Theological Journal – August 31 Five Simple Hacks to Revolutionize Your Bible Reading
ON JUNE 25, 2020 BY MICHAEL PAHL
You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to get more out
of your Bible reading. Ideally, sure, we’d all be reading the Bible in ancient
Hebrew and Aramaic and Greek with a full understanding of the relevant ancient
cultures—but we all know that’s not going to happen. So, here are a few tricks
of the trade—a few “Bible reading hacks”—to help you maximize your English
Bible reading. Beware, though, you might find this actually revolutionizes your
Bible reading—and radicalizes your faith in Jesus and his way of love.
Read “Jesus” as “Jesus of Nazareth.”
We as Christians tend to think about Jesus in generic
sorts of ways, or we domesticate Jesus so he fits better with who we already
are. Reading “Jesus” in the New Testament as “Jesus of Nazareth” reminds us
that it’s not just some generic Jesus whom we trust and obey, but a very specific Jesus:
a first-century Jew from rural Galilee who lived in certain ways and taught
certain things and, as a result, was rejected by many of his religious leaders
as a blasphemer and executed by the Roman Empire as an enemy of the
state. See here for some direct biblical reminders
of Jesus as a man from Nazareth.
Read “Christ” as “Messiah.”
Most Christians probably know that “Christ” is not
Jesus’ second name, but a title: it is the equivalent of “Messiah.” There were
a few different messianic expectations among Jews in the first century, but the
most common—and the one behind the New Testament word “Christ”—was the
expectation of a king in the family line of ancient Israel’s King David, who
would arise and bring about God’s reign of justice and peace on earth. See here for a few of these kingdom expectations.
Confessing Jesus as “Christ” means claiming these expectations are being
fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
Read “kingdom of God” as “God’s reign of
justice and peace and life”—and read “salvation” the same way.
We might tend to think of the “kingdom of God” as
equivalent to “heaven,” by which we mean “an eternal, spiritual future of
perfection and bliss.” This can be especially so when we read Matthew’s
preferred phrase, “kingdom of heaven.” However, this is not what language of
“God as king” or “God’s kingdom” meant for Jews in Jesus’ day.
The “kingdom of God” is
about God’s reign as rightful ruler over all creation, bringing justice and
peace for all people and flourishing life for all things. It is closely tied to
biblical language of “salvation”: God’s reign brings deliverance from evil
powers that oppress us (economic, political, spiritual, and more), and a
restoration to freedom and full, flourishing life. “Eternal life”? That’s “the
life of the coming age”: life under God’s reign, experiencing God’s “salvation”
even now, in this age. Notice the way this language is all connected in this passage, for example.
God’s kingdom is “of heaven”—originating in God’s holy presence and
reflecting God’s righteous character—and so it is “not of this world”—the
very opposite of the power-hungry, violent empires we have known in human
history. But in Messiah Jesus of Nazareth this reign of God “has come near,” and
one day it will fully come about “on earth as it is in heaven.” This
is the fullness of “salvation” for which we all yearn, deep in our bones.
Read “faith” as “devotion” or even
“allegiance.”
The biblical language of “faith” is much more than
just “believing the right things about the right things.” In fact, James describes that kind
of “faith” on its own as “dead,” “barren,” “unable to save.” Yet this is often
what Christians mean by “faith.”
In the Bible the language of “faith” and “believing”
is much more personal than propositional. It’s primarily about trusting in God
through all things, being devoted to God in all ways. It is really about
allegiance: “faith” is a commitment to God and God’s ways as revealed in Jesus.
Reading “faith” language as “devotion” or even “allegiance” reminds us of the
radical nature of Christian faith.
Read “love” as “Jesus’ way of love.”
“Love” is another of those words that can mean a lot
of different things for us. But in the New Testament the “love” we are to
aspire to has a very specific association with Jesus. It is “love in the way of Jesus,” which
includes things like breaking bread with “sinners” and other outcasts,
welcoming “strangers,” blessing “enemies,” forgiving those who sin against us,
caring for “the least” in society, bringing good news to the poor, freely
healing the sick, warning powerful oppressors, and liberating people from evil
forces that coerce and constrain them. In other words, “love” is how we live
into God’s reign of justice and peace and life.
Next time you’re reading the New Testament, give
these “Bible reading hacks” a try. Just remember my warning: if you take this
Bible reading seriously, you might find yourself on the same path as Jesus,
loving outcasts and walking with the oppressed and being crucified by the
powers-that-be. The good news? There’s a resurrection on the other side. This
is the narrow path leads to true life, for you and for all.
Comments
Post a Comment