This past week Grace, my baby no. 3, graduated from her nursery school. She is very happy and proud of herself. She is also very ambitious. She wants to do anything her older siblings do. Since both Lydia and Abe love to read, Grace also wants to read. But Grace cannot yet read. Sometimes she announces to us out of frustration, “I can’t read!” But anyway she reads a book. And she reads very fast. One time I saw her reading the Bible. Her eyes were moving back and forth across the pages of her Bible, reading but not reading, serious and attentive but not understanding.
At first, I was amused and impressed. But later, I had to stop and ask myself, “How about me? How do I read the Bible? Do I really understand what I am reading?” The answer was “No.” Then I found another person just like me and Grace in today’s scripture – an Ethiopian eunuch. He was a God-fearer. Although he was a gentile, he had a great thirst and desire to know God. So he decided to go to Jerusalem to worship, which means he had to travel at least 750 miles one way to worship in Jerusalem. It would have taken him at least 30 days by chariot. If he would have stayed a month in Jerusalem, then he spent at least a quarter of a year just to travel to Jerusalem to worship God. And now he was returning home, seated in his chariot, reading the Bible – reading but not reading, sincere and devout but not comprehending. But at the end of the story, somehow he became a new person. In the meantime something had happened. So today, we will explore what happened to this man, that we may also be transformed.
Reading vs. Listening
At first, the eunuch was reading the Scriptures by himself, and he didn’t understand what he was reading. But the Scriptures are the words to be listened to rather then read. They are the words to be listened to, submitted to, obeyed, and lived! Most of the words in our Scriptures were not formed first in writing. God spoke, and people heard. The Scriptures were an oral language – lively, interpersonal, repeatedly reminded. Our biblical ancestors heard the word of God, listened to it, obeyed it, without a script. But then, later the Scriptures were written, handed down for the next generation. Though it’s great to have the word of God in written form, one of the biggest drawbacks is that we often read the Bible to get information that we could use to raise our standard of living, rather than listen to it for a new life. Eugene Peterson rightly tells us the difference between listening and reading in this way:
Eat the Bible!
One of the most striking metaphors for formational reading of the Bible is found in Revelation. In chapter 10 an angel of the Lord said to John, “Take the scroll, and eat it – eat the Bible!” The background is this: John heard the voice of the seven thunders – glorious revelation, and then he was about to write down. But the angel said, “No, seal up what you had heard. Instead, take Holy Scripture and eat it. And then prophecy!” Here the angel was saying, “Don’t just get information and pass it on. Eat the Word. Let the Words be tasted, chewed, savored, digested, internalized, assimilated into the tissues of your life. Become what you read.” In Deuteronomy 6 Moses tells us what it looks like to eat the Bible in our everyday life in this way:
Eat the Bible. Our biblical ancestors practiced lectio divina to eat the word of God. Eugene Peterson defines lectio divina as follows: “Lectio divina, often translated "spiritual reading," reading that enters our souls as food, enters our stomachs, spreads through our blood, and becomes holiness and love and wisdom.”[2] Lectio divina consists of four elements: lectio (we read the text), meditatio (we meditate the text), oratio (we pray the text), and contemplatio (we live the text). It’s important to remember that lectio divina is not a methodical technique for reading the Bible. It is an organically cultivated, disciplined way of living the Word.
The story of the eunuch can be a good example of how lectio divina works authentically and organically. First, the eunuch reads the text (lectio). He was reading without understanding – perhaps to get information or use for his own purpose, then by God’s grace he begins to listen, understand, receive the Word. And then he actively engages in discussion with Philip. He answers and then asks questions. That’s to meditate and pray the text (meditatio and oratio). And finally, he chooses to live the text that he read/listened, mediated and prayed (contemplatio). After hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, he cannot be the same. He has to choose either to receive Jesus as his Master and follow him, or to reject him and go on his way. At that spot the eunuch gives his life to Christ and is baptized. And he returns home, going back to his ordinary life, but with a new heart, a new spirit. Irenaeus, an early church father, wrote that this Ethiopian eunuch became a missionary to his own people. And I am sure his lectio divina was not a one time event, but since that day he would continue to practice – read, meditate, pray and live the text, transformed into God’s image from one degree of glory to another day by day.
Wonderful Words of Life
God’s word is living and active. If listened and received rightly, God’s word is supernaturally at work in our lives. And we are transformed. This past week I felt like I was way behind schedule. I felt busy. I felt burdened. So I stopped and listened to the Word. It was Matthew 11:28-29:
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NIV). So how do you read the Bible? Do you understand what you are reading? Like the Ethiopian eunuch, let us be humble without pretension, saying, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” Then, the Guide, the Holy Spirit, will come and take us by the hand and guide us into all the truth (cf. John 16:13). And we will be transformed and participating in God’s story, rejoicing and glorifying God. Amen.
At first, I was amused and impressed. But later, I had to stop and ask myself, “How about me? How do I read the Bible? Do I really understand what I am reading?” The answer was “No.” Then I found another person just like me and Grace in today’s scripture – an Ethiopian eunuch. He was a God-fearer. Although he was a gentile, he had a great thirst and desire to know God. So he decided to go to Jerusalem to worship, which means he had to travel at least 750 miles one way to worship in Jerusalem. It would have taken him at least 30 days by chariot. If he would have stayed a month in Jerusalem, then he spent at least a quarter of a year just to travel to Jerusalem to worship God. And now he was returning home, seated in his chariot, reading the Bible – reading but not reading, sincere and devout but not comprehending. But at the end of the story, somehow he became a new person. In the meantime something had happened. So today, we will explore what happened to this man, that we may also be transformed.
