Here now is the actual segment of the Triumphal Entry itself. Take note as I said yesterday of Luke’s changes, they are significant. You can see for yourself in the layout above that Luke’s account of the Triumphal Entry is the longest of all the gospels. Matthew’s account takes 8 verses, Mark account takes 5 verses and John’s takes 5 verses; whereas Luke’s account is 10 verses long and of those 10 verses, a large chunk is Luke only material. Take the time now to find the differences and ponder on what is going on here. It is very clear that Luke is doing something significant here with his additions and omissions. It is up to you to work out what. So the first thing to so is find what he has added and work what he has omitted.
I think it is funny in Deeper Bible class when students tell me they tried this method or applied this step and it didn’t yield anything. It is like they are saying, “What has gone wrong? I didn’t find anything.” Not every method or approach will result in you finding something. Sometimes the answer lies in the words used and the multiple meanings. Other times the depth of truth is hidden in the complicated sentence structure or perhaps in a repetitive sequence that gives you the insight into the pattern and which leads you to where the focus is. Sometimes it is hidden in what Jesus is not saying, rather than what He is saying. So we have to look for what is missing and read between the lines.
It is very much like being a detective and searching for the clues and the evidence which helps us to crack the case. We have to dust for fingerprints, search for clues, look for blood splatters, do ballistic analysis, work out the time line, compare eye witness accounts and use all of the techniques we were taught at CSI school. We won’t find evidence or clues with every technique we apply in every case. It just doesn’t work like that. Sometimes there will be fingerprints other times there won’t. Some times we have an eyewitness other times we don’t. But a good detective applies all the methods at his disposal in order to thoroughly investigate a case. The same is true of Deeper Bible study. Sometimes you will find repetition which leads you to the focus of the passage, other times you find there is a word in the text which has a dual meaning which throws light a shade of meaning to the passage that you have never noticed before. At times the answer lies in the details, other times it can be seen when you lift your head and take in the big picture. There are times when there is a link between chapter breaks, where Robert Estienne divided the chapters in the wrong place. Other times there is no link across the chapter boundary: we can’t see any on going theme or connection and we have to conclude that what we are looking at now is not connected to what went before it. It is all a matter of chasing the sense unit. (Being CSU Investigators).
Nothing good is going to come without sweat, even in Bible study. Most people stop when it means work. They want instant understanding. “Just give me a package Ian that I can add water to and the truth of God is revealed instantly.” God doesn’t reveal His deep treasures on the first cursory look. It takes time. Don’t give up before you have found a nugget. You will never be the same again when you have found your first gold nugget or gem in the Word of God. Can you imagine getting excited about studying the Bible? Is that possible, you ask. Yes it most certainly is. But it requires patience and perseverance. Are you up to the challenge?
Another question I have been asked a few times in the last week or so is: must we do this each time we open the Bible? Always applying all of these methods to our Bible study? I just don’t have time for all that. No of course not. Do you remember the quote I shared with you from Tim La Haye: A working knowledge of the Bible is based on at least 15 minutes of reading and 15 minutes of studying each day over a three year period. You need to read the Bible in order to read it. Take in the big picture. That helps you later to pick up on the details. Each time you pick up the Bible you don’t have to be studying it and applying all these methods I suggest to you. There are times when you should just enjoy reading it and letting God speak to you personally. Read it to get know the Author. But there should be times when you study it in detail and seek to understand it at a deeper level and unwrap its treasures. You need both.
If it doesn’t CHALLENGE you, it won’t CHANGE you!
Rick Godwin
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.
Albert Einstein
We all must suffer one of two pains in life – the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The choice is yours!
A R Bernard
God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
Regina Brett
God doesn’t love you more because you had a longer Quiet Time or spend time in deeper Bible study. He just loves you unconditionally.
Ian Vail