How to better understand the Bible
Shortly after Jesus was killed by crucifixion, Matthew records a very strange reaction happening in chapter 27:52-53. Something akin to our modern-day zombie fascination occurred – dead bodies came out of their tombs and terrorized the city of Jerusalem! That imagery could have inspired an episode of the Walking Dead series. What are we to make of it?
In a recent debate between two New Testament scholars, Bart Ehrman brought up this exact passage in Matthew, stating emphatically that this proves that the Bible cannot be historically reliable. Ehrman, an agnostic, sees these verses as problematic and another reason to dismiss belief in the Bible as being inspired.
Mike Licona, a Christian New Testament scholar, explained that the “zombie” story in Matthew is a literary idiom (e.g. raining cats and dogs) that was in common use in ancient biographies of that day. This is what Licona, and other critical scholars, think was used as a rhetorical literary device; in other words, the zombies were meant to produce an effect in the reader, or to elicit the WOW factor of this event. Ehrman didn’t seem to comprehend what Licona meant by literary devices. (Perhaps Ehrman should consider reading other genres of literature sometime, so that he can better understand how writers often use imagery to make a point.)
Other commentaries on Matthew 27:52-53 take a different interpretation. Some speculate that this passage denoted the ‘personality of the bodies’ of the saints arose and were permitted to show themselves, or that they may have been the resuscitated saints to whom Christ preached (1 Peter 3:19) when he descended into hell and that they accompanied him into glory when he ascended into heaven. Regardless of the interpretation, this is a difficult passage to understand. The point to remember, however, is that how one interprets this particular passage doesn’t affect the core message of salvation.
When reading the Bible, it’s important to note that it is written by over 40 authors, covering more than 15-hundred years of history in 66 different books. From chronologies of Israel’s history, to prophecy, to poetry, and instruction for church life, the Bible is a collection of many different literary genres. It’s honestly not a book that is always easily understood, despite what many claim. It’s also not written chronologically, like modern-day books, so if you start in Genesis and read through Revelation expecting a novel format, you’re bound to be disappointed. The gospel writers, for example, often arranged material much differently than we do today, sometimes writing in a style that would be more easily memorized.
Ehrman does not believe that the New Testament authors were divinely inspired to write their eye-witness accounts of Christ. Why is this difficult for him? I think it’s because he is a Naturalist. A Naturalist doesn’t believe in anything supernatural. (I refute the worldview of Naturalism here.) So, a New Testament scholar can know all about the historical aspect of the gospels, compare them with ancient literature of its kind, and yet reject the miracle stories. That makes viewing the Bible as an accurate account of history rather challenging, to say the least. The Bible is full of miracle stories! It should not surprise anyone, then, that Ehrman doesn’t believe the disciples saw the Resurrected Christ. Instead, he believes in a hallucination theory (which I refute in this research paper) as the reason they saw “something,” and dismisses the Resurrection event.
What I have noticed with people like Ehrman is that they don’t give God the benefit of the doubt. How is it that in any court of law the one accused is innocent until proven guilty, yet we don’t offer that same grace towards God? If we view God as ‘suspect’, then we’ll have an attitude of entitlement and often demand some immediate “proof” (as if we have a right to demand anything from God?).
If we have a foundational understanding that God is good, then we can remain humble, giving God the benefit of the doubt. We should recognize that we may not have a clear understanding of certain Biblical passages. Yet, as we remain in a humble, learning attitude, we may eventually discover answers that confirm the reliability of the Bible.
Now this is not an attempt to dismiss trying to find a reasonable answer to skeptical questions, but I think to see the full truth, one must be in a positional stance of humility that garners God’s favor. The Spirit of God is drawn to humility. Those like Ehrman don’t have that attitude. They are full of pride and that can harden one’s heart. From my 30 + years of being a Christian, I have not seen God honor this kind of attitude. He usually does not reveal truth to hard-hearts. He shows Himself to broken people. What I mean by “broken” is those people who recognize their need for Him, who acknowledge their sinful nature, and seek Him earnestly, desiring to know the truth but not with a “prove it to me” attitude. God reveals Himself to a softened heart, one humbly seeking Him. And when He shows up, there is an innate knowing.
God uses imperfect people. All. The. Time. God works within flawed human nature, and thankfully He does, otherwise He could not use any of us! Did the Gospel writers make mistakes? Most credible scholars agree that the New Testament is the most attested (trusted) ancient historical document and is a reliable story of what took place over two-thousand years ago.[1] Did the scribes who copied the autographs make mistakes? Yes. We know this is true, but scholars have concluded those mistakes are mostly spelling errors that have been corrected by comparing them to thousands of other Biblical manuscript copies that have been discovered.[2]
We must try to meet these skeptics where they are at and attempt to answer their questions. To show that the Gospels are historically reliable, we need to examine all kinds of evidence, including how we can know anything about ancient history, what it means in its cultural setting, the changed lives of believers, and basic inference (a.k.a. common sense).
