The Bible’s Main Story May 11, 2015
In last week’s column, I wrote that it is a seriousmistake to think of the Bible as a book full of unconnected moralistic stories,like an inspired version of Aesop’s Fables. Rather, the Bible tells one grandstory—the story of redemption, where our holy and loving God rescues His fallencreation from His own wrath by the sacrifice of His Son.
So whatabout all the separate, little stories within the Bible’s pages? After all, theBible is nearly half composed of narratives like David vs. Goliath and Noah andthe Ark? Howare we supposed to read all those seemingly unrelated stories as “telling onegrand story”?
Rememberthe illustration I used last week? The Rainbow Bridgestarted as a kite string, which the builders used to pull thicker strings, thenropes, then cables, and eventually steel girders across the gorge. The more thebridge changed, the more it became what it was always meant to be.
Likewisewith the Bible’s main Story. The more the story changes, the more we see whatit was always meant to be. There’s one conflict: sin ruined God’s goodcreation. One plot: God redeems a people for Himself. One Hero: Jesus Christ.One resolution: the cross. All the other little stories either retell oradvance the plot of that one big story. Here’s how it works…
Sometimesthe Bible’s main Story develops in a straight line, as new details are revealedand the plot slowly moves forward. And sometimes the Bible’s main Story movesin a circle, retelling the same plot with foreshadowing or typology.
Manynarratives in the Bible actually do both: they move the main Story’s plotforward (in a line) and they rehearse its basic features (in a circle) at thesame time. For example, the story of David defeating Goliath does both: itshows us more of what Jesus will be like as a coming Son of David (moving theStory along a line), and it also retells the main Story where God’s people aredelivered from their enemy by God’s Champion (moving the Story around acircle). It adds to the Story and retells the Story at the same time.
Jesus said,“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. Butthe Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39 NLT)