The Bible (tl;dr)

Let's face it: the Bible isn't always easy to read. There are parts that seem dry, outdated, or downright confusing. Many well-intentioned readers have planned to go cover to cover, only to get bogged down in a section like Leviticus.

Yet the stories of the Bible are meant to come alive, to jump off the page, and give us a clear picture of how God can be found in our lives. We are meant to open the Scriptures and discover the truth of phrases like, "All Scripture is God-breathed," and, "The Word of God is living and active." (2 Tim 3:16 and Heb. 4:12).

Why the disconnect? Well, in my previous post I shared about a humorous exchange between Jesus and Nathanael. Here are 4 reasons why it's hard to access the humor of the Bible:

1. We are separated by culture.

We pack ourselves into stuffy sanctuaries and share Scripture like it's a classroom lecture hall. But think about where and how these Bible stories were first shared: in the hustle and bustle of a Middle Eastern marketplace, or out in the open countryside. People didn't have time for boring stories. No wonder the early rabbis were such great storytellers! And Jesus was part of that dynamic, oral culture.

2. We are separated by time.

Have you ever tried to look at political cartoons from the past? The jokes no longer make sense. In fact, you may feel old looking at this old cartoons because there are entire generations of kids who won't recognize the political figures. The same is true of some of the jokes in the Bible; unless we learn about the 1st century society, we will miss the punchlines.

3. We're separated by language.

While we certainly can trust the modern English translations of the Bible, we still need to recognize that not everything can be translated exactly. Sometimes a word has shades of meaning in one language that it doesn't have in another. If you're confused by a verse, don't worry, research a little or ask a pastor you trust.  [or send me a message -- I'm a nerd when it comes to translation and linguistics]

4. We're separated by familiarity.

People in the first century were able to hear those New Testament passages for the very first time. Inventive wording caught people by surprise. Images popped and grabbed attention. Nowadays we have these same phrases plastered across bumper stickers and coffee mugs. We have forgotten how absurd, silly, and unexpected some of these original stories were. My next post will explore some of these silly, unexpected images.