Peter Krol | Knowable Word

Announcing our 2021 Bible Reading Challenge

November 13, 2020 By Peter Krol

We’re giving away a copy of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection and a one-volume reader’s Bible. The CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection provides the perfect opportunity to read the Bible in its original and simplified form, uninterrupted by verse and chapter references. Constructed with select cloth cover materials and printed on high-quality book paper, this unique Bible reading experience invites the reader to encounter God’s Word as a grand narrative and have a fresh experience with the Bible.

To win one of these prizes, you simply have to demonstrate you’d know what to do with it.

If you’ve been with us for the last few years, you’ve probably been expecting this post. Here I come, like the sun rising, going down, and once again hastening to its place to rise again. Like the wind blowing round and round, north, then south, and back again. Like streams running to the sea, and yet the sea is still not full. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Viruses and turmoil are no match for our inevitability.

If you’re new to the blog, you’ll be delighted to know we do a reading challenge here annually. And we try to get the best prizes we can think of to reward your toil at which you toil under the sun.

In our former days, most excellent Theophilus, we issued a 90-day Bible-reading challenge that had to begin on January 1 and end by March 31. But many folks have told us they would like to be able to get started over the holidays. While many are eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, or chasing a spirit of stupor, we hear that you—the readers of this blog, the champions of the covenant, the heroes who shine like stars in the midst of a present evil age—would prefer to redeem the time when you already find yourself away from your usual responsibilities.

And who are we to stand in your way? You think about all his commandments; you will not be ashamed. You are continually overcome with longing for his judgments. Though your life is down in the dust, you seek life according to God’s word. Therefore this year’s Bible reading challenge may commence immediately. In fact, perhaps it already commenced for you, and you’re just now realizing it.

Here are the rules:

You must have a United States mailing address to win one of the stated prizes. Residents of other countries will receive a $50 (US) Amazon gift card via email.
You must read (not scan or skim) all 66 books of the Protestant Bible. You may choose the translation and reading plan (canonical, chronological, etc.). You don’t have to stop and meditate on every detail, but we’re trusting you to be honest about reading and not skimming. Listening to an unabridged audio Bible is acceptable. You may also use any combination of audio and visual reading, as long as you’ve read or listened to the entire Bible within the allotted time period.
You must read the entire Bible within a 90-day period.
The last day of that 90-day period must be between today and March 31, 2021. If you’d like to understand why we recommend such fast-paced reading, see our Bible reading plan for readers.
To enter the drawing, you must fill out the survey below, letting us know the dates you read and what you thought of the speed-reading process. Your thoughts do not have to be glowing, but they should be honest; you’ll still be entered into the drawing if you didn’t enjoy your speed-read.
Any submissions to the form below that don’t meet the requirements or have the appearance of being fabricated will be deleted. For example: multiple entries with different data, date of completion not between November 13, 2020 and March 31, 2021, “What I thought about the experience” has nothing to do with Bible reading, or date of completion is later than the date of entry submission (please don’t try to enter the drawing if you plan to read the Bible; only enter once you have completed reading it).
In the first week of April 2021, we will randomly select 2 winners from those who have submitted the form. We will email the winners to get their shipping addresses. If a winner does not respond to our request for a shipping address within 1 week, a new winner will be selected in their place.
The first prize winner (if US) will get their choice of the CSB Reader’s Bible, Five-Volume Collection or a one-volume reader’s Bible in the translation of their choice. (While these are not your only options, we have reviewed the following: ESV, CSB, NIV.) The second prize winner (if US) will get whichever option the first prize winner didn’t choose. Any winner outside the continental US will receive a $50 Amazon gift card via email.
Unfortunately, missionaries with DiscipleMakers are not eligible to win the drawing.

We will occasionally post links to the submission form on the blog between now and March 31. But you might also want to bookmark this page for easy access when you’re ready to submit your entry.

If you’d like a checklist to help you stay on pace, here are three. I won’t bother to update the dates, as I don’t know which day you plan to start. But the checkboxes can provide signals to make sure you’re on track to finish on time.

