Do You Understand What You Are Reading?
Do You Understand What You Are Reading? by Rev. L. John Gable
July 19, 2020
Have you ever read a passage of Scripture only to realize that you have absolutely no idea what it was talking about? It was not that your mind was wandering or you were distracted by something else. No, you were intent on reading and understanding, but you were still not getting it. If so, not only are you in good company, but you will find that this passage this morning in our study of the book of Acts is well-suited for you/for us.
Before we go there, let’s talk a little bit about how we understand the Bible and why we bother to study it at all. Collectively I think it is safe to say that we would agree that we believe this to be “the Word of God” and while there may be some disagreement among us as to what exactly we mean by that, I think there is common agreement that we believe God speaks to us through it.
In our tradition we speak of Scripture as being “the unique and authoritative Word of God”. “Unique” in that it is different than any other body of literature we may read, be it history or poetry or philosophy, the Bible stands in a class by itself. It is also “authoritative” in that we believe that through it God is actually speaking a word, not just of commendation, but of commandment to us; and that this Word is “inspired” by the very Spirit of God, not just through those who originally wrote it but in those who continue to read and study it still. Further, I think it is also safe to say that if we were not to see or at least seek this value we would not bother reading the Bible at all. We read in II Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” As Bible scholar Matthew Henry put it, “Scripture instructs us in that which is true, reproves us for that which is amiss and directs us in that which is good.” When we read the Bible with this desire to actually hear God’s Word of instruction to us, God is faithful to speak in this way.
I can almost hear you asking, “If that is the case, then why isn’t it plainer? Why isn’t it easier to read and understand?” That question is not new to us, Augustine asked it in the fourth century and answered it this way, “If Scripture were never clear, it would not nourish you; if it were never obscure, it would not exercise you.” I think of it in this way: I believe God intends to use Scripture, His written Word, to engage us in a conversation with Him, the Living Word. Rather than it being a textbook from which we simply glean information, facts and figures for us to commit to memory in preparation for a test, or even as a step by step instructional guide like you’d get when you purchase a piece of furniture from IKEA, Scripture is intended to invite us in to a relationship with God, into a dialogue in which we are full participants in an on-going conversation, which is exactly what we see happening in our text this morning.
Let me set the stage. We are told that Philip, the same Philip Oscar spoke about last week, one of the first deacons, is instructed by the Spirit (you’ll note that the Holy Spirit is very active in this story) to “get up and go down to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a main road that runs from Jerusalem to Egypt. Some refer to it as being a major thoroughfare, which implies a lot of traffic; others counter by saying that it runs diagonally through the Negev desert, implying it was not well traveled at all; either way, Philip is instructed to “get up and go” that way for a very specific reason: to meet a fellow traveler, an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Queen of Ethiopia who was in charge of her entire treasury, as he was returning home after worshiping in Jerusalem.
From this short description, what do we know about this fellow? He is a person of influence and power. He is a man of authority as the queen’s minister and court official. We know he is wealthy: he has made a long journey, with servants, is riding in a chariot and is reading a copy of the scroll of Isaiah (an expensive purchase to be sure). We know he is well educated: he is able to read the scroll in his possession, which he was reading out loud, the common practice of the day so that others who were non-literate could also hear. And we know he was coming from a time of worship at the Temple in Jerusalem, so we suspect he is what was commonly called a “god-fearer”, today we would call him a “seeker”, someone who embraced the teachings and tenets of Judaism, but had never actually converted to the faith.
Philip is instructed by the Spirit to “catch him” which lets us know that God was as interested in catching this Ethiopian gentleman as he was in catching God. There is a “double search” going on here.
As Philip approaches the chariot he hears the man reading from the 53rd chapter of the prophet Isaiah where he reads: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe this generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” Philip asks him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And here we see that we are in good company, the man replies, “How can I unless someone guides me?” And then he asks the first critical question of this encounter, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” This Ethiopian may have been confused about what he was reading, but he knew for certain that the prophet was talking about a person, not an animal, and with that invitation, Philip came alongside the traveler and explained to him the Gospel story of Jesus.
Let me highlight two really important insights at this point in the story which will be helpful in our “faith-sharing” conversations. First, like Philip, if and when we feel the prompting of the Spirit to “get up and go”, to “catch up” with someone, we need to be ready and willing to do so without reluctance or hesitation. Again, it is God “chasing after” them, not us. God is simply using us for His purposes to share the Good News. And secondly, we don’t need to force the Gospel on anyone. Like this court official, we are surrounded by people today who invite the conversation about things of God and faith, so we need to be ready and willing to “come along side” them and engage in the conversation. In a myriad of different ways people are still asking the question, “About whom are the Scriptures speaking?” which gives us the opportunity to tell them about Jesus.
