Read through the Bible in one-year, reflections part IV

In a “read through the Bible in a year plan,” for the New Testament, we will likely be reading in the Gospels. 

#1 Each Gospel is about Jesus. Note how each Gospel starts by turning the spotlight onto Jesus in its own distinctive way. Matthew 1:1, “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Mark 1:1, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Luke 1:1-3 “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” John 1:1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” 

So right off the bat, when reading in the Gospel, a good question to ask is who is Jesus in the portion I just read? 

#2 There are Four Gospels. Many analogies have been made for the idea of Four Gospels but one Jesus: one musical score but different instruments playing, or one piece of music but four stereo speakers. There will be something we read in one Gospel, and it will move us in a particular way. We may run into that same teaching in another Gospel, and it will impact us in a different way as it is told in a slightly different way. Over repeated readings of the Gospels, we will be drawn to it in different ways. Using an art analogy, repeated viewing of a masterpiece will reveal new beauty each time. Using a music analogy, repeated listening of a masterpiece will reveal new beauty each time. 

#3 In Matthew, the kingdom of heaven (kingdom of God in other gospels) is a big feature of Matthew. On one hand, the kingdom of God is at hand but also, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray, “thy kingdom come.” From this, we get the idea of the kingdom is “already and not yet.” The kingdom teachings are particularly given in the five extended teaching sections of Jesus:

1. The Sermon on the Mount as the constitution of the kingdom of God (Mt. 5-7) 
2. The kingdom personnel on mission (Mt. 10) 
3. The parables describing the kingdom (Mt. 13) 
4. The relationships in the kingdom (Mt. 18) 
5. The near future (probably fulfilled in AD 70) and final future of the kingdom (Mt. 24-25) 

Keep reading! 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Read through the Bible in one-year, reflections part III

As part of “read the Bible in one year,” the New Testament part will likely begin with the Gospels. And, of course, with Matthew. Thus, what are some features to be alert to as we read the Gospels? 

#1 Take note of the way the Gospels point out that Jesus is the Messiah rooted in the work of God through the Jewish people. Recall that the earliest believers were Jewish; therefore, it was important to establish that Jesus was in accord with the Scriptures of what we now call the Old Testament. This “Jewishness” of Jesus is most noticeable in Matthew, but it is an aspect of the other three as well. Since many of us are Gentiles, this might not have as big an impact upon us. Nonetheless, this “Jewishness” shows the faithfulness of God as it traces back to God’s intention when He promised Abraham “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” back in Genesis 12:2. God is faithful to accomplish his plans!

#2 Jesus is our life! Perhaps, one of the most well-known parts of the Bible is Matthew 5:3-12. One might ask how are those who “are poor in spirit,” “mourn,” “are gentle,” “hunger and thirst for righteousness,” “are merciful,” “are pure in heart,” “are the peacemakers,” ”are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,” and “are insulted and persecuted” in any way “blessed?” They are blessed because they belong to Jesus! While those who are self-righteous, self-reliant, and self-interested will not follow. 

#3 As such, in light of item 2 above, take note of the encounters that Jesus has with people and how they respond. Some reject him and some accept him. What is quite striking is that the people who accept him were often the “outsiders” of that time. And the people who reject him were often the “insiders” of the time, in particular the religious authorities. These encounters basically ask the reader, are you going to accept Jesus or not? And they also ask, if I’m a follower of Jesus, how am I going to look at people who don’t know Him yet? Am I going to be like the religious authorities who trust their “insider-ness” looking down on others failing to see the grace of God is available to all who trust Him?

Keep reading! 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Read through the Bible in one-year, reflections part II

If you are following a “read through the Bible in one-year” plan, it is likely you have spent some time in Genesis! Genesis is “narrative” and there are certain things to keep in mind. By the way, scholars estimate that about 40% of the Bible is narrative. Narrative is a fancy SAT word for “story.” Stories are composed of plot (sequence of events/dialog), character(s), and setting(s). Examine the plot, characters, and settings and you can usually glean its significance and meaning. 

Thus, advice #1 as Greg Koukl (Stand to Reason) says, “Don’t read just a Bible verse.” 