Or here is an iOS app that can help you track your plan.

We are grateful for the generosity of Lifeway Christian Resources in providing the grand prize for this year’s giveaway. You may now begin any time, and may this be the ride of your life.

Make the Most of Virtual Small Groups

November 11, 2020 By Peter Krol

Becky Kiern and Jenilyn Swett have a wise and practical piece at the Gospel Coalition, arguing that “Your Virtual Small Group Can Still be Vibrant.” They have great suggestions for both leaders and participants. Here is a taste:

• Keep virtual meetings shorter than in-person meetings. An hour is usually plenty of time. When groups meet in person, they build in time for small talk, for grabbing coffee or snacks, and for participants to reconnect—all prior to diving into the meeting. But virtual platforms make these interactions nearly impossible, and extended digital meetings can lead to a loss of focus.
• Consider limiting your group to around 10 or fewer. If your group has previously been larger than this, consider breaking into smaller groups for your virtual meetings this semester. As the number of participants in a virtual discussion increases, each one’s sense of being a vital part of the discussion decreases.

The full article has much more for your consideration. Check it out!

Daniel: The Most High Rules the Kingdoms of Men

November 6, 2020 By Peter Krol

The book of Daniel contains many mysteries that have baffled interpreters for generations. And sadly, some readers get so distracted by the mysteries that they miss or ignore the book’s plain message, which couldn’t be any clearer.

A brief list of the book’s most repeated words is highly suggestive (this list excludes names, such as Daniel, or common grammatical words such as “then” or “not”):

king (189 times in ESV)
all (60 times)
kingdom (57 times)
great/greatness (54 times)
time (49 times)

Not only is “king” the most repeated word, but “kingdom” is repeated far more frequently in Daniel than any other book of the Bible.

Number of times “kingdom” appears per 1,000 words, in each book of the ESV Bible. The tall bar near the middle represents the book of Daniel.

The vocabulary leads us to expect Daniel to be a book about kings and their kingdoms. It is about times of greatness, and who will rule “all.” But how does the book go about making its argument?

Literary Markers

Daniel divides evenly according to genre. Chapters 1-6 consist of deliverance narratives, and chapters 7-12 consist of visions and their explanation. Most commentaries will point out, additionally, that in Daniel 2:7, the language of the original text shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. It then shifts back to Hebrew in Daniel 8:1, and remains Hebrew until the book’s end.

So we could divide the book by genre:

Six narratives – Daniel 1-6
Four visions – Daniel 7-12

Or we could divide it by language

Hebrew introduction – Daniel 1
Aramaic body – Daniel 2-7
Hebrew conclusion – Daniel 8-12

Due to the structural clues that unite Daniel 2-7 (see below), I will follow the second paradigm in the walkthrough.

Part 1 Walkthrough

The opening verses of the book set up the main idea that will be developed throughout:

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. ²And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god.
Daniel 1:1-2 (ESV)

Although the narrator tells us that Nebuchadnezzar comes to Jerusalem and besieges it, notice who is the subject of the second sentence. The narrator clearly identifies the chief actor behind all that transpires in this siege and deportation: The Lord gave.

Compare this with the parallel account of the same events in 2 Chronicles:

⁶Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. ⁷Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:6-7

The contrast shows us that Daniel wants us to know who is really in charge of the movements and battles of human kings. There is a king in heaven who watches and determines who will reign and who will fall.

In the rest of Daniel 1, we become acquainted with three young men who understand this fact very well. They remain unfazed by what is happening around them, because they aim to serve their King of Heaven, who can give or take away their health and muscles, wisdom and insight, power and position, whenever he pleases. Such faith causes them to stand out from the best Babylon has to offer. They are better than any in this world’s kingdom (Dan 1:20). And Daniel will last not only through the current king’s reign, but even through the current empire’s existence and into the next (Dan 1:21).

