This Sunday, we will resume our weekly Sunday morning adult Bible study. What a great timing to take a brief glance at how Jesus read the Bible!
Scholars of religion (in particular those who subscribe to the ideas of the French philosopher Rene Girard) suggest that human beings will imitate the God they worship. Let’s say, for example, if people believe that the God they worship is violent, they will be more willing to tolerate violence. If people believe that the God they worship is loving and gracious, they will be more inclined to practice love and grace, forgiveness and compassion in their own lives. [If you wish to read more about this, google the fancy phrase “mimetic theory.”]
But how do we really know what the God of the Bible is like? Is it enough for us to open the “good book” and begin reading – without knowing much about the Bible’s original context and history? Should we read the Bible literally, ignoring the many contradictions in the text? Is it best for us to accept the principle, "God said it, I believe it, and that settles it”? How, in the world, should we read the Bible?
I believe that a great starting point is to look at how Jesus read the Bible. If we could just read the Bible the way he did, maybe we, too, could become a bit more like him, which is what we want, right?
One great place to start at is Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5 and 6. In those two chapters, Jesus quotes the Hebrew Bible a lot, but he does not simply quote it in a proof-texting or affirmative manner. Rather, on several occasions he says, "You have heard that it was said," and then follows that up with, "but I say to you…" Jesus quotes the Bible, but then challenges it. He quotes the Bible and interprets it in his own, very unique way.
In Mathew 5:38-39, he directly contradicts Leviticus 24:30: "You have heard it was said, ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also."
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a valuable lesson on how to interpret Scripture: First quote Scripture, then interpret with mercy and grace as your lens.
If we were to apply Jesus’ way of interpreting scripture, we might, for example, read another highly controversial, much-quoted verse from in the following manner: "You have heard that it was said, ‘If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death,’ but I say to you, ‘love your neighbor as yourself’" (Leviticus 20:13).
Let us read the Bible with Jesus our guide, our rabbi! Let us approach Scripture and God in the same way Jesus did! Jesus must be our model in all things — in how we engage the world with grace and mercy and compassion, and in how we read our Bible, too.