The chapter and verse markings in the Bible according to Wikipedia were first put into Bibles back in the Sixteenth century. It is better to be reading discreet passages of the Bible. And in the case of Genesis and other narrative portions of the Bible, read the distinct collection of verses that form the story. For example, the Cain and Abel story is from Genesis 4:1-16. From this story you can get significance and meaning; for example, the challenge of facing temptation and cost of yielding to it. And if you read all the way to the end of it, do you get a hint of God’s mercy on Cain?

#2 The discreet stories sometimes point to a LARGER story. In the case of the Hebrew Bible, there is the larger story of what God was doing with his people (Abraham and his descendants). 

For example, you might wonder what to make of the lists of people in Genesis 10 and then in Genesis 11:10-32? What significance and meaning do the story of these two lists of people tell us?

Perhaps, two things. One is God’s timing. Looking at the list of Genesis 11, Shem is the first person on the list and Abram is the tenth in the genealogical sequence. 10 is the number of completion. Thus, perhaps, it is a way of saying in the plans of God, it was time to intervene by calling Abram. By the way, Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is patterned on 14 generations where 7 is the number of perfection and completion multiplied by 2. Second, is it obvious from the list of people in Genesis 10, which line leads to Abram? His ancestors were buried in a list of names. Were you able to track them down? Perhaps, this is a way for the story to emphasis that God’s choice is totally grace!

#3 The discreet stories sometimes point to the EVEN LARGER story of God’s redemption plan to be fulfilled through Jesus. What to make of the story of Genesis 14? A bunch of tribal warlords fight with each other! I suppose one significance is don’t mess with God’s chosen people as Abram got his 318 guys together and became the first Army Ranger unit! The aftermath of the battle is the story of Abram meeting the mysterious Melchizedek. Does Melchizedek appear again in the Bible? He is referred to in Psalm 110, a Messianic Psalm that is the most frequently quoted in the New Testament! And Melchizedek forms the argument in the Book of Hebrews about Jesus as the ultimate perfect King-Priest. Thus, what at first glance appears to be an obscure cul-de-sac of a story is a big pointer to Jesus. 

Keep reading! 

Soli Deo Gloria!

Read through the Bible in one-year, reflections part I

Some of you may be giving the “Read through the Bible in a Year” resolution a try. Truth be told I have read through the whole Bible but never in one year! It is a challenge have taken up a handful of times and have run out of gas at various points during the year. 8-) 

Wanted to offer a few quick reflections on this spiritual discipline. 

#1 - Remember the goal is to be present with God. Reading and meditating on the Bible helps with our desire to focus on God. And so sometimes the Bible will be quite clear in what it is saying in terms of an encouragement or something that pokes our conscience. But sometimes, things might not be so clear and that is okay to - chew on it a bit, make a note of it, keep it in mind and come back to it another time. Whatever you come across in the reading, pray it back to God as prompted.

#2 -Consider listening to the Bible in addition to reading it. Remember, the experience of reading a personal copy of the Bible (printed or digital) is a very new innovation in human history. At one time, we had no digital Bibles on a phone or a tablet! At one time, a printed Bible was a luxury item. At one time, most people could NOT even read. For most of human history, Christians HEARD the Bible read to them. 

#3 - Talk to other believers about what you have read. Share what was comforting. Share what was awe inspiring. Share what was thought provoking. Share what was confusing. 

# # #

A quick share from reading so far: Genesis 4:26, "To Seth also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” 

The “big story line” of the Bible is: Creation - Fall - Redemption. Along the way, especially in Genesis, there is a LOT of falling down and messing up! But along the way there are little glimmers of restoration. Have to say have probably read Genesis 4:26 any number of times over the years but for some reason it stuck out in this recent re-read. Yes, things were going bad with the Fall in Genesis 3 and the Cain and Abel story in Genesis 4 and Lamech’s brazen actions and words in Genesis 4 and the Flood is coming soon. But here in Genesis 4:26 some people were calling upon the name of the Lord. And so even when things were bleak, God was still working in some people and a remnant trusted Him even if many did not. Take heart and keep calling upon the name of the Lord!

Soli Deo Gloria!