Bible Quizzes for Smart People XXVI

As I was meditating on which verses and phrases to use for today, it became more and more clear to me why I am writing these quizzes. They have utility, I hope, for those who want to learn the Bible in depth. But they function for me as a sort of autobiographical cardio workout. That is, they let me take the energy, insight, and spirit which I think I developed when I fell in love with the Bible 35 years ago and bring it to today. By doing so I am surmounting some of the gloom and distress I have felt over the years, which is reflected somewhat in my conversations with Job, and I am, I hope, fashioning a more people-affirming, life-affirming future. Reflection on how the Bible stimulated my thought at various points of my life, then, becomes the means by which I re-establish a good flow in life. It is, as I said, a sort of intellectual cardio workout. I hope it is a challenge and even an inspiration to you. Let's move to more verses, then.

1. "Even the sparrow finds a home,/ and the swallow a nest for herself...," NRSV. The KJV is quaintly beautiful at this point: "Yea, the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for herself."

Don't you just love it when the old versions put "an" before an "h," as in "an house"? It goes back to the time when "h" wasn't considered a full consonant in English. Indeed, in Greek the "rough breathing" mark over a vowel adds the "aitch" sound, and so we can see how "h" enjoyed an ambiguous status somewhere between consonant and vowel in that language, as well as ours. It is reminsicent of one of Woody Allen's books I read in the 1980s, when I admired his work. He talked about finding some kind of ancient, pseudo-biblical text which began, "Afterwards Abraham had an dream.." I still chuckle when I recall that line. Well, back to the verse. I love this verse because of its theological meaning. The author is speaking in the surrounding verses of the Temple of God. It is a dwelling place that he loves, one to which he longs to repair. When he arrives there (or when he sees it in his mental vision), he sees a bird's nest built in it. Naturally the swallows and sparrows have tried to build a home wherever there is an eve or a gable. But the author interprets this natural act as an indication of God's drawing power even over the "lesser" creatures. That is, so compelling, so magnetic is the Temple of God that even the birds are unwittingly drawn to it. They "worship" God by setting up their homes in the holy precints. And what is the author to do? Does he call the pest control people and have them rip out every shred of the nest so that the Temple can be "pure"? No way. He loves the picture created by this scene. He would rather have a little "impurity" in the Temple with the significance he has accorded to it than have all the "purity" of a completely "clean" temple. After all, when you think of Temple in ancient Israel, think noise. Think blood. Think bleating of sheep before they are slaughtered. That is the reality of God's house. So, time's up. Where do you find this verse?

2. "As soon as he finished speaking all these words, the ground under them was split apart. The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, along with their households.."

This is a great verse to use in two kinds of circumstances. One is personal embarrassment. We say all the time when a person is abashed that s/he just wished the earth would open and swallow her/him up. Then, this is also the remedy desired for the people who really mess up our lives. We wish that the earth would open and swallow them, too. If this happened every time we desird this to happen the society of those under the earth would be vast indeed. But so vivid was the picture created by these two verses that Sandro Botticelli and Gustavo Dore, among others, each used it as a "text" for one of his paintings. Imagine the fear of those who were tumbling into the depths of the earth; the surprise of the onlookers; the triumphant feeling of the one offended who promised that there would be some kind of punishment. Ok, where do we find this delightful verse? Tell the whole story to whoever wants to listen to you.

3. "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell," KJV. The NRSV is: "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell (or Gehenna)."

Literalism sometimes gets you into trouble when you read the Bible. In fact, this is the kind of verse I like to cite when people who say they want to "take the Bible literally" start in on me. They don't take it literally. Or, putting it differently, they selectively take the Bible literally. I suppose my approach to the Bible is to take it seriously rather than literally. Sometimes that means that you take the story at face value, as in quotation # 2. When I read a story like that I think of the earth actually opening up and swallowing people. Whether it happened just as the narrator describes is another question. No one, of course, knows--not even those cherubic-faced people who seem to know and love God really deeply. But it creates a vivid picture and, in fact, we live by pictures. Well, this verse creates another vivid picture for us. Since we don't see many one-eyed people running around it is a good bet that no one really takes this verse "literally." But the problem with leaving the literal sense behind for many people (me included), is that you often end up deciding on an interpretation that just baptizes the American way of life as flowing right out of the Scriptures. That is, if you say, 'Well, can't take this literally,' then you might end up saying, 'Well, it doesn't really mean much.' So the challenge is to take it seriously. Where do you find it and what might it mean, if anything, to you?

4. "So then, a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God," NRSV.

I like this verse because it is the culmination of an argument made by the biblical author, and I appreciate the rhetoric of the argument. The argument goes something like this. God has done something wonderful for us in Christ. We need to pay heed to that message. We are partakers of the heavenly calling given us by God. But, don't harden your hearts again as did Israel of old. Exhort each other to live well, avoiding he deceitfulness of sin. The promise of entering the divine rest remains, but we can't take it for granted, for God said in the past, "They shall never enter my rest." But, it remains open for some to enter this rest. Joshua gave people a "rest" of sorts, but there yet remains another rest, a sabbath rest for the people of God. Strive, therefore, to enter it. Isn't that a beautiful argument? It is thoroughly biblical, and it leads to an earnest exhortation. Where do you find the bolded verse, and how does the argument appeal to you?

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