Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

we have poured over the Scriptures? Do we like to correct others in their wrong interpretation because they do not understand the meaning of the original languages, or their making of a historical or grammatical blunder which we are only too happy to bring to their attention? Do we enjoy having the reputation of being a person of profound knowledge and insight, someone that others deeply respect and seek to consult because of our vast knowledge of the Word? Do we want others to swoon over the depth and genius of our teaching, and the way in which we stun audiences by our remarkable insight into the deeper things of God? This kind of warped desire is ever present in our study of the Word of God, and it is wonderful that the Scriptures themselves give to us a clue of the proper kind of attitude and approach we need when it comes to technical competence in our knowledge of the Word of God. Rather than seeking to impress others or outdo them in our knowledge and study of the text, we must above all else be oriented to the Bible itself. In other words, in regard to all questions about the claims of Christ and his Kingdom, we must respectfully submit to the discipline of going to the Bible itself for our answers. We must play no favorites, create no false or phony factions, not follow in the wake of cult personalities, or be impressed with the outward show of others. In all matters spiritual, we must seek answers from a firsthand investigation of the Scriptures themselves. This kind of orientation is seen vividly in the example of the Bereans who heard the preaching and teaching of Paul and Silas after they had a fruitful ministry in Thessalonica as recorded in Acts 17.1-9. After a fairly open response from many devout Greeks and a few leading women in Thessalonica, Paul and Silas were hunted down by members of the Jewish faction of that city that rejected their teaching. When Paul and Silas could not be found, the crowd took its frustration out on Jason and others of Paul’s companions, accusing them of turning the world upside down and continuing their ministry of disruption there (17.6ff.). Our text speaks of the open reception the proclamation of the Word concerning Jesus had in Berea, and Luke, speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit, suggests that the Bereans had a more noble spirit than those in Thessalonica. What precisely was the character of this Berean nobility? It is plainly indicated in the text, in Acts 17.11. “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” The Bereans were eager students of the Word concerning Jesus and the Kingdom of God. They received the Word of God with all eagerness, with full hunger and interest and receptivity, and rather

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