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Master's Table
Timothy M. Youngblood ~ Webmaster
Doesn't Jesus tell us to do ridiculous things?...
Is The Bible Believable? The message and character of Jesus Christ would fail
all the tests of humanitarian practice - if he were taken literally! That may
shock some Bible students - for is not the Bible the written word of God? Dare
we tamper with it? Let's look at some examples in illustration. Your son is
tempted to grab a watch from a display in a department store. Jesus said "Cut
off his hand". Your husband has an eye for the girls - Jesus says, "Pluck
out his eye". See Matthew 5:29-30. And what would happen to business and
the economy if we literally took Jesus at his word when he commanded, "Give
to him that asks of you, and from anyone who would borrow from you turn not
away" (v.42)? Uncompromising words indeed. But how many handless, eyeless
and shirtless Christians do you know?
Jesus also gave his approval, in "story" form, to the millionaire
who ordered a servant to be "delivered to the torturers", apparently
on the man's first offence (Matthew 18:34). What happened to his very own statement
that we ought to forgive "until seventy times seven" (v. 22)? And
why did he not simply forgive the money-changers whom he drove out of the Temple
with a whip? Or Peter when the latter caused Jesus offence (Matthew 16:22-23)?
Double standards? We could also challenge Jesus on his understanding of physics.
Didn't he know that a camel could not possibly pass through "the eye of
a needle"? What, too, about his statement that a tiny bit of faith could
move a mountain? Certainly there is no record of Jesus doing that - nor any
of the apostles (who, with all believers, would do "greater works"
than Jesus), nor anyone throughout the history of the church of God! And did
Jesus not know that the throat - even of a Pharisee - was too small to swallow
a camel (Matthew 23:24)?
We need to deal with such texts, but instinctively we cringe at the thought
of taking them literally. But they are there in the written word so surely they
must be accepted if we are to "live by every word of God" (Matthew
4:4)?
Literally Wrong
The short answer is No, we don't accept them at face value. We are here dealing
with language. And a language that is far removed from English or indeed other
Western languages. Not merely the sound of it nor the grammar nor word meanings.
If we are to properly understand what God is telling us in His inspired Book
then we must take note of the thought behind the language, the culture, in which
it was written.
The languages of the Orient, of the Middle East, of Bible lands - of the Bible
- expressed a different thought pattern to ours. Even the Greek of the New Testament
expressed oriental thought patterns, for that was the way the writers' - mostly
mid-eastern - own language was cradled. It was not "logical" or precise
or always to be taken at face value. The speaker of Hebrew or Aramaic spoke
to convey an impression. By piling metaphor upon metaphor, by gross exaggeration,
by unconditional assertion, by a display of gestures and facial expression he
made his hearers feel his meaning! The "imprecatory Psalms" ["Grind
my enemies into dust!"] are an example.
Another example is the role-play of the prophets of both Old and New Testament
times. Their language and behavior was dramatic, powerful, figurative - we would
brand it as "over the top"! Read John the Baptist's denunciation of
the Pharisees and Sadducees, for example (Matthew 3:7f), or what Jesus told
the Pharisees (ch. 23). But it was effective language. To this day a visit to
a mid-eastern market highlights this. There's what to a Western eye is wild
gesticulation - the portrayal of thoughts and emotions by body movement. A hubbub
not known in the West in day-to-day life - at least outside a World Cup final!
Read It Right
What a Westerner would call an exaggeration, even downright lies, was the normal
currency of speech. But, of course, no-one took it literally! And that's an
essential tool for understanding certain aspects of the Scriptures. Try to put
yourself, when studying the Word of God, into the shoes of "a man from
the east". Of course, this does not mean we can play fast and loose with
the text. There is much "technical" language in the Scriptures - historical,
doctrinal, etc., - not addressed in this article. But for the rest we must go
behind the words. Seek their real meaning, be aware of the cultural aspect of
the language.
All languages use "figures of speech". That is, a "designed
and legitimate departure from the laws of language in order to emphasize what
is said". Bear in mind that in the Scriptures we are dealing with "words
which the Holy Spirit teaches" (e.g., I Corinthians 2:13). God Himself
uses this figurative language! The ancient classical languages described several
hundred different forms. And they are integral to the Scriptures both in Hebrew
and in Greek. Well-known examples - also in English use - are metaphor, allegory,
simile, hyperbole, personification and idiom. Such a manner of thinking isn't
entirely foreign to the Westerner. For example, we readily understand the expressions
"a storm in a teacup" or "keep your hair on" or "take
the shirt off your back" and would not normally think of taking them literally.
The language of certain portions of Scripture more so. Yet questions on these
matters do bother Bible students.
Serious study of the Word of God should take on board the existence of such
speech forms. Awareness enables us to glean a clearer picture of what God is
conveying to us in His Word. Jesus' humorous exaggerations of a camel going
through a literal needle's eye, or a hypocritical religious man swallowing a
camel yet straining a tiny fly from his cocoa as a religious act of "purity"
- these convey powerfully the message of false dependence on material wealth,
and of hypocrisy. The fact of judgment to come, of hell-fire, was burned into
the consciousness of the hearers of Jesus as they gazed over his shoulder at
the curling smoke, noticed the breeding worms (Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:44) and
breathed the awesome stench arising from the nearby Valley of Hinnom (ge-Henna,
translated hell in the KJV) - Jerusalem's city dump.
Just a second's thought, then, will convince any one of us that cutting off
a hand or gouging an eye won't stop a person from the desire to steal or to
lust - which was the whole point of Jesus' message. Nor is serial forgiveness
appropriate in every situation - we do not extend it to murderers, thugs, frauds,
perjurers. (At least, not always!) Yet such imagery drives home the vital importance
of these weighty matters.
Let's give our study of the Word of God that second's thought. All Scripture is indeed "inspired by God", but let's "rightly handle the word of truth" (11 Timothy 2:15)! [With acknowledgement to Abraham Ribhany: The Syrian Christ] faith moves mountains: Jesus contrasts the minute mustard seed with a huge object - a mountain. In true eastern fashion he used the illustration to idealize faith. A favorite attack by atheists on the Bible, this, for no-one has ever done it! The eye of needle is not a small gate in a city door. This was known as a "plum"! Jesus was using his own language in a normal way to express the impossibility of salvation for anyone besotted by material wealth - the largest animal and the smallest opening his hearers knew. "Turn the other cheek" does not prohibit self-defence or protection of property. It is the antidote for the contemporary misinterpretation of the "law of revenge" (lex talionis). The instruction (Matthew 5:39-41) to settle a legal action by giving away coat and cloak would leave the eastern man virtually naked. The words mean the under-garment and the over-garment - all, virtually, that he was wearing! Clearly the equivalent of "going the extra mile", or "giving the shirt off your back".
· Coming To Baptism
To comment on this article or request more information, please contact James
McBride by e-mail at COGUK@aol.com
You also might want to read our article The
Credibility of the Bible
You also might want to see our article KJV
VS. NKJV