How
do you read your Bible? Do you “taste and see that the Lord is good,” (Ps.
34:8) while you sip your coffee in the morning? Or maybe you’re a night person,
and the Word serves as “a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path” (Ps.
119:105) in the darkness of the night before falling asleep? Ezekiel tasted the
scroll and it was like honey (3:3); I am not suggesting to literally nosh on
your iPad’s Bible app, but do you read until you are spiritually satisfied? Do
you open your Bible to “read, mark, learn and inwardly digest,” as we say in
the liturgy, or do you read it like you would a novel – just to get the story?
Are you content to simply look at your favorite passages, skipping the
difficult texts like Leviticus and Lamentations, or do you dig in, getting a fuller
taste for the full counsel of God, understanding that Numbers is there for a
purpose?
Well,
apparently, you don’t need to worry about it anymore. On April 19, GQ Magazine
– Gentleman’s Quarterly – published an editorial titled, “Twenty-One Books You
No Longer Need to Read.”[1] Usually, such a list wouldn’t get anyone’s
attention, unless you are a teacher, an academic, or a recovering English major
like myself. Lists like this are published all the time. But this list got more
attention than most because it included the Bible as #12. The article states,
“The Holy Bible is rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by
it but who in actually have not read it. Those who have read it know there are some good parts, but overall it is
certainly not the finest thing that man has ever produced. It is repetitive,
self-contradictory, sententious, foolish, and even at times ill-intentioned.”
The editors then make their suggestion of what should be read in the Bible’s
place.
Now,
it’s possible this was just a stunt to generate readership. It’s an old publishing
trick: pick one side of an argument that is certain to stir up readership and
write as if that’s the only logical choice. It’s guaranteed to stir up the
readers who disagree, sell magazines and drive traffic to the website. But,
it’s also a sad possibility that in today’s progressive climate that the
editorial staff actually believes this: that the Bible is an outdated book with
no other purpose than for propping up the couch when a leg breaks off.
What
if, instead of what the editors suggest, we, the people of God, read anew God’s
Word with wonder and amazement that our God saw fit to inspire men, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, to record for us His Word and to do so without error
or mistake.
What
if, we read God’s Word with the zeal of the Ethiopian eunuch, traveling down
the road in his chariot, studying the ancient text of Scripture, murmuring over
it, meditating over it, mulling over it, seeking to understand it, yearning to
know what Isaiah was speaking of 700 years prior. “Like a sheep he was led to
the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearers is silent, so he opens not
his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his
generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” The man wants to know
if Isaiah is speaking about himself or if he is describing someone else. Who is
Isaiah – or, for that matter – the entire Scripture speaking about?
Good
question – one which many people seek to answer (whether they know it or not)
today. In fact, how would you answer it?
When
you open your Bible, you are reading God’s words for you. And what you discover
isn’t some kind of secret wisdom, some kind of code, the answer to the
mysteries of life, or the key to unlocking the universe. What you discover is
Jesus.
From
the “In the beginning,” of Genesis 1:1 to the final “Come quickly Lord Jesus.
Amen.” of Revelation, the Scriptures tell us of God’s plan of salvation made
manifest in Jesus. The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms - what we call the Old
Testament, what Philip simply called the Scriptures – these all pointed God’s
faithful people of old to the Messiah who was to come. From generation to
generation, while the faithfulness of the people would ebb and flow, God’s
promise never faded. Think of a funnel: the promise is wide and broad in
Genesis, nothing more than the pledge of a woman’s seed crushing the serpant’s
head after the serpent bruised his heel. Through the centuries, details were
added and the promises become more specific: he would be a son of Abraham, of
David’s lineage, a king in the order of Melchizadec, one would suffer mightily
to redeem His people, born of a virgin in Bethlehem Ephratha.
Finally,
in the fulness of time, the Scriptures – what we call our New Testament - record
for us the Gospel, the Good News, of Jesus Christ’s birth, life, ministry,
death and resurrection. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, not giving testimony
contrary to each other, but congruent with and complementary to each other,
each inspired by the Spirit to tell the story in their own, unique way and
style. Take that same funnel and turn it around: the book of Acts takes the
Good News of Christ as Messiah and explodes it as the story of Jesus spreads
from Jerusalem to the ends of the world through men like Paul and Peter, James
and John. Isn’t it remarkable that these men, terrified for their lives on
Easter night, are empowered by the Spirit of God on Pentecost to be witnesses
of Jesus. The rest of the New Testament takes that story and shows how it is
preached in cities and countries that, remarkably, aren’t that different than
our own 2000 years later.
Contrary
to what GQ, or others, may tell you, the Bible is as important of a book as
it’s ever been. You see, it’s not just a book – it’s God’s Word for you. It
delivers the goods: in those ancient, God-given, Spirit-breathed, Christ-spoken
words is life. No novel can give life, no book of plays can deliver forgiveness,
no anthology of poetry can distribute salvation, but this book – God’s Word –
does all of those and more. It even creates the very faith necessary to believe
that which is written. All because of the power of God in the written word of
God.
In
this morning’s first reading, Philip used the Scriptures to teach the Ethiopian
about Jesus and he was so overjoyed at the Good News that he asked to be
baptized. That’s all we know about the man. He drops into the story; he fades
out. But, even in this brief narrative, God included this for a purpose: to
show us the power of the Gospel, preached and read, and the gift of life that
is given in the water of Baptism. For you three confirmands, Katarina, Gavin and
Christopher, you have been baptized and – like the Ethiopian – you have been
taught the truth of God’s Word. Your parents,
Sunday school teachers, Mr. Miller and I have dug into the Scriptures with you
so that you, too, are able to see Jesus and all the gifts that He has given you
in Water and Word, and today, in Bread and Wine.
Today,
you will have people congratulate you and shake your hand, you’ll be surrounded
by friends and people from this congregation. You’ll get cards and plaques that
have Bible verses printed in them. It’ll feel like the top of the world. But
tomorrow, or someday soon, the devil will whisper in your ear that reading your
Bible is a waste of time. This isn’t just for these three: it’s for each of us,
myself included. You don’t need to read God’s Word, the Devil will tell you,
because you went through confirmation class – you know what you need. He’ll tempt
you to think the Scriptures are outdated, or boring, or unnecessary. He’ll try
to get you to stop reading the Bible because he doesn’t want you to see Jesus
on each and every page. When that happens, to quote my sister-in-law, you need
Jesus. Where do you find Jesus? In the same Bible the devil wants you to
ignore.
So,
be in the Word. It’s the best tool to resist Satan’s temptations. Open your
Bibles and read them on a daily basis. The Holy Spirit will use that to strengthen
your faith so that, when tempted, you – by God’s grace – will be better equipped
to resist. In those written words, Jesus is there on every page. Jesus, the
very Word of God made flesh: who died for you, rose for you, and calls you His
own through the water of Baptism, He waits for you in those holy Words to
strengthen you, encourage you, forgive you and bless you.
“Let
the Word of Christ dwell in you richly…with thankfulness in your hearts toward
God.” (Col. 3:16.) Amen,
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