“Mysterious” is a word that is often used about the Bible. I have heard people say that they tried reading the Bible, but gave up because they couldn’t understand it. That makes me wonder, if the Bible can’t be understood, then why did God give it to us?
The Bible boldly claims that it CAN shed light on our everyday lives: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). If that is true, how can we make the Bible a “a light” to our everyday way of living?
Jesus told a story that shows us how we can do that.
In Mark Chapter four, Jesus told a story about a farmer who was spreading seeds out on his farm. Some of the seeds he planted were eaten by the birds. Some fell on rocks where they sprouted, but soon withered and died in the heat. Some wound up in thorn bushes, where they began to grow, but then couldn’t bear fruit because they were choked by the stronger plants. Lastly, some seeds found their way into good soil, where they grew and produced a good crop.
That is a simple story, but what in the world is it supposed to teach us? Most of us aren’t even farmers! Notice that Jesus ended His teaching time that day with a challenge that might be paraphrased this way: “Are you listening to this? Really listening?” (Mark 4:9). Even though Jesus told that story to a very large crowd (Mark 4:1), not even one person was curious enough to ask Jesus what it meant. Maybe some of them were thinking, “That was a nice story. Now what’s for lunch?”
It wasn’t until later, when Jesus was alone with His closest followers (see verse 10), that they began to ask Him what that story meant. It was then, and only then, that Jesus explained clearly what the story was teaching (You can read Jesus’s explanation of it in Mark 4:14-20).
That event holds the key to understanding other parts of the Bible.
In order to unlock the meaning contained in the Scripture, we must be curious enough to spend time investigating it. We have to put in some effort. We can’t just glance at the Bible and then walk away, saying, “Oh, well. It’s too hard to understand.” Just like doing anything else that is worthwhile, understanding the Bible takes some work.
That is why Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8). I like to think of it this way: Learn to read the Bible the way Sherlock Holmes would read it. Ask a lot of questions. What do the words mean? (Look them up if you don’t know). What is the main thought being explained here? What is NOT said? Who is speaking? Are there other verses in the Bible that will help you understand this one? Keep asking until you figure out what God is saying.
It takes work to understand the Bible, but don’t despair. It is more than worth the effort. God encourages us with this wonderful promise: “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
When we come to know God through the Bible, what do we have? Peter reminded believers in his day that, “you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, Be warned, though, if you don’t work at pursing God, if He’s not important enough to keep seeking, then you will never find a relationship with Him. Jesus warns us that, “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall” (Matthew 7:26–27).
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