WEEKLY COMMENTARY: We May Bring Some Blindness To Our Understanding Of The Bible

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

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, there are some "outside" factors which may color a reader's interpretation of the Bible.  Let's examine four such "outside" factors, and then try to keep them in perspective when we read the Bible.

1.)  Failing to distinguish between the Bible's major themes and message, and its less important ideas.

Some people say, for example, that they cannot accept how the Bible portrays gender roles ---- men routinely dominant over women.  So, if they are not sure about gender roles, they are not sure about many other things the Bible tells them.  However, Christians do seem to agree that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day of his crucifixion.  Are the doubters saying that because they do not like what the Bible says about gender roles, let's say, that it is false that Jesus was raised from the dead?

If Jesus is the Son of God, then we must take his teachings seriously.  If he is not

whom he says he is, then why should we care what the Bible says about anything else?  In short, people should not worry about such things as gender roles as reflected 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 actually all about Jesus.

If you think the Bible"s purpose is just for your benefit ---- what you must do and how you must live ---- then you do not need Jesus.  All you need are the rules Jesus has given us.  Actually, there are just two ways to read the Bible:

     a.) You can read the New Testament as if it is all about you and what you must do to please God and 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, and wants us to do for him.

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 at first thought it did.

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

This can often be the source of some misunderstanding.  Perhaps one is offended by certain biblical texts because of an un-examined assumption of the superiority of one's own cultural moment.  The Disciples traveling on the road to Emmaus misunderstood the prophesies about 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 mistakenly read a Bible passage through one's cultural "blinders" and therefore misunderstand what the text really teaches.

Some people may say a passage is regressive and offensive because it creates a conflict with principles in their particular culture.  But other cultures may treat the same passage as perfectly acceptable.  For example, in some cultures, what the Bible says about sex is a problem, but there are no issues about 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?

So, here's a suggestion.  Might there be value in reading and re-reading, discussing and pondering, a Scriptural passage over and over, in the hope of weakening our reader's "blinders".  Through the use of such "cultural humility," gradually the truer meaning of the Scriptural teaching may become more clear.  For many Bible students, part of the thrill of reading and studying Scripture is precisely the wrestling with the text, and pondering the questions it leaves with us.

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These thoughts are brought to you by Central's Adult Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage some personal spiritual growth this summer at Central Church.

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