History of the Bible Story to the Youth
(A Sunday at Tarunoday. The youth of Chotti
Kalisiya gathered here to discuss about the Christ the King
celebration. As the discussion in full swing a question was raised)
Poonam: Brother, in today’s gospel, there is a passage
which I have not understood. Could you explain me that.
Brother: Of Course. Tell me the passage.
Poonam: “These are my words which I spoke to you,
while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of
Moses and the Prophets and the Psalm that be fulfilled.” (Lk 24:44). Brother,
why does Jesus speak about “the law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalm”? What
are they?
Brother: Yes Poonam, our Lord Jesus is referring to
the old testament of the Bible. The Old Testament i.e. the first testament of
the Bible has three parts. They are the Torah (the Law), Nabiim (the
Prophets) and the Ketubim (writing) which include historical
writing as well as the Wisdom books.
Abha: How many books are there in the First Testament,
brother?
Brother: The Torah has 5 books known
as the Pentetuech, Nabim has 18 books and Ketubim has
23 books. So total we have 46 books in the First Testament. Also we have 27
books in the Second Testament. So the whole Bible according to our Catholic
tradition has 73 books.
Santhya: But brother, why should Jesus speak about the
first testament? He is the “hero” of the new/second testament.
Brother: Yes Santhya. This is a very good question.
But don’t be surprised to know that “Jesus Christ is the Hero” of the entire
Bible.
Poonam: What brother, you are confusing me.
Brother: Why this confusion? Haven’t you read the
passage where the Lord Jesus says “Think not that I have come to abolish the
law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish the law and the prophets but
to fulfill them.” (Mt 5:17)
Abha: Do we have any other passage where Jesus speaks
from the first testament?
Brother: Yes, many of them. But the most important one
is Lk. 4:16-21 where Jesus reads a passage from the book of prophet Isaiah;
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…
Poonam: Yes, and Jesus says, “Today this scripture has
been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Brother: Yes, you are right. Remember Jesus often says
“This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet” (Mt 1:22-23, Mt 2:5-6……)
In Acts 7 St Stephen gives a very good account of the entire
salvation story.
Santhya: What do you mean by salvation story brother?
Brother: Yes Santhya, the Bible story is basically a
salvation story. And it is very important for all of us to know about the Bible
story, which deals with God’s salvific act in the history of mankind.
Abha: So we have a history of the bible story bound by
space and time. Brother, please tell us the history of the Bible Story….
Brother: Yes of course. You should know that there are
7 phases, which are well demarcated but at times overlapping into one another.
Do you want to know these phases?
Abha: No brother. Please explain them one by one. We
will be happy to note them down.
Brother: Very good. Let me explain them one by one to
you. The first phase is the age of the first parents. It is based on the first
12 chapters of the book of Genesis. The Geographic setting of this phase
is Mesopotamia. The two important aspects of this phase are “the Creation”
and the “fall of man by sin”. The creation account is Genesis tells us that God
created the universe, the nature, the creatures and the man and woman namely
Adam and Eve. The important thing for us to remember is that “there is only one
God, that one God created all things good” (Gen 1:31), that “He created man in
his own image and likeness” (Gen1:27) and “made him master of created things”.
(Gen 1:28)
Poonam: Brother, how do we justify such an account of
the creation of man compared to the evolution theory of Charles Darwin?
Brother: Yes Poonam. Good. We must not seek a
scientific explanation of “the Creation” from Bible. We should rather look at
the underlying truth of a religious nature i.e. God created the world and
created man and woman. Genesis gives us an origin for the salvation history.
Abha: this makes the creation account very important
and meaningful. What is the second part brother?
Brother: The second part is the fall and the promise.
We should know that the greatest gift we have received from God our creator is
the “will to choose”. We are not created as fixed human beings. But we can
actualize our potentialities by the power to decide what is good and evil for
oneself and to act accordingly. Hence, we can choose good or evil. The first
parents failed to choose good and thus disobeyed God. As a result suffering
came to exist, death became a reality and brokenness entered into
relationships. However God promised salvation to our first parents (Gen3:15)
and the rest of the Bible is the historical unfolding of its fulfillment.
Santhiya: So brother, we should always choose to do
good, so as to please God in whatever we do.
Brother: yes Santhya, that is why our Lord says, “Be
perfect as my heavenly father is perfect”. (Mt 5:48)
Santhya: Ok brother, what is the next phase of the
salvation history?
Brother: Yes, the second phase is the “Age of the
Patriarchs” (Gen 13-50) (1850-1700 BCE). The geographical setting is the middle
kingdom. The patriarchs being honored by the Church are Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob. Abraham (1850 BCE) obeyed God (Gen12:4) and for his obedience he
received three promises; descendents, land and the grace to be a medium of
universal blessing. Even at the old age, he became the father of Isaac. He
trusted God so much that he was ready to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice.
Abraham is known as “the father of faith” or the “father of the chosen people”.
