What have we done to the Bible – The Word of God?

 

What have we done to the Bible – The Word of God?

IN THE BEGINNING, THE WORD WAS GOD

Jesus never wrote a book. He never even made a list as far as we can tell. His teachings were from His heart, His mind by way of His Divine Nature. People learned what He was teaching and came to know Him by following Him around, listening to His Words and watching Him – then by doing what He had done and saying what He had said.

Today, however, we learn about Him, primarily, based on what we hear in sermons, through books, video and audio recordings and by reading the Bible. (Thereby, the Christian publishing industry makes billions of dollars in annual sales and comprises a significant segment of the publishing industry. Christian publishing, valued at $1.2 billion in 2020, sold over 179 million copies of religious books yearly at that point.)

We, churches, pastors, preachers, theologians, and authors, in this twenty-first century, write and sell hundreds of thousands and even millions of religious books, commentaries, sermons series, and videos every year, totaling in the billions of dollars in sales.

But oddly enough, we are in such disagreement on the teachings of Jesus and in fact much of what is in the Bible that Christianity and its variants, have splintered into over 200 known denominations in America and over 33,000 denominations, worldwide – and many are outright hostile to one another. (Jesus warned that there would be a rise of false prophets, false teachers and false christs, and so it is.)

And speaking of simplicity being lost in the rush to find answers, here is a funny skit done by Bob Newhart, on his TV show by the same name, which may help make my point in an odd sort of way:

KATHERINE: Dr. Switzer?

SWITZER, (Bob Newhart): Yes, come in. I’m just washing my hands.

KATHERINE: I’m Katherine Bigmans. Janet Carlisle referred me.

SWITZER: Oh, yes. You dream about being buried alive in a box.

KATHERINE: Yes, that’s me. Should I lay down?

SWITZER: No, we don’t do that anymore. Just have a seat and let me tell you a bit about our billing. I charge five dollars for the first five minutes and then absolutely nothing after that. How does that sound?

KATHERINE: That sounds great. Too good to be true as a matter of fact.

SWITZER: Well, I can almost guarantee you that our session won’t last the full five minutes. Now, we don’t do any insurance billing, so you would either have to pay in cash or by check.

KATHERINE: Wow. Okay.

SWITZER: And I don’t make change.

KATHERINE: All right.

SWITZER: Go.

KATHERINE: Go?

SWITZER: Tell me about the problem that you wish to address.

KATHERINE: Oh, okay. Well, I have this fear of being buried alive in a box. I just start thinking about being buried alive and I begin to panic.

SWITZER: Has anyone ever tried to bury you alive in a box?

KATHERINE: No. No, but truly thinking about it does make my life horrible. I mean, I can’t go through tunnels or be in an elevator or in a house, anything boxy.

SWITZER: So, what you are saying is you are claustrophobic?

KATHERINE: Yes, yes, that’s it.

SWITZER: All right. Well, let’s go, Katherine. I’m going to say two words to you right now. I want you to listen to them very, very carefully. Then I want you to take them out of the office with you and incorporate them into your life.

KATHERINE: Shall I write them down?

SWITZER: No. If it makes you comfortable. It’s just two words. We find most people can remember them.

KATHERINE: Okay.

SWITZER: You ready?

KATHERINE: Yes.

SWITZER: Okay. Here they are. Stop it!

KATHERINE: I’m sorry?

SWITZER: Stop it!

KATHERINE: Stop it?

SWITZER: Yes. S-T-O-P, new word, I-T.

KATHERINE: So, what are you saying?

SWITZER: You know, it’s funny, I say two simple words and I cannot tell you the amount of people who say exactly the same thing you are saying. I mean, you know, this is not Yiddish, Katherine. This is English. Stop it.

KATHERINE: So I should just stop it?

SWITZER: There you go. I mean, you don’t want to go through life being scared of being buried alive in a box, do you? I mean, that sounds frightening.

KATHERINE: It is.

SWITZER: Then stop it.

KATHERINE: I can’t. I mean it’s —

SWITZER: No, no, no. We don’t go there. Just stop it.

