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Words that Make a Difference Text and
Context How readest thou?—Luke 10:26 Ernest Kuenzli
Much of the Bible is veiled in symbols, parables and
dark sayings; so it is a challenge to extract a correct understanding of what
many Scriptures mean. To understand the Holy Scriptures, we must read carefully
what the text says, also what it does not say, and then consider the meaning in
its context. Unless we do all three, we are likely to come to an inaccurate idea
of the truth God is communicating to His people. What does the Text Say?
The first step in understanding any Scripture is to
carefully consider what the Scripture says. Genesis 2:7 (ASV)
is a wonderful example of this: “And Jehovah God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul.” Many who believe man has an immortal soul and read
this verse never recognize what it actually says: that man is a soul. Man
does not possess a soul. Instead, he is a soul, a breathing
creature; that is the meaning of the Hebrew word nephesh which is
translated soul in Genesis 2:7. The body combined with the breath of life
supplied by God is the soul. Man is a soul as are birds, fishes, and other
animals (Genesis 1:24; 2:19). This view is consistent with other Scriptures such
as Ezekiel 18:4, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Therefore, careful
reading of any Scripture is the absolute first step to understanding it. What Does the Text Not Say?
The second step in understanding Scripture is noting
what it does not say. We can jump to a conclusion about a text without noticing
that it does not say what we think it does. The day of atonement sacrifices
recorded in Leviticus 16 is an example of this. Some believe that on the day of
atonement the high priest came out and blessed the people. However, there is
nothing in Leviticus 16 that suggests this happened. The high priest did bless
the people in Leviticus 9 but that was an entirely different cere-mony. What
should we conclude from this? Simply, the blessings that come from the
sin-offering of Christ and the church are shown in type in Leviticus 9 but not
in Leviticus 16. Carefully noting what a Scripture does not say helps us
better understand what the Scripture really does say. Scriptural Context What is meant by “context”? Webster defines context as “the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light on its meaning.” Scriptural context includes all of the parts of a discourse that surround the passage in question. It includes the author’s audience, the time setting of the passage and the author’s conclusion. All of these elements help the student of the Bible come to a more accurate understanding of the passage in question. Start at the Beginning A frequent mistake in studying Scripture is ignoring what the author said before the passage in question. The next step in evaluating any Scripture is to go to the beginning of the discussion and consider the entire passage up to the point in question. One example is where Peter describes the destruction of the heavens and the earth: “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. … But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:7,10). One might deduce from these verses that God is going to destroy the literal earth with fire. However, going back to the beginning of Peter’s discussion, we learn that he is using the words “heavens” and “earth” symbolically. Peter is not referring to the physical heavens and earth but to the current religious and civil order of the world. In verse 6, Peter refers to the pre-flood world as “the world that then was.” This was the first heavens and earth or kosmos, the Greek word translated “world” in verse 6. This order passed away when the flood destroyed all but Noah and his family. It was replaced by the “heavens and earth, which are now,” the second kosmos or world order.
After the second heavens and earth are destroyed as
described in verses 7 and 10, there will be a third kosmos or world
order. Peter describes it as a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). Taking the context into consideration, Peter is
not talking about the destruction of the literal heavens and literal earth but
rather the destruction of what they represent, the present world order. They are
to be replaced by the third heavens and earth, Christ’s Millennial kingdom.
Consider the Audience Another mistake in evaluating Scripture is not considering the audience. When considering a passage, we typically think the author is speaking directly to us and is writing in terms of our context. However, even if the Scripture is meant for us, it was usually spoken or written to others who lived in an earlier day and in a different culture. To fully understand the message, we must consider the original audience. One such example is our Lord’s transfiguration before Peter, James and John: “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’” (Matthew 17:2-5, RSV). Why were Moses and Elijah part of this vision? What did they represent? The disciples did not ask Jesus about their presence although Peter wanted to honor each by building a booth for each of them. Jesus did not explain their presence. However, if we consider Jesus’ audience, we can come to a reasonable conclusion about what Moses and Elijah pictured in this experience. In the transfiguration, Jesus was shown in his glory as the Messiah. His face shown like the sun and his garments were white as the light, picturing his glory beyond the veil as that great spiritual high priest and king after the order of Melchizedek. In the vision, Moses and Elijah are both seen speaking to Jesus in his glory. What does this mean?
