Scripture – It’s Not Always About Me

There are two new perspectives I’m considering when reading Scripture these days, reading from a collective view and reading to discover God’s character. Intrigued by a recent book, Misreading Scripture Through Western Eyes, a few thoughts I’ve wrestled with for years have come into clearer focus as I read and seek to interpret Scripture. Not long ago I heard an admonition to read the Bible to discover God’s character rather than solely interpreting it to meet my needs. Determining what a certain passage “means to me” includes two cautious roads; the first is assuming all Scripture is meant for us individually and second, that if a passage doesn’t speak to my personal circumstances, then it’s not relevant.

It is a cultural phenomenon that attempts to interpret Scripture from a personal point of view. In Jesus’ day, and in his culture, community and collective thought were deemed more valuable than individual understanding.

I’ve always struggled when I hear people comment that “if you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you.” Frankly, I don’t believe that. I don’t see it anywhere in Scripture, and after coming to understand the collective culture in which the writers of the Bible lived, including Jesus, I am more at peace with the thought that John 3.16 means just what it says, that “God loved the world.” Yes, it is an individual decision that must be made, but it is not an individual living out of one’s faith, and God did not die for one individual person.

Certainly, there are times to read Scripture for personal insight and answers and yes, there are times when Scripture is meant solely for us individually.  However, reading to discover God’s character and reading for the collective community are new perspectives I’m excited to implement as I continue to read and listen to Jesus every day.