More Than A Story

Recently I got a call from a friend I haven't heard from for nearly 40 years. We served together in the Navy and through technology that virtually no one could have imagined in 1979, the Facebook phone call, he called me up.

My friend was working on some issues in his life and had come to the conclusion that perhaps he should read the Bible. The idea may have been suggested to him by someone else. He didn’t know where to start, but he did know that I had become a pastor, and so he gave me a ring to see what he should do.

Just hearing from him was a surprise, and I wasn't sure what kind of guidance to give him. I'm a pastor, but not his pastor. If it was someone from my congregation, or maybe someone who I was talking with in my office, I could sort things out a bit before giving him some guidance. I might have some understanding and insight as to where to  begin. But…those luxuries were not mine at the time. I took what seemed to be the best route and said, "Read the gospels."

A few days later I got a message. "What gospels? My Bible doesn't have any gospels."

That caught me by surprise, but also let me know that I was assuming too much. My suggestion to "read the gospels" assumed that he would know what I was talking about. It assumed that he already had a basic understanding of the organization of the Bible. So here is the basic message I sent back:

"The first four books of the New Testament are the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. In a nutshell they are the story of Jesus, each told from a different point of view. They have some things in common, and also some differences. Maybe start with reading John. John begins by basically stating that Jesus, the man who lived on earth, was also God, no ifs ands or buts. And that sets the tone for the way he would have us read the story of Jesus' life, as he tells it. His goal is that his readers would come to believe in Jesus as their savior when they get to the end of the story. John wants his readers to see their problem with God being one of living as sinners in the presence of a holy God, a God who in his mercy offers them his son, Jesus, as the only possible remedy for dealing with their sin and coming into a relationship with God. That may sound a bit preachy, but I want you to know what you are getting into as you read."

In answering my friend I was mindful of the fact that the gospels are stories, but they are much more than stories, for they have a purpose that is greater than any other story that might come to your mind. John says it himself this way,

"Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."   John 20:30-31

The gospels are more than stories, for the story they tell is the only one that leads us into a relationship with God. No ifs, ands or buts.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.