Kingdom Harbor

Third Sunday of Lent:  Psalm 19:7-11

The most consequential theological decision I ever made, one that has most shaped my reading of the Bible and the kind of Christianity I represent was to dare to believe Jesus is the final and interpretive key to unlocking and reevaluating all of Holy Scripture. Scripture was always pointing forward to Jesus—even if only in fuzzy types and shadows that gave us only partially accurate portraits of God and His ways at times. 

Jesus is the true Temple (John 2). Jesus is an ark of salvation preserving us through the waters of baptism (1 Peter 3). He Wisdom Incarnate, saying: “Now someone greater than Solomon is here—but you refuse to listen” (Matt 12:42). Jesus is the new Moses ascending the mount to deliver the heart of the Law in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7). He is the Tree of Life we must eat from to find life (John 15). He is the Good Shepherd (John 11) and the final passover Lamb “slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). I could go on. This was how the early fathers of the church read Scripture as well, though sadly this robustly Christocentric interpretation of the Old Testament fell out of favor in modern times.  

In every generation there are religious gatekeepers who think eternal life is found NOT in coming to Jesus, but by accepting their rigid interpretation of the Bible. They are the doctrinal police and fundamentalist preachers who claim to possess the one, true orthodox interpretation of Scripture—superseding twenty centuries of inferior readings.

Jesus excoriated the Bible scholars and teachers of his day, saying: “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life” (John 5:39-40). This warning of Jesus should hang above every preacher’s desk, placing a giant question mark over every sermon in preparation—a reminder to ask: Does this Bible exposition point to Jesus and square with his Kingdom ethic and values? If not, start over. Are we leading people to Jesus for eternal life, or leading them to a doctrinal statement that enforces tribal loyalty?

I have spent my entire career studying the Scriptures and the history of interpretation. I could bore you to oblivion talking about different interpretive and theological schools down through the ages. I won’t. Once again, the most important interpretive decision I made was to let Jesus be God’s definitive and final Word to mankind. Jesus is my north star. Christ is my hermeneutic. Echoing C. S. Lewis, Jesus guides my reading of Scripture not only because I see Jesus in the text, but because by Jesus I see everything else in a new light.

The Letter (or sermon?) of Hebrews is a sustained argument for how Jesus is the greater reality toward which the entire Old Testament pointed. For example, employing a creative yet chastened Christ-centered reading of Scripture, the author speaks of Jesus’ “sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:24). Abel’s blood cried out from the ground and spoke the word of vengeance toward his guilty brother. Jesus’ blood cries out from the cross and speaks the better word of forgiveness toward Christ’s guilty brothers (i.e., all mankind).

Preachers and teachers, churches and Christian institutions have a decision to make: Will they give people words that point to the Word Incarnate? Or will they give people doctrines that divide and confound and conform to the current ideologies driving cultural debates?

The goal of every preacher and Bible reader should be to lead people to the experience of the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus.  They weren’t treated to a dry theological lecture or a rigid exposition of Protestant or Catholic or Eastern Orthodox or Calvinist or Lutheran doctrine. Rather, they ran headlong into the Word Incarnate. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Luke 24:27).

What was the result? A stimulating doctrinal debate? A tepid Bible study with Greek lexicon on our laps? No, their souls were lit on fire by another Burning Bush!  They experienced a burning in the bosom and goose bumps up their spine as they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us” (Luke 24:32)? That’s what can happen when you stop looking to the Scriptures for eternal life, and instead encounter the Living Christ who speaks afresh in and through Scripture when we let our reading point to him. 

Believe it or not, this has all been a long and rambling introduction to a creative treatment of this week’s lectionary text from Psalm 19. If Jesus is indeed a “better word” and the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law, then we can engage in a little exercise that I have found inspiring and helpful. The middle of this Psalm celebrates the goodness of the Law of the Lord  and the salubrious effects God’s Law has on our lives when we fix our heart, soul, mind and eyes upon His perfect law. What happens when we insert Christ into this text, since he is the reality toward which God’s Law was only a pale and partial signpost? Again, Hebrews says, “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves” (Heb. 10:1). 

Toward that end, let us first read the original Psalm, and after my own version with the reality of Jesus replacing the shadow of the law. 

Psalm 19:7-11 (Original)

The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous.

 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Psalm 19:7-11 (Christocentric Revision)

The Way of Jesus is perfect, refreshing the soul.

The Parables of Christ are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

 The Values of the Kingdom are right, giving joy to the heart.

The Truth of Christ is radiant, giving light to the eyes.

 Faithful obedience to Christ is pure, enduring forever.

The Teachings of Jesus are firm, and all of them are righteous.

 Holding fast to Jesus is more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

His Wisdom is sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.

 By obeying Christ your servant is warned; in following Jesus there is great reward.

To summarize, this Psalm celebrates the Way of Jesus as perfect, trustworthy, right and radiant, pure and firm, more precious than gold, sweeter than honey and leads to a great reward! Centering our lives around Jesus-shaped Wisdom will refresh the soul, bring wisdom to the simple, give joy to the heart and light to the eyes. Not a bad recipe for a Christlike life.

Now, if your church or pastor or Bible study or favorite YouTube channel or Christian podcast rarely gets into the honey-sweet ways and rhythms of Jesus, but is instead fighting over culture war issues, defending God against atheists, hunting down heretics, advancing a political agenda, or is stirring up anger and fear, you may need to turn it off. None of that sounds perfect, trustworthy, radiant, pure or sweet. None of that sounds like it refreshes the soul or gives joy to the heart and light to the eyes. 

Twenty-some years ago I decided I would pursue and teach others a Christian faith that, God-willing, always points people to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. This requires the joyful and creative task of learning to read Scripture afresh, always looking for Jesus hidden like a buried treasure in the pages of the Bible. 

Let all who have ears to hear and eyes to see, join me in the never-ending search for more precious gold and sweet honey!