The Bible
By Bob Just
I've
been a writer for many years, working on all kinds of projects from screenplays
to corporate speeches to playwriting to academic essays to journalism and
commentary. As a former English teacher, I've read all kinds of writing but
never anything that comes even close to the Bible. In fact, as I will explain
from a writer's perspective, the Bible is not possible. And yet,
ironically, this amazing book is taken for granted.
Most
Americans have at least one Bible in their home. Most don't read it, or don't
read it very much. In all likelihood that means you, or someone you know.
Strangely, polls have shown that a huge percentage of Americans believe the
Bible is the word of God but don't have time to read it. No kidding.
Either we must think God has nothing to say to us, or something else is going
on.
First
off, be assured I am not going to ask you to become a Bible scholar. I am not
going to ask you to take umpteen Bible study classes, or memorize chapter and
verse. All of those are good things – but they're not for everyone. Most of us
need a simpler approach.
The
Bible is about relationship. It's about you (with all your discouraging flaws)
– and about God (who seeks to encourage you). We should go to the Bible as we
go to an old friend, or to a loving parent. But that's not reality for most
people.
Let's
face it: That "big thick book" intimidates us. We act like it's a
school book and we're going to be tested on everything we read – as if being
"saved" meant being a "scholar." Our fear of fears is that
if we don't understand the Bible, then there's something deeply, spiritually wrong
with us – maybe even that God doesn't love us, but saves His love for the
learned. Yet, the opposite is true. Jesus thanks His Father for making the
Faith for regular people.
Ironically,
considering all our fears, this ancient spiritual manuscript called the Bible
is not some high-toned, intellectual textbook, but rather a storybook full of
very human adventures, full of heroes as well as people who continually make a
mess of things – and often the two together! It's actually fun to read once you
get past your Bible trauma. Here's the key:
Don't
worry if the Bible is hard to understand. What you need for now will be there
for you and will be understandable. Don't expect some big revelation though. It
may be only some small insight or oddly interesting bit of history. But on some
level, it will feed your desire to relate to God. After all, it is His-story.
Eventually, you'll want to know more. So let me repeat this essential point: Don't
worry about what you don't understand. If you read 10 verses and understand
only one – you win! A little goes a long, long way.
Ultimately,
the Bible is amazing because truth is amazing. The Bible is not only
adventurous; it's also touching, meaningful, instructive, ironic, sarcastic,
humorous, gentle and stern – and ultimately both spiritual and human at the
same time. It is also strangely modern despite its ancient text.
The
Bible has been called God's love letter to us, and yet, the majority of
Americans don't read it. If this is true for you, consider the following. The
Bible could become something entirely different for you – something that can
change your life in the most wonderful ways.
The impossible Bible
The
main thing you really need to know is that the Bible is a "living
thing" with an ability to relate to you personally – on the basis of your
current needs. Simply put, the Bible is a miracle. I am not exaggerating. Let
me prove it to you.
The
first question a professional writer asks when given an assignment is,
"Who am I talking to?" It is the key to getting started. In fact, you
can't get started if you do not know the answer to that one simple question.
Unless you know who your reader is going to be you can hardly know how to approach
your assignment.
If
an editor tells me to write an article about love, that's clear enough as far
as the general subject, but the assignment changes completely depending on the
reader. If I know I am writing to teenagers or if I am writing to middle aged
married couples, my writing style changes – and so does my content. The less
you know who your audience is, the more difficult the assignment. You can't
even be sure how to choose your words properly. Are you writing to highly
educated people or are you writing to someone with an eighth-grade education?
Or how about the references you make in writing? Are you writing to city or
country folk? Sound difficult? Believe me, it is. Well, let's make it harder.
Now
imagine this editor tells you he wants you to write about love in a way that
works not only for Americans but works even when translated for people of other
countries. You're thinking Europe with its Judeo-Christian roots, but your
editor is more ambitious. He wants your article to work in all foreign lands,
wherever he can sell it. Consider the difficulty of this: Asian cultures,
African cultures, Islamic cultures, Buddhist cultures, Hindu cultures – and regional
cultures within those cultures must also be considered. You must write for
them all – and write effectively!
