The Path of Discipleship - On Reading the Bible

For many people, the Bible is a difficult book to approach.  They are afraid that they are not up to task.  After all, clergy, including me, may make references to the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages or life in ancient Israel.  We may suggest ideas like you cannot really understand the Genesis creation text without knowledge of the Enuma Elish, the Babylonian creation story; you cannot fully understand Paul without some knowledge of Platonic thought.  People may well walk away with the sense that this text will be too involved.  It is great that there are some professional people here to study and explain the text because I will never have the time.

                This is one of the dangers of critical study of the Bible.  In the effort to read the Bible in its context in history, it becomes easy to forget that the scriptures are words of faith.  In the effort to acknowledge the very human part of authorship, it is easy to forget the divine inspiration behind the words.

                Here are some thoughts on biblical reading and practice. 

1.        You will not understand everything, and that is okay.  I don’t understand everything even with some Greek and Hebrew in my pocket.  Not understanding is an opportunity to learn, to deepen and to grow.  Not understanding is an acknowledgement of the mystery in, with and under the text. 

2.       You will not like everything you read, and that is okay.  The Bible provides multiple answers to the questions we ask of it.  The relationship to our neighbor described in the Parable of the Good Samaritan is quite different than Israel’s relationship to its neighbors in Joshua.  Our relationship to God can be one of love, respect, fear, loyalty or passionate longing (take a look at Song of Songs).  Faith is a gift.  Faith is a choice.  Faith is a task.  You’ve probably grown up in a tradition that said only one of those is right, yet all can be found in the text.

3.       The Bible is boring.  Some of it is.  The book of Exodus starts out with the exciting Sunday school stories of escaping Egypt and crossing the Red Sea.  Eventually it settles into God giving a long description of how the holy tabernacle should be made and then a long description of Israel making the tabernacle to God’s specifications.  Some of it is boring, but it can become interesting to wonder why rambling genealogies were not edited out; why the cattle counts of Numbers deserve to be holy scripture.  Some of it is boring, but all of it is important.

4.       The Bible is not boring.  Most of it isn’t.  You are going to find parts that are exciting, enchanting, inspiring, challenging and troubling.  Pay attention to those reactions.  They can be a sign of God’s Word speaking through the words.

According to the Confessions of St. Augustine, the ancient bishop was converted while sitting in a garden.  From a neighboring home he heard a child chanting, “Take up and read,” over and over again.  He saw this as sign, found a volume of Paul’s letters and was inspired by the text of the book of Romans.  So let me offer you the same admonition and pray you also find inspiration in the Bible.  Take up and read!