The gospels record thirty-seven miracles of Jesus, and John 20:30-31 tells us that “Jesus did many other miracles in the presence of his followers that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you may have life through his name.” A brand new life.
In John 25:21 we are told there were many other “things” (not only miracles) Jesus did and if the Bible contained all of those things (not just miracles), the world couldn’t hold the books that could be written. That is known as hyperbole, a common figure of speech used in literature and the Bible defined as “when more is said than is meant, or exaggeration.”
When your teenager proclaims “Everybody is going to be at the party” does that mean the world’s population of 6.6 billion people? No, she or he is exaggerating to make a point. Similarly, the Bible uses hyperbole many times, i.e. the Samaritan woman spoke of Jesus saying “he told me all that I ever did”. Did he? No, she was exaggerating to make her point. We might say, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!” Obviously we can’t eat a horse or be strong as an ox, or be so full we could burst! Using hyperbole denotes extreme emotions, like happiness, frustration, or even fright!
(Want to know more, read Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (1968) by E.W. Bullinger.)
Studying to show ourselves approved (2nd Timothy 2:15), doesn’t mean just reading Scripture, or hearing Scripture preached on Sunday morning. It means diving deeper into it ourselves and studying God’s word where we learn who he is. That’s why we have so many small groups and bible studies every week on our campus, for learning and growing in faith, plus Life Groups that meet off campus. Not just for studying Scripture, but to be part of a community.
Everything God has put in Scripture is not enough to answer every possible question we may ever have. Yet it contains everything we must know to be restored with God and have a close relationship with Him. Isn’t that what we all want? It requires commitment, but the reward is beyond measure. . . .Then, by believing, you may have life through his name.
To hear from God, we study Scripture, pray we know and understand it, and listen for God’s whisper revealing his plan through it and comforting our fears. I know most of you know that, but sometimes we all need a little reminder. Me too. The great thing about Scripture is that you can read a verse multiple times and still find something new the millionth time you read it. (hyperbole 🙂) That is exciting, wouldn’t you agree?
Deb Hill
EFCC Exec. Assistant