One of the best ways we can help people believe the Bible is true is by sharing personal stories. For instance, reading the Book of John was the impetus for belief in my life. I woke up from my “zombie state soaked in sin,” to God’s forgiving love that freed me to embrace life as I had never known it before. (Notice how I used symbolism here… making a point!) Reading the Bible does take some educating, but it’s a story for the common person, and it will stand the test of time.
Hello Lisa
Interesting post
It is so tempting to get into the opinion arena with scripture v proof but at the end of the day, I have finally come to the conclusion that unless you have a personal quest with the Holy Spirit there is no getting past the denial.
Relationship will always challenge religion.
Hi Tony! I totally agree. As a Christian apologist, I am called to give good answers to skeptics’ questions when they are reasonable. We can show the skeptic that faith in Jesus is not based on “blind faith,” but grounded in reason. Yet, as you state, at the end of the day, good answers to doubt-filled questions will not save any one. Only an encounter will God can do that! Thanks for your comment.
This is a difficult passage no doubt however, I don’t think we should dismiss the possibility of the reality of the event described in Matthew 27:52-53. I’m curious what you think of the following commentary on these verses by Calvin.
52. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose—These sleeping saints (see on 1Th 4:14) were Old Testament believers, who—according to the usual punctuation in our version—were quickened into resurrection life at the moment of their Lord’s death, but lay in their graves till His resurrection, when they came forth. But it is far more natural, as we think, and consonant with other Scriptures, to understand that only the graves were opened, probably by the earthquake, at our Lord’s death, and this only in preparation for the subsequent exit of those who slept in them, when the Spirit of life should enter into them from their risen Lord, and along with Him they should come forth, trophies of His victory over the grave. Thus, in the opening of the graves at the moment of the Redeemer’s expiring, there was a glorious symbolical proclamation that the death which had just taken place had “swallowed up death in victory”; and whereas the saints that slept in them were awakened only by their risen Lord, to accompany Him out of the tomb, it was fitting that “the Prince of Life … should be the First that should rise from the dead” (Ac 26:23; 1Co 15:20, 23; Col 1:18; Re 1:5).
and went into the holy city—that city where He, in virtue of whose resurrection they were now alive, had been condemned.
and appeared unto many—that there might be undeniable evidence of their own resurrection first, and through it of their Lord’s. Thus, while it was not deemed fitting that He Himself should appear again in Jerusalem, save to the disciples, provision was made that the fact of His resurrection should be left in no doubt. It must be observed, however, that the resurrection of these sleeping saints was not like those of the widow of Nain’s son, of Jairus’ daughter, of Lazarus, and of the man who “revived and stood upon his feet,” on his dead body touching the bones of Elisha (2Ki 13:21)—which were mere temporary recallings of the departed spirit to the mortal body, to be followed by a final departure of it “till the trumpet shall sound.” But this was a resurrection once for all, to life everlasting; and so there is no room to doubt that they went to glory with their Lord, as bright trophies of His victory over death.
Hey Bill,
Calvin’s commentary is another interpretation among many regarding this passage of Scripture. From my understanding, the resurrection of the believers is not supposed to occur until the end of the age, i.e. at the Second Coming of Christ or sometime after. That is what the Jews believe, and it is one of the reasons it was so difficult for them to accept Jesus’ resurrection because they interpreted Scripture to mean that any resurrection would be at the end of this age. So, yeah… there doesn’t appear to be a strong consensus on how this passage should be viewed. I think this is one of those areas in Scripture which we should hold loosely to and remain humble about an exact meaning. Thank you for your comment! Many blessings to you. Lisa Q
“How is it that in any court of law the one accused is innocent until proven guilty, yet we don’t offer that same grace towards God?”
Love that you pointed this out for us! We so often demand evidence and answers from God. And those who don’t believe in Him seem to want every thought and opinion of this world accepted – but they aren’t willing to accept Christianity. I also love your point at the end of how the Bible is for the common people. God wants to use His words to speak to all of us, not just the educated!
Thanks, Emily, for your comment. Yes, I think the position of humility is a good one to have regarding certain opinions, etc. We should study Scripture and learn as much as we can, but at the end of our lives, what really matters is if we loved well. Did we love God first, and did we love our neighbor as ourself? That’s it. God bless you!
Hi Lisa,
The “Zombies” of Matthew, what a great blog post title!
I found what you said in the third paragraph cf. Mike Licona about the literary idiom and the rhetorical literary device gripping.
In my opinion, many Christians today are too fundamental in their approach to reading the Bible without taking any context into account.
I belong to those Christians who think we should approach the Bible with the same critical sense as we approach any other book.
It’s a unique book, yes, but we should not make it so unique that we stop thinking yourself while reading it.
You have a good point when you say:
“The point to remember, however, is that how one interprets this particular passage doesn’t affect the core message of salvation.”
and when you say:
“It’s honestly not a book [ED: The Bible] that is always easily understood, despite what many claim.”
