Critical Tools You know that we cant just pick up the Bible - and stand there with authority

and say - this is what the Bible means! You know that there are hundreds of approaches to Scripture - we could look at a passage from Revelation, for example - and it might mean something different to each one of us We can look at a phrase or a Biblical idea - like the fact that we should call God, Father, for example - and depending on our background and our present context - maybe our relationship with our own Father - we will all have a different take on that idea Interpreting Scripture is not that easy Many of the problems in the church today - are focussed around our approach to Scripture Many Christians have problems with bridging - what we call the hermeneutical gap: - they find it hard to read what was written 200 years ago - or even 4000 years ago - in a Middle East setting in a different language - and then try to interpret what that has to say - in a 21st century British context And that is especially difficult when it comes to youth culture: - how do we interpret Scripture - so that it gives us meaning for our young people? And this is the ministry you are called to There is a gap between a lay person someone sitting in the pew - and a biblical scholar The biblical scholar is interested in what the text meant then The lay person is interested in what the text means now Your task is to be a bridge between the two

You are called to be a bridge between the scholar and the lay person: - to use scholars tools to help young lay people understand - what the Bible has to say to them today It is a tough calling - but its a noble calling - and its a real privilege God has given you a privileged task to do And what I want to do in this first session - is give you some critical tools to work with Some tools to use that will help you get inside the Bible Im going to throw a lot of terms and big words at you - and, by the end, you will probably be thoroughly confused! But thats O.K. You need to go away and think about what has been said - and maybe do some further reading - or just begin to put it in to practice through your own Bible study O.K., well where do we begin? I want to suggest that we have two particular tasks - in which we are engaged as we approach the Bible The first task is to find out what the text originally meant - when it was written What was the writer trying to say to us? The name for that is exegesis The second task we have is find out how we can hear that same message - in the context of our current culture and daily living What does that text have to say to us today? - how can we interpret the writers original intention - in a way which is lively and creative and energetic for today?

The name for that is hermeneutics So that is what we are engaged in Bridging the gap between the scholar and the lay person: - using the tools of exegesis and hermeneutics And there is something I want to stress right at the beginning: When we interpret the Bible in our youth ministry - we want to be creative but we dont want to be unique If you have come up with an interpretation - that no-one else has ever thought of - then your interpretation is probably wrong If you have learnt a new truth about God in your studies - then your truth is a lie! Everything that needs to be revealed about God has been revealed - we cannot reveal anything new And so our approach to the Bible must reflect that Now thats not to say that when we read a passage from the Bible - and God speaks to us through it - thats not to say that what we learnt wont feel unique Sometimes God has a message just for you - and He will use the Scriptures to reveal that message But thats not the same as saying your interpretation of Scripture - is unique Im sure you understand the difference The aim of our reading of Scripture - is to get to the meaning of the text - so that our minds are challenged - and our hearts are warmed -----

Now, when Scripture is being read by you or me - two things are being introduced to each other - there is an interaction going on between two parties You the reader Scripture the book There is a conversation happening, if you like And both parties are bringing something different to the conversation Lets just look at these two things for a bit 1. a. What we bring to the conversation as the Reader We bring our previous understandings and assumptions:

Weve already hinted at this - the idea that when you or I come to a Bible passage - we bring with us a load of baggage We bring with us all our previous experiences - the themes and ideas of the culture in which we live - all our ideas about what the Bible is, and so on There is no such thing as a pure reading of Scripture [examplesCross, flesh, Jesus] b. We bring with us a version of the Bible

Each version of the Bible translates passages slightly differently - and what you and I will get out of a passage - is, to some extent, determined by the Bible we use Its not an easy task for translators - to put Greek and Hebrew into English c. We bring with us our cultural context

As we look at the world around us - we know that not everything written in the Bible
4

- can be interpreted as straight as its written What does it mean, for example in 1 Corinthians 14 - that women should be silent in church? What about all the laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy? - are we supposed to obey all those - and go through all the rituals and sacrifices? And if not, why should we just pick out the Ten Commandments - from the 360 Old Testament laws listed - and obey only those? Why can some people baptise babies - and others only baptise believing adults? And thats just orthodox Christians What about the Mormons and the Jehovahs Witnesses - and the cults who are preparing for Armageddon - and probably getting loads more followers - after whats happened in recent years There are so many different ways of interpreting - the plain meaning of Scripture - that, actually, its not so plain after all! Now, none of that is to say that you need to be well educated - to read the Bible: - Im not saying that Scripture is just for the educational elite What Im saying is - that when you open the Bible and lead a young person into Scripture - just be aware, even before you start - of everything you are bringing to the text: Your personal experiences in life The version of the Bible youre using The cultural expectations of the world in which you live All these things, and more - will impact on the way you teach Scripture - to your young people
5