Part 2 Walkthrough

The next 6 chapters tell a masterful story about the world’s kingdoms, both present and future:

Interpreting a dream about four kingdoms – Dan 2
- Rescuing the faithful from martyrdom – Dan 3
  - Interpreting the king’s dream, resulting in repentance – Dan 4
  - Interpreting the king’s vision, with no repentance – Dan 5
- Rescuing the faithful from martyrdom – Dan 6
Interpreting a dream about four kingdoms – Dan 7

God wants Daniel’s audience to know that they will have to endure great persecution under four human kingdoms (Dan 2, 7). But they must know that the King of Heaven rules over all. He will undermine the four human kingdoms when he establishes his eternal kingdom. And he will establish that kingdom by establishing his own people, as represented by one like a son of man (Dan 7:13-14, 27).

Those who believe these things and trust the King of Heaven set themselves up for all sorts of jealous outrage from those who refuse to believe (Dan 3, 6). But trusting in the King of Heaven means that fire and lions are no real threats. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego understand this whil they are young. Daniel perseveres in such faith, even when he is old—old enough to pick a fight over it with his younger opponents (Dan 6:10).

And this powerful, persevering faith in the King of Heaven makes God’s people tremendously valuable to the kings of the earth (Dan 4, 5). They can be trusted to know the truth and speak the truth. They care not for reputation or fickle standards of propriety. They can speak with clarity and boldness, seeking the human king’s repentance and trust in the divine King. Chapter 4 especially beats the drum of this theme (there is a king in heaven who rules over earthly kings) over and over and over again (Dan 4:3, 17, 25, 32, 34-35; also Dan 5:21). This is the main point at the center of this section of Aramaic chapters.

Part 3 Walkthrough

The remaining visions are quite dramatic and would make for terrific cinema. As long as we pay attention to the meaning given to them in the text.

The vision of Daniel 8 takes place by a canal, revealing the coming kingdoms of Media/Persia (Dan 8:20) and Greece (Dan 8:21). It goes on to describe the four-way split of Greece’s fallen kingdom, and the king who will arise to rule one of the pieces and persecute God’s people. History would come to know these events through Alexander the Great and Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

The vision of Daniel 9 takes place right after Daniel’s lengthy prayer of repentance. He knows the Scriptures, and that the time of Babylonian exile has come to an end. So he begs God to forgive his people and return them to their land. (Daniel 1:21 and Daniel 6 tell us that Daniel was present as a trusted advisor at Cyrus’s right hand. He would have advised the king to issue his decree to let the Jews return and rebuild—Ezra 1:1-4.) And right when Daniel wants to believe that this is the end of waiting and suffering for God’s people, the angel Gabriel shows up to tell him that there is still a long way to go. The exile was not simply about 70 years in Babylon; it is now going to last for seventy “sevens” until the Messiah comes (Dan 9:24-27). They will need to watch and wait for him patiently.

While the vision of Daniel 8 went into more detail on the kingdoms of Persia and Greece, the vision of Daniel 10-12 (by a river) now goes into tremendous detail on the fallout of Greece’s demise, and how the warring factions surrounding Israel (“the Beautiful Land”) will import political turmoil and military conflict to God’s chosen nation. This vision details how they’ll know when the prophecies of this book finally reach fulfillment. If they track each alliance, betrayal, battle, and succession, they will recognize the end of their seventy “sevens” of exile. I suspect that the fulfillment of the many political details of Daniel 11 is partially what led the “magi from the east” to begin looking for portents in the heavens to signal the birth of the divine king of kings (the “one born king of the Jews”), about whom Daniel had spoken (Matt 2:1-2).

The vision closes (Dan 12) with a breathtaking word picture of the resurrection of God’s people after generations of agony (Dan 12:1-4) and the certification of the promises spoken to them (Dan 12:5-13). Such hopes inspire God’s people to remain faithful at any cost—but only when they know their King sits far above those puny human kings who run around pretending to be in charge.

Conclusion

We haven’t solved every mystery in this magnificent book of narrative and prophecy. But of one thing we can be certain: His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation. And, of course, that he has given everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, to the Son of Man who has ascended to his right hand.

