Our Story

The other night I was reading a Bible story to the boys.  We have a few kids Bible's that we rotate through annually.  As always, Athan had convinced me to read an extra one which I attempt to tell myself is his spiritual interest, while knowing deep down it's just him milking the clock so he can put off bed time for a few more minutes.  As I placed the bookmark on the next page, which happened to be the story of the crucifixion, Athan excitedly exclaimed, "The cross, yes, I love this story!"

As he said it, I was a bit taken aback and he seemed to notice my surprise so he tried to back track his excitement.  No matter the time, I couldn't let a chance like this pass me by without pressing him about his excitement.  As I questioned him, his answer was simple, "I like the cross, because it's a story about me."  

This got me thinking about the way we perceive of Scripture.  At least for me, in my weak or perhaps carnal moments, Scripture has the tendency to appear distant, wooden, historic, and perhaps even boring.  It describes facts, events, and people that lived two millennia ago, an ocean away, in cultures we hardly understand.  In these moments the text seems to have little consequence in the way our life is turning out or what God would have us do in our current circumstances.  Obviously this is a heart issue that goes deeper and requires a deeper solution than merely "concentrate more."  However, what we find in Scripture was never intended to feel stale.  In fact throughout Scripture, the audience is often considered and even drawn into the story.  Part of the purpose of the author seems to be to convey the story in such a way that it has no conclusion, but remains open ended, causing the reader to take a role in its conclusion.  In this sense the story pulls the audience in and reveals that yes, the story is in a sense, as Athan admitted, about them.

Here are a few examples...

• Mark 16-  Often debated, many scholars see the ending coming in v.8.  In doing so the gospel ends with little to no resolution to the story.  Why? As N.T. Wright speculates, "There is a blank at the end of the story, and we are invited to fill it ourselves.  Do we take Easter for granted, or have we found ourselves awestruck at the strange new way of God?"  Those who accept this ending find Mark inviting his readers into the story, that just as the gospel starts by saying, "This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ," so the story is not over, it continues on now intersecting with our story and how we will respond to such news. 
• John 17; 20:30-31- The night before Jesus dies He offers up His High Priestly Prayer.  What's striking about this prayer is not just that hours before such a trying experience He is praying for others, but who exactly He is praying for.  We might expect prayers for His disciples to be lifted up, but we also find Jesus praying, "for those who would believe in Him on their behalf."  The reader is confronted with the fact that their Savior is praying for them moments before His passion.  For the reader who has yet to believe in Christ, the phrase had to move them to reflection, causing them to ask the question, "does that include me?"  John clearly explains his purpose for writing in John 20:30-31 as to reveal Jesus is the Son of God so that the reader might believe in Him.  John confesses that he could have included different material in his gospel, but he included these stories because he had the reader in mind as he recorded this story.
• John 20:26-29- In this account of Thomas and his affirmation John has his readers in mind.  Here's how.  Jesus appears to all of the disciples while Thomas had stepped out.  Whether he was just getting some fresh air or out running some errands for the group is unclear.  When he returns the disciples eagerly share what they had experienced, but Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus has risen from the dead, claiming that he must see Jesus in order to believe.  In v.26 Jesus appears to Thomas and tells Thomas, "blessed are those who believe, though they do not see." Why include this interchange?  John knows that his readers did not see the acts or hear the teachings of Jesus yet need to believe (v.31).  There is something hard about believing in something we can't see, John remembers the Lord admitting that, and wants his readers to understand that Jesus himself acknowledged that fact, but still affirmed and blessed those who would believe despite their lack of seeing.   This story was included because it directly related to a situation John's readers faced, in a small way, it was about them.

One last caveat, in saying that these stories are about the reader, I am not suggesting that their purpose or ultimate meaning is found outside of the person of Jesus.  I affirm that all Scripture ultimately finds its purpose and meaning in Him, however I am suggesting that the authors were selecting stories and experiences from Jesus' life and ministry that directly addressed or spoke to the circumstances of their readers, that in some sense their life impacted the material that was included in the canon.