And even if you tell me - that you dont use the Bible with your young people - because they are not there yet: - well, that too is a culturally conditioned position to take - and you need to be aware of that too! O.K., thats what we bring to the conversation What does Scripture itself bring to the conversation? a. The Bible brings two natures

The Bible is not just a book - its a bit more than that The Bible, the Scriptures, have two natures First, it is the Word of God - and, as the Word of God it is eternal - and has an eternal relevance Every part of Scripture speaks into every culture, every community - every part of Scripture is equally valid - even the difficult bits that we dont understand Maybe especially the difficult bits we dont understand! 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is inspired by God But, the Bible has another nature too: - a human nature Its not as if God just threw the book out the sky - ready-written with his own pen! God inspired human beings to write - and he spoke through the thoughts and hands of the writers George Ladd, a great theologian: The Bible is the Word of God given in the words of men in history

And when we come to look at the Bible - and try to interpret its meaning - we need to hold together this two-fold nature It is a book that has eternal relevance It is a book that has historical particularity And we need to be able to hold the two together And so arising out of that, weve got two more things we want to say: b. The Word of God is culturally conditioned

I want to make the claim now that the Word of God - is partly conditioned by culture And what that means in the context of this session is this: That because God chose to work through human beings - who wrote the Scriptures at a particular time - and in a particular place - it is inevitable that what they brought to the conversation - should inevitably impact on what was written Gods Word to us was first Gods Word to them - and God had to speak to them in a way they could understand There would have been no point in God communicating - with first-century Palestinian fisherman - in 21st-century British terminology So Gods Word was culturally conditioned: - conditioned to the culture of the first hearers - and we need to grapple with that concept - as we interpret it for ourselves c. The Word of God is expressed through human culture

What do I mean by this - which is different from what Ive just said? Because there were many different authors - 40 authors writing 66 books
7

- there are many different types of expression used There is poetry, there is history - there is law, there is wisdom, - there are prophecies and biographies - there are dreams and visions and riddles and proverbs - and stories and jokes and parables and letters and sermons There are so many different aspects of biblical writing Why? Because God chose to communicate with humanity - within the context of its own culture And so, when we come to interpret the Scriptures for today - we also need to be aware what genre of writing is being used Let me just recap: What have we said? Weve said that there are 2 tasks to undertake Exegesis finding out the original meaning of the text Hermeneutics finding out what it says to us today Weve said that approaching the Bible is like a conversation - in which we both bring something to the discussion As humans, we bring - our own history - the type of Bible were reading - and the expectations of our culture The Bible itself brings - the eternal Word of God - but in intensely human form - wrapped up in the Palestinian, Greek and Hebrew cultures - of many thousands of years ago And somehow, we need to bring all that together - as we begin to interpret the Scriptures
8

- in such a way as will help with our ministry amongst young people ------O.K., lets put a bit of meat on these bones - and think about some of the tools that we have at our disposal - to do exegesis and hermeneutics 1. Exegesis

The question of exegesis is this: - What was the original intention of the author in writing this? The interesting thing about exegesis - is that in this day and age - and most especially for those who are involved in youth ministry - it is a re-active tool What do I mean? I mean that exegesis only tends to be used - when there is a problem, a clash between what the Bibles says - and what our young people want to do Its a re-active tool A young person wants to have sex before marriage - Aah, but the Bible says A young person is struggling with peer pressure - You know, the Bible says We tend to go to the meaning of the Scriptures - when there is a problem The challenge for us in bridging the gap - between the scholar and the lay person - is having the ability to begin with exegesis - even when there is no problem to solve Exegesis, exegetical study should be the starting point - of all our Bible study, not just crisis Bible study

O.K., well how do we do exegesis well? Easy All you have to do - is learn Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic and Latin - study 1st century archaeology and Palestinian history - and get fully acquainted with the history of the Roman empire But failing that, lets look at some foundational approaches instead Exegesis only has two questions to ask a. b. What is the context of this passage? What is the content of this passage?

