Many years ago I read the bible from beginning to end. I was struck by the tedium of much of the Old Testament and couldn't work out why Paul's letters carried the same weight as the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). I did not understand why Christianity, which is based on the person (nature), life and sayings of Jesus, should require us to understand the Old Testament or why the writings of Paul are granted equal status or even preference by some interpreters of scripture.
In the intervening years I like to think I have made some sense of the bible but I regret to inform you dear reader, assuming you are still with me, that the conclusions I have reached might be unpalatable and dismissed as simplistic, misguided or plain stupid. So be it.
My starting point is the two Great Commandments expressed by Jesus and set out in all the synoptic gospels. He states two principles which are the basis of the Christian faith. Christians are to love God and love others. Two principles with profound meaning stated with clarity and simplicity.
The two Great Commandments are to be found in Matthew 22:37-40
Love the Lord with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.
See also: Mark 12:30-31 and Luke 10:27.
At this juncture I invite you to consider two passages.
In Luke 4 we read of Jesus in the synagogue reading from Isaiah 61.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.
Luke tells us that Jesus then said:
Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
The second passage is Matthew 5:17
Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
I conclude from these passages that Jesus, in setting out the two Great Commandments, has incorporated within them all of the Old Testament. We should be guided first and foremost by the two principles based on love rather than specific rules. Rules are limiting, principles are broad. Living by the principles Jesus commands us to follow challenges us in all areas of life, rather than regulating some of our life to follow specific rules. In other words the Great Commandments are all-embracing and not a set of rules applicable only part of our lives.
Should you agree with my interpretation it will be clear that love extends to all people. All-embracing love does not exclude. The Law did exclude and this is brought out in Luke where we read the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus frees us to love all equally: rich poor, male, female, straight, gay, old, young. You get the picture. We need to be inclusive and positive in loving our neighbour, not exclusive and negative.
I know only too well that this approach does not meet with universal acclaim. Indeed there is virulent opposition mostly from bible literalists who cannot or will not see beyond words to the ideas or concepts they convey.
There is of course a lot more to be said on this and the above is just a brief outline and stated simply but not I hope simplistically.
I plan to write on this topic in greater detail and also on the way Christians regard the Old Testament. A minefield.
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