February
28, 2010
In
1998 a two-year-old boy named Harrison Johnson fell into a nest of yellow
jackets and was stung over four hundred times.
But his parents did not get him to a doctor. They didn’t call an ambulance. And as a result of their poor
choices, he died. Of course the
question is why? Why would they not get
him immediate medical attention? The
answer lies in a book…. a book that they read quite often and took extremely
seriously. But that only begs the
question, what kind of crazy, cockamamie book would give people the impression
that they should not get medical attention for their children? Unfortunately the book in question was the
Bible. That’s right, the Bible. It
turns out that the Johnsons were members of an ultra-conservative church that
believes the Bible classifies medicine as a type of sorcery and thus strictly
prohibits it and thus when Harrison was stung, they did the only thing they
felt the Bible allowed them to do, which was to call together members of the
church and pray.
What
can you say to such a tragic lack of judgment?
I don’t believe for a second that they wanted their little boy to
die. In fact I suspect they were, and
still are, caring and well intentioned people. But none of that changes the
fact that this tragedy happened because of how they read the Bible.
Unfortunately
they are not alone. A huge number of
people believe that the Bible can only be read and understood in a strictly
literal way. And although most of us
are used to thinking of the Bible as book that inspires us to new heights of
compassion and generosity… a book that provides spiritual comfort and moral
guidance, we must accept that it is also a very dangerous book. The sad truth is that little Harrison is but
one of a million tragedies that can be chalked up to literal or self-serving
interpretations of the very same book which 2 billion people consider to be the
Word of G-D. Literal readings of the
Bible have fueled more murder, persecution, prejudice, false prophets and
would-be messiahs than you could ever begin to count. And even though people generally no longer act out the more
extreme behaviors- like burning witches, it can still be lethal.
Of
course we are hardly the first people to be startled its destructive
potential. In medieval Europe the Bible
was banned. It could be read only by
clergy and nobility. Why? What harm
could come of it? Well imagine that
some dark ages farmer got his hands on the Bible and read it literally… he might
well assume the next shooting star he saw was in fact Wormwood falling from
heaven. Next thing you know he’s
running about like Chicken Little to his neighbors that the world is ending and
chaos ensues. The religious and
political leaders of the time understood that uninformed reading of the Bible
was a threat to the stability of society.
Unfortunately, it still is.
This
leads us to one inevitable conclusion… we cannot treat the Bible as we would
any other book. Even the most
conservative interpreters must temper their reading with education, reflection
and common sense if we are to avoid more pointless deaths. Because, no matter what some may claim, no
one can simply just “read” the Bible.
Each reader brings a unique and individual perspective that profoundly
influences the meaning that they find.
In the same way we must understand that, even though G-D inspired it, it
did not just fall straight from heaven in its final form. It was written by particular people, in
particular times, each of them having their own particular audiences and
agendas. And each author, each editor
and ultimately each reader, puts their own unique spin on the text.
So what if we just approached the text with some background information then we’d be in a better position to understand it, right? With just a few basic historical facts we can understand that The Revelation is not really literal prediction about some future time but rather a description of the persecution the early Church endured under the Roman Emperor Nero. Just that little bit of background information casts the book, and its meaning, into an entirely different light. But seeking the facts that underlie scripture can become an endless pursuit. Even if all of us had time to be trained in the rudiments of Biblical history, sociology and language we only touch the tip of the iceberg.
There
are, of course, those scholars who devote their lives to such studies. Driven by the desire to know what truly lies
beneath all the layers of oral, written and editorial transmission they dig
deeper and deeper. But while the extent
of their knowledge and insight can be staggering, sometimes it is not clear
what their goal truly is. In the 1990’s
a large group of scholars, known as the Jesus Seminar, sought to come to some
consensus as to what, out of all the Gospel records, Jesus actually said. Their conclusion was that less than 20% of
the sayings attributed to Jesus were actually spoken by him. But while that is startling to even
consider, let alone accept, we must first ask a question: what purpose does
this sort of project actually serve?
Some members of the seminar, like Marcus Borg, seem motivated by a
desire to explore and deepen their own faith, as well as the faith of
others. Others seem intent only on debunking
and overturning belief in events that most Christians understand as central to
our faith. Some assert that the
resurrection never happened and one member concluded that Jesus was never even
buried. Unfortunately it seems that
they have erred in the opposite direction from fundamentalists. Their quest for fact and objective history
has overshadowed, if not completely replaced, their faith and belief.
This
only further proves my point that the Bible is a difficult book to try and
understand. But if there is no clear
consensus about what it means or how we are to interpret it, how can we ever
learn to read and apply it to our lives?
Truth be told, if you look hard enough, you can find evidence to justify
almost any position or belief. Well,
consider what the Bible is. Although it
is many things- history, poetry, prophecy, and teachings- above all else it is
divinely inspired and living Word of G-D.
In that statement of faith, lies the key to our understanding. If the Spirit inspired the writing of the
Bible then the same Spirit is essential in our reading and comprehension of
it. No understanding of scripture, no
matter how bolstered by belief or historical insight can be considered complete
without the Spirit. The Episcopal Church affirms this in our Catechism. In response to the question “How do we
understand the meaning of the Bible?” the answer is given, “We understand the
meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the
true interpretation of the Scriptures.”
Reading
the Bible isn’t for those reluctant to put forth effort or for those who want
quick and easy answers to all their questions. The meaning will not always be
clear. It is a living and complicated
document that we can spend a lifetime trying to understand. But whether you are a novice or a scholar,
the most important thing for us to remember is that the Bible was written under
the influence of the Spirit and that is how it is meant to be read-
prayerfully, thoughtfully, with reflection and reverence. If we really desire to hear G-D speaking to
us through it, we must leave room for the Spirit to guide us. First and foremost that means we must come
with an open mind. Sometimes we will
find the guidance or comfort that we seek right away. Other times we must wrestle with the passage… reading over and
over, thinking it through for days or weeks, taking the time to do a little
back ground research into its history and context…. For sometimes it is only then, after great effort, that we will
be able to hear G-D speaking to us though its words. Only they will can it be the holy influence in our lives that G-D
intended it to be.
If
you are interested in learning more about what the Bible is and how we can best
read it, I encourage you to join us for the remainder of our Lenten
series.
I
would like us to close with a prayer that is one of our Sunday collects.
Let
us pray-
Blessed
Lord, who caused all holy Scripture to be written for our learning: Grant us so
to hear them, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace
and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given
us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one G-D, forever and ever.
Amen.