Is This Story True?

Is This Story True? If the Bible contains myth, can it be trusted? Have you ever opened a bible and read something that caused you to ask, “Is this story true?” One example is the Bible story about a man named Jonah who was swallowed whole by a big fish in the Mediterranean Sea. He survived three days in the fish’s belly before he was vomited up on shore. How did he survive without air? People ask, “How could Noah and his family have cared for all the animals in the world on that boat?” “How did Noah even get all those animals gathered into the ark?” “What about the dinosaurs?” There are many such questions asked of the Bible. These types of questions reveal the problem. It’s our approach to biblical interpretation. Questions like this reveal our contemporary worldview, which is informed by empiricism or the scientific method. We are shaped to think that something is factual or true only if data can be gathered through observation, measurement, and repetition. If something can be observed and measured by anyone yielding similar results every time, then and only then can we make statements about truth or facts. The authors of the Bible did not have a scientific worldview. They were intelligent. There were resourceful. And their worldviews included gods and spiritual forces that impacted life on earth. Astrologers searched the stars for clues as to what the future might hold. Most knew that red skies at night meant a clear day the next day, but red skies at morning means a storm is on its way. But they interpreted life via meta-narratives. According to Oxford Dictionary a meta-narrative is an overarching account or interpretation of events and circumstances that provides a pattern or structure for people’s beliefs and gives meaning to their experiences. What is the narrative that shapes how you interpret life? Some narratives can be summed up in brief phrases. Attitudinal worldviews can be expressed by the glass half full or half empty question. If you tend to think of the glass half full you tend to interpret life in a positive and hopeful way. A glass half empty view, you tend to be pessimistic and negative. You’d tend to prepare for the worst and not get your hopes up. Of course, you could take a hostile worldview and smash the glass and grind it into someone’s face! Know anyone who might respond to the glass analogy in that way? Our worldviews are not only shaped by our personal attitudes, but they are also shaped by the societies in which we live. At a microlevel it’s the communities in which we live that shaped us, family first, then the neighborhood, city, state, region, nation, and so on. The age of television and the internet have radically altered the local community’s influence. Family’s and neighborhoods still have impact, but the influences of mass media and social networks cannot be denied. We’re impacted by race, sexuality, gender identity, financial status, political beliefs and more. All of these influences shape how we think and process information. As life happens, we generate perhaps our own inner narrative. I’m a child abuse survivor. I tend to be cynical in my worldview. I suspect unpleasant events to happen because they have. I test people to see if they are worthy of trust. A nihilistic worldview might be expressed in the album title from John Cougar Mellencamp, “Nothing Matters, and What if it Did?” In other words, “So what?” We’ve been groomed to achieve in the United States. We’ve been told that hard work will be rewarded. But it doesn’t always turn out that way. The earning ability for the large majority has dwindled to painfully low levels. Employers don’t pay a livable wage and they wonder why they can’t hire good workers. Some believe they will never make it playing the game set forth by society, therefore they find alternate ways, like criminal gang activities. A worldview shapes such decisions. The role of religion is to promote worldviews, or meta-narratives, by which we may interpret life. A biblical worldview centers on hopeful belief in a benevolent and just creator of the universe who has revealed Godself in the scriptures written and collected by Israel and ultimately in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of David, the promised messiah, Son of God and Savior of the world. Learning the story of the Bible gives you a narrative by which to interpret life. One part of salvation is to be rescued from inner narratives that are not lifegiving. Ask yourself, what is my inner dialogue like? Do my inner conversations with myself bring me life and energy or do they drain me? I’m sure there are days when you are more positive and hopeful than others. Nobody is sunshine and rainbows all the time, unless they are hiding behind a cheerful mask they always wear. What is your inner conversation like most of the time? Might your narrative need to change? As we consider reading the Bible we must understand that our approach to interpretation is already influenced by our attitudes, beliefs and habits of thinking. When we read about a talking snake in the Garden of Eden we may ask ourselves, “Is this story true?” That reveals our contemporary scientific worldview, which is not a worldview shared by the authors. The story of the Garden of Eden is not concerned with facts about the biological oddity of a sentient serpent. Rather this story is in a mythic form, meant to pass along divine truth about every human begin who ever lived and will ever exist. “Are Adam and Eve real people?” we may ask. There are lineages that suggest that they were indeed real historical people, who really lived and procreated. But that’s beside the point. If