Impossible
you say?
Fine,
but your editor is not moved by your objections. He has other demands. Not only
should everyone in today's world understand your book (he's decided it should
be a book), he also wants you to write something that will be relevant a
hundred years from now. In fact, he really wants something timeless, but even
he knows that's impossible. Can you even imagine what American culture will be
like in 100 years? How about 1,000 years from now? Now imagine writing for
people living many thousands of years from now, and it will give you a little
idea of why I tell people that from a writer's perspective the Bible can't be
written in any normal human way. Nor can it be read "normally."
It
is truly a miraculous document.
Consider
that the Bible was written for all people, of all backgrounds, of all
education levels. It was written for all races, colors, creeds and cultures. It
was written for people thousands of years ago and for people who will live many
years into the future.
But
even more!
It
is also written for you as you are now, as you were when you were a teenager,
and as you'll be when you are old. It's written for all the personalities of
all the billions of people in all of existence. God wouldn't leave anyone out,
would he?
The
Bible is amazing, and all the more so because it was written over the course of
about 1,500 years – by many different people. This is not the work of a single
human being with a single personality and vision. The Bible has at least 40 different
authors, from all different backgrounds and walks of life – and they write in
three different languages. There are almost 40 books in the Old Testament and
almost 30 in the New Testament. And yet, the result is a singular Holy book,
tried and true, tested by millions of readers over thousands of years. This is
a book capable of befriending anyone at anytime with just the right wisdom for
our needs. As I said, the Bible isn't possible.
The
Bible is written to reach you when you are happy and when you are sad. When
life is good and full, and when it's empty and unbearable. So how should you
read the Bible? Go to it as old friend, one who loves you and is patient with
your progress.
So
don't worry about what you don't understand. Read it for what you do
understand, and in joyful expectation that more will come in good time – when
you need it. If you need it! This is not just a book. This is a Holy Book,
a miracle God created for you – capable of covering all your needs in good
time.
It
is a living document because the God who guides you is a Living God. His Holy
Spirit is always with you, if you will only listen. And the Spirit that guides
you in reading the Bible is the same Spirit that guided the men who wrote it.
No wonder the Bible can speak to us on our terms and in anticipation of our
needs.
Hard
to believe? Yes, of course! All miracles are hard to believe, even when they
happen to you – as this one will. That's right. The Bible was written for
you, to reach you, to revive you, to nourish you and to inspire you to seek
its Author. It asks only one thing of you. Treat it as you would a loving
parent and not as a homework assignment. Remember, those scholars who sent
Jesus to His death knew the Bible cold. The secret isn't knowledge. The
secret is love.
It's
about process not results. Leave the results to God. Just make sure you read
the Bible – read little parts, or big parts – read a sentence here, a paragraph
there. Just open the Bible and let the adventure begin. Yes, many of us find
the Bible intimidating. But that's not God's fault. It's our fault.
The
"Good Book" is a handbook on truth. It is a living document, a
spiritual thing, meant to minister to your needs over a whole lifetime, no
matter who you are – or where you live – or what language you speak. We can all
speak the language of truth. God helps us to know it's His Book by writing it
in such an impossible way. Start by believing He wrote it for you – as a matter
of faith. Stop thinking that God is a boring, uncaring teacher! In your heart
you know that's not true.
So
get that book on your shelf right now. Don't think about it. Just do it. Start
reading anywhere you like. And do it again tomorrow. Don't give up. You might
start with something toward the end of the book. The New Testament is a little
easier to grab on to – but decide right now that it won't matter to you if you
don't understand what you read. Let what you do understand come as a
complete surprise – part of the continual fun of picking up that ancient book and
seeking the treasures within.
Do
this on a regular basis, and your life will never be the same. And remember,
there are thousands and thousands of churches – and neighbors and friends who
will be glad to give you any help you want. In the end, that's the real lesson.
You are not alone. You are loved.
The Bible is proof of that.
------------------------------