Nov. 2, 2009

For the past two days I’ve begun a discipline called “lectio divina” which translated means divine or spiritual reading.  I’ve read about this many times and in some regards have done it, but I am now being much more intentional with it and it is changing me.  Aparently, lectio divina has been getting a bad rap.  First of all, you should know that it is not a new practice.  It has been around a long time, dating back to the 12th century.  Secondly, the gist of it is this: read a select passage of scripture, meditate upon that scripture, pray about it, and finally - LIVE it. I hate to admit it but I often read the Bible to make myself feel better or more spiritual.  Certainly this is not the point of scripture reading.  Other times I read scripture so I can show people how much I know about God (more on this in my next post).  I’m quite sure this is an ‘adventure in missing the point’ as well.  Even though I’ve only just begun divine reading I am finding myself able to dwell on a small passage for long period of time.  Instead of getting bored with it as one might expect, I am finding myself within the story and I’m finding the story is getting inside of me. 

“So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’ I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour”.  Revelation 10:9-10

I believe this is the point of scripture.  Get it inside of you so that it’s story (God’s story!) can change your story.  It’s amazing how it has been happening.  It’s also amazing that as you spend time slowly reading and re-reading you begin to notice things that you may have never seen before.  You want to share these things with others, not so you can seem intelligent, but rather, because the word has come alive to you.  It’s less like sharing information and more like sharing an exciting story that you are a part of.  This happened to me today as was meditating upon Jacob’s wrestling match with God.  I decided to read the chapter before and after my daily reading of Genesis 32.  There is much that jumped out at me today, but one passage almost made me fall out of my seat.

I recently read Timothy Keller’s great book “The Prodigal God”. The majority of his book focuses on the elder brother.  In some ways, the elder brother was the victim.  The younger brother took the wealth that should have gone to the elder brother by dishonoring his father and taking what did not really belong to him.  As the story goes, this same son spent all of his money and decided to humble himself and go back home; not as a son of course, but as a servant.  Before he had a chance to give his father his humble apology and disclaimer that he was not expecting to be treated like a son, his father ran towards him and embraced him, welcoming him back by throwing an extravagant party.  This made the elder brother bitter.  The father wants the elder brother to accompany him and his brother, but he (now acting against his father’s desire) chooses to stay outside rather than be with his brother.  It would seem that the older brother didn’t really love the father at all, but like his younger brother at the beginning of the story, only loved his father’s things.

I know the story of Jacob.  I’ve heard it preached many times.  I’ve read it many times.  Today, however, the following jumped off the page:

“He himself [Jacob] went on ahead and bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother [Esau].  But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.  And they wept”.  Genesis 33:3,4

My mind went immediately to the following verse:

“So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him”. Luke 15:20

As I read this I realized that Jacob was the younger brother.  We have tried to make him a hero, but in truth he was a scoundrel. Jacob, (who’s name meant deceiver or manipulator) had an elder brother.  As his father was dying he knew that his brother’s blessing was immanent.  He, with the help of his mother, deceived his father and stole the blessing that should have gone to his elder brother.  Realizing that this would upset his elder brother and his father whom he had dishonored, he takes off for distant land.  Although he took off with the blessing of his father, it didn’t pan out quite the way he had planned.  Along with the blessing came guilt and fear.  At the end of the story we read of Jacob’s reunion with his elder brother Esau.  Afraid of how his brother might react, he sent extravagant gifts ahead to hopefully somehow appease his angry brother.  But Esau, like the father in the story of “The prodigal Son” runs ahead and meets jacob and hugs and kisses him.  They weep. Instead of a being bitter about what Jacob took from him he responds and says, “I already have plenty, my brother.  Keep what you have for yourself” (33:9).  Instead of isolating himself from his brother and ‘staying outside’, “Esau said, ‘Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you’” (33:12).

Perhaps this is how the story of the “Prodigal Son” was suppose to end.  The deceiver is welcomed not only by the father, but by the one he deceives as well.  I like this ending better.  I think God does too.

I brought my Bible with me today to share this with my friend at lunch (something I don’t always do).  I stopped people from working so I could read the Bible to them (again, not something I often do).  The story was alive in me.  Isn’t this the point of scripture?  In a time when we people are finding themselves too busy to even prepare their own sermons maybe we need to find ourselves in The Story again.  I think “lectio divina” may help.

If you would like to read more about “Lectio Divina” check out this book.  If you want to get started, get this.