Bible Topics

The Bible is only a collection of human, limited knowledge. But its study provides a constantly deepening and unfolding insight into our immediate world. It deals with real questions and problems of our world and how to help others to work in the solving of them.

There is a power that is beyond me, the individual person. This power is seen in nature. The wind, the storm, the weather — all are more powerful than I.

At first they struck fear into the heart of man and he tried to placate them. Then he began to see them as a source of good and evil so he began to worship them. Then various codes of law or conduct toward each other were referred to this God. But always this God was out in the distance and unapproachable. Wisdom was fear of God.

Then Christian thought began to develop. God was seen as father because men were to be brothers. And then the very spirit of family that was to exist between husband & wife, between parents & children, between family & family, was seen as this power greater than the individual. This spirit is God. If and when this spirit is established then all tasks can be accomplished and enjoyed. Disharmony is the opposite of God — that is Satan, the adversary.

The text of 1 John 4:19-20 says: "If anybody who says he loves God whom he cannot see and does not love his neighbor whom he can see is a liar." This is the negative part of the picture. The positive aspect is the love of neighbor. This spirit of peace is the springboard from which all other work takes its strength.

The notion of forgiveness is presented in Matthew 18.

Too often forgiveness is seen as a simple "I'm sorry" and then the whole issue is swept under the rug. Forgiveness demands at least two people. Each is helping the other to see where the improvement is possible or necessary and each helps the other to take the step forward.

Gospel story tells of Christ being tested in the desert. The desert was and is the place of testing. Here it is easy to lose the sense of direction and get lost. In the desert it is easy to see the mirage because that is what a person wants so badly. As the Arabs say, you can simply be swallowed up by the desert.

Three basic guidelines were given to offset these difficulties. Man has to earn a living but there must be a plan for this. Secondly, this plan has to proceed from produce or foresight. It doesn't just happen. Finally, he must not stop short on an intermediate or partial goal even though this may seem easier and sufficient.

These are valid principles for life of any person. Plan wisely — look ahead — keep reaching out.

Ezechiel is talking to the leaders who are in the neo-Babylonian captivity with him in the 6th century B.C. They had been laughing at his warning to repent and lead morally good lives. Then the bad news came. Jerusalem had fallen. The Temple and palace were a shambles. Then they ran to the prophet for consolation. Ezechiel told them of a shepherd-leader who would come sometime and lead them back. Ezra and Nehemiah did this a few years later.

The first Christians and Jesus applied this notion to him. Jesus was the fulfillment of this dream-shepherd. But his application was unheard of. He would separate his flock. Only the sheep would be kept. The sheep were those who helped others in their daily needs. There would be nothing spectacular. But the reward would be the unity and community that lend strength and ability to their lives.

Ezechiel was the first to speak clearly of the sense of individual responsibility for one's acts. Throughout the rest of the time in the Old Testament period, this notion was more and more developed. The entire teaching of Christ is based on this concept.

The most basic need in a family spirit is forgiveness. This presupposes that there will be failure by everyone and everyone is supposed to forgive. Each needs a strong dose of patience, kindness, adaptation. All of these qualities are as much a part of this spirit as joy, love, hope and the like.

Love is the center of the Gospel message. I can see how Luke, a man of the Greco-Roman world, was so taken with the simplicity and yet the revolutionary quality of this key idea. John could boil it down to such simple words. "By this shall all people know that you are my followers in that you have this love for each other."

This is the theme of Qoheleth in the Greek world of the 2nd century BCE: Things were constantly changing and yet nothing was totally new. We talk about great discoveries, inventions, conveniences of now. But Isaiah was talking about the same questions or points in the 8th century BCE. Everything is new for us because it's our first time around. That's life.

This notion of the kingship of man is a highly developed biblical idea. One of the fundamental notions about kingship is the use of one's talents.

The special note about talents in the teaching of Christ is that he does not favor the loser. The one who had received the minimal had buried his talent for fear of losing it. In the reckoning he lost even that talent because he had not used it, and was excluded from the kingship. The one who already had ten talents received more.

The teaching of Christ stresses that no matter how small the action, if it is the result of your industry, it will be fully rewarded.

St. John the Apostle was the bright-eyed, omniscient, infallible, short-tempered teenager who first met Christ. He in turn brought James — the other "Son of thunder" or "loud-mouth." John became simply a "favorite" or "close friend" of Christ. We get a deep insight into the personality of John from his Gospel, his first Letter and Revelation. And because of this I think we get a deep insight into the personality of Christ.

The Genesis account takes issue with the subjugation of woman in the Greco-Roman society. In Genesis 1:26-31, the writer stresses that the sexes, male and female, are not something that happened by chance as the myths thought. This difference is something that was planned as in every other aspect of creation. It is the climax of the complementary aspect of all creation. No part of creation or the universe is independent of the other and so no part is slave or servant to the other. Each is individually important on an ascending scale. Then man and woman are presented as the peak or highest level.

In Genesis 2, the writer stresses how everything is made for the good and use of man, except woman. Without her he cannot succeed in any way or be happy. With her, he can reach his fulness but only if he sees her as his partner and true equal.

Mary and Joseph were a young couple. One of their children grew and produced in such a way that the "holy spirit," proclaimed by Ezechiel in 538 b.c., was evident through his life.

Luke was intrigued at the role played by the Jewish family in the formation of this child and use of his abilities. So he wrote his whole gospel from this viewpoint. Then he showed how this same spirit gave rise to and formed the Christian community.

It's a real delight to get outside early in the morning and look at the new growth of the plants. This is the aspect of creation or nature that delights me. Already in the 5th century B.C., the biblical writers were marveling at the Wisdom of such a plan. They stood in awe of the one who could make such a plan. — 'Tis great!

The book of Genesis is the book of origins or perhaps I could say it established the dignity of man in its full reality.

The writers stress that the actual origin is hidden or unknown because no one was there to witness it. However, as we look at the universe from the world in which we live, we can see that there is a definite plan being followed. Today we call this the balance of nature, the web of life, the food chain, and the interdependence of all things on each other. This plan is well thought out and geared toward success. But the plan does not run itself. This is the work of mankind. His place in the plan is the controller, the leader, the user. He can accomplish this only in a society founded on mutual respect and understanding of each other.

That is chapter one of Genesis. Then successively we get the origin of society in marriage, the origin of problems against this society in greed, anger, quarreling & selfishness. The writers present no empty idyll or utopia. Selfishness will always be present. It is the duty of those who know better to remove the selfishness, to establish harmony & peace, and to give success to the overall plan.

The book ends in a story of the failure against the plan and the way in which the failure could be turned to success. The stories of Adam, Noah, Sem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are all of unending value. The circumstances change but the questions, problems, and successes remain the same.