Interpretation, Irritation, and Christian Rad
29 March 2006

These last few week’s I’ve started work on producing a daily radio show and podcast called “Live Your Design.” Like many things in the ministry you are called upon to do, I had no experience. So I began listening to Christian radio to hear how other shows are produced. This is something I don’t usually do. That may sound odd coming from a pastor, but most every time I listen to Christian radio or watch Christian TV I get irritated. So, in order to reduce my stress I just don’t do it. The reason behind my irritation is hearing how the Bible is often interpreted.

For example, I heard one teacher interpreting a passage in Jonah where Jonah is in the belly of the great fish and prays in 2:6:

“I descended to the roots of the mountains.
The earth with its bars was around me forever.
But you have brought up my life from the pit [Sheol], O LORD my God.�?

The teacher made the point that Jonah had to have died in the belly of the great fish in order for him to say he was in Sheol, a Hebrew word which refers to the grave. Such a wooden reading of Scripture eclipses the point, which is the beauty of the imagery of Jonah in the belly of the fish as a type of Christ in the belly of the earth (grave, cf. Job 1:21). Notice the separation from the presence of God (2:4), the crown of weeds on Jonah’s head (2:5), and the restoration to the presence of God thru a sacrifice (2:9). In this we see the beauty of the sign of Jonah which our Savior directly referenced in Matthew 12:40-41. The teacher missed all of that to make the point that Jonah literally died because of the reference to Sheol.

Why do so many teachers of Scripture shy away from seeing the typology of Christ thru the Scriptures, the same typology that the Savior urges us to search for (Luke 24:13-32, esp. 32)? I believe this is motivated by a genuine fear of not misinterpreting the Scripture by way of allegorizing it, yet this fear of misinterpretation leads to misinterpretation. So what is the way out of this? It is to understand the method of allegorical interpretation as Scripture itself teaches that method to be used.

Take a look at four Scriptures which demonstrate the four-fold method of medieval exegesis (interpretation), which every Protestant seminary warns students to avoid like the plague. All of the Scriptures refer to the exodus of God’s people out of Egypt. Special thanks to two of my seminary professors, Drs. Warren Gage and Sam Lamerson, for all their wisdom.

1.  Literal Interpretation
Psalm 114 reflects upon the exodus of Israel out of Egypt as a historical fact.

2.  Allegorical Interpretation
1 Corinthians 5:7 looks at the exodus Passover as period of purgation (cleaning out old leaven), and then links that historical event to Christ our Passover. So in what sense is Christ our Passover, literal? No, he is our Passover allegorically.

Why does everyone get upset about allegory? Allegory in the Bible is based on history. The allegory that makes Christians uncomfortable is that which treats the history of the Bible as legend. If allegory is treated like historical truth it does not compromise the Bible. For example, Hagar and Sarah are treated like allegory, but are viewed as historical figures (Galatians 4:21–31).

3.  Moral Interpretation
1 Corinthians 10:1-13 interprets the exodus of Israel out of Egypt as having a moral interpretation beyond the literal interpretation.

4.  Anagogical (looks at the future) Interpretation
Hebrews 4:3f shows the exodus out of Egypt as not only a historical event, but one that stands for a rest that is yet future for us.

All of these thoughts raise the questions of how we can have a method of interpreting the Bible that can demonstrate that rock of the exodus was Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4)? How can someone demonstrate how the Old Testament can show the death and resurrection of Christ after three days “according to the Scriptures�? (1 Corinthians 15:4)? Such questions reveal a deficiency in currently accepted methods of interpretation, that have resulted in an excess in bad interpretation.

Bible    Religion   
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Guillermo 05 April 2006 - 8:30:53AM

I never noticed the Jesus/Jonah imagery you spoke of… that’s really amazing. That type of interpretation makes me feel as though my lack of seminary training is blinding me from a good portion of the Message. Maybe I should enroll...?

Anyway, I do agree. I’ve heard a few whoppers myself, e.g., Eve actually slept with the snake/Satan in the Garden of Eden, and the trees in the garden (of Knowledge of Good and Evil, etc.) were actually other beings with whom she may or may not have had relations. Needless to say, I never visited that church again.

I’ll be checking this site regularly. Great design, stellar content.

Brett Hillesheim 08 April 2006 - 1:21:16PM

I agree with you 100%, it’s nice to read another Pastor’s thoughts that are similar to my own.

Pastor-E 09 April 2006 - 3:07:40PM

This is an wonderful article, can you teach this method through a series of post?