Don’t Forget the Story: Biblical Context
An image of a prince holding a glass slipper with a forlorn and desperate expression holds little meaning to us. Unless, of course, we know the story of Cinderella and realize the picture was snapped in the middle of the tale, after the exploited maid met the royal son and fled, fearing the loss of her fairy-god-mother’s magic.
When we know the whole story and where we are in the story, things make a lot more sense. So, it is with our fourth kind of context—biblical context.
Now this may sound obvious, but the Bible does tell one overarching story. Sometimes we are trying to make sense of a prince crying on a dark staircase holding a piece of glass. We use all of our tools of observation (How heavy was the glass shoe? Was he tired because it was late at night?) and ignore the larger story the scene fits into.
So, before we begin our observation steps, we walk through the types of context we have already mentioned (Readers, Historical, and Literary), and we pay attention to the biblical context of the larger narrative. For, the Bible is a story of God’s good creation, the rebellion of his people, and God’s pursuit of those people. He calls Abraham and gives his family promises that will launch the rest of the story. God’s redemptive work culminated in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, leading us to the New Covenant and creation of the church. The story is leading us to the day when there is a new creation where God’s people dwell with him fully with everything made right.
Questions to Ask
So where do we begin with paying attention to biblical context? We ask the right questions.
· Where are we in the biblical story? What has happened so far in the story to get us to this place? Sometimes we don’t know the biblical story well enough to be able to do this and resources can help us. Yet, it’s also going to be extremely helpful for us to be able to understand the progression of God’s covenant with Abraham (and this family), his descendants coming to Egypt, the Exodus, the covenant with Israel through Moses, entrance into the promised land with Joshua, the era of the judges’ messy cycle, the rise of Saul and David (his covenant) and Solomon, the division of the nation into northern and southern kingdoms, the proclamation of the prophets, predominance of mostly bad kings, the exile, return to the land, and waiting. We need to think in narrative about the coming of Jesus, his provision of life for all, the initiation of the church, and the waiting for the new creation. Each passage fits into this storyline. (If you want help learning this story better, our Learn it Give events have workshops on this! We also have books in our bookstore we’d recommend.)
· Within our storyline, what do the people know? What covenants have been made? Each covenant teaches us more about how God interacts with is people and the promises he has made them. These help us understand what the audience of this passage would expect from God. It also tells us what they are waiting for God to do next. Are they Israel wandering in the wilderness waiting for God to bring them into the promised land? Or are they Judah in the 7th century BC knowing the exile is coming by the hand of the Lord?
· What words or ideas are tugging on concepts written about previously in the biblical story? The biblical authors write knowing they are part of what God has already said in his Scriptures and they write in that context. Pay attention to what concepts or themes in the passage are pointing to something God has been developing.
What has Mary chosen?
We’ve already looked at the story of Jesus coming to the home of Martha and Mary in Luke 10:38-42 in our last two articles. If we were to look at the Biblical context for this passage, we’d ask these questions.
o Where are we in the biblical story? Jesus was walking onto the scene as the new Moses, coming down the mountain of transfiguration and acting like an Old Testament prophet preaching the good news, yet the good news is about himself. Jesus was about to show how he is the true needed king about to bring the new covenant, but he hadn’t yet! This is the time when Jesus is laying the groundwork for the salvation he will offer through his death and resurrection.
o Within the timeline, what do the people know? They know that God is going to send a Davidic King who will rule with righteousness (Is. 11:1-5). They know his arrival is tied to the coming of the Spirit and a new covenant that will cleanse them (Jer. 31:31-33, Eze. 36:25-27). They know a lot more! They know all the pursuit after the fall we read in the Old Testament.
o What words or ideas are tugging on concepts written about previously in the biblical story? Jesus didn’t bring his promises out of nowhere, he was responding to the promises God made previously. Important words have context in the biblical story. Remember how we said in the last article (link) that we should be noticing the question the teacher of the law asked Jesus in the previous story as it pertains to this story too? He asked home to receive eternal life. What does “life” mean in the context of creation? How did the psalmist used the word? What about the prophets’ imagery and promises regarding life? There’s a theme for us to see!
Even more particular to our story with Jesus and the sisters is the term “good portion.” Do you see that Jesus declares Mary has chosen it? Do you see a cross references to that term in the Old Testament? Perhaps in the Psalms or to Joshua? The term might say “better choice” but literally means portion, like the inheritance of land given by God through Joshua in Canaan. The psalmists in their time used the term to say that the true portion, the best gift, was really communion with God. So, here Jesus uses a term that points us back to faithful believers delighting in knowing God. This kingdom Jesus offers has an inheritance with intimate relationship with God that cannot be taken away, better than any land, or any meal that Martha could make.
How do you find answers to these questions? A study Bible can help you know where you are in the story. Cross references provide answers. A reference like the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology can help you trace themes. But truly, reading your bible with the big picture in mind will help you do this. (And workshops can help!)
We know in the Bible we’re never looking at small stories or unrelated instructions. We’re reading the Bible with a metanarrative. Each passage we read flows into the larger current, like tributaries into the river. Without paying attention to what has already happened so far and what is going to happen, we’d never understand it clearly.
We are so happy to provide this free resource to you.
For further training, check out our
Courses -short video courses you can do at your own pace.
Cohorts - virtual training with a group of other women over 7 weeks to hone and grow your teaching skills.
Bible Teacher Community - a private, online community to walk along side you and equip you in your ministry.
