Yoke

I'm doing a second reading through Rob Bell's book, "Velvet Elvis." I read through it last summer and really connected with it. I was, however, in the process of leaving full time ministry and I was very preoccupied. As I thought back on the book a few months ago I realized that even though I recalled enjoying the book, I couldn't remember any of the major points that he raised.

I've spent the past week slowly reading through his second chapter, Yoke, and it is phenomenal. Now, I don't think that I would say I agree with Bell on every point, but I think that's precisely how he would like it because that is the major point of the chapter.

I particularly enjoyed the thought of what it means for Scripture to be interpreted and learned in community. That is how it was written and that is how it is best understood. Sadly, we are so entranced in the pastor=guru model of church that we can't fathom working through the Scriptures in a group setting. Christian learning is limited to me sitting in a pew and hearing from the only guy in the room who has had to crack the book open all week in order to accomplish his purpose in life. Anyway, Bell's thoughts have me imagining church as a place where ideas and interpretations are worked through by everybody, where a sermon isn't judged by it's wow factor but by the level to which it involves others in the process of trying to understand the meaning of things.

Bell follows up this idea by discussing our warped view of the Scriptures in general. His perception is that we treat them as nothing more than a rule book or instruction manual. His assertion is that a true appreciation and correct appropriation of Scripture means that you are changed by the encounter. You can't merely crack open the book, read a bit, hear a sermon, and then walk away unchanged. If that happens then you've missed the point. He refers to a metaphor used by rabbis in their understanding of Scripture. The metaphor is the O.T. story of Jacob when he wrestles with God. It is a deep and intense struggle, exhausting, and in the end he walks away with a limp. He is injured and experiences pain because of the encounter he had with God. He sums it up like this:

"Some people have no limp, because they haven't wrestled. But the ones limping have had an experience with the living God."

I see so little limping in church today. Church in America is populated by self-sufficient people or anesthetized people who can have an encounter with Scripture that is nothing more than an intellectual assent or a task to be checked off the to-do list. I have this insatiable desire within me to see that changed. I honestly believe that this sort of transformation could radically affect other weak areas within the church as well, areas such as materialism, service-involvment, giving, ignorance, apathy, and more!

I just wanted to share that with you all because Bell does a great job articulating abstract ideas and the ideas he articulates in this chapter have been floating around in my head for quite some time.

As Rob says, "God has spoken, the rest is commentary."