A matter of perspective
Perspective. Everyone has one, no two are the same.
For example, take a car accident. There are four witnesses to the accident, yet none of the statements that the police have taken are the same. Yes, they all agree that an accident occurred, and in some cases, they may agree on who may be at fault, but after that, everything is up for debate. So, how do the officers figure out what happened? They take all four of the statements, take into account each perspective, look at the physical evidence, then draw conclusions from there.
The same can be said for our interpretation of the Word of God. I know, I'm on really shaky ground, but bear with me.
I'm going to take some examples in the four Gospels...Matthew, Mark, Luke (whose perspective is not first hand, but rather as a result of bringing the observations of the Apostles and others), and John.
This is what is known as Harmony in the Gospels. The first such incident is when Jesus begins His ministry. In Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:14-15, and John 4:1-3, we see the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Each one shows a different perspective on this beginning.
When He feeds the 5000, again, we see four different perspectives (Matthew 14:21 , Mark 6:44, Luke 9:14-16, John 6:10-11)...the list continues to show the stories of seven more incidents; The Triumphal Entry; Jesus exposes the Betrayer; Peter's denial; Pilate's sentence; the Crucifixion; His death; His burial, and the followers going to the Tomb. Each Book shows a different perspective.
So, why am I showing you this? Because.
Okay, I know, that's rude, but check this out. When we read about these ten events together, that is reading one event, and then reading the same event in each of the other Gospels, we see a full picture of said event.
Go back to the traffic accident. The first witness who is on an opposite corner in front of the accident, sees a lane change (for example). There was no indication that the person in the front vehicle was going to change lanes, causing the person in the second vehicle to rear-end the first.
The second person, who was on the sidewalk and observed the accident from the driver's side, saw basically the same thing, but notated that the first driver did not check for vehicles to his side, nor behind him, by turning to look over his shoulder.
The third person, who was on the passenger side of the accident saw that the second vehicle seemed to go a bit faster, thus closing the gap between them, but didn't see if a turn signal was on.
The fourth person was in the lane behind the first person and parallel to the second driver, notated that the second person had looked down briefly, and did not see the first person coming into his lane until it was too late.
So, when you take all of these perspectives into account, you can ascertain that the first person was at fault by not signalling his intention, but that the second was distracted. This most likely would have ended up with both drivers being ticketed, the first for an illegal lane change, the second for distracted driving.
Now, let's get back to the Biblical perspectives. Four different views of each of the ten events, but each view describes in detail, from their own unique perspectives, the events; and when read in tandem, complete the entire event.
So, why am I making these comparisons? Because it's important to know that we each have our own perspective on the Word of God, but it's up to us to make each and every comparison, and to seek out all perspectives (i.e. cross reference to other passages), to see how they come together to draw the complete picture.In ancient times, the Bereans as a general rule did that. When shown or told something that had to do with the Scriptures, God, Jesus, etc., they searched the Scriptures diligently to see if it all lined up, and as a result, many of them believed and were saved.
Does the Bible sometimes leave you confused? Then try using a concordance that will help you with the cross-references, then re-read each passage to see what you may be missing. You will be surprised at the things you may have missed, or didn't know.
Hope this is beneficial to you, if there are any other suggestions, I would love to hear from you!
Be blessed, my friends!
For example, take a car accident. There are four witnesses to the accident, yet none of the statements that the police have taken are the same. Yes, they all agree that an accident occurred, and in some cases, they may agree on who may be at fault, but after that, everything is up for debate. So, how do the officers figure out what happened? They take all four of the statements, take into account each perspective, look at the physical evidence, then draw conclusions from there.
The same can be said for our interpretation of the Word of God. I know, I'm on really shaky ground, but bear with me.
I'm going to take some examples in the four Gospels...Matthew, Mark, Luke (whose perspective is not first hand, but rather as a result of bringing the observations of the Apostles and others), and John.
This is what is known as Harmony in the Gospels. The first such incident is when Jesus begins His ministry. In Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14, Luke 4:14-15, and John 4:1-3, we see the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Each one shows a different perspective on this beginning.
When He feeds the 5000, again, we see four different perspectives (Matthew 14:21 , Mark 6:44, Luke 9:14-16, John 6:10-11)...the list continues to show the stories of seven more incidents; The Triumphal Entry; Jesus exposes the Betrayer; Peter's denial; Pilate's sentence; the Crucifixion; His death; His burial, and the followers going to the Tomb. Each Book shows a different perspective.
So, why am I showing you this? Because.
Okay, I know, that's rude, but check this out. When we read about these ten events together, that is reading one event, and then reading the same event in each of the other Gospels, we see a full picture of said event.
Go back to the traffic accident. The first witness who is on an opposite corner in front of the accident, sees a lane change (for example). There was no indication that the person in the front vehicle was going to change lanes, causing the person in the second vehicle to rear-end the first.
The second person, who was on the sidewalk and observed the accident from the driver's side, saw basically the same thing, but notated that the first driver did not check for vehicles to his side, nor behind him, by turning to look over his shoulder.
The third person, who was on the passenger side of the accident saw that the second vehicle seemed to go a bit faster, thus closing the gap between them, but didn't see if a turn signal was on.
The fourth person was in the lane behind the first person and parallel to the second driver, notated that the second person had looked down briefly, and did not see the first person coming into his lane until it was too late.
So, when you take all of these perspectives into account, you can ascertain that the first person was at fault by not signalling his intention, but that the second was distracted. This most likely would have ended up with both drivers being ticketed, the first for an illegal lane change, the second for distracted driving.
Now, let's get back to the Biblical perspectives. Four different views of each of the ten events, but each view describes in detail, from their own unique perspectives, the events; and when read in tandem, complete the entire event.
So, why am I making these comparisons? Because it's important to know that we each have our own perspective on the Word of God, but it's up to us to make each and every comparison, and to seek out all perspectives (i.e. cross reference to other passages), to see how they come together to draw the complete picture.In ancient times, the Bereans as a general rule did that. When shown or told something that had to do with the Scriptures, God, Jesus, etc., they searched the Scriptures diligently to see if it all lined up, and as a result, many of them believed and were saved.
Does the Bible sometimes leave you confused? Then try using a concordance that will help you with the cross-references, then re-read each passage to see what you may be missing. You will be surprised at the things you may have missed, or didn't know.
Hope this is beneficial to you, if there are any other suggestions, I would love to hear from you!
Be blessed, my friends!
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