Monday, April 1, 2013

It strikes me funny!

Today is Easter at least for a couple more minutes. People go to church on Easter and Christmas. We hear teachings on how God is good and the Bible is prophetic. We hear about how the Scriptures are holy. We hear how every word in the Bible is inspired by God. We hear about the primary characters like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On Christmas, we hear about the birth of Jesus. During Holy Week, we hear about the path Jesus walked while in Jerusalem's Passover. We listen to songs and see plays about the last supper, the prayers prayed in the garden, his arrest, his walk to be crucified, his death, his burial, and his resurrection.
This bugs me a bit. People fail to see the characters behind the stories told in the Bible. Take for example Isaac's mother/Abraham's wife . They don't tell you about the conversation Abraham had with his wife before to trying to sacrifice their son in service of the Lord. Can you imagine that conversation?
"Oh by the way, Hunny, God told me I had to to sacrifice your son in service of Him. I don't really want to do it, but I think God wants me to do. We leave tomorrow. "
Well some people say, God shows His grace in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. I'm sure it's there. I find it disturbing the stories don't talk about the unsung heroes. For those individuals supporting the men of God, what was their life like? For people who weren't described in the Bible, their stories are the ones I'm more interested in.
As a mom, I can't imagine the pain I'd feel seeing my son crucified on the cross. I can't imagine seeing my son bleed and be beaten in the way Jesus was. It seems excruciating cruel to these characters in the Bible to not find their stories it's pages. Their devotion is what I see in the white spaces on the page.
It's these people I would befriend on Facebook. I want to know what they ate. I want to see their pictures. I want to know if their camel cart broke down. Or if they're having a bad day, I want to know about that. What with their status be at lunch time, dinner time, and before bed? It's the people you don't see, I want to know about. I want to know if their best friend's brother's sister, has cancer or leprosy or cold. I want to know if Tamar got a puppy who keeps peeing on everything and scratching up the furniture. I want to know if I should pray for them. And I wanna see a picture of their latest art project. I want to see pictures of their new dress robe, new sandals, and their 3 month old baby boy.
I appreciate how God keeps his word. I don't understand why God had to destroy the entire nations for the sake of keeping one man's promise? Its so troubling to me do not hear about or see in the Bible the pain of the people who were destroyed. They had lives. They had family. They had work. They had to eat, sleep, and feed their families. It seems kind of calloused not share their stories is well. I understand the Bible would be so much longer if they actually told stories of every single person from every single angle. Yet it leaves a lot to be desired in my mind for the individuals you don't hear about. Where are they in the story? Where are their stories?
The Bible inspires me. Its challenges me. It terrifies me. It teaches me to be better. The Bible makes me want to be my best me. While I am glad, God shows his character through the stories told in the Bible. I feel like I'm missing out on the wives, sisters, friends, and family ties in the tales told in the pages of the Bible. I could go back in time and be a fly on the wall, I listen to their conversations. I'd hear the challenges, the pain, the joy, the silly things, and what they're having for dinner. I'd hear about Passover. And hear about that stinking soldier who stepped into poo. Or the shop owner who charged a little bit more than he should have. I love to hear about the humanity of it all. The Bible is held as so serious and sacred to many. I miss the humanity. Show me love, the joy, the pain, and the dash in between the years on a tombstone for the supporters of the men of God and the leading ladies . That's the kind of life I would love to see in the Bible.