KATHERINE: So, I should just stop being afraid of being buried alive in a box?

SWITZER: You got it. Good girl. Well, it’s only been three minutes, so that will be three dollars.

KATHERINE: Actually, I only have five so —

SWITZER: Well, I don’t make change.

KATHERINE: Then I guess I’ll take the full five minutes.

SWITZER: Fine. All right. What other problems would you like to address?

KATHERINE: I’m bulimic. I stick my fingers down my throat.

SWITZER: Stop it! Are you a nut of some kind? Don’t do that.

KATHERINE: But I’m compelled to. My mom used to call —

SWITZER: No, no. We don’t go there.

KATHERINE: But I —

SWITZER: No, we don’t go there either.

KATHERINE: But my horoscope did say —

SWITZER: We definitely don’t go there. Just stop it. What else?

KATHERINE: Well, I have self-destructive relationships with men.

SWITZER: Stop it! You want to be with a man, don’t you?

KATHERINE: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, yes.

SWITZER: Well, then, stop it. Don’t be such a big baby.

KATHERINE: I wash my hands a lot.

SWITZER: That’s all right.

KATHERINE: It is?

SWITZER: I wash my hands all the time. There’s a lot of germs out there. Don’t worry about that one.

KATHERINE: I’m afraid to drive.

SWITZER: Well, stop it. How are you going to get around? Get in the car and drive you, you kook. Stop it.

KATHERINE: You stop it. You stop it.

SWITZER: What’s the problem, Katherine?

KATHERINE: I don’t like this. I don’t like this therapy at all. You are just telling me to stop it.

SWITZER: And you don’t like that?

KATHERINE: No, I don’t.

SWITZER: So you think we are moving too fast, is that it?

KATHERINE: Yes. Yes, I do.

SWITZER: All right. Then let me give you ten words that I think will clear everything up for you. You want to get a pad and a pencil for this one?

KATHERINE: All right.

SWITZER: Are you ready?

KATHERINE: Mm-hmm.

SWITZER: All right. Here are the ten words: Stop it, or I’ll bury you alive in a box!

So, it was just two words and Katherine wants to write them down? She wants to analyze it? She says she doesn’t like the simplicity of the advice. She says it’s all moving too fast. She won’t do it! So Dr. Switzer, (Bob Newhart) says to write it down. All ten words!

Coincidentally, Jesus’ first, most complete and shortest sermon ever was just nine words: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And sincere people, for various reasons, have written hundreds of thousands, even millions of commentaries on what we think He meant by those nine words.

By some credible accounts, there have been between 5 and 7 billion Bible sold, alone. And there is just no way to estimate the books written about the Bible, Jesus, God, etc.

That is quite a way from the Words of Jesus contained in about six chapters of the book of Matthew from the New Testament of the Bible. Today, there are over 450 known versions of the Bible translated into over 700 languages.

Okay. I know some will think or say have overstated my point. But I believe that I have oversimplified this matter. Of course, the disciples wanted to write it all down. They wrote it down because they were so-inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. And they wrote it down so they and future generations would not forget what had happened and how it all came about. Then as time went by, people like the Apostle Paul began stringing things together. The prophecies from the Torah, the Law and the events of the advent of Jesus and His miracles. And, even Paul, perhaps because he was highly educated and trained in the law, says some things that people still wrestle with the meaning of today. So much more it is with our present and past churches, pastors, preachers, theologians, and authors, in the fourth through twenty first centuries. And, the more time that passes, it seems the wider the division.

But, not so with Jesus. He said that what He said was intelligible and meant to be understood by His true followers.

He said what He meant and meant what He said. Even as He spoke in parables, used metaphors and similes, His message was and is clear “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And yes, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Dear friends, we have entered the time known as the Great Apostasy (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3). Jesus spoke of this day as the coming Great Delusion. (see 2 Thessalonians 2:11). Let’s not be deceived. Call on the Name of Jesus. Pray for wisdom and understanding. Study to be approved. That day is ever so near.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young