I randomly asked a bunch of regular churchgoing twenty-somethings a very simple question: What do you find hard about reading the Bible? They gave me remarkably simple answers back. Most of their answers fell into one of three categories:
- Motivation: Why should I read the bible?
- Understanding: What’s the Historical Context of the Bible?
- Function: How do I interpret and apply the Bible to my life?
I then asked a follow up question: If you took a simple Bible course, what would help you most? That was an even simpler set of answers: Encouragement, Understanding and Application.
Welcome to Bible Week, where I’m going to try and encourage you to read your Bible by giving you some understanding, a little bit of encouragement and hopefully the way to start applying it to your own life. Today we start with understanding the Bible’s ‘meta-narrative’ i.e. it’s Big Story. And what better place to start than with one of the best stories ever told: the Lion King.
The Meta-Narrative of the Lion King
Disney’s 1994 classic ‘The Lion King’ lasted ninety minutes, had a cast and crew of around four hundred people and cost forty-five million dollars to produce. Yet, the story of the whole movie can be summarised in one paragraph: Mufasa, the Lion King of Pride Rock, has a son, Simba, heir to the throne. Simba’s jealous uncle murders Mufasa, blaming it on Simba. Having fled Pride Rock, Simba finds two outcasts named Timon and Pumbaa and embraces their ways of ‘Hakuna Matata’. Years later, approached by his childhood friend Nala and the wise baboon Rafiki, Simba returns home to stop Scar’s evil reign and fulfil his destiny as the new Lion king.
When it comes to the Lion King, every scene, character and line of dialogue feeds into this overarching story. That big story is called the ‘meta-narrative’.
The Bible’s Big Story
The meta-narrative of the Bible can be summarised in 4 parts: creation, fall, redemption and restoration.
Creation: The Bible’s Story of Mankind’s Greatest Moment
God created everything that is both visible and invisible. He is the highest and most powerful authority in the universe and sustains all creation by the power of His will. All life flows from God and the pinnacle of that life was humankind. God created us to be stewards of his creation in a universe of harmony between God and human – the perfectly peaceful rhythm of life we call shalom (Gen 1).
Fall: The Bible’s Story of Mankind’s Greatest Problem
Unfortunately, mankind did not care for God’s creation and decided to live contrary to God’s will. This is known as sin. Every area of the creative order was tainted by sin: family, work, friends, relationships, the environment, DNA, mind, soul, food, etc. Everything God created to be good was fractured by sin. The result? Judgement. Since all life proceeded from God, sin introduced the worst consequence of all into creation – death. Although everybody sins, the biblical image of sin is Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden (Gen 3).
Redemption: The Bible’s Story of Mankind’s Greatest Person
Instead of leaving humankind and the rest of creation to die, God mercifully offered redemption. His chosen family would bring humanity back into shalom. Starting with Noah and finishing with Jesus, God re-creates the world. Then in Abraham, God appoints a man from whom the race of chosen people shall descend. Lights that would show the sinful world the way back to God by being a ‘blessing to all the nations (Gen 22:18)’. Abraham’s descendents are eventually called the Hebrews. The true biblical image of redemption is seen in two parts: the Exodus & the Cross.
If the biblical image of creation is Adam and Eve in the garden, the biblical image of redemption is the Exodus. Enslaved by the sinful Egyptian Pharoah, God sends plagues, curses and eventually death to rescue his people from slavery. Through Moses, God gives his chosen few a place (Israel), a people (Hebrews) and his presence. God says repeatedly, ‘I am the God who brought you out of Egypt with a mighty hand.’ God is the God who defies superpowers, takes slaves from the dirt and gives them not only a place, but union with the divine.
But, that’s a very Jewish way of understanding redemption. To Christians, redemption is most fully realised in the death and resurrection of himself. The only person that could pay for the sins of the world was Jesus the Christ. He was crucified by the Roman Empire in approximately 30 AD in Jerusalem. He rose from death 3 days later, proving his ultimate victory over sin and death, extending that gift to every sinner who chooses to believe in Him. No longer is redemption just for the chosen descendants of Abraham, everyone can come back to God. As Christ himself said, we are the lights of the world (Matt 5), who show the world that eagerly wants shalom, the way home.
Restoration: The Bible’s Story of Mankind’s Greatest Hope
But redemption is just the beginning. One day, God will fully restore the universe to its original shalom with no death, no cancer and no natural disaster. Every sin and sinner will be erased from history and every tear shall be wiped from our eyes as God ushers in a perfectly peaceful rhythm of life known as shalom…forever. There will be a new heaven and a new earth, restored to their original glory as God intended (Rev 21-22). Have hope, for as each day goes by, we are a day closer. God’s people, in God’s place in the wonder of God’s presence.
Creation. Fall. Redemption. Restoration. These words summarise what God has been, is doing and will do in history. Therefore, wherever you find yourself in the Bible, remember that every scene, character and line of dialogue feeds into this overarching story.
The Deep Work is Understanding The Greatest Story the World has ever Heard
Understanding the Bible is about comprehension. Therefore, the deep work is understanding God’s great story. We’re going to do that with ten questions. This is the start of your journey to having a decent understanding of the big story of the Bible.
- What is another word for the big story of the Bible?
- What are the four words that describe the big story of the Bible?
- God created shalom. What does shalom mean?
- What was humankind’s role in God’s creation?
- How does the ‘fall’ affect us today?
- What are the two main images of ‘redemption’ in the Bible?
- Which person was appointed by God to bring a race of Hebrews who would be a blessing to the nations?
- Through Moses, God gives the Hebrews three things. What are they?
- What does Jesus’ life, death and resurrection achieve for us?
- What is the difference between redemption and restoration?
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