Of the vast majority of Christians, those who truly study their Bibles are few. But of the few that actually do spend time reading the Bible, very few ever read it in large chunks. We have been trained to read the Bible for private devotions, to spend 15 or 20 minutes reading the word and meditating on "what it means to me". This is a very worthy exercise and one I would commend to every person in the world, but it is not how the Bible was meant to be read. Most people take it for granted that Jesus is a spiritual teacher who shows us the way to heaven. Therefore, His teaching is about great timeless truth about how to get to heaven, how to be a better person, and how to order your spiritual life. But that is not what the Bible is about and it is not what the Gospels are about. The word "gospel" means "good news" and the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are about something that has happened, whether you like it or not, believe it or not, or have ever heard about it before. These works are not about good advice, but about good news. These books are not about timeless teachings but about historical events that have changed and are still changing the world for good.Yes, some of the things Jesus teaches contains timeless truth, but the message of each gospel writer and of Jesus Himself is more impactful, more audacious and more challenging than that. Each gospel writer claims, in his on way, that Jesus has accomplished the establishment of a new reality, a new kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Because of this accomplishment, everything is to be re-shaped and re-evaluated. There is new hope, new possibilities, and a new Lord in town. But we miss much of this by reading the Bible in small, isolated sections. We fail to see the big picture, the drama, and the accomplishment that Luke and the other gospels writers are so eager to announce to us.
In this week's podcast, Susie and I discuss Luke 9:57-62 and the merits of reading the gospels in bigger sections at a time, or even the whole thing in one sitting! This is in anticipation of our Meeting Jesus in Gospel of Luke Conference coming up on August 6th at Hendersonville Presbyterian Church 699 North Grove St. Hendersonville NC 28792. To register for free, call 828-553-2020.