The essence of his trust in God is “Jehovah Jire” i.e. the Lord will
provide. (Gen 22:8). Now in a same manner, Abraham’s son Isaac also promised by
the Lord of the three things. Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob. However,
Jacob became the next leader after Isaac. Jacob’s twelve sons represent the
twelve tribes of Israel.
Poonam: “Jehovah Jire” really inspires me. We
must be aware and grateful to the providence of God in everyday of our life.
Brother, I feel that a complete realization and awareness of Jihovah
Jire is the heart of Ignatian contemplation to attain love.
Brother: Yes Poonam, that is a good insight. Now let
us see the next phase that is the age of Moses (1250-1200 BCE). In the Bible,
it is extended over the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Its setting is in Egypt, Sinai Peninsula and land of Moab.
Moses’ role was that of a liberator, legislator and a religious leader
of Israel. His calling by God is described in the Bible in the episode of
burning bush. (Ex 3:1-4, 17) Moses liberates the Israelites from the slavery
of Egypt. Moses is also a mediator between God and his people
at Mount Sinai where the Lord made a covenant and provided with 10
commandments. (Ex 16-24) Moses also built an ark of the covenant. Ultimately
through Moses, God showed us the HERED (unconditional love) and EMETH
(faithfulness). This period is also marked by a remarkable list of hows in
loving and worshipping God as response to his covenant. Various types of
sacrifices were also suggested. Other important areas of teaching were that of
priesthood (Lev 8-10), rules of cleanliness and uncleanliness (Lev 11-15) Before
his death, Moses gave three farewell speeches in each of them he demanded the
people to remember God mighty deeds of love and reminded them of the exclusive
fidelity to the covenant of God and warned them against the temptations of
following the ways and life style of the Canaanites. In Mount Nebo,
Moses saw the Promised Land and died.
Abha: Brother, does Jesus take the name of Moses in
his teaching?
Brother: Yes Abha, while teaching, He does take the
name of Moses to show that the teaching was already done by Moses in the past.
“For Moses said, Honor your father and mother…” (Mk 7:10). Ok now let us see
the next phase that is the age of Joshua and Judges (1200- 1040 BCE). The
setting here is also Canaan. After the death of Moses, Joshua became the
leader of the chosen people. On their move to the Promised Land, they
crossed Jordan River and encamped at Gilgal and celebrated the
Passover. They conquered the land, first the central zone, then the southern
and then the northern. The land was later divided among the twelve tribes. They
also installed the Ark of the Covenant at Shiloh. The time of Judges runs
from the death of Joshua (1225) to the anointing of King Saul by Samuel (1025
BCE). The judges were military leaders sent by God at critical moments
in Israel’s history to save the nation or part of the nation from
destruction. There were 12 judges, 6 major and 6 minor.
Santhya: What military rulers in Bible? How can people
like Musharaff be in the Bible, which is supposed to be a sacred Scripture?
Brother: No Santhya, again we should see the religious
aspect under this. The author of judges proposes to teach us that while God
cannot brook sin and rebellion and that He invariably punishes the defections
of His people, He also saves them from extinction. Hence the Judges show the
ultimate fidelity of God to his chosen people.
Poonam: Praise the Lord.
Brother: Let us now see the next phase i.e. the Age of
Kings and Prophets. (1040-587 BCE) After the age of the Judges, the people
demanded for kings. They felt that their kingdom needs good kings who can lead
them to happy life. There were four kings of importance, namely Samuel, Saul,
David and Solomon. Till Solomon, the kingdom was one and then separated into
two, Israel (Ephraim) and Judah. After the division, again they
had many kings from various dynasties. Two lines run along side at this phase
are that of kingship and prophetic. There were two types of prophecy announced
by the four Major Prophets and 12 Minor Prophets. They were prophecy of
Judgment and prophecy of salvation. The prophets’ basic function was to act as
a channel of communication between God and man. They not only communicated
God’s word to men but they put men’s case to God. They often acted as ad
monitors to the rulers and kings.
Poonam: Brother, tell us about the next phase.
Brother: The next phase is the exilic period (587-538
BCE). During this period there was great tragic event in which thousands of
people were massacred. And it was also the end of Davidic Dynasty. Thousands of
people were taken into exile. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed and
the temple also destroyed. It was a time when they had no dynasty, no kingdom
and no temple which resulted in total social and religious identity crisis.
However, the prophets will come to plead to God and also to comfort the people
and assure them of God’s promises.
Abha: This age looks like that of despair and agony.
Will they have the saving power of God after this?
Brother: Yes, that is the next phase, the last in the
First Testament, the Post Exilic Period (538-5 BCE). It was a time of great
renewal and revival, which deepened their faith in God. This period witnesses
the emergence of a number of empires, like that of Persian Empire, Greek Empire
and Roman Empire. During there period they built an alter for the Lord and
laid the foundation stone for the temple. Later the temple was rebuilt and the
city wall was re-erected. At this period many wisdom books were also written.
It was at the end of this period that our Lord was born and with the birth of
our Lord Jesus, the promise of God was fulfilled. He promised eternal life to
all who believed in His Son.