we fixate on questions of historical facts, we will miss the point of the story. We need to be aware of our inner narrative and how it impedes our ability to receive the message God’s word intends to deliver to you. One excellent question to ask is, “Does my interpretation seem lifegiving?” There are plenty of passages that can seem very hostile. The Old Testament prophets are filled with negative confrontational language. To read them out of context may lead to very negative and judgmental, damning worldviews. But when you read them in conversation with the whole of scripture you begin to see where these writings fit in the history of God’s relationship with Israel and the world. We begin to see how God used the prophets and political and military forces, even the forces of nature to shape God’s chosen nation, Israel. Another problem with interpreting the Bible is language. We read the Bible in English, instead of the original language. We don’t always acknowledge the Bible was written in languages fallen out of use millennia ago. Trained scholars know the languages of biblical Hebrew and Kione Greek well enough to translate. Some study Aramaic, the language of 1st century Palestinians. It’s the language Jesus most likely spoke, yet none of the Bible is written in Aramaic, save parts of Daniel. The Gospel accounts are written in common Greek instead of the language of Jesus. We are receiving quotes from Jesus through several language filters. It goes from Jesus’ Aramaic to the author’s translation in common Greek, and then a further translation to English. It’s hard not to lose something in translation. We tend to read scripture like a history book or a book of rules, or even a novel. We don’t stop to think that there are different forms of literature, requiring a different kind of listening. When we listen to the text searching for historical facts about people, places, and events, we may be missing the point of the text which the authors intended to convey. There are 66 books in the Protestant Bible, 39 in the Old and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament is the 39 books, collected by Jewish religious leadership to be their canon, by which the communal life of Israel is measured. Some books are written as history, some as poetry, some a collection of wise sayings, some as worship liturgy, prayers, and even erotic prose (Song of Solomon or Song of Songs). The New Testament opens with four different gospel narratives about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. There’s a sequel to Luke’s gospel account (The Acts of the Apostles) which chronicles the continued ministry of Jesus through the early church under the leadership of the apostles. The overwhelming majority of the New Testament books are letters written to church communities, pastors, and individuals. There’s even a sermon of sorts written to Jewish Christians (Hebrews). The last book of the New Testament (Revelation or The Apocalypse of John of Patmos) is a prophetic piece written for the churches in Asia Minor (Turkey) during a time of persecution. John records a series of mystical visions he has, which re-presents material from the Old Testament prophets. The prophetic imagination spoke anew to the situation the churches faced at that time. It helps to know the literature type. When I read in Song of Solomon, “your neck is like an ivory tower” (SS 7:4a), I find the image to be unflattering. I know the comparison is meant to be flattering, but I struggle to sense the impact. We are not meant to think of a woman with a white, immovable, and elongated neck, like an elephant tusk. The allusion is to the fine craftsmanship of the temple in Jerusalem or the majesty of the king’s palace. The tall and majestic columns tower above the worshipper, causing one to remark in wonder at their beauty. In the same way, the lover is struck by the beauty of the beloved. He is dumbstruck as he takes in her lovely visage. A historical background helps readers to understand the circumstances in which the book was written. Many Study Bibles include overviews before each book that sets the historical background, the date the book is believed to be written, and the important themes in the literature. Wikipedia has good articles on each book in the Bible. There are thousands upon thousands of volumes written to help us understand the Bible. Yet few of us make the effort. We get frustrated because it’s not an easy read. Booksellers have cranked out one English translation or paraphrase after another. They’ve packaged the scriptures with special study notes or devotional material. If you’re a man, you can buy a Men’s Devotional Bible with devotional material reflecting on the scripture throughout the year. If you’re an alcoholic, you can get the Recovery Bible, with material written to aid you in your journey of recovery from addiction. These devotional packages share insights into the scriptures meant to speak to one’s special interests. Devotional reading has its merits. God speaks anew through the word. The scriptures themselves reflect this. What the scripture meant to the original hearers is not necessarily the same meaning garnered by others in later periods. Both receive divine guidance. The challenges in biblical interpretation are many. I do not pretend to have the best way to interpret the scriptures. In my 25 years of preaching, I have made some mistakes in interpretation, especially in the early years when I was still studying in seminary. I am guilty of reading myself into the scriptures with attitudes and opinions I already possess, rather than truly allowing the scriptures to speak from the voice of its