No, I’m not referring to the classic soul song by Marvin Gaye- well, maybe the soul part. I have a few brief thoughts about the Bible, on which billions, perhaps trillions of words have been spent to analyze and explain, according to ChatGPT. Some believe the Bible is the infallible, inerrant word of God. It says what it says, and what it says is true literally. Others opine that it’s just fiction: a collection of stories and myths that man dreamed up to help make sense of the world- every culture has their own stories. My own belief rests in the middle: the Bible is the inspired Word of God and contains truths, whether or not the details are entirely accurate. Its divine wisdom is intended to help us live in the days we are given. It is a collection of stories containing the history of the Jewish people, going back 3,000 years or so, passed along verbally across generations and then recorded by monks into bound volumes. It was inspired by God at the time of its writing, and if we allow it to be, is an inspiration for us every time we pick it up. It is alive. It is a gift. It is a connection to the Father, in the tender way Psalm 46 urges: “Be still and know that I am God.”
I believe the story of Jesus, as recorded in the “New” Testament- you know, Mathew, Mark, Luke, John and the letters of Paul, etc. I digested its truth in small bites over many years, after being agnostic about it initially. Maybe indifferent is a better word. Here's a thought experiment for the skeptical: in Jesus’ day, there were a multitude of sorcerers pulling rabbits out of their hats- lots of miracles are recorded from that era, but only one man was Resurrected. No one before and no one since. Is the story true? It’s hard to imagine the early Gospel writers fabricating the details of Jesus’s life and resurrection out of thin air, to “convince” others about his authenticity. Why would they? Most followers of Jesus believed Him to be the long-promised Messiah, who would overturn and defeat Roman occupation. They were heartbroken and probably feeling deceived when their hoped-for Savior was put to death so quickly and quietly, like a common criminal. Can you imagine the despair? There was no army of angels sent to save the Son of God. There was no revolution toppling Roman occupation. What would motivate these crestfallen followers to perpetuate such an embarrassing disappointment? Why not just move on from Jesus and keep waiting for the real Messiah? The reason is that while they didn't get their revolution, they did get their Messiah. We all did.
There are other points of view, of course, but we do have first-hand accounts in the Bible from Disciples who heard Jesus preach, were present at His miracles and who witnessed His death on the cross, and then His presence among them a few days later. Seeing is believing. It’s also hard to imagine why these early Disciples, who were relentlessly persecuted for their steadfast belief in Jesus, would stubbornly cling to their faith if they hadn’t seen and heard for themselves or believed someone who did. And it's also hard to imagine how a handful of rag-tag followers could multiply into the two and a half billion Christian believers there are today, without a little Divine inspiration and guidance along the way. As an aside, I have observed over the years that when new archaeological evidence comes to light, it typically affirms Bible stories rather than debunks them. See if you don’t agree. But faith is not the realm of artifacts. Faith is believing and then seeing, in that order.
To summarize, Bible accounts spring from the observation and memory of men, and probably a few women too. New research is changing the way we understand how human beings remember. Science is discovering how complex memory actually is. What we recall is not strictly a recollection of what occurs before our eyes, but an amalgam of what we see, filtered through our life experience and the beliefs that we hold true. It is a complicated stew, and not simply “the facts and nothing but the facts.” It may be helpful to view the Bible this way- wisdom and stories, a gift from God, that contains truths relevant to our lives, whether the details were remembered and recorded 100 percent accurately or not. Consider the anomalies of eyewitness accounts of a traffic accident. Following an accident, bystanders will each remember a different set of facts when interviewed- the number of vehicles involved in the smash up, the makes and models, who was driving, who was speeding: they will disagree on the particulars, but everyone saw the accident. The stories recorded in the Bible, especially Jesus’ life and ministry, can be understood this way.
However we approach the Bible, it is surely a gift from God, intended to bring us closer to Him and closer to each other. Can I get a witness! The song pairing is “We Gather Here.”
And if you get the chance, give a listen to Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness," which is also pretty divine. Until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking in the light.
We Gather Here
We gather here
bringing our joys and concerns
we gather here
with what we’ve learned
we gather here with our arms open wide
to the place where love abides
We gather here
to listen and renew
we gather here
be it many or few
we gather here to love and be loved
with our Father from above
We come here with our hearts open wide
help us Lord, to come inside
walk with us down every dark road
and don’t ever leave us alone
don’t every leave us alone
We gather here
giving what we can
we gather here
to join our hands
we gather here, this hour of this day
walk with us, oh Lord we pray
We come here with our hearts open wide
help us Lord, to come inside
walk with us down every dark road
and don’t ever leave us alone
He will never leave us alone…
Can I Get a Witness?