In the dim and distant past [don’t worry about how long ago], I was asked to teach the Wednesday Night Junior High Bible Class at church. This was in a church in another city. It didn’t take too many class sessions for me to realize that this group of kids had essentially no foundation of general Bible knowledge. I found this to be surprising since most of these kids belonged to families who attended church on a fairly consistent basis. And, adding to the mystery is the fact that our particular “tribe”, if you will, in the religious world is fairly famous for being “People of The Book”. We have always tried to make learning about The Bible a major priority.
And no, it wasn’t a lack of knowledge about the intricate and detailed minutia of the Israelite religious festivals, or a precise understanding of the prophetic words written by Habakkuk that had me worried. That kind of knowledge is way too deep for Junior High kids – it’s possibly too deep for most of us grown-ups too.
What worried me was that these kids didn’t seem to know even some of the most basic facts – who built the Ark; who was swallowed by a big fish; who were the first people God created and where did they live; - and things like that. Somewhere along the way, the ball had been dropped in their Bible education. I told them that basic Bible knowledge is important – not just for knowing the answers in Bible class, but also for being a well-rounded, well-educated person in America. I even told them that Bible categories come up all the time in game shows like “Jeopardy”, and so they’d need to know this stuff if they ever hoped to appear as a contestant on a game show! I’m not sure they believed me, but they buckled down and worked hard on learning some general Bible facts. And yes, I also told them that learning Bible facts actually helps in living for God today. It provides a foundation upon which people can build their own faith and grow spiritually. I hope they believed me about that.
Strangely enough, as I typed this on the morning after Easter Sunday, the famous TV show, “Jeopardy”, was actually playing in the background. Now, everyone knows that you will never get to be a contestant on this show, much less expect to have any chance of competing against the other contestants on this show, without having a wide range of knowledge on many topics. And, despite the fact that we live in an increasingly secular world – a world in which religious knowledge and thinking is increasingly being pushed out of the mainstream of life – it might surprise some of us to take note of how many times Bible-based questions come up on “Jeopardy” [and even other game shows] – just like I told those Junior High kids all those years ago! This indicates to me that the people in charge of this show believe that having some knowledge of The Bible is essential to a well-rounded education.
Have you ever given this any thought? Can it be true that even now, in America in the 21st Century, The Bible still has some significance?
Well, you don’t have to go far to see that The Bible, and the people it has influenced, have impacted the world. We live in Saint Tammany Parish – and two of those three words either come straight from The Bible or from people influenced by The Bible. There are literally hundreds of cities bearing names related to The Bible. Think of all the amazing works of art with Biblical themes. And, The Bible has even crept into our language. Some of the phrases we use come directly from The Bible. Here are just a few common phrases that have their origin in The Bible: “Eat, drink and be merry” – Ecclesiastes 8:15; “A drop in a bucket” – Isaiah 40:15; “A fly in the ointment” – Ecclesiastes 10:1; “Going the extra mile” – Matthew 5:41; “Wash your hands of the matter” – Matthew 27:24; “Wits’ end” – Psalm 107:27; “The hand-writing on the wall” – Daniel 5:5. There are, of course, many more.
As I typed this while watching “Jeopardy”, the contestants answered, correctly, several clues involving famous works of art which dealt directly with Biblical themes – “The Madonna and Child” was one that I recall; another had to do with the Magi visiting the Christ-child. “Good”, these contestants seem to know about The Bible”, I thought.
But then, they were faced with this clue: “The Beloved Physician who wrote two Books in the New Testament, including this Gospel bearing his name.” None of these very smart contestants even attempted to buzz in to try to answer this question – the answer which I believe most of the Junior High kids at our church would, or at least should, know. [And, just for fun, if you know the answer, let me know in a reply e-mail. You might be smart enough to try out for “Jeopardy”!]
I doubt that the outcome of this “Jeopardy” game would have been changed had one of these contestants known the answer. But the point remains – even in 21st Century America, some knowledge of The Bible is considered important to being a well-rounded citizen.
And that’s great. But what is far more important is whether you know that God loves you; that God wants the best for you; that God wants you to be with Him forever in an AMAZING Heaven that will surpass your wildest dreams; and that God has made a way – the only way – to bring you there, AFTER you have brought a little Heaven to Earth as you live here.
Do you know this? Do you know how you can have this? If not, ask any of the “People of The Book” of our “tribe”. I bet even the Junior High kids can tell you!
Shepherd | Ambrose Ramsey