originators. I’ve learned through time a method of interpretation that generally steers me in the right direction. (I’ll get to that later.) There are countless tools available to help the serious reader. Many are supplied free of charge on the internet. One of my favorite resources is The Blue Letter Bible (https://www.blueletterbible.org/) At my fingertips I can search Hebrew and Greek dictionaries hyperlinked to the words within the English translation. The New English Translation, or simply known as the NET Bible, was originally a digital-only translation made available on the internet along with exhaustive translators’ notes. These notes are available through hyperlinked foot notations. In addition are free study guides and commentaries, albeit only from a theologically conservative point of view. When it comes to reading the Bible, one can take a scholarly approach, trying to discern the original intended message from the ancient authors. One can also approach the scriptures with a devotional need, a desire to be spoken to and transformed by the presence of the Holy One. And yet another approach, similar to devotional reading, is searching for answers to life’s challenges. I remember a sleepless night before a job interview. I had a couple opportunities I was pursuing. What if I was offered a job the next morning? Would I take it or ask for a few days to think it over before I decide? I tossed and turned in anxiety. Then I reached into the hotel nightstand and took out the Bible placed there by Gideon’s International. I opened the Bible to a random page. The first thing I read gave me peace. Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. (Psalm 143:7-8) God doesn’t always provide answers that way, but God is always with us through all of life’s ups and downs. God has proven that to me and to countless other witnesses throughout human history. When you read the Bible, do you come for information, transformation or direction? It’s a good idea to acknowledge your purpose for coming to God’s word. For the purposes of this podcast, my intent will be about learning the message of scripture, both from the original authors and from Christian perspectives. Always I will seek to encourage you, as God’s word is prone to do. Every interpreter of the Bible uses some kind of lens, a theological frame through which they read. My lens is the love of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. It’s my meta-narrative I have gained from the church. God’s love shows mercy, compassion, and forbearance. It is a love that reaches out and rescues. It is a love that forgives and sacrifices. It is a love that always hopes in the victory of God’s redemptive work among us. My interpretation will seek to do justice to hearing the original voice, but also to see the message of God’s saving love in everything. For those who hold to the doctrine of scriptural inerrancy, they quote Paul. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness… (2 Timothy 3:16) This tradition views every word in scripture coming directly from God, flowing through the human author right on to the page. It’s comforting to think of the Bible as God’s own heart shared with us. However, I view the scriptures as very human as well as divinely inspired. God uses flawed human beings in amazing ways. God works through our limited perspectives, prejudice, fears and failures. The Bible tells the story of fallible humanity, from our divine origins in paradise with God, to our utter corruption, and our destiny with death. The Bible tells of God’s plan to rescue us from death’s grip through Jesus Christ. Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor over Judea during the trial of Jesus of Nazareth. Before he put Jesus to death upon the cross, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38) The question is filled with irony. Pilate was meeting Truth face to face. Truth is embodied in the person of Jesus. The evening of his arrest Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) Specifically Jesus is the way to heaven, to the Father’s loving embrace. Jesus embodies the truth of God’s love. To know and trust Jesus personally is to have life everlasting within you. The purpose of this collection of religious writings we call the Holy Bible is to place you in a saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. My lens through which I read scripture is best summarized by Jesus in John’s gospel. He is speaking with the religious leaders of Israel, his critics and opponents. “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” (John 5:39-40) Jesus is the truth. And His truth is evident all throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. I read the Bible with Christ in mind, for He has shown us the loving nature of God. Can the Bible be trusted if it’s written by fallible human beings? Yes! It is a testament to God’s choice to work through humanity to reveal His divine character and His love. Can the scriptures be true if they contain myth? Yes! The mythic literature is there for the purpose of carrying truth. It’s not facts about Jonah and a big fish that the myth wants to communicate. It’s truth about Israel’s role in God’s redemptive work in the world, a world that God is working to save through Israel’s witness and ultimately through Jesus. You will hear me say this with regularity. “The question is not, ‘Is this story true?’ Rather the proper question to ask is, ‘What truth is in the story?’” Until next time, This is Scott Tyring. May God bless you in all your adventures. Thank you for listening to Mything The Point Podcast. Any comments or questions can be emailed to MTPpodcast@gmail.com