The disciples would associate Moses with the Law, for
he was the mediator of the Law covenant. They would associate Elijah with the
prophets. Having both individuals in the vision would have indicated to the
disciples that both the Law and the prophets foretold of the glory of Jesus as
the Messiah (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). This is the same lesson which Jesus intended
for us in the vision. What is the Time Setting? One can incorrectly interpret a Scripture by ignoring the time setting that the author was referring to. An example of this is our Lord’s statement to the thief in Luke 23:43 “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Many use that statement to prove that individuals go directly to heaven when they die. This statement was written before the invention of punctuation. Therefore, some reason should be applied to determine if “today” applied to (1) when Jesus was making the statement (“I say unto thee today”), or (2) when Jesus and the thief would be in paradise (“today shalt thou be with me in paradise”). Many accept the placement of the comma in the King James Version of the Bible and conclude that the thief and Jesus immediately went to heaven. However, if we use context and other Scriptures, we conclude that that is not a reasonable explanation. Did Jesus go immediately to heaven? The context tells us that Jesus died. “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46, RSV). After Jesus died, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, took the body down from the cross, wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid Jesus’ body in a rock-hewn tomb never before used (Luke 23: 50-53).
How long did Jesus stay in death? Matthew 12:40 tells
us that he spent three days in the earth—in the state of death. Consequently,
Jesus and the thief did not immediately enter paradise. Both went into the
grave. Consequently, Jesus’ statement was “I say unto thee today.” When
the thief is brought forth from the grave in Christ’s kingdom, then he will join
Jesus in the paradise of that kingdom (John 5:28,29). Follow the Author to His Conclusion Context includes following the Scriptural author to his conclusion. If we neglect to follow his reasoning to the end, we can come away with an incorrect conclusion. An example is found in Romans 11:26: “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.” Some spiritualize all of the Scriptural promises made to Israel, applying them to the church and hold out no hope for the fleshly descendants of Abraham. However, in Romans 11, Paul makes it clear that the salvation of the followers of Jesus makes possible the salvation of the Jewish people who rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Paul makes this point in the context of Romans 11 beginning with verses 1 and 2: “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” God has not abandoned the Jews eternally, even though they rejected and killed His Son as prophesied in the parable of the wicked husbandmen (Matthew 21:33-43). Paul continues stating that God’s grafting the Gentiles into the Abrahamic promise in place of the faithless Jews will ultimately bring blessings back to fleshly Israel. “Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! … For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:12,15, RSV) Paul clearly indicates that fleshly Israel is still included in the promises of God. Their inclusion, when fulfilled, will bring a resurrection of the dead. He continues: “Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob” (Romans 11:25,26, RSV). If we follow the context to Paul’s conclusion, it is clear that Israel and Jacob refer to fleshly Israel. Paul describes the fulfillment of Israel’s salvation: “This will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins” (Romans 11:27, RSV). This reminds us of where God promises to “make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). Under that covenant, God “will forgive their iniquity, and … remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). Paul refers back to the Old Testament promises God made which describe Israel’s deliverance. Paul continues to drive home the point that salvation for fleshly Israel comes through the church: “As regards the gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may receive mercy.” (Romans 11:28-31, RSV). “They” are the nation of Israel; enemies of the Gospel by rejecting Jesus as the Messiah. They were disobedient to God’s invitation extended by God’s own son. Consequently, they have been cast off from divine favor. Nationally, they lost the opportunity to become the spiritual seed of the Abrahamic promise and to become the kingdom of priests as God promised (Exodus 19:5,6). But Paul preaches that they are still beloved for the patriarchs’ sakes, and God will extend mercy to them through the church. In summary, there are several ways we can use text and context to determine the meaning of Scripture. Using these techniques will help us avoid an inaccurate understanding of challenging Scriptures. |