Interpretive Outline

God’s faithful people in exile learn to trust the King above who rules over kings below – Daniel 1
Narratives and prophecies to inspire faith in God as king here and now – Daniel 2-7
- Four kingdoms coming before God establishes everlasting kingdom – Dan 2
  - Deliverance available; God can change king’s heart – Dan 3
    - God judges the king through conversion – Dan 4
    - God judges the king through destruction – Dan 5
  - Deliverance available; God can prepare king’s heart – Dan 6
- Four kingdoms coming before God establishes everlasting kingdom – Dan 7
Visions to inspire faith in God as king in the days to come – Daniel 8-12
- Canal vision about coming events – Dan 8
  - Expectations for the end of exile – Dan 9
- River vision about coming events – Dan 10-12

This post is part of a series of interpretive overviews of the books of the Bible.

Kindle Sale

November 5, 2020 By Peter Krol

In case you’ve been holding out for a deal, you’ll want to know that the Kindle version of Knowable Word is on sale right now for $2.99 at Amazon. By the way, clicking that affiliate link might also send a few more pennies in this direction to support the blog.

The Bible is Bigger than Your Bumper Sticker

November 4, 2020 By Peter Krol

Here is a very brief, yet marvelous reflection from Jared Wilson on the glory of the Scripture.

I want to bleed Bible. Don’t you? I want, when somebody cuts me open, my guts to spill out in Bible verses.
We are staring back along the wake of an entire generation of church teaching that treats the Bible likes Bartlett’s Book of Quotations. We swoop down toward the Scriptures quickly and snatch something, anything, that will do for a pick-me-up, a soundbite, a prooftexted inspiration. Jeremiah 29:11. Philippians 4:13. Romans 8:28. These verses and more we have decontextualized into a devastating discipleship deficiency. And then we act shocked when professing Christians who otherwise know some Bible verses do not portray the wisdom of the Word.

He concludes:

Be careful with how you use your Bible, then, to make sure it is actually using you. Consult its whole counsel. Don’t be an adherent of pick-n-choose-ianity. Reject sloganeering and cliche-peddling. Through the deep Word, become a deeper person. The Bible is bigger than your bumper sticker.

Please read the rest of Wilson’s exhortation, and please, please, take it to heart. Check it out!

Logos 9: From Bible Software to Ministry Management

October 30, 2020 By Peter Krol

For more than 4 years now, I have used Logos Bible Software nearly every day, without regret. My only potential for regret has to do with having gone without Logos for the prior 17 years of ministry. Just this week, the good people at Faithlife released the software’s new version, Logos 9. And as usual, it’s nearly unbelievable how much goodness they thought to stuff into this system.

If You’re New to Logos

Logos 9 still functions basically like a Bible analysis program crossed with a research library. I’ve explained how it works in my reviews of older versions. Especially see the first two reviews, were I explain how it works generally, and how it can help with your personal Bible study.

Everything I’ve said in reviewing older versions of Logos hold true. I can generate, in seconds, an exhaustive list of repeated words in the book of Acts, as I prepare to begin preaching through it. I can click on one of those words anywhere in Acts, and have all instances of it instantly highlighted for visual referencing. I can write my sermons in Logos, integrating it directly with the Bible passage without having to keep switching between programs. I can generate a reading plan for any part of the Bible (or any other book in my library), with any parameters for the plan’s length or how I want the text broken up. I can take courses on various topics or books of the Bible.

But let me now explain some of the new features in Logos 9 and how I am using them.

New Features

Logos 9 makes it easier to create reading plans for any Christian book. I buy almost all my Christian books in Logos, so that they will directly interface with the Scripture. So it’s nice to set up a reading plan, with dates and checkboxes, to map out a plan to get through a book in a defined time period. And while I could do this roughly in Logos 8, it now is streamlined for a better reading experience. The auto-generated reading plans used to end abruptly in the middle of a sentence or paragraph, and now they are better organized around chapter divisions.

