The father, son, and the Holy Bible

The father, son, and holy Bible

In the past I was taught that the scriptures were at the same level as the trinity. It may not have been said in those exact words but it was defiantly implied. The sacred words of Christ had been passed down through those men (no women of course cause that would be crazy) of true faith. They were inspired, god breathed and all that holy stuff. The scriptures were not to be questioned only the people presenting it. I was told to test what the pastor (you know those men,only men, who had the call of God) were teaching us from the front (the pulpit).

Side note: if those men of god had the true call of god on their life how could they ever give their flock misinformation?

Anyways, we were to test the presentation but not the content. But what about the content? Some of these verses said different things. Sometimes even to the point of being completely opposite. How could the scriptures say different things and be from God if God was everlasting and unchanging? This was all very confusing to me.
I was suppose to be submersed in daily reading. The purpose was to have faith in these books that proved themselves. This is true because the bible says so. The core idea here being that this was the best way to be as close to God as possible. But why didn't I feel that way? Why did I feel closer to God when I was in nature, at a concert, visiting a mosque, or having dinner with friends? Well, the answer was obvious: these things were fun so they couldn't possibly bring me closer to God.
Right?

Jesus challenged the scripture himself! He took us to the next step. He took us past the point of what the people thought they understood.

In Matt 5 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Jesus is saying I know this is what you think this means but let me show you the new way. Let me show you what new life is like. Let me help you see things in the light of my kingdom where all those rules don't play a part in the bigger story.

Also in Matt 5 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[b] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" Jesus is saying forget what you thought you knew about how to interact with others. Instead of stoning them, love them! I know this may not make sense, but love those who hate you. Huh? But Jesus the Old Testament says......and he replies there is a new way. They continued to challenge Jesus in his day and he would respond back with he came to serve and to save not to condemn.

The reason that the Pharisees’ had antagonism toward Jesus was because he didn't fit the mold. He was ignoring hundreds of elaborate, petty rules that they had devised from the law of God. Not only did they devise these hundreds of man-made rules, but they had also tried to make those more important than the message of the awesome news!

Why we should challenge ourselves to read scripture differently? If you are putting scripture in place of what Jesus is really saying isn't that really just being a Pharisees? A religious person that gets so caught up in the word for word that they miss the context and the point completely? So, how should we view scripture? Well, I believe that scriptures point us to who Jesus is and has some amazing stories, but if that's where I stop I'm in trouble. The bible has some messed up shit in it but it's not always the wording but rather the story of how God is relating to his people. I am continuing to read scripture with 2 lenses:
1. With the Jesus lens - who did he say he was? How does this fit in with why he came and how he told us to live?
2. With common sense- how does this relate to me? How does this relate to my culture? Does God really want me to not sell my goat on certain days or cover my hair when in the church?

My relationship with God goes beyond just scripture. I can't stop there. Jesus has a message that is bigger than just the 66 books. There is value in scripture. There is value in the other gospels. There is value in some blogs I read. The main thing is how are those things propelling me to learn about Jesus and living in the kingdom. Now. Living in the kingdom now with the Jesus lens.