What’s great about this blog post is your flexible approach when you are trying to present the various perspective on an exciting topic.
If we don’t give God the benefit of the doubt I cannot see how we can be Christians.
Yes, God uses imperfect people; those Christian leaders I respect the most are those who understand how to communicate that we’re all imperfect, that’s the real gospel.
Perhaps many modern churches have forgotten that going to church does not make us better people?
I agree with you that sharing personal stories is the best way to share the gospel.
Just throwing scriptures at people will not lead people to faith.
Thank you, Lisa.
I shared on Twitter.
God bless.
Edna Davidsen.
Hi Edna,
Everyone these days seems to like a good “Zombie” story (ha ha ha…), so, hence the title! I can’t stress enough how important context is when interpreting Scripture. Without proper context, Biblical interpretation can get pretty messy.
Regarding your statement about going to modern churches, we certainly do not “earn any merit” towards salvation by going to church, but we should learn how to grow in our understanding of who God is, who we are in Christ, and what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ by attending church. Just like there are no perfect people, there are no perfect churches, either. Nonetheless, I always encourage believers to try and attend a good church as regularly as they can.
Sharing stories is what Jesus did regularly, so it is a good pattern to model in our own lives. I love it when churches have people share their testimonies! There is something powerful in that.
Thanks for your continued encouragement! You are a blessing, Edna. Your friend, Lisa Q
Thank you, Lisa.
I agree with you that going to church is important because that’s where we pass on what we know to future generations.
Without the church, it would be tough to ensure that the Christian tradition continues.
It’s all about lifting together.
God bless.
Edna
Great title!
Glad you took on this account of the the crucifixion! Not many brave enough to do it.
Having studied Jewish idioms, this doesn’t have the characteristics of one. It is much more likely to be a literal event.
Just like Jesus appeared in a resurrected body, so did these saints. They appeared to many people in Jerusalem. They had glorified bodies. They did not come to stay and live with those they appeared to, and they did not die again later.
Most likely, they also ascended to heaven to be with Christ. They are some of the saints that will return with Him in glory.
Hi Scott!
That is so cool that you have studied Jewish idioms! I would love to read a blog that you write on that subject sometime. Do you have any more information on your site about that? Let me know – I am very interested in knowing more! May God bless you, Lisa Q
I love personal stories both in and out of the Bible. I try so hard not to argue with people whose views on Christianity are so different from my own. I thank you for this defense of God’s Holy Word.
Hi Brittany,
Thanks for your comment. It is challenging when we meet other Christians who differ dramatically from us in Biblical interpretation. It’s best to agree to disagree in certain instances, as long as the main doctrine of understanding salvation in found in Christ alone is shared. St. Augustine said it best: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” God bless you!
Hi Lisa. I really enjoyed your post. I find that the Naturalists and doubting Christians of this world suffer from the same malady. That is; not believing in a very big God. When we look at Matthew’s account of the nearby corpses spontaneously jumping to life, we – in our sinful state – want to make excuses for the story and say it must be a literary device or that it disproves the Bible altogether. I have only been a Christian for about 6 years, but I believe both views show one’s relationship with God.
When we see God for His greatness and endless capabilities, then His creation of the world in seven days, His parting the Red Sea, and His resurrection power creating life all around Him as He Himself is resurrected do not seem so hard to digest.
I believe that God gives us many “hard truths” that you speak of and, in the process, challenges our faith. If it were easy and obvious, everyone would follow Christ.
That’s my opinion anyway. Thanks for your post. I enjoyed reading it!
BMK
Hi Brian,
Thanks for commenting. I think you bring up an excellent point about how one views God can greatly affect how one interprets certain Scriptures. As one matures in Christ, more is revealed to us when we grow towards Christ-likeness.
Congrats on becoming a Christian! I read a little bit about you (on your website), and I am happy to hear you have come out of an atheistic worldview. That worldview is a hopeless one, I think. It leaves people thinking that since this life is all that there is, well, you better grab all you can while you have time, i.e. “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.” (1 Cor. 15:32.) That is not a very fulfilling way to live in the end.
God is most certainly bigger than our finite minds can comprehend. And that is what many skeptics don’t like — they think we should be able to figure it all out. If that were the case, then how does God remain God if we could figure Him out easily? There needs to remain some mystery, which, frankly, I think gives our lives more meaning. We get to figure things out slowly, and that is fun! If God revealed all the mysteries to us, what then could we discover? I like the discovery process, and am thankful for some mystery.
The good news is that God has revealed a lot to us via the Bible: His creation story, His character, and His redemptive plans for all of life. Yet, we should always remain humble, recognizing our shortcomings and our finite thinking, at least on this side of heaven. Who knows what mysteries await in the next life, eh? I look forward to that.
Thanks again for your comments, and may God bless you! Lisa Q