Logos 9 now has a pretty amazing way to visualize charts. For example, I can search for every reference to the Apostle Peter in the book of Acts (note: this is not simply a word search for the name “Peter,” but a search for every reference to the character Peter, even if only in pronouns). Then with a single click, I can turn it into a bar chart to visualize how frequently Peter pops up over the course of the book.

Then I can do the same with respect to the Apostle Paul:

Does a cursory glance at those two charts suggest anything to you about how Luke’s focus shifts over the course of the book? Of course, we could identify that shift in focus by simply reading the book over and over. But in seconds, Logos gives me precise data, in a variety of attractive formats, and without having to count these observations myself.

Logos 9 has a wonderful new tool called the Bible Books Explorer, which gives me quite a bit of data at a glance. Timelines, author and audience info, major themes, etc. But what I love the most in this new tool is a quick way to visualize connections between Old and New Testaments. For example, here is a diagram showing which OT books Luke directly quotes in either his gospel or the book of Acts.

And I could click on any of the specific books to generate either a list of which verses in Luke-Acts quote the OT, or a list of which OT verses are being quoted. I could make similar diagrams/passage lists not only for direct quotations, but also for simple allusions to OT texts, or for bare echoes of OT texts. Or I can make a single diagram/passage list for all of them combined!

A Place for Ministry Management

While those features (and many others I could list for you) are pretty cool and really useful to my study, the biggest new features have more to do with providing a place to manage my ministry.

Logos 8 introduced the sermon editor, which basically added a word processor that was interconnected with the Bible. So, for example, I can simply type a verse reference (such as “Acts 1:1-8), and the Logos sermon editor will automatically paste the full text of those verses into my sermon notes if I want.

But in Logos 9, the sermon editor has morphed into a sermon manager. It still has the full word processing capabilities and interconnectivity. But now it also has a place for me to map out an entire sermon series (like a set of lesson plans). I can sort sermons by series, venue, or date. I can view them in a table, or a radial calendar format, and have it all linked up with my church’s calendar or a liturgical calendar. I can click on any sermon’s title to open up the sermon notes themselves, and I can track which sermons have been preached at multiple locations.

This manager is a one-stop shop for planning out an entire teaching ministry. It doesn’t have to be focused on sermons, but would work just as well for any Bible study leader or Sunday school teacher and their teaching notes or lesson plans. This is simply wonderful.

Logos 9 has a similar new feature for a counseling or discipleship ministry. It has a Counseling Guide which can quickly suggest resources and Scripture passages on hundreds of topics, along with a place to keep track of and organize private notes.

Conclusion

With Logos 9, this software now does much to assist not only your personal Bible study but also your teaching or leadership of others in Bible study. I am delighted to commend it for your consideration. Keep in mind, though, that if you are already a commentary junkie, Logos might only accelerate your journey toward overdose. But if you have disciplined yourself to love and study the biblical text itself, inviting outside resources to join you as conversation partners and not personal trainers, Logos will serve you exceptionally well.

You might think it’s easy for me to say that, since Faithlife offered me a complimentary upgrade to Logos 9 in exchange for an honest review. But my review here is thoroughly honest. While my upgrades have come to me at no cost, I have deposited large amounts of money into shaping my Logos research library into just what I want it to be. And if I could go back to the beginning of my ministry knowing what I know now, I would absolutely have sought to raise the additional funds to provide myself with this inestimable tool.

They have made it easier than ever to benefit from this powerful software regardless of the size of your budget. You could spend thousands of dollars to squish a world-class theological research library into your pocket; or you could spend about $30 just to get access to some dizzyingly powerful study tools. Take your pick, or find something in between. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Check out Logos 9.

Seeing Jesus in the Most-Quoted Psalm

October 28, 2020 By Peter Krol

Justin Dillehay takes a close look at Psalm 110 to unpack what it has to say about the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus said the Psalms were about him (Luke 24:44), and Psalm 110 was one the apostles returned to time and again to show forth Jesus’ work.