Reading vs. Listening
At first, the eunuch was reading the Scriptures by himself, and he didn’t understand what he was reading. But the Scriptures are the words to be listened to rather then read. They are the words to be listened to, submitted to, obeyed, and lived! Most of the words in our Scriptures were not formed first in writing. God spoke, and people heard. The Scriptures were an oral language – lively, interpersonal, repeatedly reminded. Our biblical ancestors heard the word of God, listened to it, obeyed it, without a script. But then, later the Scriptures were written, handed down for the next generation. Though it’s great to have the word of God in written form, one of the biggest drawbacks is that we often read the Bible to get information that we could use to raise our standard of living, rather than listen to it for a new life. Eugene Peterson rightly tells us the difference between listening and reading in this way:
Listening and reading are not the same thing… Listening is an interpersonal act; it involves two or more people in fairly close proximity. Reading involves one person with a book written by someone who can be miles away or centuries, or both… When I read a book, the book does not know if I am paying attention or not; when I listen to a person, the person knows very well whether I am paying attention or not. In listening, another initiates the process; when I read, I initiate the process. In reading I open the book and attend to the words. I can read by myself; I cannot listen by myself. In listening the speaker is in charge; in reading the reader is in charge.[1]The eunuch was first reading the Bible. Perhaps he wanted to get more information about God – who God is. But then, we see the supernatural work of God. God sent Philip, guide and helper. And the eunuch began to converse with him, asking and answering questions back and forth. He then began to understand and listen to the word of God. Here the point is not that we should use Audio Bible instead of reading the Bible. The point is that when we read the Bible, we ought to allow the Scripture to speak. In other words, we ought to give up control over the scripture and let God speak to us, shaping us into our true being. What we need is to read the Bible in order to be formed and shaped by the Word.
Eat the Bible!
One of the most striking metaphors for formational reading of the Bible is found in Revelation. In chapter 10 an angel of the Lord said to John, “Take the scroll, and eat it – eat the Bible!” The background is this: John heard the voice of the seven thunders – glorious revelation, and then he was about to write down. But the angel said, “No, seal up what you had heard. Instead, take Holy Scripture and eat it. And then prophecy!” Here the angel was saying, “Don’t just get information and pass it on. Eat the Word. Let the Words be tasted, chewed, savored, digested, internalized, assimilated into the tissues of your life. Become what you read.” In Deuteronomy 6 Moses tells us what it looks like to eat the Bible in our everyday life in this way:
“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (6:4-9, NLT)Lectio Divina
Eat the Bible. Our biblical ancestors practiced lectio divina to eat the word of God. Eugene Peterson defines lectio divina as follows: “Lectio divina, often translated "spiritual reading," reading that enters our souls as food, enters our stomachs, spreads through our blood, and becomes holiness and love and wisdom.”[2] Lectio divina consists of four elements: lectio (we read the text), meditatio (we meditate the text), oratio (we pray the text), and contemplatio (we live the text). It’s important to remember that lectio divina is not a methodical technique for reading the Bible. It is an organically cultivated, disciplined way of living the Word.
The story of the eunuch can be a good example of how lectio divina works authentically and organically. First, the eunuch reads the text (lectio). He was reading without understanding – perhaps to get information or use for his own purpose, then by God’s grace he begins to listen, understand, receive the Word. And then he actively engages in discussion with Philip. He answers and then asks questions. That’s to meditate and pray the text (meditatio and oratio). And finally, he chooses to live the text that he read/listened, mediated and prayed (contemplatio). After hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, he cannot be the same. He has to choose either to receive Jesus as his Master and follow him, or to reject him and go on his way. At that spot the eunuch gives his life to Christ and is baptized. And he returns home, going back to his ordinary life, but with a new heart, a new spirit. Irenaeus, an early church father, wrote that this Ethiopian eunuch became a missionary to his own people. And I am sure his lectio divina was not a one time event, but since that day he would continue to practice – read, meditate, pray and live the text, transformed into God’s image from one degree of glory to another day by day.
Wonderful Words of Life
God’s word is living and active. If listened and received rightly, God’s word is supernaturally at work in our lives. And we are transformed. This past week I felt like I was way behind schedule. I felt busy. I felt burdened. So I stopped and listened to the Word. It was Matthew 11:28-29:
“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (NRSV)I read it. I listened to it. I chewed it. I savored it. I prayed it. Then this phrase stood out, “for I am gentle and humble in heart.” So I asked, “What does this phrase have to do with finding rest?” The answer came, “You are busy and burdened, because you are vain and not humble.” Then the voice continued, “You want to appear important. So you develop a crowded schedule to solve people’s problems and make them happy. And they acknowledge your significance, and your vanity is fed. Don’t think you are doing something. Instead, become aware of what God is already doing around you and participate in it.” After this, I began to more acknowledge what God was doing and join him in his work. And my burdens were lifted one by one.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Paul says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NIV). So how do you read the Bible? Do you understand what you are reading? Like the Ethiopian eunuch, let us be humble without pretension, saying, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” Then, the Guide, the Holy Spirit, will come and take us by the hand and guide us into all the truth (cf. John 16:13). And we will be transformed and participating in God’s story, rejoicing and glorifying God. Amen.
[1] Eugene
H. Peterson, Working the Angles (Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 1987), 88.
[2] Eugene H. Peterson. Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading (Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2006), Kindle
Locations 103-104.
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