Many years ago, a friend and co-worker
introduced me to a recording of the Peasal Tree Sermon, delivered by a preacher
who, having been “so took up” in ministrations to the flock and not having had
time to prepare a “real theologic sermon,” decided to take as his Sunday
morning text whatever verse his eye fell upon, knowing that the Lord had led
him there. The scripture instructed him
that the children of Israel worshipped the Lord with certain musical
instruments and the psaltre. The
unfamiliar word translated for him to “peasal tree,” which in turn became a
staff with miraculous powers for use by Moses in leading the Israelites
from Egypt to the Promised Land. I can
easily imagine an enraptured audience, hanging on each and every word. Here’s a link if you’d like to check it
out: http://www.jamaicajim.com/psaltre.htm. At best, the story is a tribute to the human
imagination. At worst, a commentary on
our tendency to engage scripture from the shallow end. There may be some eternal truths imbedded in
this entertaining recitation, but its practical truth for me is that I
need to be very discerning in what I lift from Scripture lest I take it as
gospel truth.
I learned early
in life that regular Bible reading and study go with being a Christian, a
standard that holds for other faith traditions as well. We’re supposed to read our sacred texts in
the expectation of discovering eternal truths that will guide, comfort, and
inspire us. Perhaps we hope they will lead
us also to an encounter with our God, but one we’d prefer not cause us undue
discomfort. The words “reading” and “study”
are wrongly used synonymously; serious study should take us well beyond a casual reading experience. If not,
our Bible study can look more like a book club conversation, where opinions and
understandings are shared about what we read, hopefully in an atmosphere of friendly
camaraderie, and perhaps under the guidance of one perceived as having
requisite knowledge and understanding and in whom we vest authority to guide
and instruct. We depart, grateful for
the fellowship and a good feeling about having once again engaged in our
ritualistic “study.” And, one might
hope, also with a sense of inspiration and challenge for our continuing
spiritual journey.
Among other things, context
becomes a significant consideration in an authentic “study” experience. As with “location, location, location,” often
cited as the three most important factors in the real estate market, so “context,
context, context” may be the three most important considerations in Bible
study. Who wrote the scripture passage
being studied? When and under what
conditions was it written? Why did he
(no she’s as far as we know) write it? Is
it a product of redaction? What did the redactor have in mind? Who constituted the
intended audience and what were their life circumstances? What was the intended message? Who published it, and why? Why should it be important for us today? What should it inspire us to be and to
do? What factors in our personal
programming condition our response to it?
Who has authority to interpret it for us, and why would we grant them
that authority? What do we learn about
ourselves in our responses to these questions?
As I respond to
these questions in my own ventures into Bible study, I am led to believe that
for the creative energy I call God to be invested and revealed in the "Book of
Books,” I cannot see it as a static document containing unchanging theological
concepts, subject to my prejudicial parsing, but as a narrative of personal and
community God-encounters, not revelations once and for all time, but
inspirations for my own continuing revelatory God-encounters. Mine may differ from yours. Their authenticity in my life is expressed in
the quality of my human relationships which, for me, equates with my God
relationship. If I honor God, I also must
honor my human brother and sister, whoever and wherever they may be.
“If any one says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother,
he is a liar; for he who does
not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.” 1 John 4:20 RSV
For
me, that honoring relationship provides the standard for my continuing venture
through life – my journey toward wholeness, my promised land … a personal
Peasal Tree staff having amazing properties to guide me through a world where
polarization and alienation seem to be the norm, and where the challenge to be
“in relationship” with all creation can seem well beyond my human
capacity, but still meriting my greatest effort. In moments of doubt and
uncertainty, I lay aside my questions to find comfort and assurance in the
words of a favorite passage; they can be enough for the moment. The underlying message is constant: God is
with me … within me, awaiting my affirmation and response.
Are you a Bible “student?” I hope you will share your experience.