Out of all the verses in the Hebrew Bible, the most frequently quoted in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1. But that’s not all. Verse 4 of the same psalm gets almost an entire chapter’s worth of commentary (Heb. 7:11–28). Clearly, the apostles and prophets saw this messianic psalm as highly significant for their understanding of Jesus.
We would do well, then, to consider how this psalm presents the Messiah whom we worship.

Check it out!

Why You Can Trust the Bible

October 23, 2020 By Peter Krol

Perhaps you’ve heard reference to a “Bible-believing” church, or perhaps you’ve been told the Bible is the “Word of God” and can be trusted. But why is it that we can trust this book? And why would churches stake their reputation on believing it?

While I could give many reasons to support the essential trustworthiness of the Bible, perhaps the most important reason is simply that Jesus trusted it.

The Bible Speaks; Jesus Speaks

Luke concludes his narrative of Jesus’ life with a brief discussion between the risen Christ and his disciples (Luke 24:44-49). And in this narrative, Jesus’ parting words are words of trust in the Bible’s reliability.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Luke 24:44

Jesus believes not only that the Bible speaks, but that it speaks about him. He refers specifically to the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible (what we call the Old Testament): the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (the Psalms were the most identifiable part of the poetic books, or “Writings”). And the things written in these three sections are about him.

In addition, those are the very words Jesus himself spoke to them while he was ministering among them. So the Hebrew Bible speaks about Jesus, and Jesus has spoken those same things about himself.

Speaks about What, Exactly?

But what exactly do the Hebrew Scriptures say about Jesus, which he underscored in his own teaching?

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
Luke 24:45-47

The message of the Old Testament can be summarized in four points:

The Christ should suffer.
The Christ should rise from the dead.
The Christ’s suffering and rising make forgiveness possible for those who repent.
This message should be proclaimed to all nations everywhere.

This is what the Bible says. This is what Jesus himself says.

Jesus Speaks; the Apostles Speak

But that’s not all. This message must go out, but how?

You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Luke 24:48-49

Now that Jesus has affirmed the message of the Old Testament—which lines up with his own message about himself—he calls his disciples to do something new. He wants them to bear witness of these things as well. He will send the promise and power of the Father to help with this task (Luke’s next volume, the book of Acts, will tell us that the Father’s promise and power is the indwelling Holy Spirit).

So what is Jesus (and Luke) referring to when he speaks of the apostolic witness to these things? Certainly this includes the marvelous preaching that will take place over the next generation, some of which is recorded in Acts. But it has particular reference not only to the preaching but especially to the writings of these witnesses. Matthew, John, and Peter were almost certainly present when Jesus spoke these words. Perhaps James and Jude were as well. Paul would later receive a similar commission (Acts 26:16)

So Jesus relies on the witness they will speak and write, a witness which will be empowered and directed by nothing short of the Spirit of the Father. A witness that we call the New Testament.

Conclusion

Jesus came with a message to proclaim about himself—who he was and what he came to do. This message was enshrined in the Old Testament, and it would be reinforced by the New Testament.

So why can we trust the Bible? Because Jesus did. He trusted the Old Testament, for it spoke about him. And he trusted the New Testament, because it would speak about him. “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you” (Luke 24:44).

Though Jesus has ascended to heaven and no longer walks the earth in the flesh (at least, for a time), he still speaks to us through the words of the Old and New Testaments. He trusted them, and therefore so can we.

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Psalm 121 and the Help of the Gospel

October 21, 2020 By Peter Krol

I appreciate Megan Taylor’s piece at Reformation21, where she observes the help offered in Psalm 121, considers the disconnect between such promises and real life, and finds satisfying answers in the gospel of Jesus Christ. This brief devotional piece is worth your time.

How can the believer reconcile the suffering, trials, and persecution they are guaranteed with the astounding assurance in Psalm 121 that the Lord will keep them from all evil? Some might misinterpret this passage and claim a false gospel of health and wealth. Others may question God’s wisdom when they look at the tragedies befalling Christians throughout the world. Often we simply view this psalm as a platitude. We turn to it when we feel uneasy or anxious, but stop short of the solace it offers once our fears are momentarily assuaged. We are satisfied with momentary relief when we are promised comfort forevermore.

