The Words of Jesus...

The Narrative Or The Meaning

One day Jesus had a meal at the home of a woman called Martha:

And as they went, it happened that He entered into a certain village. And a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she came to Him and said, Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me. And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:38-42)

One minister when reading this passage, continued to say “then Jesus said to Mary, now go and help your sister with the meal”. Most of the audience had a little laugh, for they knew it wasn’t part of the verse, but I nearly fell off my chair with astonishment! Not only had this man not said “perhaps, Jesus then said to Mary”, and in doing so he made it sound like this was actually part of the scripture, but the really important thing was that in saying what he said he totally undermined the entire purpose of this story about Mary and Martha!

Now, I don’t think he intended to add to scripture, nor to take away from the purpose of the scripture, but he effectively did do both. Clearly his innocent intent was to complete the narrative. To make a neat and clean finish to the story. To answer the question “what happened next?”. Wouldn’t it be nice to know how this little drama finished? Yet scripture leaves it up in the air. And the reason is clear: But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part,… It is the good part that has been left for us to learn from, we have not been told the complete story, for that is not the good part.

It's easy to get caught up in the story of Jesus, and to forget the important parts of scripture. Yet scripture is full of unfinished stories, of narratives that miss out so much detail that it’s tempting to fill in the missing bits! To do so, however, is to create your own narrative, and not to fully understand the purpose and intent of scripture. Once you do this it’s also easy to then get so caught up on your own narrative that you don’t see the rest of God’s narrative, which may not be in the immediate context, but could be somewhere else in scripture. For God’s narrative is scattered throughout scripture, here a little, there a little. (Isa 28:9-13) And what is written may not actually complete the story, but it completes that one thing that is needful, which is the purpose for God telling you the story.

The Golden Calf

Have you ever wondered what Moses thought or said when Aaron told him: “And I said to them, Whoever has any gold, let them break it off. And they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and there came out this calf.” (Exo 32:24) Such a barefaced lie, for, as we were told in verse 4, he had moulded this calf himself. Yet we are left with the story half told. Later we are told that God wanted to kill Aaron, but Moses prayed for him and God changed his mind. (Deut 9:20) We are not told of Aaron’s repentance, or his shame, or any of his thoughts at all about this incident. The story is only half told, but the good part, that one thing that is needful is what we are told.

God not only writes his stories for their purpose rather than for the narrative, but he often hides even the purpose!: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. (Prov 25:2) Why does God make it so difficult? There are at least two reasons- one is to test those whom God allows to find the truth, such that they will demonstrate to God that they are willing to put in the energy, time, patience and courage necessary to do so, and in doing so they will also develop patience and courage. (Prov 2:1-5) And the other reason God conceals things, is to hide the truth from those who want to use if for their own benefit. (Prov 4:18-19, Matt 7:21-27)

God has a plan, part of which is to call some people to know his truth and others not to know. Part of his plan is to eventually also call all people to have the chance to know God, but for the vast bulk of people that chance will be in the second resurrection, not in this life. (Matt 10:15, 12:36, Mark 6:11) And even for those who have been called in this life, most of them will not understand: for many shall be called but few chosen. (Matt 7:13-14, 20:16; Luke 13:23-24)

Those who understand God’s words of his narrative (rather than their own words of their own narrative) are they who will gain eternal life: It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (Joh 6:63) It is God’s Spirit that should guide us in understanding his word. We should not add to, nor take from, the words of God. (Deut 12:32, 4:2, Josh 1:7, Prov 30:5-6, Rev 22:18-19)

What is you view of God?

Is it your narrative, or is it the meaning of God’s word?