…and he (Jesus) began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
Luke 4:21 NIV
Luke 4:21 NIV
I love the fact that though the bible is made up of so many different books that it still tells one story. It is powerful when you begin to get a sense of the big picture historical drama that unfolds throughout the whole. I know lots of people, however, who try to pick up a bible, start at the first page of Genesis and try to read the whole thing only to get bogged down, discouraged and eventually abort the mission. May I humbly suggest a Star Wars approach (and I promise that this will be the only Star Wars reference in this seriesJ).
The first Star Wars movie in the first Trilogy was released in 1976, but it was actually episode IV. The first half of the story was not released until years later in the form of another Trilogy of movies. Most people who have seen the “pre-quel” movies agree that they are far easier to follow, understand and interpret if you already know the second half of the story. When you know the end, it helps as you navigate the beginning.
Reading through the bible can be similar. I would suggest beginning in the New Testament with the gospels. Focus on the central figure of Jesus and the climax of His cross and resurrection. Follow that with the rest of the New Testament to find out how those events are interpreted and how they impact the world. This will be invaluable information to guide your reading as you go back to the very beginning and work your way back through. Don’t neglect this part however, because it is extremely important. After all, even Jesus understood and interpreted his life and mission in terms of how it fulfilled what was written in the Law and Prophets – the Old Testament.
The first Star Wars movie in the first Trilogy was released in 1976, but it was actually episode IV. The first half of the story was not released until years later in the form of another Trilogy of movies. Most people who have seen the “pre-quel” movies agree that they are far easier to follow, understand and interpret if you already know the second half of the story. When you know the end, it helps as you navigate the beginning.
Reading through the bible can be similar. I would suggest beginning in the New Testament with the gospels. Focus on the central figure of Jesus and the climax of His cross and resurrection. Follow that with the rest of the New Testament to find out how those events are interpreted and how they impact the world. This will be invaluable information to guide your reading as you go back to the very beginning and work your way back through. Don’t neglect this part however, because it is extremely important. After all, even Jesus understood and interpreted his life and mission in terms of how it fulfilled what was written in the Law and Prophets – the Old Testament.
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Jason,
ReplyDeleteI love your Star Wars analogy. Well done. I truly believe that although we cannot separate our faith from the Old Testament, we must understand it and read it through the lense of the New Testament. It is like those movies that have the major turn or hook at the end, like the movie with Bruce Willis and the kid who sees dead people (sixth sense). Once I saw the ending, I was so excited to go back and watch the whole movie over again know that I understood what was going on. Very similar to `Luke, I am your father...`
Keep writing these devo`s. They are great!
Brian Martin
Hey Jay,
ReplyDeleteIf Star wars encourages such wisdom and clarity then reflect on!
Bev