Check it out!

On the Road to Emmaus

October 16, 2020 By Peter Krol

Luke ends his gospel with a masterpiece of a story that has captured our imaginations for millennia. And the story is so vivid and well-told that, if we’re not careful, its artistry can easily distract us from its chief message. I imagine you’ve heard speculation about whether the “other disciple” is Cleopas’s wife. And perhaps you’ve wished to be part of the greatest Bible study of all time on that 6-mile walk. Or maybe you’ve wondered how Jesus could simply vanish into thin air. And maybe you’ve been inspired by the eagerness of the two disciples to return to Jerusalem “that same hour,” after their long walk home on that long day.

These matters are all worth considering, and they are rightly in the corporate consciousness of those who read this story today. But allow me to model how a few key principles will help us to penetrate the outer edges of the story to better grasp its main point. (In what follows, I seek to apply the principles of narrative plot structure explained in this post.)

Plot Structure

With even an elementary grasp on how plot structure works, you know to look for the introduction of conflict. Everything before that conflict is simply setting the scene.

So we read, beginning at Luke 24:13, and we’re told of “two of them” going to Emmaus, about 7 miles from Jerusalem. They were talking about everything that had happened. While they were talking, Jesus himself draws near and goes with them. None of this is tense. There is no conflict yet, so all these details provide the setting for what is about to transpire.

Then Luke goes out of his way to tell us, “But their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Now the story finally feels tense. Now there is a sense of uncertainty, of conflict between what is happening and what they perceive is happening.

In particular, we see a conflict between the disciples and their perceptions (your English teacher may have called this “man vs. himself”). The issue this story wants to address is: Can they recognize Jesus? And if so, how?

Now don’t get distracted. I can observe as well as you can that the passive voice is used: “their eyes were kept…” But don’t let that distract you into speculation on divine sovereignty vs. free will, nor into questions about why God would prevent them from recognizing Jesus. Much of the purpose of the passive voice is to avoid such matters entirely. Narrators typically use passive voice when they wish to direct your attention away from the person doing the action. They want you to gaze instead simply at what is happening to the object(s) of the action.

Skimming through the story for now, we should look for the climax. Where is the conflict (they can’t recognize Jesus) reversed? Luke does all the heavy lifting for us here, making it as clear as possible: “And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31).

So everything between verses 16 and 31 serves as “rising action.” The events recounted here are heightening the tension and magnifying the conflict. And the material in verses 32-35 provide the resolution (32-34) and new setting (35). Remember, our opening setting involved two of them walking away from Jerusalem discussing the events surrounding Jesus’ resurrection. On account of the conflict, rising action, and climax, we have reached a new state of affairs where these two folks are no longer asking and wondering, but telling of what happened. And more particularly, they can proclaim “how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35).

Approaching the Main Point

So our simple identification of conflict and climax strongly suggests that Luke’s main point in this episode has something to do with recognizing the risen Jesus. Of course, that’s not quite enough to go on just yet (it’s only a short phrase and not a truth proposition that ought to be believed or obeyed). But it sets us in the right direction.

We can look within the story’s action to discover that the testimony of the Hebrew Scripture plays a major role in such recognition. And there is something more going on than simply identifying Jesus by name in a lineup (bare “recognition” of Jesus’ name or face). Luke is communicating quite profoundly that they failed to recognize resurrection as being fundamental to the person and work of the Messiah. And this was not a problem of education but a problem of faith and of biblical interpretation (Luke 24:25-26).

That’s as far as I’ll go for now. I don’t want to simply tell you what I think the main point is. That would defeat the purpose of trying to help you figure it out for yourself.

But I trust my reflections here have done enough to show you that their eyes, while on the text, had been focused in all the wrong places. Perhaps we ought to avoid the same error when we study these Scriptures ourselves.

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