible text may not be teaching what you first thought.

4.)  The culture in which one grows up may uniquely shape how we "hear" what the Bible teaches.

This can be the source of some misunderstanding.  Perhaps one is offended by certain Biblical texts because of an un-examined assumption of the superiority of our own cultural moment.  The Disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus misunderstood the Messiah because as Jews they were thinking of the redemption of Israel, and not the redemption of the world.  It is so easy to unconsciously read a Bible passage through one's cultural "blinders" and therefore misunderstand what the text really teaches.

Some people may say that a certain passage is regressive and offensive because it creates a conflict with principles in their particular culture, but other cultures may think the same passage is perfectly acceptable.  For example, in some cultures, what the Bible says about sex is a problem, but there are no issues with what it says about forgiveness.  In other cultures, there may be acceptance of what the Bible says about sex, but what the Bible says about forgiveness is considered ridiculous.  Why should one set of cultural sensibilities prevail over everyone else's?

If the Bible really is the revelation of God and not the product of any one  culture, why wouldn't it be inevitable that someone's cultural sensibilities will be offended at some point?  Could the interpretation problem with some Biblical texts simply arise from an un-examined belief in the superiority of one cultural moment over all others?  Furthermore, if the Bible was authored by persons inspired by the Holy Spirit, could the spiritual message be clouded to some extent by the "blinders" of today's readers?

Many of us believe that Jesus spelled out the basic interpretive principle by which we are to understand the the Bible.  When he was asked to identify the greatest commandments, Jesus said it is loving God and loving our neighbor.  If we read the Bible from that point of view, it gives us greater perspective on the cultural boundaries that color our Scripture reading.  This would be true for us today, but also for reading the writers of the original Scriptural texts. 

So, here's a suggestion.  Might there be value from re-reading, discussing and pondering, a Scriptural passage over and over, in hopes of weakening out reader "blinders".  Through the use of such "cultural humility", gradually the truer meaning of the Scriptural meaning may become more clear.  For many Bible students,  part of the thrill of reading and studying Scripture is precisely wrestling with the text and pondering the questions which it leaves with us.
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These thoughts are bought to you by CPC's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal growth this year  at Central Church.
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