Poonam: Thank you brother. Could you tell us about the
second testament also?
Brother: Yes, of course. Basically there are three
phases in the second testament. The first is the time of Jesus (5 BCE – 30 CE).
This phase is the earthly ministry of Jesus, by preaching (the Kingdom),
teaching and healing. The climax of this phase is the passion, death and
resurrection of Lord Jesus. The second phase is the time of Apostles. It is
marked by oral tradition. The apostles spoke about “Jesus Christ the Lord”.
They also spoke about the words and deeds of Jesus. The third phase is the time
of the Evangelists (65-100 CE). The evangelists tried to put in writing what
was handed over to them by the apostles in oral tradition. They selected,
adapted and re-interpreted the oral tradition according to the type of their
audiences. This is the history of the bible story.
Abha: Brother, is there any significance of the
history of Bible story in our life?
Brother: Yes, very much. If we closely examine our
life we too see the entire phases of the Bible story in our lives. We are
created by God. We also inherit the sin of our first fathers. But in Baptism
God promises an eternal life. Again we grow up, and often choose evil and later
repent. The whole process is on as we see in the Bible. So, with the help of
the Holy Spirit, we should live a life worthy of His promises. The passion,
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ should not go waste. It is through Him
that we get into the Kingdom to be with God forever.
All: Thank you brother, for all the
information and advices. We will read the Bible everyday and obey God and be
faithful to Him
Brother: Welcome. May God Bless Us!
(All depart to their homes)
A talk on the meaning and
importance of the word of God.
A talk to the simple people of Kanke-Parish, majority
of whom are farmers. In the beginning of the talk, the gospel of Lk 8:4-8,
11-15, the parable of the sower is read. The point of discussion is that “the
seed is the word of God (Lk 8:11) and how we can produce hundred fold (Lk 8:8).
Here we need to understand what is the seed, our Lord
is speaking of. As farmers, we all rely on seeds for the sustenance of our
agrarian life. In a similar way, the word of God is also very essential to our
spiritual and religious growth.
Now to get an orientation into the topic let us read
Jn 1:1. “In the beginning was Word, and Word was with God and Word was God”. In
the first chapter of Genesis we see that the act of Creation was an act of
Speech by God. “Let there be light and there was light” (Gen 1:3). So we can
understand the word as the creative power of God. “God of my father, Lord of
Mercy, You have made all things by your word” (Wisdom 9:1)
Now we have to understand the mystery of incarnation
where Jesus is the incarnated Word of God (Jn 1:14) “The word became flesh and
dwelt among us”. This was a manifestation of God’s love for us. “God so loved
the world that he gave His only Son to us” (Jn 3:16)
But here our discussion is on the word of God, which
is the Scripture. The Bible, our sacred Scripture is the word of God. Though
written by human hands, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. The fundamental
character of the word of God is that it is a message of Salavation. Again we
know that the Bible is God’s love story, as it depicts His unending love for
man.
The word of God has two dimensions. They are the
Revelation of God and the human response to that revelation. God throughout the
history showed His steadfast Love and Faithfulness to us (Gen34:6). In return
he expects us to love Him with whole heart, soul and strength. (Dt 6:4-9) and
love neighbor as oneself. (Lev 19:18)
Let us now look into the importance of word of God.
The word of God is so important for our spiritual welfare, there are many
symbols used for the word of God. Some of the symbols used for the word of God
are; food (Jn 36:35 “I am the bread of Life”), Light (Jn 8:12 “I am the Light
of the world”), Treasure (Mt 6:21 “where your treasure is there your heart
also”), Fire (Jer 23:29a “Do not my word like fire….”), Hammer(Jer 23:29b
“…like a hammer that breaks rock into pieces”), double edged sword (Heb
4:12-13) and Water (Is 55:1 “ …come to the water…”). It shows that the word of
God has the power of disposition, purification and transformation.
After understanding the meaning and
the importance of the word of God, we have to understand its implication in our
life. We have seen that through Scriptures
God speaks to us in a very profound
way. God speaks to us many other ways also; through nature, through other
persons, through the events in one’s life, through everything we encounter in
everyday of our life. God is present in the history of every man and through
everything that happens to him God is dialoging with him. God is present in the
life of every person and guides the events according to His plan. However, only
the person who has learned to read the language of the Scripture / Bible can
understand what God is saying in all these events. Hence, the most important
aspect of the word of God is that it teaches us the vocabulary of the divine
language and helps us to understand better God’s plan for us.
Now we see that the word of God is like a light kept
on the lamp stand (Lk 8:16-18). The word of God helps us to see the guiding
hand/providence of God in everything that happens to us. Hence, word of God
enlightens our lives and helps us to experience the Hesed and Emeth in
our personal life as lived out here and now.
“He who hears my words and keeps them
is like a wise man
Who built his house on a rock.
The rain fell,
The storm came,
The winds blew
And were left loose against that house
And it did not fall,
Because it was founded on a rock. (Mt 7:24-25)