Thats it That is all exegesis is about: context and content So lets get into these questions a bit a. What is the context of this passage?

When we are examining the context of a particular Bible passage - there are two contexts to consider: i. The Historical Context

The historical context is questions to do with - when and where a passage was written - and why it was written It really does make a difference to know that Amos came before Jesus - and that he was a prophet in a particular place and time It really does matter that Haggai came after the exile rather than before We cannot grasp what they are saying unless we know these basic facts - about the historical context We do need to know the history of the Bible - and how it all fits together
10

We do need to know the historical context of the passage What sense does the Parable of the Good Samaritan make - unless we know something about the relationship - between Jews and Samaritans? How can we make sense of the trial of Jesus - unless we understand something of the legal and political system - under which he lived and ministered? And this is where Bible dictionaries come in - as such vital tools of your ministry You must get a good Bible dictionary for your studies But, as we hinted a minute ago - historical context is not just about the time and the place - of where a passage was written Historical context is also about why a passage was written Why did Paul say that women should be silent in church? Why did John write a Gospel with such complicated ideas? Why did Matthew put Jesus overturning the tables in the temple - at the end of his Gospel - when John puts it at the beginning of his? Historical context asks the question, Why? And that is a vital first question for us to ask - as we approach historical context in our exegesis ii. Literary context

In the seventeenth-century, in most churches - the reading of the Bible in the service - may have been a reading of maybe four or five chapters The Old Testament lesson might be 1 Chronicles 2-8 Today, we just read a few verses

11

Ruth 2:3-9 And the problem for today, is we dont get any literary context Literary context is all about understanding the passage - by knowing what came before and what comes afterwards What is the point of this passage? - how does it fit in to the rest of the book? When we read the story of Jesus overturning the tables in the temple - it really does matter what comes before - and what happens afterwards And the same is true of the books of the Bible too - we can have a better understanding - if we know that Mark wrote his Gospel first - and that Matthew copied some of it We can get a better idea of whats going on - if we know that Nehemiah and Ezra - were working on the same project We need to have a literary context in which to work And so we need to become really well acquainted with the Bible - to get that context O.K. thats context in exegesis - what about content? b. What is the content of this passage?

This is about the words themselves - and what the words mean What does it mean to call Jesus the Son of Man? What does John mean when he says the Word became flesh? - what is the Word? what is flesh? Again, a lot of this knowledge we already have - but there are some basic tools we need as well:

12

i. ii. ii.

A good Bible dictionary A good Bible translation A good set of commentaries

O.K., I want to leave exegesis there - and move on to hermeneutics - which, remember, is finding out what the passage has to say - to us in our present context What does the Bible have to say in the here and now? This is obviously the crucial question, isnt it? - what does God want to say to you and me - what does God want to say to our young people today? But we must be careful not to make a very common error The temptation, especially for those of us in youth ministry - is to begin with hermeneutics before doing exegesis We want God to be relevant - we want the Bible to be relevant to our young people We dont want them think that Christianity is boring or out of touch - so we are always looking for ways to make the Bible - absolutely relevant to their situation Hermeneutics But we must make sure that this is not where we start - otherwise we will become so subjective in our study - that we will be in danger of saying that anything goes O.K., we might think that we have the common sense to avoid this - but just think how difficult it is All of us have had the opportunity to talk to people about the faith - after the World Trade Center was hit by the planes I had to preach on it, Im sure youve all had to address it So what biblical passages did we draw on? And were we doing hermeneutics before exegesis?
13

For example, a friend of mine led his youth fellowship - on a study of the Tower of Babel - and drew a parallel between that Tower and the World Trade Center He said that God was judging Western capitalism - and consumerism in the tragedy Now, whether his theology was right or wrong is not the point today The point is: - was he right to use the Biblical passage about the Tower of Babel - to prove his point? Was he doing hermeneutics before exegesis - or was he doing exegesis before hermeneutics? The point is this: A text can never mean what it was never meant to mean - despite what post-modernists will say God spoke a message into the text - the task of exegesis is to discover that message - the talk of hermeneutics is to apply that to our present day context

14