Let’s take a break from the narrative of the story to look at some of what we can glean for our study of the Scriptures today.
First, as we’ve said, we need to see or at least seek the VALUE inherent in studying the Bible as it is God’s Word to us, so if God is speaking we need to be listening.
Second, we are encouraged to PRAY before, during and after our time of study, asking God to speak as well as reminding us to listen. Our prayer is that God will reveal Himself and His truth to us in our study of His Word and that we will have hearts and minds open to receiving the Word He gives us. In this way, we are praying for the same inspiration of the Holy Spirit for our reading and understanding today as was given to the original authors long before us, which allows our studies not simply to be academic or intellectual endeavors, much less rote spiritual exercises, as much as our entering in to an “on-going” conversation with the “Living Word” of God.
A third insight is that we need to train ourselves to read Scripture SLOWLY and DEVOTIONALLY. One has suggested that we should make a practice of reading no more than 15 minutes at a time in order to be fed by the Word we read; if we read longer our reading becomes like ordinary reading. At 15 minutes it is like a lozenge dissolving slowly in the mouth. I like that image and it corresponds beautifully with the prayer for illumination (enlightenment/understanding) from the Book of Common Prayer: “Help us, Lord, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest Your Word.”
I would suggest as we read Scripture that we might do anything we can to slow ourselves down, perhaps by reading out loud so that we can actually hear the words we are saying (adding a second sense to our reading); that we have pad and pen in hand to make notes of insights we garner or questions we ask about what we are reading. Again, the intention in our devotional reading of Scripture is not to collect information as though we are studying for a test, but to enter in to a conversation with God through study and prayer. We might think of our devotional reading as we would a good conversation with a dear friend, a conversation we don’t want to rush through, but that we want to linger with, to elongate and enjoy.
A fourth observation is that the assumption here is that we are reading Scripture alone, as was this Ethiopian official. That is important, but it is also important at some point to INVITE OTHERS IN TO THE CONVERSATION with us, even as he invited Philip. This is one of the reasons I always encourage us to be involved in Bible studies with others, in a small group, here at church, in your homes, via Zoom. Some think of these as times for “shared ignorance”, but I don’t think that at all. I believe God speaks through the Scriptures to each of us, the learned and the novice, that too is part of Spirit’s inspiration. I find I always learn more in my conversations with you about Scripture than I ever do when studying on my own, and my guess is you would say the same.
At some point then, we INVITE STILL OTHERS in to our study of the Scriptures, including pastors and theologians and Bible scholars and commentators. They too are part of the company of travelers we can invite to join us in our conversation with God.
As a side note, this is the very process I use when preparing every sermon I write. I pray asking God to speak and me to listen. I read the passage to myself and take notes on what I am reading and hearing and the questions I am asking. Then I invite others to join the conversation, through my study of commentaries and in conversation with others, and then I write, praying for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s return to the story because there is one final piece we need to consider. After hearing Philip’s answer to his first critical “Who” question, the Ethiopian official asks the second critical “Now what?” question. This is the question we too need to be continually asking ourselves. Once I have “read, marked, learned and inwardly digested the Word”, now what am I supposed to do with it? This is the call to action.
The court official looked out of his chariot and said, “Look! There is water! (Remember they are on the desert road). What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He knew that he needed to do something with his newly gained insight. There is no benefit to our reading, marking, learning and inwardly digesting the Word of God if we aren’t going to do something with it; if we aren’t going to allow it to shape us and change us; if we don’t allow us to “instruct us in that which is true, reprove us for that which is amiss and direct us in that which is good.”
So with that, the official commands his chariot to stop, he and Philip get down into the water and he is baptized, and then immediately, as suddenly as this story began, the Spirit whisks Philip off to another city far up the coast where he continued his work of sharing the Good News and we are told the court official “went on his way (back to Ethiopia) rejoicing.” He was a new man, a changed man, who was enjoying a new life in Christ. Tradition has it that he went back home and started telling others about Jesus. He was the evangelist who planted seeds of faith in Ethiopia which continues to bear fruit for the Kingdom still today.
It has been said that a wise person is not the one who thinks they know it all, but is the one who knows what they don’t know and is wise enough to ask. So the question is asked of us, “Do you understand what you are reading?” Ah, the blessing that comes with the honest admission, “How can I unless someone guides me?” May we too be so open to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit today.